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Around The World In 80 Days

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Sahara

Himalaya

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Himalaya

Himalaya was probably the most visually stunning of all the journeys. Wherever we went the highest mountains in the world were our back-drop. It wasn’t the most comfortable trip – there was some tough trekking, altitude sickness and problems trying to get to sleep in Tibet, the coldest country in the world – but it was the most spectacular. Round every corner was a view to die for. And Basil Pao was there to record them.

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Day 1, Khyber Pass, Pakistan

At the Khyber Pass. The Grand Trunk Road (to the right) winds into Afghanistan.

Day 1, Khyber Pass, Pakistan

Day 2, Peshawar, Pakistan

Dental Alley, aka Qissa Khwani Bazaar, Peshawar.

Day 2, Peshawar, Pakistan

Day 2, Peshawar, Pakistan

Dental Alley, aka Qissa Khwani Bazaar, Peshawar.

Day 2, Peshawar, Pakistan

Day 2, Peshawar, Pakistan

Abdul Wahid thinks the whole head might have to come off.

Day 2, Peshawar, Pakistan

Day 2, Peshawar, Pakistan

Partridge and mountain peaks. A romantic image of home comes to life in a truck painter’s yard in Peshawar.

Day 2, Peshawar, Pakistan

Day 3, Darra, North-West Frontier, Pakistan

Gunsmith.

Day 3, Darra, Pakistan

Day 4, Fatehjang, Pakistan

Palatial hospitality at Chateau Fatehjang.

Day 4, Fatehjang, Pakistan

Day 5, Taxila, Pakistan

Bull-racing near Taxila.

Day 5, Taxila, Pakistan

Day 5, Taxila, Pakistan

At Prince Malik’s travelling pavilion I meet an ex-jockey, on left. The sport cost him an arm.

Day 5, Taxila, Pakistan

Day 8, Rumbur, Pakistan

At Rumbur. Kalash girls, barley field, dry-stone wall, traditional costume, modern foot.

Day 8, Rumbur, Pakistan

Day 9, Hindu Kush, Pakistan

Threading our way through the Hindu Kush. The rugged route out of the Kalash Valleys.

Day 9, Hindu Kush, Pakistan

Day 10, Chitral, Pakistan

With Siraj Ul-Mulk at a madrassa (a religious school) in the mosque his grandfather built.

Day 10, Chitral, Pakistan

Day 10, Chitral, Pakistan

A boy recites the Koran, which he must learn by heart.

Day 10, Chitral, Pakistan

Day 13, The Shandur Pass, Chitral, Pakistan

On the way from Chitral to the Shandur Pass. Pakistan is cricket mad, even at 10,000 feet (3000m). Buni Zum, 21,000 feet (6300m) dominates the background.

Day 13, The Shandur Pass, Pakistan

Day 16, The Shandur Pass, Chitral, Pakistan

No lie-in when the band’s around. Early morning music heralds start of the Polo Festival at the Shandur Pass.

Day 16, The Shandur Pass, Pakistan

Day 17, The Shandur Pass, Chitral, Pakistan

Winning combination. Truc, Bulbul Jan and a handful of the magic diet that they hope will give them a hat-trick of victories.

Day 17, The Shandur Pass, Pakistan

Day 23, Islamabad, Pakistan

Solving the world’s problems with Imran Khan. His dog’s heard it all before.

Day 23, Islamabad, Pakistan

Day 23, Concordia, Karakoram, Pakistan

My first taste of the high life. Dropping off at Concordia where great glaciers meet K2 at three miles above sea level.

Day 23, Concordia, Pakistan

Day 24, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

At Rawalpindi, crossing the most famous road in the sub-continent. First laid across north India some 500 years ago.

Day 24, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Day 26, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Street cleaners take a photo break. In background, Shaan Shahid, Lollywood heart-throb, dominates the billboards.

Day 26, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Day 26, Lahore, Pakistan

Prayers at the 330-year-old Badshahi Mosque, Lahore.

Day 26, Lahore, Pakistan

Day 26, Lahore, Pakistan

My night with the stars. Shaan Shahid (left), and other top Pakistani thesps, on set at the Bari Studios, Lahore. This was one of nine films Shaan was making at the same time.

Day 26, Lahore, Pakistan

Day 26, Lahore, Pakistan

Who is the fairest of them all? Last minute checks at Bari Studios. Because of the heat, the films are shot in the middle of the night.

