Michael Palin - Himalaya

good.

Beginning at the Khyber Pass, and taking in the Chitra Valley of NW Pakistan, Srinagar and Amritsar, a visit with the Dali Lhama in Dharmsala, where the Dali Lhama said that he's seen Palin's previous journeys and wishes that he could join him, Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Lugu Lake in Yunnan Province and Bangladesh, Palin puts together another geographic journey of discovering different cultures and their landscapes. It doesn't seem to be as much about the journey as say, Pole to Pole or Full Circle, as more often than not the group leaves once place and suddenly appears at the next, with only a mention of a track between. If more of the actual travel was included, there would not have been much time for the destinations. More time is given to each place but it lacks the flow of the earlier journeys with the actual travel shortened to a few highlights. What some viewers of "Full Circle" saw as a "burnt out Palin," I saw as the true rigors of the road. To me the road is as much of the journey as where you check-in for a few days and I miss the old approach, a bit.There are 3 DVDs. The only extras are deleted or expanded scenes and a couple of short interviews, which are well worth it. You get to places like the gardens of Shalimar on the extras that are skipped in the main cut. There are no subtitles, which I would have liked as in some places the ambient noise and English with heavy foreign accents makes comprehension difficult. Even so, back up on the DVD and a volume increase make this easy to overcome.I'm about ready to bid on the Palin Region 2 DVDs from Europe that are not getting released here. So, whoever is holding the release of previous journeys back, your time is getting short as I run out of patience. At least I have this one.

Get serious Palin & BBC - how does this series go out without subtitles? Look, I can understand Palin because I have been listening to him for years, but for a lot of folks outside of the U.K. - the vast majority of the English speaking world, by the way - it is easy to lose many of the words as he moves along at his quick pace. Do I even have to mention all of the people from the various countries along the way who are speaking to Palin in his native tongue? Do you think that they might have some tough accents for us to understand as they struggle to speak a second language? You can hardly understand what the Dalai Lama is saying, let alone the various guides and drivers we meet along the way. Just stupid and cheap. That said and out of my system, I have to say that this is one of my favorites of all the Palin travel series. I really loved the journey, great writing, great photography and places that were more interesting than I would have ever imagined. In fact I delayed getting this series for a while because I really didn't think that I'd dig it as much as I do. Great stuff, great series. Give us subtitles you lazy dopes!

In the BBC documentary series, “Himalaya,” hosted by Michael Palin, viewers travel to all of the countries through which the Himalayan mountains pass---India, Pakistan, Kashmir, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and China. While I enjoyed the entire series, as a scholar of religion specializing in Hinduism and Islam, my favorite parts of the series are discs 1-2 because disc 1 focuses primarily on Pakistan and India, and while disc 2 deals primarily with Bhutan, it also focuses on the Indian state of Assam, and my favorite portions of episode 1 was the segment focusing on the bull races in rural Pakistan and the polo matches played in the region of Chitral on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, and my favorite segment of episode 2 (the India episode) is when Michael Palin and his film crew visit the Golden Temple of Amritsar, the holiest site for Sikhs, Sikhism being a monotheistic religion founded by Guru Nanak (1469-1539) in the early sixteenth century. Again, while I enjoyed the entire series, those particular segments are my favorite parts of the series.

I am no scholar or seasoned traveler (outside of making trips to Bolivia where we once lived). I have nothing other to say than that Himalaya is the best DVD that I have seen on the Himalayan region. I have had the DVD set less than a month, and I have watched it time and again. Michael Palin is truly, in my opinion, the best "host" of any documentary like this that I have ever seen. He is funny and endearing as in his Monty Python days, but what I admire most is that he is sensitive and respectful to each culture that he visits and it comes across in the series. There are very few documentaries or travelogues that I have seen where the host has been so gracious. Unfortunatley ,most come across as condescending and even disdainful of the countries and the people that they visit and film. Bravo for Himalaya!!!! Order it and enjoy!!!

