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Philip Game | profile | all galleries >> Galleries >> 1974, a year on the road - Part II, Overland across Asia tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

1974, a year on the road - Part II, Overland across Asia

It's a labour of love to scan and retouch those old Kodachromes...

Some time during my second year at university, a chance conversation over the family dinner inspired the idea of what we now know as a gap year.

In February 1974, just after my 21st birthday, I landed in a rather wintry Rome and set out hitch-hiking back and forth across Europe. See Part I.

By early September I was moving steadily eastwards by bus and by train, overland across Asia on the so-called Hippie Trail to Kathmandu, then as far as Bangkok then home. Almost all (not quite) of my colour slides made it home (via various Kodak labs) before I did, just short of the new year.


* * *

Read more about my experiences in Afghanistan. Here is the second episode... or read about the adventures of earlier overlanders. Facebook now also boasts a group dedicated to 'Asia Overland' tragics sharing memories and fading photos from as far back as the 1960s.





The Blue Mosque at Istanbul, 1974
The Blue Mosque at Istanbul, 1974		 Street market in Beyazit, Istanbul
Street market in Beyazit, Istanbul		 Valens Aqueduct, Istanbul
Valens Aqueduct, Istanbul
14th-century Great Mosque of Bursa, first capital of the Ottoman Empire
14th-century Great Mosque of Bursa, first capital of the Ottoman Empire		 Ancient city of Ephesus on the Aegean coast of Turkey
Ancient city of Ephesus on the Aegean coast of Turkey		 Seljuk citadel at Alanya on the southern coast of Turkey
Seljuk citadel at Alanya on the southern coast of Turkey
Early Christian frescoes in a cave church, Cappadocia
Early Christian frescoes in a cave church, Cappadocia		 Christian chapels and cells carved from soft volcanic rock at Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkiye
Christian chapels and cells carved from soft volcanic rock at Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkiye		 Rock pinnacles near Zelve, Cappadocia, Turkiye, in 1974
Rock pinnacles near Zelve, Cappadocia, Turkiye, in 1974
On the road through eastern Turkey, bound for Iran
On the road through eastern Turkey, bound for Iran		 Back lanes of Isfahan, Iran
Back lanes of Isfahan, Iran		 Mural inside the 17th century Ali Qapu Palace, Isfahan, Iran
Mural inside the 17th century Ali Qapu Palace, Isfahan, Iran
Bas-reliefs at Persepolis, Iran
Bas-reliefs at Persepolis, Iran		 Bas-relief of a lion attacking a bull at the Achaemenid Persian capital of Persepolis
Bas-relief of a lion attacking a bull at the Achaemenid Persian capital of Persepolis		 Bas-relief of bearers bringing tribute to the emperor Darius at the Persian capital of Persepolis
Bas-relief of bearers bringing tribute to the emperor Darius at the Persian capital of Persepolis
Streets of Herat, Afghanistan
Streets of Herat, Afghanistan		 Bakery in Herat, Afghanistan: how much has survived?
Bakery in Herat, Afghanistan: how much has survived?		 The Citadel, Herat, Afghanistan
The Citadel, Herat, Afghanistan
The Great Mosque, Herat, Afghanistan
The Great Mosque, Herat, Afghanistan		 The Great Mosque at Herat, Afghanistan
The Great Mosque at Herat, Afghanistan		 Ancient towers outside Herat, Afghanistan
Ancient towers outside Herat, Afghanistan
Chaikana or tea shop, Kandahar, Afghanistan
Chaikana or tea shop, Kandahar, Afghanistan		 Bamiyan, Afghanistan, 1974
Bamiyan, Afghanistan, 1974		 View from the ear of the giant Buddha, Bamiyan, Afghanistan, 1974
View from the ear of the giant Buddha, Bamiyan, Afghanistan, 1974
Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan
Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan		 Band i Amir mineral lakes, Afghanistan
Band i Amir mineral lakes, Afghanistan		 Band i Amir mineral lakes, Afghanistan
Band i Amir mineral lakes, Afghanistan
Kabul, the Afghan capital. The two-storey 1920s mosque is still a landmark today.
Kabul, the Afghan capital. The two-storey 1920s mosque is still a landmark today. 		Formidable dentist in Peshawar, Pakistan
