Unfogging the globe

Week 11: Around the World in 80 Days – Michael Palin
Recommended by: Adam Musgrove

Michael Palin probably has the best job in the world. Already a renowned comedian, actor and writer, he has for the last 25 years been travelling the world and documenting it for the BBC. And on top of all that, he's well known for being a lovely man. So I'm favourably disposed to Mr Palin already. Yet actually until recently I had never actually properly watched one of his travelogues and this was the first time I'd read the book version of any of them.

Around the World in 80 Days is a simple premise – follow in the footsteps of Phileas Fogg and circumnavigate the globe in the aforementioned time limit. Fairly obviously, in order for this to actually be a challenge, flying was out and boats were very much in. The route took Palin and his Passepartouts south-east through Europe, across the Arabian peninsula, through India, around South-East Asia via Japan, before the Pacific, America and the Atlantic.

And as an adventure it did not disappoint. Palin is interesting, entertaining and highly readable, much as I was expecting. There's a mix of observation, insights and he's always willing to try new things and interact with the cultures he encounters. Notable examples being the week-long dhow journey from Dubai to Bombay, a husky ride in Colorado, and the ship-borne sacrificial ritual after crossing the International Date Line.

It's also an interesting historical document in that the world has changed a lot since 1988, this was just before the fall of the Wall and the Iron Curtain, and Bush Senior won the U.S. election during the journey. Dubai was a long way from the space-age supercity it now is and Bombay has been Mumbai for almost two decades.

If there's a criticism, it's that the focus is often on the travelling rather than the places visited, but that is only really a reflection of the nature of the challenge. Besides, as people are fond of saying, the journey is often more important than the destination. The only other problem is that it's just added more fuel to my travel bug fire, though that was already burning pretty hot as it is. Good job that this time next week I will be getting my fix – cheers Michael, see you in the next one.