Basil Pao's photo exhibition brings Michael Palin's travels alive
Adventurer traversed the globe with his photographer friend and new exhibition takes armchair travellers to places they only dream of visiting
There's not much famous broadcaster and actor Michael Palin hasn't seen in his travels over the years, but Hong Kong still retains a special attraction for him.
Palin was at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Central yesterday to deliver an illustrated talk about his recent travels to India, where he researched his latest novel The Truth.
For the 70-year-old, returning to the city is always a highlight. "I have been here many times and have always felt at home. There's a vibrancy about the place that's unlike anywhere else. Only New York can come close to matching this city's vitality. It's stimulating," he said.
It also helps that one of his oldest friends is from the city. The seasoned traveller has been accompanied on most of his trips by Hong Kong photographer Basil Pao.
Palin and Pao met 25 years ago when both were working on the Monty Python Scrap Book and Pao was working as a graphic designer. Since then they have become close friends and their years of travelling the globe together are celebrated in an exhibition of Pao's photographs, which Palin opened last night at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum, titled "Around The World in 8,000 Days: Travels With Michael Palin, Photographs By Basil Pao".
The exhibition runs until November 10.