Some frightening moments in the 2nd of Mark Beaumont’s documentaries. I have only just finished watching this episode as 10.30pm on a Tuesday night is just far too late for a school teacher! On leaving Mexico and entering Guatemala, Mark was joined by a cameraman from the BBC. This meant that he could give his arm a rest and stop filming himself from a constant distance of about 80 cms and we as viewers could see him and his bike in all their glory! I’ve cobbled together the montage you can see here as it shows how he has mastered the art of travelling light! Four black Ortlieb panniers and a tent on the top. That’s it. Respect. I like how he goes for the black look, melting into the background. Ortlieb do some very vivid colours!ย For anyone out there who is convinced that he didn’t actually do the cycle unassisted and had a Winnebago just out of shot, keep your comments to yourselves. ๐
Categories: Cycling
I don’t think we disagree that much. I guess I am just more interested in his cycle journey (which does include the people etc). However, I am not sure the ‘spontaneous’ visits to a Chili farm would happy if the BBC didn’t want to try and squeeze some travel documentary out of it too- as if the highs and lows and natural encounters of the journey wouldn’t be interesting enough. And you see to agree that 3hrs is just not enough! 10 mins on a 3 week climb up America’s highest peak!!
I am hoping his presentation (I have tickets for May 14th) will be much more about his personal experiences and journey than the stages ones.
Just watched it too. I have to say I am a bit disappointed with the series. Is it about a long cycle trip, is it about the places he is visiting, I am not sure it is good at either…
3 hrs is definately no long enough for either of these objectives.
Sorry Chris, I have to disagree!
You are correct – it is not a Michael Palin style travel documentary with beautiful cinematography and craned shots of trains disappearing into the distance (although Mark clearly has a lot of talent when it comes to photography). What it is is “exactly what it says on the tin”; the story of a man who cycled the Americas, as told and as filmed (in the main) by the man himself. I think it has been fascinating, telling the story of his trip, the places, the people, the politics, the environment…. all of which would merit three hours of documentary in themselves. A real adventure!