Five Young Men in a Van

This is a true story of youthful exuberance overcoming adversity and achieving great things. Imagine five young 19-year-old military cadets embarking on a 4,000-mile road trip across Europe and Asia Minor to Iran, having only recently qualified to drive. This dramatic and often hilarious tale illustrates how fortitude can overcome the dangerous mix of overconfidence, ineptness and high spirits. Set in the very different political world of the mid-1960s, this book follows the successes and mishaps of the five as they struggle to reach Iran's notorious "Valley of the Assassins" high in the hazardous Elburz Mountains and explore the infamous "Eagle's Nest" Fortress at Alamut. What could possibly go wrong?