An Impossible Journey: Recent Episodes
Jessica Guiver
50 years ago my parents set off on an epic adventure that took them across the globe. In two and half months they covered 19,000 miles and travelled through 16 countries; they flew from Vancouver to Hawaii, Japan, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and on to Calcutta. From there they took trains, buses, rickshaws and hitchhiked across India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey. Finally ending their travels in Europe, with stopovers in Greece and Italy, settling down in Switzerland, their final destination.
I grew up listening to stories of a broken down bus in the "Valley of Death", being attacked by monkeys in Kathmandu, and Bangkok's busy nightlife. These tales stoked my own desire to travel, experience adventure off the beaten path, and, unsurprisingly, as an adult I chose a career that allowed me to travel. Happily and gratefully I now have exciting stories of my own to tell my children.
My parents' journey took place in the winter and spring of 1971, exactly 50 years ago. I call this podcast "An Impossible Journey" because today it would be. Tourist buses no longer trundle through the Khyber Pass, airline tickets that cost $600 and are good for 10,000 miles do not exist, and you would be hard-pressed to get a hotel room in Wakiki for $12 a night.
As I get older, I feel time more acutely than I used to. I feel the prickles of its passing, and I worry that I haven't adequately sucked out all the marrow of life. I don't want to regret not doing something, and I realized I wanted to capture my parents' story - and them telling it - while I still can.
This is a labor of love. It's personal - a conversation between a woman and her parents, between parents and their daughter. But it's also history, travel, a snapshot in time, and hopefully interesting to some. That's why I'm sharing it with you.
Music credit: Bombay Summer by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
It's the end of their journey, and Mom & Dad make a final stop in Milan. They probably shouldn't have.
Mom & Dad fly to Athens, and then take a ferry to Hydra to spend a few dreary days on the island. Later, they head to Zagreb and leave almost immediately.
Mom & Dad spend a few days in Istanbul. They also say a bittersweet goodbye to the bus.
A run-in with the Iranian military leaves Mom & Dad feeling uneasy, Dad has a Turkish steam bath, and the bus breaks down (again & again & again).
After 2am tea in Kandahar, the bus breaks down in the Desert of Death on the way to Herat. So Mom & Dad hitch a ride with a drug smuggling Dutchman driving a beat-up old Chevy across Afghanistan.
Four days in Kabul. Mom & Dad go antiquing, explore the backstreets and dance the night away at a disco. Kabul is better than they expected.
After an inauspicious start, the bus journey from Delhi to Istanbul begins. Mom & Dad spend a night in Lahore, have lunch in Peshawar and trundle through the infamous Khyber Pass.
A series of mini mishaps befall Mom and Dad. In Benares, they nearly get trampled by a bull and have to wait 11 hours for their train. In Delhi they go see a movie, Ben Hur, and it breaks down; later they get locked in a linen closet. But in Agra they are able to see the Taj Mahal in peace - it's 1971 and there's no crowds.
Mom & Dad spend a week in beautiful Kathmandu. They do lots of bike riding, frighten some monkeys, and Mom gets an earache. We learn that yak skin jackets are a thing in 1971.
Mom & Dad battle crowds at the Calcutta train station, trade money on the black market (!) and finally arrive in Kathmandu. They do see Mt Everest from the bus.
Despite the traffic, Mom and Dad enjoy Bangkok. They visit the floating village twice, take a train out to the bridge over the River Kwai, meet fellow Swiss travellers at the hotel, and see more Buddha statues.
A few unenthusiastic days in Hong Kong. Mom and Dad do some shopping, but don't remember much else.
Mom & Dad have a whirlwind week in Japan, visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka. They do not see Mt. Fuji. They do see the largest wooden structure in the world (maybe).
Mom and Dad spend a few relaxing days in Hawaii. They find a hotel room in Waikiki for $12 a night, Dad plays barefoot golf, Mom gets sunburned.
Mom and Dad go to Disneyland (they don't remember much) then fly to Hawaii to see a volcano.
Mom and Dad talk about why they decided to take the trip, how they planned for it and detail the first few days.