Day 26, Lahore, Pakistan

Day 27, Shalimar Gardens, Lahore, Pakistan

Unblocking the fountains, Shalimar Gardens, Lahore.

Day 27, Shalimar Gardens, Lahore, Pakistan

Day 27, Shalimar Gardens, Lahore, Pakistan

Buffalo-assisted lawn mower, Shalimar Gardens.

Day 27, Shalimar Gardens, Lahore, Pakistan

Day 28, Wagah, Pakistan

Wagah border crossing. A red letter day for the local porters as the BBC leaves Pakistan.

Day 28, Wagah, Pakistan

Day 28, Wagah, Pakistan

Pakistan’s Punjabi Rangers strut their stuff at the border.

Day 28, Wagah, Pakistan

Day 28, Wagah, Pakistan

With their Indian counterparts, they prepare for competitive flag lowering.

Day 28, Wagah, Pakistan

Day 30, Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar, India

Ablutions in the Amrit Sarover, 'the pool of nectar', at the Golden Temple, Amritsar.

Day 30, Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar, India

Day 30, Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar, India

With two guardians of the temple. Their robes and spears symbolise the dual nature of the Sikhs: service and defence. In the background the Harimandir (Hari is God, Mandir is temple) has 1100lb (500 kg) of gold on its walls.

Day 30, Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar, India

Day 32, Kalka, India

Kalka, Himachal Pradesh. The public pump still has a vital role in Indian life. And the railways are the single biggest employer in the world.

Day 32, Kalka, India

Day 32, Shimla, India

First glimpse of the scale of Shimla, 7260 feet (2213 m) above sea level. Provincial capital of Himachal Pradesh.

Day 32, Shimla, India

Day 32, Shimla, India

Aboard the Himalayan Queen on the 59-mile run from Kalka to Shimla.

Day 32, Shimla, India

Day 34, The Vice-Regal Lodge, Shimla, India

At the height of the British Raj, one-fifth of humanity was ruled from here.

Day 34, The Vice-Regal Lodge, Shimla, India

Day 34, Shimla, India

Keeping out of the sun or keeping out of the book? Shy ladies on the Ridge at Shimla.

Day 34, Shimla, India

Day 35, Dharamsala, India

On the road to Dharamsala. Our well-hennaed driver, 'Red'.

Day 35, Dharamsala, India

Day 35, Dharamsala, India

A lunch, bristling with green chillies.

Day 35, Dharamsala, India

Day 36, Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India

Country life in Himachal Pradesh. Rich land, poor farmers.

Day 36, Dharamsala, India

Day 36, Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India

Bulrush fields hide the river south of Dharamsala. The Dhauladar Mountains behind are outposts of the Himalaya.

Day 36, Dharamsala, India

Day 36, McLeodganj, Himachal Pradesh, India

Tibet in India. Hanging prayer flags out near the Namgyal Monastery at McLeodganj. Flags should be hung in exposed places so the wind can blow the prayers up to the gods.

Day 36, McLeodganj, India

Day 36, Tibetan Medical and Astrology Centre, McLeodganj, Himachal Pradesh, India

At the Tibet Medical and Astrology Centre. I learn from Phurbu Tsering that I was an elephant in my previous life.

Day 36, Tibetan Medical and Astrology Centre, McLeodganj, India

Day 38, Tsechokling Gompa, McLeodganj, Himachal Pradesh, India

Surely the most approachable of all world leaders, the Dalai Lama is a powerful man, totally lacking the trappings, or the presumptions of the powerful.

Day 38, Tsechokling Gompa, McLeodganj, India

Day 40, Srinagar, India

Mr. Gulam Butt, proprietor of Clermont Houseboats through thick and thin times, runs through a list of previous guests, including Nelson Rockefeller and George Harrison.

Day 40, Srinagar, India

Day 41, Srinagar, India

The Kashmir Martyrs' cemetery, one of many for those Muslims who’ve died fighting, or because of fighting, for freedom from India.

Day 41, Srinagar, India

Day 41, Srinagar, India

The remains of the Greenway Hotel, Srinagar, destroyed by the Indian army after Islamic militants holed up there.

Day 41, Srinagar, India

Day 41, Srinagar, India

A selection of the famous and much sought-after houseboats of Srinagar. The names suggest happier times before conflict traumatised Kashmir.

