Episode 1 - Australia
Charley Boorman is best known for biking around Europe, Asia and Africa with actor Ewan McGregor. However, this time he is minus his movie-star friend as he attempts to travel North from Sydney up the Pacific Rim (through Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines and Taiwan), eventually finishing in Tokyo, Japan. Nor will Charley be undertaking the journey entirely on motorbike. Instead, he will be using local forms of transport and local knowledge.The first leg of his adventure finds Charley leaving Sydney with a huge biker convoy in tow, as he travels up the east coast of Australia. Along the way, he meets all sorts of unique characters, travels in a replica Spitfire, tries his hand at cattle mustering on horseback, and even gets bitten by a snake!
Episode 2 - Papua New Guinea
Charley arrives in Papua New Guinea, where he goes dirt-biking with a group of locals on a previously unridden and dangerous route.This country has one of the worst reputations in the southern hemisphere for hostility, so Charley has to have his wits about him. He heads for the remote village of Gapun, home to an isolated tribe and located in the middle of 30 miles of mangrove. The only way to get there is by water. Always heading North with Tokyo in sight, Charley really gets under the skin of this beautiful, largely unexplored country.
Episode 3 - Indonesia
Crushed by the disappointment of not being able to get into West Papua on foot, Charley is forced to take a series of commercial flights in order to resume his journey North to Tokyo.Picking up his route in Indonesia, Charley is excited about a new country and a new adventure ahead. Beginning in Makassar in south Sulawesi, Charley travels up the island and drops in on a Muslim wedding. There he sees another side to how the ceremony is celebrated and even enjoys the delights of home-cooked food.
After getting back in the saddle with the Indonesian Harley Davidson club, Charley samples some more interesting local cuisine: bat and dog meat.
Episode 4 - The Philippines
Charley is reeling from the disappointment of having to catch yet another commercial flight in order to reach the Philippines. He touches down on the island of Manado and embarks on an epic journey across the Philippine Archipelago.He then tries his hand at anchovy fishing off the island of Camiguin, before hitching a ride with the Filipino Navy to the town of Cebu.
On his travels, he witnesses the national pastime of cockfighting, jumps in a coco biodiesel bamboo car and sees the impact of World War II firsthand.
Episode 5 - Taiwan
Starting in the city of Kaohsiung on the south-west corner of the island of Taiwan, Charley drops in on the country’s largest Buddhist monastery, Fo Guang Shan. From there, he travels North and tries his hand at cricket-fighting and then samples the edible creatures, tempura-style.After jumping on board the Taiwanese high-speed rail train, Charley heads up into the Alishan Mountains, where he hand-picks tea-leaves with award-winning tea-farmer, Hsiu-Mei.
Dirt-biking through the amazing valleys of the Taroko Gorge, Charley finally arrives at the capital, Taipei, where he prepares to board a cruise ship for the 376-mile journey to the port of Okinawa, Japan.
Episode 6 - Japan
Finally arriving on Japanese soil, Charley heads straight for the Naha naval base to learn more about the battle of Okinawa.From there, he spends 24 hours on board a local ferry that takes him to the mainland. Then he meets up with Tarquin, a 12-year-old train fanatic, and together they travel to meet Tarquin’s father, Humphrey, and jump on Italian motorbikes to check out the landscape and local scenery of Japan.
Charley’s great love for motorbikes continues when he visits the workshops of custom-built bikes and awesome design studios.
Visiting Hiroshima on the anniversary of the Peace Memorial Ceremony, Charley is filled with sadness, but also admiration at how the community have united and moved on from the devastation of the atomic bomb.
Finally, getting a thrill from riding one of Japan’s most renowned roller-coasters, then visiting the country’s highest mountain, Mount Fuji, Charley takes in the breathtaking views before riding the final leg of his epic adventure to reach Tokyo.
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