Tracing Justine Tibesar’s Historic Journey

Justine Tibesar’s remarkable 22,000-kilometer journey from Saigon to Belgium in 1931-1932 took her across continents, through diverse terrains, and numerous countries. While her complete route has not been documented in full detail, historical records, contemporary newspaper accounts, and FN factory archives have verified key locations along her epic motorcycle expedition.

Documented Stops

The journey began on March 16, 1931, when Justine Tibesar departed Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam, on her newly purchased FN M70 motorcycle. Just days earlier, on March 13, she had obtained her motorcycle license, having never ridden before.

Her first documented stop was Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where she suffered “a severe fall and had to stop for 10 days” to recover before continuing her journey. This initial setback occurred very early in her expedition but did not deter her determination.

After recovery, she proceeded to Angkor, Cambodia, where she visited the ancient temple complex. Here, she noted: “At every stop I had to protect my motorcycle against the natives’ curiosity. They were quite interested in mechanics and their familiarities with my motorcycle brought about a breakdown in the middle of a night in Cambodia.”

Continuing her journey, Justine reached Bangkok, Thailand, marking another verified stop before proceeding southward to Singapore. These Southeast Asian locations are clearly documented in multiple contemporary accounts.

In India, her presence in Calcutta (now Kolkata) is confirmed, as is her time in Srinagar in the Kashmir region, where she “waited there more than a month until 26 June [1931].” Historical records indicate she made this detour specifically to “greet the Citroen Yellow Cruise”—a famous French expedition crossing Asia.

Her passage through Quetta, Pakistan (then part of British India) is also documented, with reports noting the city “had just been destroyed in an earthquake” when she arrived. This timing helps verify her presence there in the summer of 1931, as Quetta experienced a significant earthquake during this period.

In Persia (modern Iran), several locations are firmly established in her itinerary: Douzhab (where she fell ill and required treatment from a local doctor), Mashhad (a major city on her desert crossing), and Tehran. These Persian stops are consistently mentioned across multiple sources.

Further west, Baghdad (Iraq) appears on her route, though she had to adjust her plans due to a cholera outbreak. This led her north through Mosul (Iraq) and Aleppo (Syria) before reaching Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey).

Her European passage is less documented in detail, though Paris is confirmed as a significant stop before her final arrival in Belgium.

Key Cities

Justine’s journey connected several major cities that served as critical waypoints for her expedition. These urban centers would have provided opportunities for rest, repairs, supplies, and communication—essential resources for continuing her journey.

Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam, served as her departure point on March 16, 1931. Here, she purchased her FN M70 motorcycle from “Mr. Martiny, FN agent of the city.” This commercial center of French Indochina contained the necessary infrastructure for her preparations.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, was where she experienced her first major setback with a serious fall that required a ten-day recovery period. As a colonial administrative center, it likely offered medical facilities that aided her recovery.

Bangkok, Thailand, represented another major urban stop, connecting her overland route through Southeast Asia before reaching Singapore, a crucial British colonial port city. Singapore marked the transition point where she took sea transport to continue her journey, as the mountainous terrain of Burma lacked suitable roads for motorcycle travel.

Calcutta (Kolkata), India, served as her entry point to the Indian subcontinent after her sea crossing from Singapore. As one of British India’s most significant cities, it would have offered familiar European amenities and potential contact with colonial authorities who might assist a Belgian traveler.

Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir, was where Justine spent over a month (until June 26, 1931) waiting to connect with the Citroen Yellow Cruise expedition. This extended stay represents one of her longest documented pauses at a single location.

Tehran, the Persian capital, marked the midpoint of her journey across Iran after completing the grueling desert crossing from Douzhab and Mashhad. As a major city, it would have provided essential services before her continued westward travel.

Constantinople (Istanbul) represented her entry point to Europe after completing the Asian portion of her journey. This historic crossroads between East and West marked a psychological milestone as she entered more familiar European territory.

Paris was noted as her European approach to Belgium, likely allowing her to announce her imminent arrival to the FN factory representatives who would later welcome her in Liège, Belgium.

Arlon, Belgium (near her birthplace of Ell, Luxembourg) and Liège (home of the FN factory) marked the triumphant conclusion of her journey on January 22, 1932. Her arrival at the FN factory, where she was “welcomed by leaders of the department of FN motorcycles,” was documented in photographs that visually confirm her successful completion of the expedition.

Desert Routes

Justine’s journey included some of the most challenging desert crossings attempted by any early motorcycle traveler, male or female. These desert portions represented the most physically demanding and dangerous segments of her expedition.

The first significant desert crossing began after leaving Quetta, Pakistan, where she entered Baluchistan—a region spanning parts of modern Pakistan and Iran characterized by harsh desert conditions. It was at this point that she made a crucial adaptation by purchasing a sidecar “to carry water and fuel, so that she could reach Quetta.” This modification highlights the serious nature of the desert challenges she anticipated.

In the Sin Desert, she experienced navigation difficulties that illustrate the challenges of desert travel in the 1930s: “Runways, sometimes hundred meters wide, criss-cross in all directions. Once I got lost and had to go back to the starting point.” Without modern GPS or reliable maps, maintaining direction in the featureless desert landscape required exceptional navigation skills.

The most formidable desert crossing documented in her journey was the 1,000-kilometer stretch from Douzhab to Mashhad across Persian deserts, where she encountered “nothing but desert and two or three small villages” along the entire route. The isolation of this crossing meant that any breakdown or medical emergency would likely have been fatal without outside assistance.