Day 41, Srinagar, India

Day 44, Patan, Nepal

Hindu Nepal. In Patan’s Durbar Square stone elephants, carved 380 years ago, guard the entrance to Shiva’s temple.

Day 44, Patan, Nepal

Day 44, Narayanhiti Palace Museum, Kathmandu, Nepal

In the grounds of the Royal Palace, the great and good of Nepal stand in line for the royal tika.

Day 44, Narayanhiti Palace Museum, Kathmandu, Nepal

Day 47, Lekhani, Nepal

Before it all went wrong. Adrian Griffith talks to the galla, the recruiting officer, prior to addressing the village in fluent Nepali. In a concession to the glare of the mountain sun, I’ve been persuaded to wear a slightly silly hat.

Day 47, Lekhani, Nepal

Day 47, Lekhani, Nepal

Some of the 251 would-be Gurkhas start stretching the sinews. Only 44 will get to the next stage of testing.

Day 47, Lekhani, Nepal

Day 48, Lekhani, Nepal

Crossing the cable bridge at Dopali, having been forced to abandon Ghurkha recruiting after Maoist guerrillas abducted Adrian and other senior officers.

Day 48, Lekhani, Nepal

Day 50, Chomrong, Nepal

The steep stone steps out of Chomrong. They look helpful, but became slow torture.

Day 50, Chomrong, Nepal

Day 52, Machhapuchhre Base Camp, Derali, Nepal

Machhapuchhare, 'Fish-Tail Mountain', is looking in much better shape than I am as Wongchu (who has twice climbed Everest) hangs patiently behind me.

Day 52, Machhapuchhre Base Camp, Derali, Nepal

Day 52, Machhapuchhre Base Camp, Derali, Nepal

A mug of garlic soup as the afternoon mist comes down over Macchapuchare, the sacred mountain which has never been climbed.

Day 52, Machhapuchhre Base Camp, Derali, Nepal

Day 53, Machhapuchhre Base Camp, Derali, Nepal

The view that makes it all worth while. Annapurna Sanctuary, a 360-degree panorama with nine summits reaching 23,000 feet (7200 m).

Day 53, Machhapuchhre Base Camp, Derali, Nepal

Day 56, Patan, Nepal

A doorway in Patan shows the fine design and craftsmanship of the Newari people. As in most parts of the Himalaya, we are never far from men with guns.

Day 56, Patan, Nepal

Day 56, Durbar Square, Patan, Nepal

Slices of life in Durbar Square, Patan. A man does puja, a ritual offering to the gods at Krishna Mandir.

Day 56, Durbar Square, Patan, Nepal

Day 56, Patan, Nepal

Kunder Dixit, urbane, resourceful editor of the Nepali Times.

Day 56, Patan, Nepal

Day 56, Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal

With Pratima on a bridge over the Bagmati River at Pashupatinath, the most important Hindu temple complex in Nepal.

Day 56, Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal

Day 57, Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal

Male members of the family lay a deceased relative on the funeral pyre at the cremation ghats at Pashupatinath. Ghee (clarified butter) is laid on the logs to help them burn. The man on left has just had his head shaved in mourning.

Day 57, Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal

Day 57, Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal

Sadhus, itinerants who have renounced all worldly possessions and dedicated their life to lord Shiva, at Pashupatinath.

Day 57, Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal

Day 57, Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal

Sadhus, itinerants who have renounced all worldly possessions and dedicated their life to lord Shiva, at Pashupatinath.

Day 57, Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal

Day 57, Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal

Sadhus, itinerants who have renounced all worldly possessions and dedicated their life to lord Shiva, at Pashupatinath.

Day 57, Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal

Day 57, Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal

The world’s most sociable hermits. These sadhus will do anything for you, including their Roy Wood and Wizzard impersonation.

Day 57, Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal

Day 57, Boudhanath, Kathmandu, Nepal

Prayer flags flutter from the huge stupa at Boudhanath, the most important Buddhist site in Kathmandu and heart of the city’s Tibetan community.

Day 57, Boudhanath, Kathmandu, Nepal

Day 58, Himalyan Foothills, Kathmandu, Nepal

Women are prominent in Nepalese rural life. In the Himalyan foothills, a woman carries home scrub for cattle feed.

