People often say “the world is getting smaller and smaller”. By this they mean our ability today to reach almost any point on earth in next to no time. Accordingly, travel reports are on the rise, often following already well-trodden paths, even if many a path is still an adventure. But what was it like over 40 years ago? You can find out in the book Strangers like Angels.
1977, I have to think for a moment. Yes, a few memories from that year have stayed with me. My relatives from Canada came to visit us. Oh my god, Canada! How far away is that? For me as a seven-year-old, a drive to Berlin was already mind-blowing. So my aunt, my uncle and their four children were the attraction in our apartment building. They were immediately distributed among all the families in it, because everyone wanted to know something about the big wide world, which Canada stood in for over three weeks. How far-fetched a trip around the world seemed back then. And in a small car at that.
It’s in exactly this year, and in Canada, that the story of Jan and Alec Forman begins. She is a young nurse in the service of the British Army, he is a pilot and flies regularly to British Arctic stations. The two are a couple and, after he finishes a job in Asia, they take over the used Land Rover Series III from the family and decide, shortly after their wedding, to make a trip around the world. Just like that. And not to the delight of everyone in the family.
But the two won’t be dissuaded, they plan and prepare the vehicle. It has a Carawagon pop-top roof and an interior build. On the roof rack there’s room for quite a few fuel cans and spare wheels. And so they set off in February 1977. First towards Germany, then south over to Morocco. The first self-chosen challenge is the crossing of the Sahara. Along the way the two pass through many places that are no longer so easy to reach these days.
From Africa it’s back to Europe, then on through the Eastern European countries to Asia. They drive through Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Nepal. Along the way they make surprising and, for them, life-changing acquaintances, some of which also turned into friendships that last to this day. The two get to experience irretrievable moments, for instance when Alec climbs above the head of the Buddha in Bamiyan. That’s no longer possible today.
On the road they keep meeting other overlanders travelling in their vehicles. At times they continue the route together. The world at least still seems intact, the people friendly throughout, even if not always entirely honest.
Jan in particular is an attentive observer. She keeps a precise diary of what they both see and experience. The notes help her a great deal later when writing Strangers like Angels. And on the trip there’s a lot to see and experience. For us readers that provides a detailed insight into these distant worlds.
Many glimpses into the private
The book reproduces a number of letters that the two wrote and received during the trip. They also give an impression of their inner lives and family matters. Unlike today, where a mobile network is enough to stay in the picture, back then the next possible post office was passed on, the one you tried to reach. Once there, the tension was high as to whether mail was waiting, and the joy all the greater when you held the letters in your hand.
In 1978 the trip wasn’t over yet
Travel, foreign countries and their helpfulness didn’t let go of Jan and Alec even after the 1977/1978 trip. In the last chapter of the book they briefly tell of a trip with their children in Mali, where the Forman family lived for many years as development aid workers, missionaries and, in Jan’s case, as a nurse.
Why I like this book
One of the main reasons why I like Strangers like Angels very much is that this account tells of a trip that took place over 40 years ago. When not everything was yet connected, fast and short-lived. When the map of the countries you could travel to was still much bigger and made of paper, and the cars much simpler. When an adventure was still a bit more of an adventure than it is today.
Seeing the world through Jan and Alec’s analogue camera was exciting for me. Once you’d pressed the shutter, it had to be right back then. The result remained unknown for weeks, and by the time you held the print in your hands you were already many kilometres further on. So after crossing a more than rickety bridge, Alec hoped that Jan had taken good shots. A feeling we rarely have any more today.
Explmore.com
Strangers like Angels is rich in detail and fills your head with exciting images. Anyone who wants to know more about the two of them can take a look at Explmore.com. There, one of the sons has built a lovely web presence around the overlander story.
You’ll find a short excerpt from the book with us at: When travel was still an adventure.
The book has so far only been published in English.
Buy the book in our shop: Strangers like Angels.
On a personal note
Nik and I had the privilege of meeting Jan and Alec in person this year. They promptly invited us to dinner when they heard we were nearby. The two were incredibly kind to us and we felt at ease straight away. Sadly, for certain reasons, the old Land Rover stands rather sadly in their garden. For many years Alec hasn’t got around to looking after and maintaining it. Sometimes there are simply more important things in life. But he still has plans for the old treasure. We keep our fingers crossed for him and Jan that in future they’ll be able to drive proudly through the streets of the Breisgau in it again.