Himalaya with Michael Palin

Michael Palin travels to the Himalayas and visits the countries around the region. There are six episodes. He makes a big circle starting with Pakistan and India. He visits Dalai Lama and even Tibet. He travels down the Yangtze River and befriends some of the minorities in remote China. He goes through Bhutan, eastern India, and finally Bangladesh. The highlight of this series has to be Tibet especially after sitting down with the Dalai Lama. It's a place that few travel shows are going and it's nice to see from street level. China does have a drawback. Nobody is willing to talk openly about politics. It can get awkward with Michael's questions. Even when he's avoiding the subject, it feels like he's obviously avoiding the subject. Some of the interactions with his hosts can be very staged or limited. I prefer his man-on-the-street interactions. All in all, this is an interesting series with some very compelling people and places.

Actually, I think I liked the first three of Michael Palin's travelogues ("Around the World in 80 Days", "Pole to Pole" and "Full Circle") better than the three that follow ("Hemingway Adventure", "Sahara" and "Himalaya"). So from that point of view it's not correct to call "Himalaya" the high point of Michael Palin's career.

The big difference is that each of the first three series was documenting a trip made by Michael Palin, and the trip itself was the central element that provided a focal point for the TV series.

In the last three series, and especially in "Himalaya", one gets the feeling that the traveling was secondary, and that the purpose of the whole exercise was primarily to find places and people and events that would make "good TV".

"Himalaya" was, of course, a fantastic trip, and the TV series that covers it is very interesting. Many countries around the Himalayan Mountains were visited, some of them well off the tourist track and some of them with security problems such that the team needed armed guards. Specifically, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Tibet, China, Nagaland, Assam, Bhutan and Bangladesh were visited. A total of 3000 miles was traveled during 125 days (6 months), and many beautiful and exciting images, encounters and interviews resulted.

Some of the best parts in the series include Michael Palin making several treks on foot up into the mountains, the highest trek going to Everest Base Camp at 5480 m (18000 ft). Well done, considering that Michael was 60 when he did the trip.

Other high points (ha, ha) include visiting the Dalai Lama, milking a yak, talking to a retired headhunter, buying booze in Pakistan, having an almost-encounter with Maoists in Nepal and sailing off into the sunset in the Bay of Bengal. All situations where the special Michael Palin wit and charm comes through strongly.

The down side is that it all seems a bit too artificial, a bit too motivated by "is this good TV?" The traveling itself is hardly mentioned at all, and in reality the filming and traveling was done in several visits to the area over a period of 11 months. Nor is there a continuous route from start to finish; instead Michael and the team seem to jump back and forth from place to place in order to find the elusive "good TV" locations and events.

The DVD version of the TV series is on three discs containing the six one-hour programs. In addition there is the following extra material:

• an introduction by Michael Palin, 3 minutes.

• 125 minutes of additional scenes - mixed quality, some good, some not so interesting.

• an interview with Michael Palin, 27 minutes, very good.

Highly recommended. Despite my negative feelings about the producers focusing on finding "good TV" instead of focusing on the trip as an undertaking, this is, of course, really good TV.

Rennie Petersen

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.

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!

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.