Formidable dentist in Peshawar, Pakistan		 Pomegranate juice vendor, Peshawar, Pakistan
Pomegranate juice vendor, Peshawar, Pakistan
Audience Hall, Lahore Fort, Pakistan
Audience Hall, Lahore Fort, Pakistan		 Badshahi Mosque, Lahore, Pakistan
Badshahi Mosque, Lahore, Pakistan		 Golden Temple of the Sikhs, Amritsar, India
Golden Temple of the Sikhs, Amritsar, India
Bus station at Mandi, gateway to the Kulu Valley in northern India
Bus station at Mandi, gateway to the Kulu Valley in northern India		 On the road: tea shop at Qazigund in the Vale of Kashmir
On the road: tea shop at Qazigund in the Vale of Kashmir		 One landmark that remains the same... and equally stunning
One landmark that remains the same... and equally stunning
The Ghats on the Ganges, Varanasi, India
The Ghats on the Ganges, Varanasi, India		 Hindu temple sculptures of Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India
Hindu temple sculptures of Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India		 Swayambunath Stupa, Kathmandu
Swayambunath Stupa, Kathmandu
'Freak Street' (more properly, Jhochhen Tole) in Kathmandu, 2019
'Freak Street' (more properly, Jhochhen Tole) in Kathmandu, 2019		 Women bathing in the Bagmati at Pashupatinath, Kathmandu - 1974
Women bathing in the Bagmati at Pashupatinath, Kathmandu - 1974		 Bhaktapur in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal in 1974
Bhaktapur in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal in 1974
Bhaktapur in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal in 1974
Bhaktapur in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal in 1974		 Peacock window, Bhaktapur, Kathmandu Valley
Peacock window, Bhaktapur, Kathmandu Valley		 Dhulikhel, Nepal in 1974
Dhulikhel, Nepal in 1974
Nagarkot, Nepal: Himalayan vistas
Nagarkot, Nepal: Himalayan vistas		 Machhapuchhre (Machapuchare or Fish Tail) from the Mardi Khola Valley, Nepal
Machhapuchhre (Machapuchare or Fish Tail) from the Mardi Khola Valley, Nepal		 Gurung villlagers at Ghandruk on the Annapurna Trail, Nepal
Gurung villlagers at Ghandruk on the Annapurna Trail, Nepal
Shwe Dagon, the emblematic pagoda of Rangoon (Yangon)
Shwe Dagon, the emblematic pagoda of Rangoon (Yangon)		 The bus from Pagan to Thazi, Burma - little has changed!
The bus from Pagan to Thazi, Burma - little has changed!		 Pagan, Burma (Myanmar) in 1974
Pagan, Burma (Myanmar) in 1974
Pagan, Burma (Myanmar) in 1974
Pagan, Burma (Myanmar) in 1974		 Local transport, Kyaukpadaung, central Burma
Local transport, Kyaukpadaung, central Burma		 Buddhist monks at Lamphun, northern Thailand
Buddhist monks at Lamphun, northern Thailand
Village of the hilltribe Muser people, N. Thailand
Village of the hilltribe Muser people, N. Thailand		 Early morning in a Lisu tribal minority village, northern Thailand, 1974
Early morning in a Lisu tribal minority village, northern Thailand, 1974		 Fertility shrine or spirit gate at an Akha hamlet, northern Thailand
Fertility shrine or spirit gate at an Akha hamlet, northern Thailand
Akha tribal people in the hills north of Chiang Mai, Thailand
Akha tribal people in the hills north of Chiang Mai, Thailand		 Akha tribal people in the hills north of Chiang Mai, Thailand
Akha tribal people in the hills north of Chiang Mai, Thailand		 Akha tribal people, Thailand
Akha tribal people, Thailand
Akha people entertain their visitors, northern Thailand
Akha people entertain their visitors, northern Thailand		 Royal Palace on the Mekong at Luang Prabang, Laos
Royal Palace on the Mekong at Luang Prabang, Laos		 View of Luang Prabang, then royal capital of Laos, 1974
View of Luang Prabang, then royal capital of Laos, 1974
Wat May, Luang Prabang, Laos, with a Royalist soldier on guard
Wat May, Luang Prabang, Laos, with a Royalist soldier on guard		 Vientiane: Phra That Luang, the national shrine
Vientiane: Phra That Luang, the national shrine		 Khmer temple at Phimai, Northeast Thailand
Khmer temple at Phimai, Northeast Thailand
Golden Buddha at Wat Traimitr in Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand
Golden Buddha at Wat Traimitr in Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand

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