Pole to Pole

Pole to Pole is the last of Michael Palin’s travel books that I have to read. (I still need to track down a copy of Hemingway Adventures in the future, but I may watch the series first as I’m not really into Hemingway). Set in the early 1990s (just before the fall of the USSR), Palin and the regular crew (including Basil and Clem) start at the North Pole with the aim of reaching the South Pole following the same longitude as closely as possible.

This takes them through Greenland, Finland, Estonia, the Ukraine (both part of the USSR at the time), Turkey, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa with an unexpected detour to Chile and finally, Antarctica. As always, the trip is not without its problems (digestive issues appear to occur quite often) and there are witch doctors, African animals and strange living quarters. I haven’t seen the series in its entirety but I think it would be interesting particularly from a retrospective point of view – there have been big changes in Europe (especially the Ukraine and Estonia) and Africa (eg. Zimbabwe) since this was made.

Once again, Palin can easily transport the reader to the time and place with interesting facts about the country as well as a great insight into the people. ( )

The second installment from Palin is as likeable as the first. One of the qualities I admire most in Palin is his ability to be inquisitive and curious without being patronising, while still managing to unravel the history and culture of a place through speaking to its people. ( )

The second travel book and TV series from Michael Palin - travelling from the North Pole to the South Pole down the 30 degrees east line. A great read and a great TV programme - excellent! ( )

I got the box set of Michael Palin's travel books for Christmas, and I'm slowly trying to work my way through them. I like Palin's anecdotal style, its kinda like listening to an aged relative rambling. The fact that this book came out in 1991 is quite interesting - so much in the world has changed since he travelled through it. For example, they travelled through Zimbabwe, something they wouldn't be able to do now. Good stuff to dip in and out of. ( )