Travels with Palin

Around The World In 80 Days: The Challenge

Palin accepts the offer from the BBC to attempt travelling around the world in 80 days. After setting off from the Refor

Around The World In 80 Days: Arabian Frights

Palin arrives in Alexandria, Egypt and has difficulty getting a train to Cairo. On arrival, he attends a local football

Around The World In 80 Days: Ancient Mariners

Palin recounts his trip from Jeddah to Dubai via Riyadh, and notes that he drove the distance from London to the Black S

Around The World In 80 Days: A Close Shave

In Bombay, Palin finds himself a week behind Phileas Fogg. After getting a quick shave from a blind barber under a tree

Around The World In 80 Days: Oriental Express

Palin finds that the ship had indeed sailed from Singapore. However, quite fortunately, it was only four miles from shor

Around The World In 80 Days: Far East And Farther East

In Shanghai, Palin gets some herbal remedies to help him on the rest of his trip. He and Basil Pao take in a Chinese jaz

Around The World In 80 Days: Dateline To Deadline

Arriving in Long Beach, California only two days behind Fogg, Palin spends his first night in America aboard the permane

Pole To Pole: A Cold Start

Palin begins at the North Pole, flying there on a small aeroplane fitted with skis. (The North Pole scene had to be film

Pole To Pole: Russian Steps

In Leningrad Palin meets up with a Vladimir Lenin impersonator, who gives him a tour of the city. He witnesses a Russian

Pole To Pole: Mediterranean Maze

Arriving by ferry to Istanbul, Turkey, Palin stays at the Pera Palas, where Agatha Christie wrote Murder on the Orient E

Pole To Pole: Shifting Sands

Arriving in Wadi Halfa, Sudan, Palin boards a train bound for Khartoum, the capital. There he receives some bad news: he

Pole To Pole: Crossing The Line

In the old Ethiopian capital of Gondar Palin visits the former home of Emperor Haile Selassie, as well as his pet lion.

Pole To Pole: Plains and Boats and Trains

In Kenya Palin takes a hot-air balloon ride. On the ground he observes a lioness and her cubs up close. Then it is on to

Pole To Pole: Evil Shadow

In Zambia Palin meets a witch doctor who tells him that he has an "evil shadow" and bad things lie ahead for him. He the

Pole To Pole: Bitter End

Despite being unable to reach Antarctica via the Agulhas, all is not lost for Palin. A travel adventure company is able

Full Circle: Alaska/Russia

Michael begins his trek around the Pacific Rim at Little Diomede Island, Alaska, in hopes of returning there in a year's

Full Circle: Japan/Korea

Michael begins his time in Japan at Sado Island, where he meets the famous Kodō drummers. He participates in a morning

Full Circle: China

Arriving in China at the port city of Qingdao, Michael checks in to the Welcome Guest House, where Mao Zedong once spent

Full Circle: Vietnam/Philippines

Full Circle: Malaysia/Indonesia

After a bit of a wait, Michael catches a ferry across the notorious Sulu Sea to the northern tip of Borneo. There, he vi

Full Circle: Australia/New Zealand

Palin begins in Darwin, where he catches a truck down to Katherine. There, he visits a crocodile farm and helps hatch a

Full Circle: Chile/Bolivia (arrival)

Starting the second half of his journey at Cape Horn, Palin views the end of the continent of South America. He travels

Full Circle: Bolivia/Peru

At the town of Copacabana, Palin visits with reed boat makers on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Crossing the border into P

Full Circle: Peru/Colombia

Palin and his guide approach a Machiguenga village where the feast of St. John the Baptist is going on. Palin observes a

Full Circle: Mexico/Western USA/Canada/Alaska

In Mexico City, Palin attends a lucha libre match and listens to a lively mariachi band. The next day, he observes the d

Hemingway Adventure: Festival Of St Fermin

The programme starts out with Palin sitting on a beach reading a novel of Hemingway. After being chased by a fake bull h

Hemingway Adventure: Hemingway's Birthplace

In Chicago, Palin spends a bit of time exploring the city before going to Hemingway's birthplace, Oak Park. After stroll

Hemingway Adventure: Key West

In a random twist of events, Palin pops up in the Florida Keys and sees a Hemingway look-alike contest at the local rest

Hemingway Adventure: Hemingway In Cuba

Palin flies to Cuba where he finds many Hemingway leads and visits his former home and a hotel room he often stayed in.

Sahara: Line in the Sand

The programme starts in Gibraltar, shown to be a bit of Britain only a few miles from Africa. In Tangier, Morocco, Palin

Sahara: Destination Timbuktu

The episode starts with Palin crossing the Sénégal River, leaving Mauritania and entering the town of Saint-Louis in S

Sahara: Absolute Desert

Michael Palin did make it to the mysterious Timbuktu, and this episode opens with views of the famous mosque built of mu

Sahara: Dire Straights

This episode starts with Palin crossing the border from Niger to Algeria, a desolate border with nothing but sand. A bit

Himalaya: North by Northwest

The program begins in the North-West Frontier section of Pakistan. Michael goes up the Kyber Pass Railway, visits the lo

Himalaya: A Passage to India

Goes up to 14500ft by Helicopter to get his first taste of high altitude, then has to detour back to Lahore to actually

Himalaya: Annapurna to Everest

He now enters Nepal by air and hooks up with a British commander of the Gurkha regiment who is recruiting in the area. T

Himalaya: The Roof of the World

This episode focuses on the people and terrain of Tibet, which is now part of China. He visits various Buddhist temples,

Himalaya: Leaping Tiger Naked Nagas

Michael travels down the Yangtze by boat through the famous Tiger Leaping gorge and arrives at the eastern-most point of

Himalaya: Bhutan to the Bay of Bengal

We head into the small mountainous country of Bhutan which strives for Gross National Happiness rather than profit. He m

New Europe: War and Peace

Countries visited: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Albania In Medjugoree Michael encounters a visionary who first sta

New Europe: Eastern Delight

Countries visited: Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey Michael makes a remarkable visit to Göreme, where the rocks have been ca

New Europe: Wild East

Countries visited: Trans-Dniester, Romania Michael travels from Transdniester, a breakaway state from the Republic of Mo

New Europe: Danube to Dnieper

Countries visited: Hungary, Ukraine Michael travels by road, rail and river through Hungary and the Ukraine, ending in t

New Europe: Baltic Summer

Countries visited: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia Michael travels from Tallinn in the north, through Latvia, to Lith

New Europe: From Pole to Pole

Countries visited: Poland Arriving in Gdansk via canal, Michael meets former electrician Lech Walesa who formed 'Solidar

New Europe: Journey's End

Countries visited: Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany High in the Tatra mountains of Slovakia, Michael skins a pig, and l

Brazil: Out Of Africa

He begins his journey in the north east, where modern Brazil was born. It was here the Portuguese explorers first landed

Brazil: Into Amazonia

Michael Palin travels from Brazil's northern border with Venezuela along the Rivers Branco, Negro, Amazon, Tapajos and X

Brazil: The Road To Rio

Michael Palin visits the source of Brazil's great mineral wealth and then travels to one of the world's greatest cities

Brazil: The Deep South

In the final episode of his travels through Brazil, Michael Palin finds many surprises as he encounters the rich diversi