Himalaya with Michael Palin

Michael Palin's comic genius is rarely disputed, but something he is equally good at and less well known for is his ability with people, no matter what their nationality, language, religion, or culture.

In this documentary series Palin travels the Himalaya, and in the process meets many different people, from Royals and Ministers to ordinary shepherds, and even the Dalai Lama. On his journey through visually stunning landscape, he shows the lives of those whose livelihoods depend on the mountains of the Himalaya. It is difficult not to be enthralled and amused with every new country he visits.

Palin's respect for others and ability to laugh at his own way of living makes Himalaya a worthwhile documentary with real impact. Excellent.

After being drawn into the wonders that are Michael Palin's travels, I could not pass the opportunity to watch his journey across the diverse Himalaya region. Palin, as well as his other travels, brings great humor and charm to this documentary. He has never been afraid of trying anything new, and Himalaya is no different, from journeying to the troubled land of Kashmir to milking female yaks in Tibet. One of the neatest parts of the documentary is when Michael chats with the Dalai Lama. This enlightening part of the program was well put-together, as well as the documentary as a whole. Bravo, Michael, you've done it again! Keep up the travels!

Having planned a two-month trip to the Northeastern India next year I immediately snatched up disk one of Michael Palin's Himalaya. I was so blown away by the first two hours that I immediately drove back to the video store to rent 2 and 3. This is one of the few programs I have watched that I can say is truly perfect. Palin is more than a great comedian and traveler; he is a kind and humble man that brings cheer to the people of battered places like Kashmir, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The 3 DVDs are 6 hours in total and even the snippets in the special features section are highly entertaining. Bravo to Michael Palin for being such a great ambassador of goodwill and sharing his great travels with us all.

Michael Palin's Hymalaya shows how he can really appreciate other cultures and manage to communicate with people from other countries with humour, with respect and with no quick judgement.

You, the audience, are taken on a journey. He invits you along. He points out to you what to look at. You follow his eyes and see what he sees and hear what he hears. He walks and climbs all the way and doesn't forget to give you a hand when the journey becomes difficult.

He spends time with people, laughing and chatting with them. He is not trying to prove that he is the more intelligent one. When there are awkward questions, he allows the respondents to choose not to answer. He is not intimidating at all. He gets on well with everyone, including you.

He has enjoyed his trip and so am I.

The episodes take the audience from the streets of Pakistan to the south most part of Bangladesh. Stories stories everywhere! Its a series about generations of people, living around the Himalayan range and how diverse and yet similar their lives are. The problems they face and yet how they go about their lives. If the people of the Indian sub-continent were to see this, they would realize how closely knit they all are after all!

Truly admire him for his liveliness on the screen. The Monty Python spirit is and has always been inside him! He builds a great rapport with anyone he comes in contact with and is truly interested...traits of a great traveler! Kudos to him and his team. Great work!!!