Great Asian Railway Journeys

Michael Portillo continues his exploration of Hong Kong aboard the impressive MTR metro system, which handles six million trips a day. In Wan Chai, he discovers why Hong Kongers are protesting all over the city and asks them about their hopes and fears. At Hong Kong University, Michael learns about the father of modern China, Sun Yat Sen, who was a student there at the time of his Bradshaw’s Guide. In the walled villages of the New Territories, Michael meets a descendant of one of Hong Kong’s oldest dynasties.

Steered by his 1913 Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael Portillo embarks on a four-part rail adventure through Thailand from the northern city of Chiang Mai to Kanchanaburi on the River Kwai, and from Bangkok to the southern beach resort of Hua Hin. On this leg, Michael tries his hand at the art of umbrella making and learns about northern Thai cookery. He explores the walled and moated city of Chiang Mai, former capital of the Lanna Kingdom before it was annexed by the King of Siam. Travelling south to Lampang, Michael discovers the former centre of the teak wood business and investigates how successive Thai kings preserved their independence from the rival colonial powers of Britain and France. He discovers the history of a British governess at the royal court, who was made famous on stage and screen, and discovers how King George V kept elephants at the British Consulate.

Michael Portillo continues his rail journey through Thailand from Lampang, stopping to help at an elephant hospital, where they care for animals wounded by landmines. In the former Siamese capital of Ayutthaya, Michael admires gigantic ruined temples and finds out about what was one of the greatest cities in Asia. He makes a trip to an unusual market - a must for any self-respecting train-lover. Michael finishes this leg of his Thai journey at Kanchanaburi, close to the border with Myanmar, to ride one of the world’s most notorious tracks and, for him, the most poignant - the Death Railway.

Michael Portillo is in the Thai capital, Bangkok, midway through his rail tour of Thailand. He learns how the late 19th-century King Rama V built a grand palace and introduced railways to his country. He discovers the fine terminus commissioned by the king and meets a historian and designer who shares family roots with the present royal dynasty. Michael learns that King Rama V’s love of steam engines was inspired by Queen Victoria. At the colossal new station under construction in the city, Michael hears how its four levels and 24 platforms will transform Thailand’s transport infrastructure. He circles the Grand Palace by tuk tuk, then boards the 21st-century skytrain for a wonderful view of the city. Michael dines on the water in a floating market, where purchases are made from boat to boat. Following in the footsteps of writers such as Joseph Conrad, Graham Greene and John Le Carre, Michael checks into the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, built just before his guide.

Michael Portillo continues his exploration of Thailand by rail, steered by his 1913 Bradshaw’s guide. He steps into the ring under the guidance of champion trainer Master Toddy to learn Muay Thai boxing. Can he perfect the cobra-inspired right hook? Taking his courage in both hands, Michael confronts his dread of snakes to assist in a surgical operation on a deadly venomous king cobra. He discovers the lifesaving work of Bangkok’s Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute, established at the time of his guide by the royal family after the death of a young princess. Striking south to the resort of Hua Hin, Michael learns the history of the Southern Railway and hears how royal patronage kickstarted today’s Thai tourist industry. He meets the niece of the present king, Rama X, at the Palace of Love and Hope, created by their ancestor, King Rama VI, to hear about a colourful restoration project.

Armed with his 1913 Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael Portillo boards the Unification Railway for a thousand-mile journey from Ho Chi Minh City in the south to the northern capital, Hanoi, and finishing in the beautiful emerald seas of Halong Bay. Michael’s Bradshaw’s unlocks for him the traumatic 20th-century history of today’s Socialist Republic of Vietnam, a former French colony. On this leg, Michael braves the streets of Ho Chi Minh City on a motorbike, one of 8.5 million people to do so daily. He attempts the national sport, da cau, and samples the French-Vietnamese fusion food banh mi.

Michael Portillo continues his thousand-mile journey through Vietnam aboard the Unification Railway from Ho Chi Minh City to the capital, Hanoi. Leaving what locals still call Saigon, Michael heads to the fishing port of Phan Thiet, where he learns how to make Vietnam’s signature fish sauce. In the Annamite Mountains west of Da Nang, Michael joins modern Vietnamese on holiday in a quirky facsimile of a medieval French village. And in the tailoring capital of Hoi An, Michael discovers the favourite food of the region’s silkworms and sees how Cham weavers make their distinctive brocade. Can he resist a colourful new jacket?

Michael Portillo continues his thousand-mile journey aboard the Unification Railway from Ho Chi Minh City in the south to the capital, Hanoi, and on to the vast northern port of Haiphong. He finishes amid the limestone islets in the turquoise waters of Halong Bay. Steered by his 1913 Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael travels through what was French Indochina and is today the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Steered by his 1913 Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael continues his thousand-mile journey through what was then French Indochina and is today the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Approaching Hanoi aboard the Unification Railway, Michael passes the famous train street, where the locomotive passes within centimetres of the houses either side of the tracks. Checking into the capital’s famous Metropole Hotel, built at the time of his guidebook, Michael discovers a bunker where guests sheltered from American bombardment during the Vietnam War. And at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Michael hears about the nationalist leader and his struggle for independence for Vietnam. Egg coffee is a new experience in the Old Quarter and a water puppet show is a hit.

Michael Portillo’s 2500-mile railway tour of south east Asia reaches its southern most point in Indonesia. His journey crosses the island of Java at the heart of this archipelago nation of 270 million people. In the heaving capital city of Jakarta, Michael uncovers Indonesia’s Dutch colonial past and its rich history as a port but discovers its future is uncertain. He negotiates the city’s notorious traffic, makes a colourful cycle ride, tries the newly launched MRT metro and dines out on Jakarta’s famous street food. He admires Bogor’s Botanical Gardens, now a centre for research and conservation, and finds they were developed by an Englishman, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, once Governor of Java.