Travels with Palin S03E04 · Pole To Pole: Shifting Sands

Overview

Arriving in Wadi Halfa, Sudan, Palin boards a train bound for Khartoum, the capital. There he receives some bad news: he will be unable to journey further south into Sudan due to the ongoing conflict in the south. Seeking an alternative, he finds Eritreans willing to drive him to the border with Ethiopia. While waiting to leave Khartoum he checks out some camels in nearby Omdurman and a Muslim Sufi ceremony where people dance to attain religious ecstasy. When it comes time to leave Khartoum, the journey to the town of Gedaref near the Ethiopian border proves to be anything but easy. The road is very bumpy, and time after time the vehicles are stuck in the dirt, forcing Palin and the other passengers to push them free. Compounding the difficulty, in Ethiopia a long war has just ended, resulting in the overthrow of the Derg regime. There was the added risk of rebels from the war hiding near the border. Finally, after spending 24 hours travelling the distance from London to Oxford, 95.

Torrents

Subtitles

Episodes

1. 1 1. Pole To Pole: A Cold Start1992-10-21 · 37mPalin begins at the North Pole, flying there on a small aeroplane fitted with skis. (The North Pole scene had to be filmed earlier than the rest of the journey due to weather issue
2. 2 2. Pole To Pole: Russian Steps1992-10-28 · 37mIn Leningrad Palin meets up with a Vladimir Lenin impersonator, who gives him a tour of the city. He witnesses a Russian Orthodox baptism ceremony, and almost gets baptised himself
3. 3 3. Pole To Pole: Mediterranean Maze1992-11-04 · 37mArriving by ferry to Istanbul, Turkey, Palin stays at the Pera Palas, where Agatha Christie wrote Murder on the Orient Express and experiences a turkish bath, getting the full trea
4. 4 4. Pole To Pole: Shifting Sands1992-11-11 · 37mArriving in Wadi Halfa, Sudan, Palin boards a train bound for Khartoum, the capital. There he receives some bad news: he will be unable to journey further south into Sudan due to t
5. 5 5. Pole To Pole: Crossing The Line1992-11-18 · 37mIn the old Ethiopian capital of Gondar Palin visits the former home of Emperor Haile Selassie, as well as his pet lion. From there he visits Lake Tana where he learns that one of h
6. 6 6. Pole To Pole: Plains and Boats and Trains1992-11-25 · 37mIn Kenya Palin takes a hot-air balloon ride. On the ground he observes a lioness and her cubs up close. Then it is on to Tanzania, where he fulfills a lifelong dream by visiting th
7. 7 7. Pole To Pole: Evil Shadow1992-12-02 · 37mIn Zambia Palin meets a witch doctor who tells him that he has an "evil shadow" and bad things lie ahead for him. He then is given a tree bark to "wash" with. This is supposed to h
8. 8 8. Pole To Pole: Bitter End1992-12-09 · 37mDespite being unable to reach Antarctica via the Agulhas, all is not lost for Palin. A travel adventure company is able to take Palin to the South Pole from their base in Chile. Th