Podcast
An Impossible Journey
Hosted by Jessica Guiver · EN
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
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Last Stop: Milan
May 15, 202100:21:29Tap to summarizeIt's the end of their journey, and Mom & Dad make a final stop in Milan. They probably shouldn't have.
Transcribe →Greece
Apr 24, 202100:20:11Tap to summarizeMom & 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.
Transcribe →Istanbul
Apr 11, 202100:17:05Tap to summarizeMom & Dad spend a few days in Istanbul. They also say a bittersweet goodbye to the bus.
Transcribe →Through Iran & Turkey to Istanbul
Apr 3, 202100:20:34Tap to summarizeA 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).
Transcribe →To Herat & on to Iran
Feb 27, 202100:22:01Tap to summarizeAfter 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.
Transcribe →Kabul
Feb 15, 202100:17:27Tap to summarizeFour days in Kabul. Mom & Dad go antiquing, explore the backstreets and dance the night away at a disco. Kabul is better than they expected.
Transcribe →Pakistan & the Khyber Pass
Feb 11, 202100:19:39Tap to summarizeAfter 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.
Transcribe →Benares, Delhi, Agra
Feb 8, 202100:24:20Tap to summarizeA 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.
Transcribe →Kathmandu
Feb 4, 202100:23:34Tap to summarizeMom & 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.
Transcribe →Calcutta to Kathmandu
Jan 29, 202100:19:33Tap to summarizeMom & 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.
Transcribe →