It is an adventure story of human ingenuity, a unique travelog unlikely ever to be
repeated", writes Lord Steel of Aikwood (better known as the former Liberal Party
leader, David Steel) in his foreword - and so it is. In 1958 two Malayan policemen, Roy
Follows and Noel Dudgeon, driving an ancient reconditioned jeep, travelled over 13,000
miles overland from Singapore to England. This was long before the days of package
holidays, double-lane highways and five star hotels on the Coast of Coromandel. Rivers were
almost invariably unbridged, jungle tracks were overgrown and metalled roads were rare.
The adventurers were well qualified. Both had plenty of jungle experience and
a record of very active service in the Malayan guerrilla war known euphemistically as
The Emergency. Both could have made a living as mechanics and both shared a badly
needed sense of humour. Their jeep was well equipped with a winch and spare parts and
could carry forty two gallons of petrol and nine of water. They also had a good supply of
tinned rations, a compass and a (63 miles to the inch) map of South East Asia to help
them navigate the wilds of Thailand and Burma. Their ingenuity in frequent do-ityourself
major repairs to the jeep and in outwitting uncooperative officialdom was
severely tested but never failed. (Refused visas for Yugoslavia as colonialist policemen
oppressing the working class they applied again at a smaller consulate giving their
profession as 'Dustman'. Visas granted.)
Hardships and dangers en route included malaria, dengue fever, suffering near
shipwreck while crossing the Ganges and temporary captivity as prisoners of Pathan
tribesmen. Lack of local currency was solved by bartering socks, tinned rations and
cigarettes. Facilities which are usually taken for granted were notably absent; for
example when boarding a ferry they had to build their own entry ramp. When possible
they preferred to sleep out at night as local accommodation varied between the bearable
(sometimes) and the really horrible (frequently). At one cockroach-infested ruin of a
lodging house in Iran the housekeeper, who hoped to attract foreign tourists, invited
them to a meal - of rancid meat. Immigration and Customs in every country were
usually a pain in the neck but the local police, once aware of the travellers' identity, were
almost invariably helpful. So were the many ordinary folk they encountered on that epic
journey who somehow overcame the language barrier and did what they could to help
the travellers on their way.
The book is excellently produced and its photographs and maps give the reader some
idea of the difficulties that the author and his friend overcame. Roy Fellows ends the
story, most appropriately, with a quotation from Kipling's The Explorer.
Something hidden. Go and find it. Go and look behind the Ranges -
Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go!
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