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164                     AN EXILE OF THE MIND                                                                          THE HIPPIE TRAIL                          165



































                                                                                                                  Nicole cooking fish on a Penang beach, Malaysia.



                                                                                                         A bowl of rice was served three  my locks trimmed in advance we
                                                                                                      times a day, and a bunch of bananas  tentatively approached the border of
                                                                                                      swung  from the  yardarm  for our  Singapore where long-haired males
                                                                                                      dessert. The only fare on the ship’s  were fined or refused entry. ‘Barbers’
                                                                                                      menu. Nine bowls of rice later our  waited at the ready for a quick make-
                                                                                                      cruise ended with the urgent need to  over of short back and sides. Hippies
                                                                                                      find a restaurant and a shower. We  were regarded as a danger to repub-
                                                                                                      camped on the beaches  of  Penang  lic’s  youth,  ready  to  corrupt their
                                                                                                      and ate food freshly caught from the  minds and pollute its society.
                                                                                                      ocean by local fishermen.               A passenger ship was about to set

                                                                                                         The train chugged south through  sail from Singapore to Fremantle in
                                                                                                      Malaysia  where  we  could  see  ele-  Western  Australia and we hopped
                                                                                                      phants labouring in the jungle. With  aboard.  I  was seasick most of the
                                                                                                                                           way  and thought  longingly  about
                                                                                                      Wash day in a Malaysian river.       Spike Milligan’s advice.
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