Silk - The Thread Connecting East and West

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Beautiful, smooth, soft, delicate, strong, and precious: silk. This amazing fabric has captivated human imagination for over 2000 years. Throughout history, it has clothed the rich and powerful. But more than this, it has been a form of currency, a tool of diplomacy, a badge of rank, and a fabric of the divine. And silk, above all other treasures, has been the thread connecting East and West. It is an artifact that has truly shaped history. The discovery of silk is said to have taken place in China almost two and a half thousand years ago by the wife of the "yellow emperor", Huang Di. Legend has it that the lady H'si Ling made her discovery when a silk moth cocoon fell from a mulberry tree into her hot tea where it began to unravel. The empress has been revered ever since as "the lady of silk" who taught the Chinese to cultivate mulberry trees and raise silk worms. Her discovery of the secret of silk would profoundly influence the history of China and the world.

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Around the world

Besides finding over 100 outstanding documentaries here, you'll find tips, tricks, observations, warnings, and experiences from all over the world. The goal is to highlight travel and wildlife photography, politics andeverything else concerning countries in the world and to inspire YOU to travel around the world before it's too late! To get started, click on one of the items in the menu on the left.

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AmericaIf your dream is to travel around the world , then we have a common point. If you would like to try everything in your life, then we would have two commons point. Finally, if you like to share other travellers experiences, then we have a third common point. Your are consequently at the right website. Leave your comments behind in the geustbook or use the comment form below each article.

Video guide

Around the world

Michael Palin - Pole to Pole
Michael Palin - 80 days
Michael Palin - Sahara
Michael Palin - Full Circle
Michael Palin - Himalaya
Hemingway Adventure
80 world treasures
Yellowstone National Park
Violent Hawaii
Seven wonders
Breaking the silence
War by Other Means
Lost Treasures
Megacities
Time Team
Tribe
The War On Democracy
Fundamentalists
Ice king
Captain Cook
Ferdinand Magellan
Figure of the earth
The Airships
The War Against The Third World
Silk
Porcelain
The enemy within
The Enemies Of Reason
Looking For The Revolution
The Commanding Heights
No reservations
Pack your bags
Engineering an Empire
The ultimate cruise ship
A world without water
Holidays in the Danger Zone
Mysteries of Mankind
Ibn Batutah
Boeing 747-400
Children of Conflict
Bizarre Foods
Around the world
Around the world - Countries Around the world
I believe that this world is meant to be explored, and you really don’t have to be filthy rich just to be able to do this. I am aware that I don’t have the whole lifetime to successfully visit all the places in this planet but I know that there are so many places in this world that has been constantly calling my name. And I’m not delusional. So to get a start here you can find some great documentaries from all over the world. Here are some highlights...

Michael Palins Sahara

Palins Sahara
Palins Sahara
The Sahara. The size of the United States with a population the size of Norfolk. And with extreme temperatures and camel poisoning thrown in, Michael always had his work cut out. Sahara is one of the most powerful and evocative names on the world map. As a child, the images I had of the Sahara were both frightening and intriguing - palm trees, camels, turbanned travellers reclining, whilst being poured sparkling water by urn-carrying maidens in flimsy veils. It looked fun. I also knew that most western explorers who tried to cross it never came back. The combination of seduction and severity appealed to me. In the spring of 2000 I decided that it should be the next television journey. It promised to be tough, but that's what the viewer seemed to like. It also offered the chance of going into, if not the unknown, certainly the very little known.

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Michael Palins Himalaya

Palins Himalaya
Palins Himalaya
In Himalaya, Michael visits the Earth's greatest mountain range - 1800 miles from the borders of Afghanistan to southwest China. He'd covered none of this ground before, let alone milked a dri, washed an elephant or swum at 14,000 feet... Himalaya might well have been Silk Road, which was a proposal from Roger Mills, our series producer. But when I opened out the atlas, the largely desert character of much of the Silk Road made me think it might look too similar to the Sahara. Then my eye caught the word Himalaya and I was immediately excited by the prospect. I had never been to any of the area before. The character of the series would be as high and mighty as Sahara was flat and mysterious. And no-one could accuse us of 'going soft' as we got older.

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Michael Palins Around the world

Palins 80 days
Palins 80 days
Michael Palin attempts to copy the exploits of fictional character Phileas Fogg, by trying to travel around the world (without flying) in 80 days. Plot Synopsis: Michael Palin has taken on the task of duplicating Phileas Fogg's feat by attempting to circumnavigate the globe, beginning and ending at the Reform Club in London, in eighty days, using no air travel. He meets Python fans in Greece, eats snake in China, and generally goes from one adventure to another, all the while fighting to make his deadline.

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Time Team

Time TeamTime Team is a popular British television series explaining the process of archaeology for the layman in the UK. Broadcast by Channel 4, the programme was first shown in 1994, and is presented by Tony Robinson. It is aired by the ABC in Australia at 6:10pm Tuesday nights. Archaeology isn’t just about digging up the mysterious remains of the long dead. It can reveal how we used to live in amazing detail by uncovering the minutiae of everyday objects, entire buildings and even the wrecks of vessels deep under the sea. It is a science that evolves as technology improves and there have been some amazing finds both on land and underwater. Archaeology isn’t just for the experts; there are opportunities all over the UK for amateur enthusiasts to get involved at various levels.

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Maza is born in the Netherlands about 40 years ago and has studied economics in the 90's. He is very much a travel buff. He has also a hughe intrest in science and astronomy. At the moment he is working for the local municipality. If you like you can contact him at info @ mazalien.com.© Mazalien 1999 - 2008

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