Title: Around the World in 12 Years and 12 Square Meters: Memories and Insights
Author: Steffen P. Russak
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Co.
ISBN: 978-1648044007
Genre: Adventure/Travel/Memoir
Pages: 156
Review by: Barbara Bamberger Scott
Hollywood Book Reviews
In the early 2000s, author Russak and his wife Marianne set out to fulfill a shared dream: to travel the globe in as simple, ecologically sound a manner as possible – seeking the exotic, fascinating and romantic with eyes, ears, minds and hearts open.
Russak’s family are Swiss though he was raised in Brazil; Marianne hailed from northern Germany. They met at a ball in 1963 and stayed together, both nursing a lifelong yen to travel that would finally come to fruition when they were retired and ready in 2001. They initiated the process by getting the right sorts of vehicles. One was a motorbike they named Moby Dick, and the other was a custom-built motor home whimsically named Fuchur. The specifications for Fuchur were highly complex. The rolling house was to contain a large room that could be used for relaxation and dining and quickly converted for sleeping with foldout mattresses. It would have a tiny kitchen, bathroom and closet, and a rack on the back for Moby Dick. It was many times a passenger on ships both large and small, and a dwelling in places as far apart as Australia, Brazil, Tunisia and Malawi. The pair’s shared intention was to uncritically explore and enjoy.
Together they would see a million stars on a magical New Year’s Eve in Chile, and the famous blooming desert of Namaqualand in Southern Africa. They would argue and cajole with bribe-seeking bureaucrats in several countries, be welcomed like family in memorable settings like the Botshabelo Mission in South Africa, and spend lazy days cruising Lake Malawi. They were once saved from death only by a small tree on the edge of a precipice when Fuchur had a mechanical failure. By an eerie chance, they met a charming guide in Tunisia who insisted on pointing out, a bit obsessively as they thought then, the way that some passages of the sacred Koran were being distorted by certain Muslims to justify dishonoring and destroying people of other faiths. Not long afterwards Steffen and Marianne saw unfolding on TV the horror of a fateful day – 9/11/2001 – and recalled the guide’s weighty words.
Russak began work on this dynamic travel memoir after Marianne passed away, the book comprising his memorial to their loving, long-lasting bond. He uses some of her recollections verbatim and includes many of her brilliant and highly evocative photos. His foremost tip for like-minded rovers would probably be: Plan ahead and try to think of every possible exigency that might occur – and then, don’t be surprised when something you never considered happens to thwart – or enhance – your adventures. With its remarkable tales and a couple of “fables” included for pure imaginative enjoyment, Russak’s large volume makes a satisfying read and a perfect “vehicle” for armchair travelers, perhaps – intentionally – inciting some to finish reading the couple’s saga, get up, and go.