Hot on the heels of his adventures in the Sahara, Michael Palin
takes on the abode of snow and begins a 2000-mile journey across this
mighty and majestic region of Asia. Encountering extremes of wealth and
poverty, altitude and freezing cold, he once again brings his unique
wit, charm and wisdom to each episode.
Along the way he encounters, amongst many others, the Dalai Lama,
the Bhutanese Royal Family and the once feared head hunting tribe of
the Konyak. Palin journeys through the various countries along the
world’s greatest mountain range, getting friendly with everyone he
meets and offering gently witty, gently affectionate observations on
the customs and cultures he encounters.
From the Khyber Pass through dangerous territory along the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border, via Nepal then up into Tibet to Everest
and down into China, and finally to Bangladesh, Palin is, as ever,
unfazed by whatever the world has to throw at him, be it chaotic
bull-racing in Peshawar, the threat of kidnap by Maoist rebels in
Nepal, Tibetan Yak herding, or rafting down the Yangtze.
A book accompanying the TV
series, Palin writes this in a continuos narrative, and does it quite
well. He provides imaginative descriptions of the people he meets,
places he sees and what he feels.