Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2008 | Page 57

INTERVIEW
Nick says he was “naïve” in his expectation
of the world’s reaction to Chitty. “I thought
everyone would know the film, but none of
them had a clue. So when we turned up it
was like the circus coming to town!”
It’s worth pausing here to think about the
implications of their trip. Driving through
certain parts of the world carries a risk in
itself. To drive in a fantasy replica from
a film, which is an elderly Landrover in
disguise, is quite another. Nick was quite
unprepared for the strict Muslim code
in Turkey, which was “another planet”
compared with the touristy parts he’d
known. That no-one spoke English was
something the couple were prepared for.
“We’d brought with us printed pictures of
the world, of the old Landrover, of Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang, of a tent, food and water.
And a route showing all the countries we

were going through. And it really worked!”
What they weren’t expecting was the sheer
quantity of people who suddenly appeared
whenever they stopped. “We pulled up at
a petrol station, and were descended on by
a load of police, who all came tumbling out
of one car. I don’t know how they all got in
there!” They weren’t about to be arrested
though – the police just wanted their photo
taken on top of the 6"