Another equally demanding 1,000-kilometer desert traverse took her from Mashhad to Tehran, “where the landscape offered the same picture” of unrelenting desert conditions. This continuous exposure to extreme heat, minimal water sources, and isolation represents an extraordinary feat of endurance.

A third desert section of approximately 1,000 kilometers connected Tehran to Kermanshah, completing her Persian desert crossings. She described one section as being through “a country of sand absolutely desert with two or three small villages deprived of all.”

Her account mentions the need to maintain extremely slow speeds across these desert sections due to the limitations of her motorcycle with its loaded sidecar: “A loaded sidecar was too heavy for my small 350 cc FN, but I was still able to cross the Sin Desert very slowly.”

Mountain Passages

While deserts formed a significant portion of Justine’s challenges, mountain crossings presented different but equally formidable obstacles throughout her journey.

The most telling evidence of mountain difficulties appears in her decision regarding Burma (Myanmar). Historical accounts confirm that she was unable to cross “the mountains of Burma, as there were no roads.” This impassable mountain barrier forced her to take sea transport from Singapore to Calcutta—one of the few instances where she had to abandon motorcycle travel temporarily.

In northern India, she specifically diverted her route to visit the Himalayan region, traveling to Srinagar in Kashmir. This mountainous detour was purposefully undertaken “to greet the Citroen Yellow Cruise” expedition, demonstrating her willingness to navigate difficult mountain terrain for specific objectives.

The journey through Kashmir and into Baluchistan would have required navigating numerous mountain passes connecting these regions. Contemporary accounts describe the route as “particularly dangerous,” reflecting both the technical difficulty of the terrain and the political insecurity of these border regions.

Her route from Mosul through Aleppo and into Turkey necessarily involved crossing portions of the Taurus Mountains and Anatolian plateau. These historically significant mountain ranges have challenged travelers for millennia, with narrow passes and dramatic elevation changes.

The European portion of her journey, while less documented in detail, would have included Alpine passages as she made her way from Constantinople (Istanbul) through Central Europe toward Paris and ultimately Belgium. In the winter of 1931-1932, these mountain crossings would have added cold-weather challenges to her already demanding journey.

Sea Crossings

While Justine’s expedition was primarily a motorcycle journey, the geographical realities of her route required strategic sea crossings at key points. These maritime segments were necessary adaptations to overcome impassable land barriers.

The most significant sea crossing occurred between Singapore and Calcutta (Kolkata), India. Contemporary accounts clearly state that “she reached Singapore by Bangkok, where she took on board (via ship) for Calcutta.” This sea voyage was necessitated by the impossible task of crossing “the Burmese mountains, as there were no roads” suitable for motorcycle travel.

This Singapore-to-Calcutta crossing would have taken her through the Bay of Bengal, a sometimes turbulent body of water known for seasonal monsoon effects. The journey likely required several days at sea, depending on the vessel and weather conditions encountered.

Her experience at sea would have been a significant departure from the self-reliant nature of her motorcycle travel. As a passenger rather than a driver, she would have temporarily surrendered control of her journey’s pace and direction to the ship’s captain and crew.

Transporting the motorcycle itself during this sea crossing presented additional logistical challenges. Unlike modern roll-on/roll-off ferry services, loading and securing a motorcycle on a 1930s cargo or passenger vessel would have required careful handling to prevent damage from rough seas. The motorcycle would likely have been treated as freight rather than a passenger vehicle.

The contrast between sea and land travel—from the isolation of desert crossings to the social environment of a passenger vessel—highlights Justine’s adaptability throughout her expedition. Her willingness to alternate between transportation modes when necessary demonstrates her practical approach to achieving her ultimate goal.

Final Arrival

After ten months and approximately 22,000 kilometers, Justine Tibesar’s remarkable journey concluded with her arrival in Belgium on January 22, 1932. The final stages of her expedition and reception are well-documented, providing a satisfying conclusion to her historic achievement.

Her European approach came via Paris, where she received initial recognition before continuing to Belgium. The relatively developed roads of Western Europe would have provided a stark contrast to the challenging conditions she had overcome throughout Asia and the Middle East.

Her official arrival at the FN motorcycle factory in Liège, Belgium was marked with appropriate ceremony. She was “welcomed by leaders of the department of FN motorcycles” who recognized the extraordinary promotional value of her achievement for their brand. Photographs from this reception show Justine standing proudly beside her motorcycle, surrounded by FN factory officials.

The factory welcome was particularly significant given that Justine had departed from her birthplace region near Arlon, Belgium/Luxembourg border area, almost a year earlier. Her journey had quite literally taken her around the world and back again, as she had previously traveled through America, Japan, and China before beginning her motorcycle expedition from Saigon.

Upon her return, Justine made a memorable statement about her experience with the FN motorcycle that carried her across continents: she “had no idea about the mechanic of the motorcycle” and “just trusted her intuition.” This admission highlights the remarkable nature of her achievement, having completed an extraordinarily demanding journey with minimal technical knowledge.

Contemporary news coverage described her as “the intrepid Arlonaise, who has just crossed Asia, the Middle East and Europe on a motorcycle,” and Belgian citizens celebrated her as a national hero. The 22-year-old nurse from the Luxembourg border region had accomplished something unprecedented—a solo motorcycle journey by a woman across some of the world’s most challenging terrain.

Justine’s arrival in Belgium completed not just her motorcycle journey from Saigon, but also her larger global travels that had begun when she first left Europe for America several years earlier. Her full circumnavigation of the globe, combining various transportation methods before culminating in her epic motorcycle expedition, represents one of the most remarkable travel achievements of the early 20th century.