From the back cover...
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In Pole to Pole we join Michael Palm on the second of his epic challenges. Travelling from the North Pole to the South Pole in a comic race against time, he experiences every extreme the globe has to offer. As he crosses 16 countries by train, truck, raft, Ski-Doo, barge, balloon and bicycle, he meets a diverse range of fascinating characters and landscapes while his own endurance is tested to the limit. With his customary aplomb, he plunges himself into the local cultures, starring in a crayfish documentary in Novgorod attending a baby-rolling ceremony at a Cypriot wedding, camel-shopping in Khartoum, and consulting an Mpulugu witch-doctor, who prescribes tree bark to remove his evil shadow. He enthusiastically samples the local cuisines, from goat stew in Kigoma to seal lasagne in Tromsø as well as taking part in the local customs: beating himself with birch twigs in a Finnish sauna and enjoying a mud massage in Odessa. His incredible journey is a delight for anyone interested in the many different cultures of our wonderful world.
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A completly delightful read.
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This is the first Michael Palin book I've read, so i can't compare it in quality to any of the others, but I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, much more than I expected to in fact. It can take a little while to get used to Palin's style, as he constantly switches from a detailed narration to a note book shorthand, but once you've acclimatised you quickly realize he is a very competent writer. With a broad yet never verbose vocabulary he paints vivid pictures of the lands he passes through whilst at the same time making many and varied observations about the people and cultures he encounters. It was like having a constant traveling companion and by the end you can't help but feel a great deal of affection not just for Palin, but for the whole team.
I would say one of the books greatest virtues is that you can either read it a few days at a time (the book is divided into days instead of chapters, each a few pages long), or (as I did later on) you can read for hours without getting board. The pictures of the very talented basil are a constant and illuminating delight, yet the book is never so flooded with them that they feel like they are taking over form the writing, they fele more like a garnish than a marinade.
All in all, I highly recommend it.
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Fantastic
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This is tied top of my favourite Palin books along with Full Circle. It was very funny and i love finding out about parts of the world you just never hear about it's just such an interesting book. My favourite part is the Africa leg, from top to bottom, with many obstacles along the way. Briliant book.
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Takes Pole Position.
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'Pole To Pole' is yet another fantastic documentary from Michael Palin and an excellent follow-up to 'Around The World In 80 Days.' It appeared at first difficult to see how a sequel would work, after the first '80 Days' series, but with his now well known format, Palin carved another enjoyable adventure out of what already seemed a difficult journey.
'Pole To Pole' does not have the same sense of deadline or urgency as '80 Days', but this is entirely self-explanatory, since the former was set around the travels of fictional Verne adventurer Fogg, who did in the book travel the world in that specific time. This time round, Palin does have the opportunity to spend more time on the places he thinks would be of most interest to the viewer, and the parts in Africa are especially captivating. Filmed during the famine and millitary oppression that still haunts Africa to this day, it is a clear and at some times brutal account of life in poverty stricken Africa.
This journey takes quite some time longer to complete than '80 Days' which is not surprising since they chose to follow the thirty degree longitude line in order to cover the most amount of land; and there is a great deal in this DVD. It was recorded in 1991, a year that saw a lot of change across the world, from Russia to Africa, and Palin brushes with this change and its effects on the people with his usual light hearted humour and optimism.
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North Pole to South Pole via Africa
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This review is based on watching the DVD version of "Pole to Pole", the BBC TV program made in 1991 that showed Michael Palin traveling from the North Pole to the South Pole. The trip was based on several self-imposed rules. The use of aircraft was only allowed when surface travel was not possible, and public transportation was used as much as possible. The trip attempted to follow the 30 degree east longitude line, down through Scandinavia, the then-existing USSR, Turkey and all the way down through the continent of Africa. The trip took five months and was quite arduous at times. Transportation was almost non-existent in central Africa, parts of Africa had to be avoided due to civil war and Michael Palin was hit by several health problems including two cracked ribs. The wonderful thing about Michael Palin's travelogues is the enthusiasm, wit and charm that Mr. Palin shows. There are many impromptu encounters with the local people that are humorous and interesting. And, of course, there's the beautiful photography showing the stunning nature that was found along the way. On the down side it was depressing to see the poverty and hints of political repression and social unrest in parts of Africa. The AIDS epidemic in Africa was also mentioned, and Michael Palin visited an evacuated village near Chernobyl. This trip was made in 1991 and already when the trip was over world history had changed the landscape, in that the USSR completely unraveled shortly after Michael Palin traveled through it. The years that have passed since 1991 can be noticed in other ways too. For example, the situation in most of Africa has unfortunately gotten worse rather than better. And Antarctica, almost completely inaccessible in 1991, now has a tourist trade with 23,000 landed tourists during the 2004-2005 season! The DVD version of this trip consists of three discs. These contain eight 50-minute episodes (total of six hours 40 minutes) and, as extra material, a 30-minute interview with Michael Palin. I found the interview to be very interesting and am glad that it was included. Highly recommended, as is the book version of this trip and all of Michael Palin's other trips, both in DVD version and as books. Rennie Petersen
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