Speaking of the Hippie Trail: A personal account. Waaaay back in 1974 my entire family (we five siblings, plus a cousin, plus parents) went to, what we called, 'Murree, Swat'. Somewhere in Swat (probably Band Kalam or Miandam) we spotted an RV (motorhome) near our Rest House, parked in the woods. There were four hippies in that--from Germany! I am fairly sure they were hippies because of colorful clothes and long hairs. Because my father was fluent in German we became friends quickly. They gave us a ride to some nearby town. They wanted to return to Europe and wanted to sell their RV and would, instead, fly back. We begged our dad to buy the RV but we couldn't afford that; if memory serves me correctly: It was around Rs. 13,000-15,000.
The hippies were at ease traveling through Pakistan. It must have been a bargain to them.
Alas, those days are gone. But perhaps Pakistani environment may have benefited from not having too
1974? I went to Swat/Kalam area with my family in 1998, I was a little kid back then. We stayed in Besham for some nights, right next to the mighty Indus. When we used to go out for dinner at the dining hall, we would see loads of RVs parked and people living in them. To me it was fascinating as i saw a home on wheels for the first time. I used to ask my dad why can't we live in them, and he was like, kid, when you grow up, get one.
The RVs were primarily in use by the travelers who would come via Iran, Turkey etc.
What a time it was.
many tourists and perhaps Pakistan should focus on Eco Tourism. Sort of like Bhutan does.
I am glad to see that this Lahore hostel owner has all the right ideas about how to conduct his business while also trying to help Pakistan and it's 'image'.
