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by Mark A. Tesoriero (Author)
Mark Tesoriero commences his tale by recounting his early years. He provides a wonderful snapshot of a youthful counter culture in Australia and the need to escape to explore a much bigger world. With his closest friend Pedro and a big bag of marijuana they set off by steamship across the Pacific and party hop their way to London where they experience the swinging "seventies" and embark on a three month long campervan trip around Europe. All the while gathering sparse information on the overland trip from Greece to Asia. Their journey commences aboard the ferry to Greece, where they meet three Americans, Olga, Ryan and Troy, who are about to embark on the same journey. They decide to travel together. Mark and Olga fall in love, and the others have each other's backs on what is to become a sometimes dangerous journey. They then train and bus their way across Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Mark, Olga and Pedro arrive in India and take the dangerous road route to Kashmir where they hang on a houseboat whiling away the days smoking water pipes. Back in India they visit the Dalai Lama's foothills ashram, before bussing it to Delhi and the Taj Mahal. With the summer heat they take a flight to the cooler climate of Kathmandu and for a month enjoy the hippie scene on Freak Street. A flight to Bangkok then sets them squarely in the bustle of Asia where Pedro plans his flight back to Sydney, while Mark and Olga head to Laos for a few weeks to plan their next step to Japan where they hope to teach English to replenish their almost non existent cash reserves. They land in Tokyo, with two days funds. Next day they run straight into an entertainment agent looking for dancers. The dancing turns out to be a live sex show and with reluctance they accept the offer and embark on ninety straight days of 4-6 shows-a-day craziness. After three months they are spent and with nearly $40,000 in a carry bag they quit the circuit and retrace their steps to Laos. Heady opium nilled days follow and a month later they depart for beautiful Kathmandu. Mark longs to see his family and decides to do a quick side trip home for Christmas. Olga is very understanding and agrees to catch up again in Madras in January. The trip home is a great chance to catch up and party but very quickly it's time to get back on the plane to India. When Mark arrives in India there is no Olga. His heart sinks, so he heads to southern India, a vast place where there are very few travellers. It's a head trip as he comes to grips with the loss of Olga and being alone. He considers his next step and decides to go to Sri Lanka where he hears there's surf. In the quiet seaside town of Hikkadua, Mark meets new friends and spend three months in idyllic bliss and eventually leaves Sri Lanka with English friends (John and Michelle) in an old ambulance to travel up the east coast of India to Darjeerling and Kathmandu. The trip is handicapped by John's driving in a completely opiated state and Mark's wild nights trying to sleep by the roadside in the slums, mountains and jungle. Back in Kathmandu he says good bye to his English friends who want him to travel on to Europe, and instead plans to head back home to Sydney. While waiting he catches up with a Nepalese friend who offers him hash oil to take back home and Mark stupidly takes on the consignment. His flight back home is interrupted with a forced overnight stop over in Bangkok where he has to move in and out of customs, but eventually finds himself seated on a Qantas Flight to Sydney rehearsing his next encounter.