Day 58, Himalyan Foothills, Kathmandu, Nepal

Day 58, Himalyan Foothills, Kathmandu, Nepal

Shopkeeper in crimson sari on the road to the border.

Day 58, Himalyan Foothills, Kathmandu, Nepal

Day 59, Nyalam, Tibet

Shopkeeper in crimson sari on the road to the border.

Day 59, Nyalam, Tibet

Day 60, Tingri, Tibet

A circle dance takes shape in a village on the way to Everest Base camp. There’ll be much yodelling and foot-stamping, probably after we’ve gone.

Day 60, Tingri, Tibet

Day 60, Tingri, Tibet

These folk get-togethers are an important time for matchmaking.

Day 60, Tingri, Tibet

Day 60, Tingri, Tibet

Man of the plateau. Sheepskin coat, earring and extended sleeves instead of gloves.

Day 60, Tingri, Tibet

Day 61, Chomolungma, Rongbuk, Tibet

Chomolungma, 'Goddess Mother of The Earth'. The best name westerners could come up with for the world’s highest mountain was Everest. The north face was climbed by a Chinese expedition in 1960 (seven years after Hilary and Tensing first conquered the peak).

Day 61, Chomolungma, Rongbuk, Tibet

Day 62, Everest Base Camp, Tibet

Everest base camp, just before Sunday lunch. In early summer this would be packed with hikers and climbers, today there’s just us, and the yaks and their herders.

Day 62, Everest Base Camp, Tibet

Day 64, Tashilempo Monastery, Shigatse, Tibet

Tashilempo Monastery, Shigatse.

Day 64, Tashilempo Monastery, Shigatse, Tibet

Day 64, Shigatse, Tibet

Boys are sent away to monasteries from the age of six, emulating the traditional English boarding school approach to education.

Day 64, Shigatse, Tibet

Day 65, Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet

The magnificent Potala Palace in Lhasa. The tallest building in the world before skyscrapers. It was the home of the Dalai Lama until he fled his country after the Chinese invaded in 1950.

Day 65, Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet

Day 66, Barkhor, Lhasa, Tibet

Walking with Migma in the Barkhor, one of the few areas of Lhasa where the traditional Tibetan houses are still preserved. In foreground, a prostrating pilgrim.

Day 66, Barkhor, Lhasa, Tibet

Day 66, Sera Monastery, Lhasa, Tibet

Am I right? Monk makes his point in ritual debating at the Sera monastery.

Day 66, Sera Monastery, Lhasa, Tibet

Day 67, Drepung Monastery, Lhasa, Tibet

Images of the gatekeepers, and other treasures, behind the altar in the Tsokchen Lhakhang.

Day 67, Drepung Monastery, Lhasa, Tibet

Day 68, Lhasa, Tibet

Makeshift lutes.

Day 68, Lhasa, Tibet

Day 70, Tashi Dor, Namtso Lake, Tibet

The essence of bleakness. The grey, windswept waters of holy Namtso Lake, 15,500 feet (4570m) above sea level. Yet prayer flags show that pilgrims come from all over Tibet to make the 18-day walk around it, or shorter walks around these towering rocks at Tashi Dor.

Day 70, Tashi Dor, Namtso Lake, Tibet

Day 70, Near Yushu, Qinghai Province, Tibet

Yak herding on the summer pastures of Qinghai province. They look pretty docile, but are far more temperamental than lowland cows.

Day 70, Near Yushu, Tibet

Day 70, Near Yushu, Qinghai Province, Tibet

Yak husbandry continued. Milking a dri, as the female yak is called. After ten minutes I have just enough to make a cappuccino.

Day 70, Near Yushu, Tibet

Day 71, Near Yushu, Qinghai Province, Tibet

Sonam the yak farmer prepares a calf for shearing. Yaks provide food, fuel, rope, tent coverings and just about everything apart from the natty suit Sonam's wearing.

Day 71, Near Yushu, Tibet

Day 73, Summer Horse Festival, Yushu, Qinghai Province, Tibet

Meeting some monks at the Summer Horse Festival. Later they inveigled me into a game of football.

Day 73, Summer Horse Festival, Yushu, Tibet

Day 73, Summer Horse Festival, Yushu, Qinghai Province, Tibet

Tall in the saddle. Feet of horsemanship by the Kampa horsemen. If only John Wayne had mastered this technique, how different his westerns might have been.

