The adventures of a Top Deck Tour leader in 1979 and 1980 travelling from Kathmandu to London on double decker buses. It's a volatile time in Asia with the Soviets invading Afghanistan, revolution in Iran, Saddam Hussein campaigning in Iraq, Hafez al - Assad quelling rebellions in Syria and a coup d'état in Turkey. Ian's winter overland tour, where temperatures in Iran and Turkey drop to minus 30 degrees contrasts vividly with his summer Overland - monsoons in India and temperatures in Pakistan and Iran rise to 45-50 degrees
Overland crew needed a blend of resourcefulness, initiative, audacity improvisation, problem solving and rule bending to get their passengers safely to their destination. This is a fascinating book full of keen observations, everyday people he meets, Kiwi and Aussie characters, adventures and misadventures, big and small, ordinary, extraordinary, exciting and dangerous.