The Long Way Round

[samkydd]

I missed this programme when it was broadcast in 2004 on Sky, but fortunately I received the DVD set for a birthday present last week.

It covers the planning and execution of a 20,000 mile round the world trip on BMW 1150GS motorcycles by Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman plus a third biker, a Swiss camera man and two support 4WD vehicles with back up amd production crew. It's a very enjoyable documentary and they cross some desolate and harsh landscapes across Russia, through Mongolia then across to Alaska and down to the US. Having the clout of a film star and loads of free gear helped them, including free motorbikes from BMW (usually around £8000 each without all the extras), but nevertheless it showed the harsh reality of bikers undertaking such a mammoth trek. The two men are great friends and bike enthusiasts, and they seem to be a very likeable couple of characters!

As a biker myself I found the DVDs addictive, and watched several episodes one after the other. If you like Michael Palin's travel programmes this may not be quite up your street, there was more emphasis on on-bike filming and only quite short pieces of places they visited. Although it hasn't inspired me to embark on such an arduous journey myself, I do feel like going across somewhere like Eastern Europe in the summer just to see some unspoilt countryside and old world communities.

[mutty]

(samkydd @ Nov 23 2005, 11:54 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'> I missed this programme when it was broadcast in 2004 on Sky, but fortunately I received the DVD set for a birthday present last week. It covers the planning and execution of a 20,000 mile round the world trip on BMW 1150GS motorcycles by Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman plus a third biker, a Swiss camera man and two support 4WD vehicles with back up amd production crew. It's a very enjoyable documentary and they cross some desolate and harsh landscapes across Russia, through Mongolia then across to Alaska and down to the US. Having the clout of a film star and loads of free gear helped them, including free motorbikes from BMW (usually around £8000 each without all the extras), but nevertheless it showed the harsh reality of bikers undertaking such a mammoth trek. The two men are great friends and bike enthusiasts, and they seem to be a very likeable couple of characters! As a biker myself I found the DVDs addictive, and watched several episodes one after the other. If you like Michael Palin's travel programmes this may not be quite up your street, there was more emphasis on on-bike filming and only quite short pieces of places they visited. Although it hasn't inspired me to embark on such an arduous journey myself, I do feel like going across somewhere like Eastern Europe in the summer just to see some unspoilt countryside and old world communities. [/b]

I watched this the first time round on Sky and found it thoroughly enthralling. The guys came across as very likable and seemed to welcome whatever was thrown at them. Some of the situations they ended up in were almost surreal (the Russian guy coming down the stairs with a guitar in one hand and a Kalashnikov in the other). I think the DVD set may have to go on my list to Santa.

[tonewheel]

(mutty @ Nov 25 2005, 01:23 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'> I watched this the first time round on Sky and found it thoroughly enthralling. The guys came across as very likable and seemed to welcome whatever was thrown at them. Some of the situations they ended up in were almost surreal (the Russian guy coming down the stairs with a guitar in one hand and a Kalashnikov in the other). I think the DVD set may have to go on my list to Santa. [/b]

[arty-dave]

Time to dust of the old Indian.....

[samkydd]

(arty-dave @ Nov 25 2005, 02:32 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'> Time to dust of the old Indian..... [/b]

..........and re-heat it in the microwave with some nan bread! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img]

[tonewheel]

I'm probably wrong here but I'm sure we were led to believe they had done this round the world trip on their own . But it now appears they had a film crew with sound tech and goodness knows who else, a mobile canteen and makeup department perhaps

[samkydd]

(tonewheel @ Nov 25 2005, 04:54 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'> I'm probably wrong here but I'm sure we were led to believe they had done this round the world trip on their own . But it now appears they had a film crew with sound tech and goodness knows who else, a mobile canteen and makeup department perhaps [/b]

They had a Swiss camera man with them, also on a motorcycle, essential because the footage from the two men's bike and helmet cameras would not have been enough, or of good enough professional quality to make a decent TV programme out of the trip.

The two support vehicles met up with them at border crossings, and carried essentials for the bikes and the cameraman's equipment too, plus travel documentation. They did meet up when the roads were impassable in Mongolia, when they had to recruit local truckers to ferry them all across the raging rivers because the bridges and roads had washed away.

On paper it seemed that they would have a cushy time of it having the best quality equipment, bikes and support, but in reality it wasn't as straightforward as many would have expected it to be.

Having worked in remote areas myself, albeit in Africa, where being alone can be more than a little frightening I could understand how they must have felt being cut off from the outside world in very isolated parts of Mongolia and Siberia. In situations like that you just never know if the people approaching will shake your hand or shoot you and steal your equipment! After all they wouldn't know who Ewan McGregor was, to them the three bikers were just another group of foreigners passing through!

Always sceptical of the authenticity of such programmes, this time I was enthralled by their adventure and I take my helmet off to them!

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clapping.gif[/img]