I always like a good travel book when I am travelling
myself. There is something soothing and relaxing about reading about other
people's exploits when I'm away.
Back in the day I remember watching Michael Palin's BBC TV
programmes, “Around the World in 80 Days” and “Pole to Pole”, with fascination.
Being born abroad and travelling so extensively when I was younger has fuelled
my enjoyment of travel and I love reading about and hearing about other
people's adventures.
I've read a lot of Bill Bryson's travel-based books but will
confess to not having read any of Michael Palin's previous offerings. Until
now!
Full Circle
The Pacific Ocean is the biggest ocean on the planet. It
covers some 30% of the surface area of the globe and approximately 40 countries
(across 4 continents) have some kind of Pacific Coastline. Everything from
fully developed countries such as the USA through islands nations, deserts,
developing economies and even uninhabited jungle is represented as you
circumnavigate its borders. Which is precisely what Palin did over the course
of 250-odd days back in the late 1990s, primarily for the TV series which this
book is the accompaniment to.
Starting in the Bering Strait between Russia and the USA,
Palin and his intrepid team navigated across to Russia, down through China and
Vietnam, across to the Philippines and Borneo. They then took in Australia and
New Zealand before starting the long drag up the East Coast of South America before
cutting over to Mexico and the USA and returning to the start of it all.
It is the sheer diversity of these places that makes the
journey fascinating. They all share a common body of water but that is where
the similarity ends in most cases. For some the Ocean is the lifeblood, whereas
for others it is a leisure activity or even a nuisance.
Palin conveys this fantastically throughout. His style and
approach to travel is one that manages to get into the heart of everywhere he
passes through, and it draws you into a place in a way which is beyond the
simple physical geography or location. The interactions and encounters with the
locals and the culture of each and every stop paint a vivid picture, which is
in essence the real trick to travel writing. It all feels very natural too;
there are times when the whole expedition seems moments from disaster or when a
cultural taboo is magnificently broken – exactly like your average person may
do.
I think it is very easy to simply list places/activities and
string something together into a kind of “travel itinerary/diary” but it takes
a level of skill to get into the heart of a place and really begin to
understand the people and the lifestyle.
Lonely Planet and Rough Guide do a fantastic line in Travel Guides;
Full Circle gets more into the intangibles of travel – the feel, the atmosphere
and the more obscure nuances. And it does this really well; short, snappy
sections manage to provide enough insight without becoming tedious or too
“dry”.
Palin’s writing style (based on diary entries and
recollections) works too. You are invited to follow in his footsteps and almost
follow the journey yourself, using your imagination to fill in the gaps. Most
of the wonder of travel for me is the discovery element of things; and the way
the book is written allows you to experience those moments in a very similar
way to the way Palin himself would have.
Overall I thought this was a very enjoyable read, and one
which certainly conveys the wonders and the excitement of travelling around
this fantastic planet of ours. It has also provided me with food for thought in
the way I have been recording my travels, so hopefully I’ll be able to take
some of the elements from Full Circle and incorporate them into my travel
blogs.
The way I feel when I read this book is how I want people to
feel when I tell them about my adventures; excited, intrigued and inspired to
do something similar. I have plenty to work on obviously!
Verdict: 4.5 stars
out of 5
Till next time,
DT
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