FAITH LAPIDUS: Robert Fulton successfully completed his trip. He traveled through what are now Afghanistan, India, Vietnam, China, Malaysia and Japan. He crossed the Pacific Ocean on a ship, and arrived in San Francisco. From there, he rode his motorcycle home to New York City. He arrived one day before Christmas, nineteen thirty-three.

When he began his trip, Mister Fulton said he wanted to study buildings and monuments because that is what he had studied in school. He later wrote that he became much more interested in the people he met. He said race or religion did not make a difference. The people were almost always very friendly. He said many people in small villages did not trust him because he was a stranger. But almost everyone tried to help him when they found out that he was riding around the world.

Detail from the book cover of "One Man Caravan."

In nineteen thirty-seven, Robert Fulton wrote a book about his trip. He called it “One Man Caravan.” It included many photographs of buildings he had seen. Some were very beautiful. They included religious buildings in Malaysia and old military forts in India.

But Robert Fulton liked the photographs of people’s faces best. The photos showed people in their native dress, working, playing and examining his motorcycle.

“One Man Caravan” still sells well today. People can order it from bookstores. The movie he made of the trip is called “Twice Upon a Caravan.” People can also order it from some bookstores.