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.