JDMcDsblog

I have been enjoying the latest long distance journey by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman-”The Long way Down”. In this series the guys are motorcycling from John O Groats to Cape Town and the Sunday night series folllows their adventures as they negotiate mud, heavy rain, sand storms and relentless beauracracy at border crossings. As with all epic jouneys there is excitement and tedium, lmoments of great excitement, ong hours on the road, and a desparate rush to get through each place on time, to maintain a busy schedule. At times, it seems like they are trying to do too much and I fdo eel the whole series is somehow more frenetic than the first voyage “The Long way Round” in wjch they travelled east from London through Europe, Asia and on to America, ending up in New York/.

As geograhical transects go their journey takes some beating, however, as the slice throiugh the continent of Africa with its deserts, highlands, grassland and jungle. The diversity of landscape and people is well captured and often we get glimspes of the everyday life of the people Ewan and Cahrley encounter. The entire route has been posted as a blog, complete with map and photosn telling us about their thoughts and expreriences. It is an excellent example, too, of ian ntegrated approach to programming-there is the TV broadcast, the website, blog and accompanying book.
I find them both very engaging and likeable, and the series is well worth watching for the combination of stunning scenery, the good humour and honesty with which they approach each situation and for keeping alive the idea that there is a big world out there worth seeing.

Useful links

BBC Guide to Africa
Africa Guide
National Geographic articles on Africa