Traveling vicariously with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman in LONG WAY ROUND, I was pleased to see them continue their adventures in LONG WAY DOWN, a trip from the top of Scotland to the bottom of Africa.
I thoroughly enjoyed Long Way Round. Their travels were tremendously entertaining, with absent roadways, accidents, and playful banter that made it a fun travelogue. It was also strange to see such out-of-the-way places where roads vanished, streams swelled requiring special crossings, and the people that turned out and took them in. It was a microcosm event where we got inside the heads of both the travelers and those they visited.
But things changed for the worse with Long Way Down.
First is the overuse of the helmet cameras and microphones. The sound was often exceptionally muffled, forcing one to rewind the DVD and turn up the volume in hopes of hearing what was said. The helmet cams, too, gave poor quality video and were often grimy or rain-splattered, not letting the viewer enjoy the sites around Africa and beyond.
And where Long Way Round started off with a bang, giving us some great entertainment right from episode one, Long Way Down didn't really pick-up for me until episode four when we are fully entrenched in Africa's amazing countries.
It was also a bit perturbing to see so much time given over to their time with UNICEF. Although I think this is a very worthy cause, it isn't why I like watching travel diaries like this. I want to experience the road and the people and the countryside. Having it on the DVD's extra features was fine, which is where most of the UNICEF information should've remained (I still would've watched the extras, too).
For those familiar with Long Way Round, they'll be happy to learn that Claudio is back in the saddle with our two boys, filming every move and crashing and burning yet again! The guy needs to pay closer attention to the road.
There's been some negative comments made about Ewan's wife's choice to join them on one leg of the journey. I thought this was excellent. She turned out to be a good diversion for Ewan and Charley, as well as quickly becoming an adequate motorcyclist.
I will also say that it was wonderful to see so many different cultures as the two crossed the African plains. I was particularly impressed with Ethiopa, which I'd always pictured as arid and depressing. But here we get to see the lushness of its green, verdant lands ...and it's incredibly gentle people.
Indeed, all of the people Charley and Ewan meet are amazingly gracious and hospitable. Perhaps even more than the tough roads they traveled. Many miles and many friends were passed during this trip. And I'm glad I watched it. Just not as glad as when I'd finished Long Way Round.