Michael Palin has one of the best jobs in the world! This 3 DVD set shows off one of the worlds wonderous mountain regions and shows the all the cultures that touch this region. They explore not so much the mountains themselves but the scocial and politcal makeup of the regions as well. There is a very personal look inot the lives of the people in the area and their culture. It is done quite well but Palin is a bit of a dork from time to time and its painful to see him force himslef on the people even though very entertaining at times. Totally worth owning if you plan on visiting the region or are interested in this area. Typical high quality BBC documentary.

M. Palin starts in Afghanistan and travels through Pakistan, Kasmir, India, Nepal, Tibet, Miramar and Bangladesh. He visits a dentist, a bull-racing, a high-altitude soccer match, an isolated grammar school to give an English lesson, various religious temples, the Dali Lama in exile, an elderly English military officer who has spent decades in India, and climbs up the back-side of Everest. Not all of the way, of course, but to where the air starts to thin out considerably. This is a casual documentary, with humor and beautiful scenery. 6 hours, including the extra material. I'd seen his previous docu-travels on PBS: Around the World in 80 days and 'From Pole to Pole'. So I wagered that I'd enjoy this one as well. I wonder why these are not also in print on DVD?

Before I ordered this DVD set, I had heard of Michael Palin 'adventures' across the Himalayas and was expecting something exciting. I wasn't disappointed.After a brief introduction, where Michael Palin informs us that he celebrated his 60th birthday before the actual filming for the series began, the journey begins at the Khyber Pass with some spectacular photography: the videos have been edited with finesse, but then one expects that from the BBC. However, I did notice that like in all such presentations - especially "New Europe by Michael Palin", there is always an appropriate guide, an assistant, an expert waiting patiently to help Michael as he travels. Although, I can understand it is essential that these arrangements be made beforehand to increase our 'viewing pleasure', but I feel spontaneity might have added to the charm of the presentation. Moreever, I do feel that the connection between episodes is not very subtle and one feels that one is actually watching individual episodes rather a continuous "journey across the Himalayas" as is actually the case.The DVDs are held firmy in a sturdy jewel-case, which is easy to add to a DVD collection, since it is the same size albeit slightly fatter than a normal DVD case.So, sit back, switch on your TV (a large LED/LCD/Plasma display is needed to fully appreciate the photography)and travel 'along' the Himalayas with Michael Palin.Go for it, worth the money. My only regret is that this is not available in Blu-ray!!

Yet another classic journey with Michael Palin, this time it's through the Himalayas region.The tour starts in Afghanistan then Pakistan, India, Nepal, Tibet, China, Bhutan and ending in the Bay of Bengal.There is mind blowing scenery and awesome panoramic views across the Himalayas mountain region.A great way to spend a few hours, escaping to the awesome Himalayas from the comfort of an armchair.

Michael Palin's "Himalaya" was very interesting entertainment though I must admit that the areas he visited would not be everyone's cup of tea. I, personally would not enjoy visiting these areas nor experiencing these cultures, though I do have friends who do. The scenery is beautiful, especially the Everest area and Michael's presentation is excellent. This DVD allowed me to gain some knowledge of the area without having to go there. The fact that it is a BBC documentary adds to the professional nature of the disc.

The perfect travel guide , Michael Palin combines humour with curiosity by going to some really out of the way places Not speaking the language never seems to be a problem for him .. Hes been round the world , from pole to pole , the Sahara and now its the Himalayas ,hard work for even an experienced mountaineer . Personally I found the climbing exhausting to watch , and tend to prefer the second half where he explores China and Tibet .

As usual, Michael Palin does not fail to delight as he's travels the Himalayan region in his very own open-minded and enigmatic way. It's an enjoyable watch for a first timer and a great refresher if you remember seeing it on the TV about ten years ago (I know, I couldn't believe it was that long ago either!)