Wonderful photographs, drenched in colour; a great book for just dipping into and reading a couple of pages, but of course, not enough time or scope for depth to develop. But as a taster for the countries he visited, good fun. ( )

Just skimmed this prior to trip to Bhutan, Nepal and Ladakh. Seemed OK. ( )

Parts of this book are very enjoyable. Other parts aren't.

Overall I like Palin's work, and I feel very bad about giving it a bad review. I found this book very hard to pick up. ( )

Yet another travel book from Palin in his inimitable and amusing style, this book is a companion to the TV series. Written as a diary this is very easy to read. ( )

For Himalaya, Michael Palin spent more than 120 days traveling the Himalayan Mountains, starting on the Pakistan/Afghan border and continuing through India, Nepal, China, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. It’s a difficult journey, with obstacles ranging from sickness and bad weather, to the abduction of one of the British Army officers who accompanied Palin in Nepal. But there’s also great beauty in the mountain ranges and in the people Palin meets.

There were parts of this book that I liked a lot. Palin’s anecdotes about the people he met and some of the strange experiences he had were entertaining and illuminating, pointing out cultural differences in a humorous way but without seeming to make fun. And he fills his descriptions with details, making it easier to picture the unusual places and people he visits.

Even though parts of the book worked quite well, I really think that audio isn’t the best format for this kind of travel memoir. Without a clear narrative, it’s hard to stay focused, and there are no maps or photos to help the listener get acclimated. Instead, it’s just like a series of amusing anecdotes with some talk of pretty scenery and lots of “after we left here, we went there.”

Read my complete review at my blog. ( )