As part of our Asian Studies I had put the first disc from Michael Palin's Himalaya into our Netflix queue. When it arrived I had no clue what a wonderful door it would be opening for Z and me. We hastily watched episodes 1 and 2. Then Z asked if there were more. Much to my delight they are currently on Netflix streaming. So we watched 3 more episodes that day. I asked Z what part he liked best and he said he liked all of it. Good thing I was sitting down.
Eons ago, when cable television first entered my world, my mother and sister and I were flipping channels and discovered this silly show that made us laugh out loud. Monty Python's Flying Circus. We learned about wink-wink-nudge-nudge, silly walks, and to this day I still laugh when I hear Michael Palin sing the Lumberjack song.
So exposing my son to a more educational passion of Mr. Palin's has been a joy. Michael Palin is a wonderful travel host. He is friendly, kind, and really works to meld into the culture, not just be a travel tourist.
The series itself is stunning. The scenery is gorgeous, the people beautiful, and most important for me, my son is interested. We've had many discussion about the program and we've moved into watching Michael Palin's Sahara this week.
I'm not exactly what it that makes this so interesting to Z. Perhaps it's that genetic need to wander and wonder that I'm sure I passed down to him. I once longed to travel the globe. I still do, but I am realistic about the restrictions placed on me by time, health, and money. Z once asked if we could go to Mt. Everest. I laughed and told him he was was welcome but I would sit out that trip. I don't think my exercise induced asthma would enjoy that, plus it's too cold there.
Whatever his interest we're continuing down this rabbit hole for a while. We'll be watching Sahara this week. We started Bill Bryon's African Diary yesterday, and after that we will read Three Cups of Tea. If you're interested in reading more about Michael Palin's travels you can visit his website Palin's Travels.
2 comments:
Well, I've never heard of that, but I have Netflix streaming so I'm on my way to remedy that RIGHT NOW! Thanks for the recommendation.
Paula,
My husband and I watched the MP Himalaya series (twice so far) and we thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. Of course, there were some parts that were a bit, um, cross-cultural, but that's the whole point, right? Did you get to the part about the priests on the island yet? You might want to preview that before you see it with Z. Just a heads-up. Sahamamama from WTM
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