Himalaya with Michael Palin
This 2004 BBC television series records comedian and travel presenter Michael Palin's six-month trip across the Himalaya mountain range, covering an amazingly diverse range of cultures and environments in various countries. It includes 1° North by Northwest - Pakistan's tribal province, featuring Khyber Pass, Peshawar, Gilgit, Chitral and K2; 2° A Passage to India - Lahore (still in Muslim Pakistan), and in its mainly Hindu rival India: Amritsar, Shimla, Dharamsala (meeting with the Dalai Lama) and Srinagar; 3°Annapurna to Everest - Nepal (the capital Kathmandu, meeting with King Gyanendra, and Annapurna Mountain; includes a scare involving the Maoist rebels in the Gurkha recruiting area) and Tibet (administered as a Chinese province: Pokhara and the Everest base camp on the northern side). 4° The Roof of the World - Tibet's capital Lhasa and in China's Qinghai province Yushu. 5° Leaping Tiger, Naked Nagas - from China's Yunnan province to India's Nagaland state - features Kunming, Lijiang, Lugu Lake, the Naga village of Longwa on the Indian-Burmese border and a trek along Tiger Leaping Gorge; 6° Bhutan to the Bay of Bengal - India's Assam state (Kaziranga National Park), Bhutan (capital Thimphu) and Bangladesh (Sylhet, the capital Dhaka and finally Chittagong on the Bay of Bengal).
- 2004-2004
- 1 season
- Documentary
This 2004 BBC television series records comedian and travel presenter Michael Palin's six-month trip across the Himalaya mountain range, covering an amazingly diverse range of cultures and environments in various countries. It includes 1° North by Northwest - Pakistan's tribal province, featuring Khyber Pass, Peshawar, Gilgit, Chitral and K2; 2° A Passage to India - Lahore (still in Muslim Pakistan), and in its mainly Hindu rival India: Amritsar, Shimla, Dharamsala (meeting with the Dalai Lama) and Srinagar; 3°Annapurna to Everest - Nepal (the capital Kathmandu, meeting with King Gyanendra, and Annapurna Mountain; includes a scare involving the Maoist rebels in the Gurkha recruiting area) and Tibet (administered as a Chinese province: Pokhara and the Everest base camp on the northern side). 4° The Roof of the World - Tibet's capital Lhasa and in China's Qinghai province Yushu. 5° Leaping Tiger, Naked Nagas - from China's Yunnan province to India's Nagaland state - features Kunming, Lijiang, Lugu Lake, the Naga village of Longwa on the Indian-Burmese border and a trek along Tiger Leaping Gorge; 6° Bhutan to the Bay of Bengal - India's Assam state (Kaziranga National Park), Bhutan (capital Thimphu) and Bangladesh (Sylhet, the capital Dhaka and finally Chittagong on the Bay of Bengal).
Season 1 Episode Guide
6 Episodes 2004
Episode 1
North by Northwest
58 mins
Beginning at the Khyber Pass, Michael Palin takes the Khyber steam railway through the North-West Frontier Province, home of the Pathan people, a fierce race who live by the philosophy of hospitality and revenge.
Episode 2
A Passage to India
56 mins
Michael Palin has reached the second highest mountain in the world, K2 (8,611m), but there is no passage to India here. A high-level stand-off between the Pakistani and Indian armies means that he has to detour south into the Punjab to the only official crossing point between the two countries.
Episode 3
Annapurna to Everest
56 mins
In the western part of the Kingdom of Nepal, in the foothills of the great 8,000m peaks of Annapurna and Daulagiri, intrepid traveller Michael Palin accompanies Lieutenant Colonel Adrian Griffith, commander of the British Gurkha in Nepal, on the annual recruitment drive.Michael Palin has reached the second highest mountain in the world, K2 (8,611m), but there is no passage to India here. A high-level stand-off between the Pakistani and Indian armies means that he has to detour south into the Punjab to the only official crossing point between the two countries.
Episode 4
The Roof of the World
56 mins
Leaving Everest Base Camp,Michael Palin takes the high road to Lhasa to see for himself what the Chinese have done to Tibet. From the Potala Palace to the great monasteries of Tashilunpo and Sera, he sees that religion is once again tolerated, while at the same time the old Tibetan centre of the city is being torn down and replaced with modern Chinese shopping malls and nightclubs.
Episode 5
Leaping Tigers, Naked Nagas
56 mins
Following the Yangtze River along Tiger Leaping Gorge into Yunnan in South West China, Michael Palin reaches the easternmost end of the Himalayas. At Lugu Lake he is the guest of the celebrated Mosuo singer Namu, who explains the intricacies of the matrilineal Mosuos' walking marriage where the women pick and choose their lovers at will.
Episode 6
Bhutan to the Bay of Bengal
56 mins
In the remote Kingdom of Bhutan, Michael Palin finds himself back in the land of yaks for a last look at the high Himalaya. Passing Tiger's Nest Monastery, Michael treks towards the Base Camp of Chomolhari where he meets Dorji, a nomad with a penchant for yak songs.