Full Circle with Michael Palin

You can tell that Palin is having great fun, at his own expense rather than at the expense of the people he encounters. I am just watching the visit to China, Vietnam and the Phillipines and am so pleased to see that there are so many things about my ancestors' country that I never knew. Who would have thought that the Communists, Mao and his cronies would have allowed a Bavarian castle to continue standing in a seaside resort town in China?

I saw Palin speak at his launch of Sahara a few weeks ago. The man is such a delightful, charming man. If you cannot get out to see him show you his slides, at least borrow the tapes of his series from your library.

Full Circle with Michael Palin is the best travel documentary I have seen. The BBC crew (including Palin) captures all the

cultural aspects of the places they visit, with truth and imagination. The fact that you can check it out (in multiple parts) at your library, makes the journey last that much longer and leaves you longing for the next one.

Michael Palin's travel shows are so enthralling, and this, a journey around the Pacific rim, is no exception. This time Palin travels through countries as diverse as the United States, Vietnam and New Zealand along the way, and the spectacle is as good as ever.

The witty and informative commentary remains as interesting as in Palin's previous travel series, and the mix of cultures encountered en route combined with this provides unlimited replay value. A joy to watch.

Michael has a full blown case of the travel bug. He's going further and longer than ever before. He's making a big circle around the Pacific Ocean. In Russia, he's struggling to find a bathtub stopper. In Japan, he meets his number one fan. In South Korea, he goes to the border. In China, he gets a blind massage and witnesses the beginnings of an economic transformation. Vietnam is starting to change. In the Philippines, he assists a psychic surgery and goes underwater dining. He visits the orangutans and a longhouse in Borneo. He harvests tea and eats durian in Java. In Australia, he feeds a crocodile. In New Zealand, he almost loses his head in a speed boat. In Chile, he turns north onto the moon. He boards a tiny train and crashes into La Paz. In Peru, he tackles some white waters to arrive on the Amazon. In Bogota, he visits some rough streets. He eats bugs in Mexico City. After crossing the border illegally, he rides a helicopter pass the Hollywood sign. He should have sang the lumberjack song in Canada before going back to the beginning.

Michael is now the best celebrity to do a travel show. His humanity always shines through. This one is the longest road trip yet but it still has the same disadvantage of not having a ticking clock. 80 Days remains the best for that reason in addition to being his first. Nevertheless, there are great memorable moments in this series. One can never forget Bogota. I recently watched this again after over 20 years since it was first broadcast. Something occurred to me. This is not only a travel show. It's a time travel show. This is not only a journey to places but those places in a specific time. I kept thinking that China and Vietnam no longer looks like that. This is very much a time capsule.

This trip is just so long and unusual that you can't help being intrigued and fascinated by it all. Ten months and 50,000 miles traveling through 17 countries all the way around the Pacific Ocean!

Specifically, these countries were visited: USA (Alaska), Russia (Siberia), Japan, S. Korea (entry to N. Korea was denied), China, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, USA (California and Washington), Canada (British Columbia) and back to Alaska again.

What makes Michael Palin's trips so special is the enthusiasm, wit and charm he brings to the endeavor. Plus the ability of the crew to find extremely interesting people for Michael to talk to and very interesting activities for him to sample. And the whole thing is beautifully photographed, making you want to visit the various places yourself.

Among some of the most interesting points on the trip are a wedding ceremony in South Korea, the Russian Gulag in Siberia, the CaoDai religion in Vietnam, Philippine women learning how to be foreign workers, lassoing camels in Australia, a French shaman in the Amazon valley, narcotics problems in Bogotá, and illegal immigrants from Mexico to the USA.

My only criticism is that the west coast of the USA and Canada got glossed over. I'm guessing that Michael Palin, after nine months of traveling, just wanted to get home.

The DVD version of this TV program consists of three discs. These discs contain the ten 50-minute episodes (8 1/2 hours) plus some extra material:

• a very interesting interview with Michael Palin (28 minutes)

• some scenes that didn't make it into the TV program (almost 50 minutes)

• a funny meeting with Eric Idle, with lots of inside jokes for Monty Python fans (8 minutes)

Even without the extra material I'd give these DVDs a "highly recommended" rating. The extra material, especially the interview with Michael Palin, makes it even more wonderful.

Note that there is also a beautiful and well-written book available that covers this trip - also highly recommended.

Rennie Petersen