On the Road to Kathmandu by Daphne Dawson

In 1975, Daphne Dawson travelled overland in a converted fire engine from London to Kathmandu in Nepal. The journey took 12 weeks, crossing Europe to Istanbul in the first week, then on through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, India and Nepal.

For the majority of the journey, the 44 companions (a mixed bunch of people, aged between 20 and 37, by nationality mainly British, North American and Antipodean, and travelling in two vehicles) self-catered and camped each night, often well off the beaten track. There was much to amaze and intrigue a reader of today when comparing life then with today’s situation, particularly in Iran and Afghanistan.

Throughout this journey Daphne kept a diary and took photographs which are the main sources of what is written here. It was the never-to-be-forgotten trip of a lifetime and it seems appropriate to share these experiences in the world now, which is so changed and changing.