This four part series sees comedienne Sue Perkins travelling up the Mekong River from its delta in the south of Vietnam, through Cambodia and Laos to the Tibetan plateau in China. Along the way she meets the people who live along the river; rice farmers, fishermen, monks, herbalists and yak farmers to mention just a few. As well as looking at the traditional occupation of the people she talks about how things are changing; most notably the construction of numerous hydroelectric dams that will almost certainly change people's lives.
I must admit that I started watching this series as a time filler but I was soon really enjoying it. Sue Perkins is a good guide; she is clearly genuinely interested by the people she meets and their lives and readily admits that it is easy for visitors to romanticise the way people relatively poor people live their lives. She is also funny without making obvious gags. The people she meets are varied and interesting and the sights are quite stunning and equally varied as she moves from the roasting tropics to the Tibetan plateau where it snowed in summer. It was a pity they we couldn't see the dams that were frequently mentioned but this wasn't the fault of the programme's makers; they were refused permission to film them; at least we had a meeting with somebody in charge of the constructions in Laos and a look at some of the benefits. Overall I'd certainly recommend watching this series; it is both interesting and entertaining.
I must admit that I started watching this series as a time filler but I was soon really enjoying it. Sue Perkins is a good guide; she is clearly genuinely interested by the people she meets and their lives and readily admits that it is easy for visitors to romanticise the way people relatively poor people live their lives. She is also funny without making obvious gags. The people she meets are varied and interesting and the sights are quite stunning and equally varied as she moves from the roasting tropics to the Tibetan plateau where it snowed in summer. It was a pity they we couldn't see the dams that were frequently mentioned but this wasn't the fault of the programme's makers; they were refused permission to film them; at least we had a meeting with somebody in charge of the constructions in Laos and a look at some of the benefits. Overall I'd certainly recommend watching this series; it is both interesting and entertaining.
