Synopsis
Winner of a Silver Award for best Non-Fiction at the Spoken Word Awards 2005
Michael Palin reads his own entertainingly written account of his journey accross the countries of the Himalayas, accompanying a major BBC TV series in 2004.
In his most challenging journey to date, Palin tackles the Himalayas, the greatest mountain range on earth. It is a virtually unbroken wall of rock stretching 1800 miles from the borders of Afghanistan to south-west China. Penetrated but never conquered, it remains the world's most majestic natural barrier, a magnificent wilderness that shapes the history and politics of Asia to this day. Having previously risen to the challenge of seas, poles, dhows and deserts, the highest mountains in the world were a natural target for Michael Palin.
Library Journal
Four months, seven countries, and more than 2000 miles: Palin and his BBC film crew took a zigzag trip along the top of the world, the Himalayas, in 2004. Palin began in the west at the Khyber Pass on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border and ended at the mouth of the Ganges River in Bangladesh. He deftly interweaves the historical (the legacy of the British Empire is strong) with the contemporary (refugees in Peshawar, Tibet-in-exile, the effect of tourism in Nepal). He doesn't neglect the spectacular terrain: climbing Annapurna, traversing the high plains in China, riding an elephant bareback through the jungle in Assam. At the same time, he has an audience with the Dalai Lama (who has seen him on TV), he milks yaks in Tibet, meets headhunters in Assam, and watches a Hindu cremation. Palin's narration is expert, but it is unfortunate that this program (which itself is a version of a filmed travelog) does not have a map so that the listener can trace the itinerary. A great choice for armchair travelers!-Nann Blaine Hilyard, Zion-Benton P.L., IL Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.