Day 73, Summer Horse Festival, Yushu, Tibet

Day 74, Gyanak Mani, Yushu, Qinghai Province, Tibet

Well-preserved chorten at Gyanak Mani. They are symbolic of steps to enlightenment. Always constructed on five levels, with square base representing the earth and the tip of the pinnacle pointing to the heavens.

Day 74, Gyanak Mani, Yushu, Tibet

Day 76, Jinsha River, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan, China

The Tiger Leaping Gorge trek. Behind me, Li Yuan, who we christened Mr. Nice Man on account of his ineffable patience, leads the donkeys, keeps an eye on me and carries the sound boom.

Day 76, Jinsha River, Tiger Leaping Gorge, China

Day 77, Bendi Wan, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan, China

Message in a bottle. Mr Feng's connection with the outside world.

Day 77, Bendi Wan, Tiger Leaping Gorge, China

Day 79, Yangtze River, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan, China

The end of Tiger Leaping Gorge. The Yangtze below me is about to fall 700 feet (213m) in a series of 21 lethal rapids. I've walked 20 miles along the edge of a cliff and I’m going to bed.

Day 79, Yangtze River, Tiger Leaping Gorge, China

Day 80, Lugu Lake, China

Namu, the nicest narcissist.

Day 80, Lugu Lake, China

Day 80, Lugu Lake, China

Re-appearance of prayer flags shows Tibetan influence on this part of China.

Day 80, Lugu Lake, China

Day 80, Lugu Lake, China

Namu’s aunt is more concerned with hospitality than the interview.

Day 80, Lugu Lake, China

Day 82, Baisha, Lijiang, Yunnan, China

Auto-rickshaw delivers me to Dr. Ho's clinic. Man in white coat is waiting for me. Turns out to be the Doctor's son, business manager and public relations adviser, Ho Shulong.

Day 82, Baisha, Lijiang, China

Day 82, Baisha, Lijiang, Yunnan, China

The Famous Dr.Ho in trademark white coat.

Day 82, Baisha, Lijiang, China

Day 82, Baisha, Lijiang, Yunnan, China

Mrs Ho in traditional costume of the Naxi, another minority people of Yunnan.

Day 82, Baisha, Lijiang, China

Day 85, Lijiang, Yunnan, China

Xuan Ke, Lijiang's local hero, takes his place in the front row of the Naxi Music Orchestra.

Day 85, Lijiang, China

Day 85, Lijiang, Yunnan, China

Sweet, beautifully played flute solo brings the concert to an end. Painted on the wall behind are black-necked cranes, a rare and scared Himalayan bird.

Day 85, Lijiang, China

Day 86, Lijiang, Yunnan, China

Trainee snake charmer? No, local man shopping for walking stick. Lijiang has a reputation for antiques and fine craftsmanship.

Day 86, Lijiang, China

Day 86, Lijiang, Yunnan, China

Dongba checks the instructions during purification ritual.

Day 86, Lijiang, China

Day 87, Yunnan Nationalities Villages, Kunming, Yunnan, China

Girls in tribal costumes compare umbrella opening techniques at the Yunnan Nationalities Villages, in effect a minority peoples' theme park, on the outskirts of Kunming.

Day 87, Yunnan Nationalities Villages, Kunming, China

Day 87, Yunnan Nationalities Villages, Kunming, Yunnan, China

Elephant basketball at the Nationalities Village.

Day 87, Yunnan Nationalities Villages, Kunming, China

Day 91, Longwa, Nagaland , India

Belly up. Konyak Naga head-hunter outdoes me in stomach decoration. Nor are my Paul Smith belt and Craghopper trouser any match for his hornbill feather, wild boar's teeth and neck-chain showing he's taken five heads.

Day 91, Longwa, India

Day 91, Longwa, Nagaland , India

Another old warrior, with fern accoutrements.

Day 91, Longwa, India

Day 91, Longwa, Nagaland , India

Shingwong translates the words of the chief, on my right, as we talk to him in his hut. This picture has a distinctly period flavour. Hard to believe from the look of the place that most of them are baptized Christians.

Day 91, Longwa, India

Day 93, Tipong Mine, Near Digboi, Assam, India

With the morning shift at Tipong Mine, near Digboi, Assam.

