Episode list

Beginning of the journey in Bulawayo (Zimbabwe): Philippe goes to the railway station: at the ticket counter a very charming employee sells him his ticket: Philippe asks her why she is so friendly and she answers that all her life she has being smiling and friendly.Then Philippe takes the night train to Hwange (12 hours of travel): Philippe meets a lady who spoke about the different languages (Ndebele, Shona,etc) in Zimbabwe.Suddenly the train stops in the middle of the countryside and the lady and another passenger go out of train and will walk for 5 hours to their village.On the morning Philippe enjoys the landscape of the savanna and has a little talk with the train driver who enjoys every day to see wild animals.At Hwange Philippe goes to the Hwange National Park (the greatest park of Zimbabwe with 14.600 square kilometers) and enjoys the sight of wild animals.Later he meets Mposi, a 71 years old medicine man who prepares love potions from baboon urine.Then Philippe takes the train to the Victoria falls: a walk through a dense wet forest and then Philippe sees the famous Victoria Falls: a great moment.Then Philippe takes the train to Livingstone in Zambia.There a treasure: a steam locomotive (1924) goes twice a weak to the Victoria Falls on the Zambian side.A train with wooden wagons who stops on the bridge between both countries and again the sight over the the Victoria Falls.Later Philippe meets Tom, a country boy who knows well the Zambeze river, they go by boat near the falls and enjoy a moment in a swimming pool at the edge the falls.Later Philippe takes the Tanzara (Tanzania.Zambia-Railway) from Kapiri Mposhi to Serenje: in the train a Zambian man explains him that he is selling dried caterpillars (Philippe tries to eat one, but he is not convinced), later in the dining car men are explaining him that in Zambia they eat using their hands instead of forks, a better way to feel the food.At Serenje Philippe goes to the Kasanka National Park and meets there Frank who invites him to see the straw-colored fruit bats who have migrated to this parks from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Centralafrican Republic; about 1 million of these bats stay here for two months: a very great moment of the journey.

Beginning of the journey in Seoul: somewhere in a street Phillippe asks to a young couple why Korean people are so kind, the answer we are safe, we have work and we have the gen of kindness.Philippe goes to a special restaurant : fresh octopus with sauce.Then Philippe takes the underground: everybody is looking his smartphone (the young Korean enjoy chic and high tech): another talk about the importance of the family.Then Philippe visits an old neighborhood: Bukchon hanok village: there the traditional Korean house (hanok) have been restored, later Philippe goes a taekwondo club (taekwondo is at the same time a martial art ,but also a very popular sport).Then Philippe takes the Korean TGV which looks like the French TVG but with television.Philippe makes an excursion to Hwacheon; the weather is cold (minus 10 grades) but a lot of families have come to the frozen river, some are fishing, other are gliding over the ice with small boards.In another part of the country Philippe takes the Gold Train in which Korean people enjoy foot bath in hot water.Then Philippe goes to Hongseong and visits a Bhuddist monastery (a nice wooden temple build in 1308).FinallyPhilippe takes the DMZ train or Peace train to Imjingang; a old Korean man who has lived the partition of Korea explains that people who have parents in Northern Korea come to the sanctuary of Imjingang to hang ribbons with messages of peace on the walls of the sanctuary with the hope of the reunification of Korea.

Beginning of the journey in Naples: its monuments , its street, its underground (the line Number 1 has been restored with the help of great architects and artists) and its people who need to speak, to communicate.A short excursion to the Amalfi Coast.Then Philippe takes the Frecciargento (Silver Arrow) to Foggia; again Philippe meets a woman who says also that Italian of the South are very talkative.At the seaside Philippe meets a family which manages a "trabucco" a big net to catch fishes: Philippe sees how they catch this day small anchovies and tastes fresh anchovies.Philippe takes again the Frecciargento and speak with the train drivers about the "Pendolino" system which allow to run faster in the curves of the line (hydraulic suspension system).In the village of Alberobello (Puglia) Mimo shows him the trulli - Apulian dry stone houses with conical roofs: these trulli have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage since 1996-, then Mimo's mother prepared home made pastas and Philippe enjoys the pastas and has a very nice moment with Mimo and his mother speaking about the trulli and the family life.Then Naples Palermo: 9 hours of travel: crossing of the Strait of Messina on a ferry (all the wagons travel on the ferry).At Palermo visit of the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, a charming lady explains Philippe the history of this place full of dried corpses.Last stop in Catania in a train which goes around the Etna Volcano and a short moment of Philippe on this mountain.

Beginning of the journey in Abisko: Philippe takes the train to Kiruna tastes at the dining a sandwich of reindeer meat.Then Philippe has an encounter with Anne-Sophie who is breeding 27 husky dogs. In winter the huskies pull sleds and in the summer they pull a quad bike.They go to a hill and see the midnight sun: Anne-Sophie enjoys her life in these huge spaces and her work with the dogs.A short stop at Kiruna, place of a famous iron mine and then by train to Lulea.Philippe has a pleasant talk with Swedish men about the Swedish identity: the extreme climatic conditions oblige them to be solidary: but a young men mentions also that Swedish are a little too discreet.Near Lulea Philippe meets Gert, the photographer who prepares decors for the squirrels of the forest and then takes picture of them.Philippes travel by train to Stockholm, there he visit a coffee tramway: fans of tramway have repaired old trams and since 15 years volunteers drive these tramway of the sixties.Last travel by to Goteborg: a private company manages a old fashion train: wooden wagons, piano, real kitchen (not microwaves) where the passengers enjoys their travel (the quality of the travel is more important that the time you can win).In the island of Ulvon Philippe meets Ruben the producer of surstromming,( fermented herring): Ruben is man full of humor (the Vikings are people with a great personality and they are happy in the life).Philippe see how Ruben prepare the fermented herring and also tastes this fish with its very strong smell.

Beginning of the journey in Ulan-Bator,the capital of Mongolia.Philippe takes the train to Konkhor: from the railway station Philippe travels on a 4x4 van through the pastures to meet a nomad family: on a place they will install their yurt (or ger) with inside all the pieces of furniture.On the morning there is snow outside (the weather can change very fast): for dinner the family will prepare "boodog": goat meat cooked in the skin of the goat.Philippe takes again the train in Konkhor to Bagakhangai: Philippe has a pleasant talk with a Mongolian woman about the Mongolian language.Near the station Philippe meets a horse breeder who is using a motorbike to find his horses in the steppe: these horse live free and sometimes he brings them hay and tames the young wild horses.Then Philippe returns to Ulan-Bator and visits the huge statue of Gengis Khan.Later Philippe travels in a wagon of the Transsiberian (Pekin-Moscow) to Dahran.In the middle of mountains Philippe meets a shaman who will enter in trance and communicate with the spirits of the ancestors.Philippe takes again the train towards the south of Mongolia to Sainshand: in the train young Mongolian men explain Philippe that they go to the desert of Gobi because it's a center of energy.So thousands of Mongolian people are waiting the sunrise, they pray, they sing, they meditate and listen to the music of the Mongolian violin called "morin khuur".