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 .
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 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.
"Basil's photographs have immeasurably enriched our journeys together," Palin said. "He has a way of looking at things and capturing the moment. It's great to have this record of our travels and to be reminded of the many wonderful memories we've shared over the years."
The pair has collaborated on 12 travel books, based on eight television series. Palin attributed much of the success of the series to keeping his crew, and his technique, as unchanged as possible.
"We try to keep it down to a small crew of about seven to eight people," he explained. "It means we can travel light and get around quickly, which is important if you're on the move all the time. It's always worked well for us."
For all of Palin's adventures though, his family holidays are a little more sedate. His wife Helen prefers to take a more laidback approach when travelling.
"When we go on holidays together my wife's not as adventurous as I am. She won't want to go anywhere near a volcano or anything like that," he joked.