Day 93, Tipong Mine, Near Digboi, India

Day 93, Tipong Mine, Near Digboi, Assam, India

Safety is the big issue at Tipong. I suppose they could start by giving them overalls.

Day 93, Tipong Mine, Near Digboi, India

Day 95, Mancotta Estate, Dibrugarh, Assam, India

With Manoj Jalan (on leading elephant) in his Mancotta Estate. Elephants used to be used for logging. Now timber conservation has rendered many of them and their mahouts, redundant. The lucky ones still get work clearing undergrowth in tea plantations.

Day 95, Mancotta Estate, Dibrugarh, India

Day 97, Majuli Island, Assam, India

Never saw anything like this on my bike rides in Sheffield. Mishing fisherwomen put their catch down their cleavage.

Day 97, Majuli Island, India

Day 99, Majuli Island, Assam, India

The monastery (satra) on Majuli Island. With Jadab Burah (right) and his older roommate Lila Ram. Because of vows of purity they would have to wash themselves completely after touching anything in the room I’d touched.

Day 99, Majuli Island, India

Day 100, Kaziranga Elephant Festival, Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India

Football at the 2nd Kaziranga Elephant Festival. Even Wednesday could beat this lot. But why should they have to play with a human-sized ball when they're ten times bigger than us?

Day 100, Kaziranga Elephant Festival, Kaziranga National Park, India

Day 100, Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India

One of the great experiences of my travelling life. Washing Joiraj at Kaziranga National Park. I’d never heard an elephant rumble with pleasure before.

Day 100, Kaziranga National Park, India

Day 104, Gantey, Bhutan

Gantey village. With Dasho Benji, wearing traditional kho, on the lookout for elusive black-necked cranes.

Day 104, Gantey, Bhutan

Day 104, Gantey, Bhutan

Successful sighting. Rare black-necked cranes on the wing.

Day 104, Gantey, Bhutan

Day 104, Gantey, Bhutan

Evidence of the cult of Drupka Kunley, the 'divine madman' on a house in Gantey village. More common in East Bhutan, these painted penises are believed to ward off evil spirits.

Day 104, Gantey, Bhutan

Day 104, Gangtey Gompa, Gantey, Bhutan

Workmen take a teabreak at the Gangtey gompa (monastery), which is being refitted. Quite slowly.

Day 104, Gangtey Gompa, Gantey, Bhutan

Day 108, Takstang, Jangothang, Bhutan

The extraordinary precipice on which Takstang is perched. An ultimate test for any postman.

Day 108, Takstang, Jangothang, Bhutan

Day 109, Jangothang, Bhutan

Doje and I visit Choni Dorje, poet and yak farmer, who has lived up here for 82 years. He sings me his ode to the yak which made him a national celebrity. His granddaughter is in the doorway.

Day 109, Jangothang, Bhutan

Day 112, Paro Tsechu, Paro, Bhutan

The pageantry of the Paro tsechu. Opening day dances in the courtyard of the dzong.

Day 112, Paro Tsechu, Paro, Bhutan

Day 117, Pijain River, Sylhet, Bangladesh

The gravel banks of the Pijain River.

Day 117, Pijain River, Sylhet, Bangladesh

Day 118, Sylhet, Bangladesh

The engaging Abdul Rahman, who became a poultry magnate in the Midlands before returning to Bangladesh to build homes for his family.

Day 118, Sylhet, Bangladesh

Day 119, Chittagong, Bangladesh

Toilets that have travelled the world. Nothing is wasted at the ship-breaking yards near Chittagong.

Day 119, Chittagong, Bangladesh

Day 121, Dhaka, Bangladesh

The bane and bounty of Bangladesh. Millions of tonnes of Himalayan water meet the heaviest monsoons in the world to make Bangladesh's landscape both fertile and fragile.

Day 121, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Day 121, Dhaka, Bangladesh

A very few of the estimated 700,000 bicycle rickshaws in Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital. Individually decorated in bright, bold patterns, they can often move faster than the city's grid-locked motor traffic.

Day 121, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Day 123, Dhaka, Bangladesh

In downtown Dhaka it's quicker to deliver by hand, or shoulder, or head.

Day 123, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Day 125, Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh

Mission accomplished. With the help of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra I'm swept out onto the Bay of Bengal along with millions of tons of mud that was once Himalaya.

Day 125, Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh

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Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
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Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
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