Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

I listened to this on Audible.

There was something missing in this volume. I have listened to other travelogues by Michael Palin and felt more engaged. This time, it was harder to take in. But there were sections that were better than others. I think the sections in South America and Alaska were the best. Maybe this time around there were fewer human interest stories. I like it when he engages with locals. People make places as much as geography does.

Anyway, this one Michael starts in the Baring Straight and works counter clockwise from Russia to Japan, China, South Korea, Vietnam, Borneo, Australia and New Zealand (may have missed somewhere else in there). Then he starts at the Cape Horn and works his way up through Chile to Peru and into Columbia. I got confused and I am sure I missed some places. He eventually ends up in Mexico, doing the border with American and then up the American/Canadian and west coast to Alaska.

Some points to make. The journey was in 1996. I was only 20 years old at the time, still living in Pennsylvania. I find it interesting to see what has changed and what remains the same. I was surprised that he saw America as if going through a tense uncertain time. It was around the time of the bombing at the Atlanta Olympics so that may be why. I always imagined that America really changed after 9/11, but maybe some of that fear of the outside world started before then. The issues with the Mexican/American border remain stubbornly the same, although I think most of the people trying to cross the border today are from further south, crossing Mexico to reach the "promised land".

As for Russia and China, things have changed. Michael would have struggled to get permission to film in Russia today. And China, while still open to a certain extent, has grown much since 1996. When talking of Japan, he mentions Fukushima. Today, Fukushima is a very different place due to the earthquake and nuclear reactor meltdown. So some things change, some things remain the same. Such is life.