In 1962, at the age of 16, Simon Dring was one of the first to walk what was to become the hippie trail to India. In the summer of 1994 he set off again to retrace his footsteps on an 18,000-mile overland journey across some of the most volatile regions of the world. In this book he describes - with humour - the journey, the people, the places and the problems. Together with the stories of the modern travellers are tales of the culture and history of the regions - of the armies of Alexander the Great, Mongol hordes, and ancient civilizations. For readers who are tempted to make the journey themselves, the book also contains practical and personal revelations of modern travellers, with maps and extensive reading and address lists. The author is an award-winning television news correspondent who has worked regularly in many of the countries visited in the book.