Review of 'Himalaya'

Himalaya by Palin Michael

himalaya.jpg Palin here continues his travelling adventures in the Himalayas, home to many small populations of indigenous people whom he endeavours to get to know with in a short period of time. Starting in Pakistan he travels through India where he meets the Dali Lama, Nepal, Tibet, the Yunnan province of China, then Nagaland/Assam, Bhutan before returning to the flatness of Bangladesh where the waters of the Himalayas reach the ocean. In his trip he makes it to Everest base camp and travels along the silk road - Everything you might have heard of and much more.

I am a fan of many of the original adventures of Michael Palin, in particular Around the World in 80 Days. I found in later series it seemed it was no longer exciting or new for him so became a bit boring. In Himalaya we still see a bit of the sense of fun but this is by and large a serious travel adventure. Having watched the television series I thought it would be interesting to read the book. It is full of the details of his travel and some of his thoughts on what he is seeing and experiencing beyond what he mentions in the series though I found it disappointing that there is no set of final thoughts summarizing his experiences at the top of the world.

The sheer number of things he sees and does over the course of 125 days is incredible and, frankly, overwhelming. I quickly found the details and information just washing over me - in one ear and out the other. Sure, it is interesting, but, wow. It was a bit of a tough read but a good accompaniment to the series for fans.

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2015-09-13


Genre: Travel

Publisher: Phoenix

Publication Date: 2004

ISBN: 0753819902