#13 Palin - Full Circle

"The Pacific Ocean covers one-third of the world's surface and around it lives one-third of the world's population. Its 70 million square miles of water spill onto the shores of a richly contrasting assortment of countries. Some are global giants - Russia, China, Japan and the United States. Others, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Chile and Canada, are becoming increasingly important and influential. The coastline that unites them is now more than just a physical entity. It is a political and economic state of mind, called, for want of something more poetic, the Pacific Rim. Experts predict that the Pacific Rim will be the power-house of the twenty-first century. Commentators point to the final decline of the Mediterranean-Atlantic axis which has dominated the world these past two thousand years. The future, we are told, belongs to the other side of the earth. The Pacific century is about to begin." - page 5

Full Circle - Michael Palin

Another post, another book by Palin. However, you may all breathe a sigh of relief; this is the last book of his in my collection (as of yet).

'Full Circle' depicts Palin's circular (for want of a less repetitive word) journey around the Pacific Rim, through eighteen countries bordering the Pacific ocean; Alaska (USA), Russia, Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, the USA, and finally, Canada. His writing is, as usual, both stimulating and engaging, a mix of personal insights, factual references and secondary observations. Unfortunately, towards the latter third of the novel his travel-weariness began to translate into his writing (I don't particularly blame him - 245 days of travelling across different environments, altitudes, cultures etc.), reducing the ease of reading. [It could hence be said however, that he very effectively conveys the experience of travel!] Thus, of his books, 'Himalaya' remains my current favourite. For me, Palin's observations from Russia to Indonesia were most captivating; firstly given his focus on the notorious physical nature of these areas, and secondly given his political focus within said areas.

"The valley consists of a series of narrow fissures opened up by a fault line, through which steaming hot water from nearby volcanic systems emerges in various ways, ranging from the impressive to the frankly theatrical. You can almost set your watch by the great spout they call Velican (the Giant). This shoots a plume of boiling water almost 100 feet high, once every three hours. Sergei, checking his watch, leads me right up to the blow-hole. I peer down 35 feet into the earth's crust. An ominous bronchial wheezing rises from the darkness, as if the earth itself is not at all well.

A path leads along by the river to a gorge, one whole side of which is punctured by dozens of horizontal geysers. Some spurt neatly out over the river, others wildly loose off in all directions. The entire 200-foot cliff wall emits a great wheezing chorus of steam which reminds me of King's Cross station in the 1950's. On our way back we pass other delights such as the Gates of Hell - two dark chambers whose cavernous entrances can be glimpsed only briefly through the clouds of foul-smelling sulphurous mist that guard them. Nothing is safe and sound and settled here; the earth seems to be in perpetual motion. This is nature at its most extravagant, melodramatic and bizarre." - page 31

Side note: how great is Palin's personification of nature? His allusions really bring the depictions to life (giving me a strong dose of wanderlust on the side).

Coinciding especially with the first segment (as aforementioned) of his journey is the infamous Ring of Fire - a horseshoe shaped outline surrounding the edges of the Pacific and Nazca Plates, notoriously seismically active. The seismic activity of this ring elucidates the presence of numerous volcanoes as well as earthquakes; in fact, over 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes are located here. Such stems from the activity on-going along the boundaries of the Pacific plate, predominantly that of Subduction.  

The way Palin illustrates the environment surrounding him is to effectively transport our eyes, our ears and our noses to the moment frozen in textual time, such that we acknowledge the life of earth; her breath, her speech, and her beauty. One thing I love about travel writing is the subjective observational desriptions of nature. In textbooks, the given desriptions are as two-dimensional as the accompanying pictures; they don't portray the archaic power of the things they depict, they merely underline black and white facts to be learnt. With personal insight and unique descriptions, as seen by Palin's writing on page 31, I grow more enamoured with and alert to just how amazing the world actually is. Exploring my current A2 topic of Plate Tectonics further through documentaries, articles and travel writing, mundane study areas like volcanoes no longer seem so repetitively boring. The earth is a living, breathing environment. Volcanoes, mountains and earthquakes are evidence of its life. If for nothing else, read 'Full Circle' for Palin's captivating illustrations of the environment in this particulalry active region of the world.     

It was also interesting to read of the ways in which different societies and cultures respond to the seismicity of the areas, and how reflective this is of their respective levels of economic development. For most, the volcanoes are used with the notion of tourism in mind. For wealthier countries like Russia, large sections of the land are cordoned off as nature reserves, utilised explicitly for scientific study and tourism; for less economically developed countries like Indonesia, they are incorporated more directly into everyday life, with fertile surrounding fields used for agricultural farming, the draw of the activity used for tourism and hence forth. In terms of earthquakes, the variation between magnitude and duration/intensity of destruction in relation to economic development, although less explicitly touched upon by Palin, is worth reading into (think the Mercalli and Richter scales). Take for example, the 2010 earthquakes of Chile and Haiti. In Chile, a MEDC, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake killed about 700 people, whereas the Haitian (LEDC) earthquake of magnitude 7, killed approximately 200,000 (both magnitudes are with regards to the Richter scale). Such stems predominantly from the countries' respective levels of economic development; although the magnitude of the Chilean earthquake was greater than that of the Haitian one, the resultant destruction was comparably much less, given the higher level of preparedness and preparation. With greater economic wealth, prediction tools such as seismic monitors are more accessible moreover scientifically viable, modifications to buildings and infrastructure are more easily implemented alongside strict construction rules, and the compulsory use of education and drills in schools or workplaces is arguably more effective consequently. Magnitude = level of destruction. 

"The water puppet theatre reminds me once again of the heady pace of political change in Asia. Twenty-three years ago the Americans were raining bombs down on this city. Now a show which celebrates the resilience of the peasants who defeated them is sponsored by AT&T, one of the largest companies in the USA." - page 114/115

I have always been interested in the two world wars (note: the above quote refers rather to the Vietnam war), particularly in the socio-political effect they had in the short term, and continue to have in the long term, 100/69 years later. Two years ago I went on a trip to Berlin and Poland in study of the WW2 Holocaust, following the development of it from its conception in Berlin to its implementation at Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland itself, amidst reference to the present repercussions. I cannot verbally express the worth of such a trip; it is eye-opening, stimulating and important. It is so relevant, especially with regard to future generations as first-hand recounts and evidence grow thinner. Despite all the countless books and articles I had read, documentaries and movies I had watched, and museums I had visited, I had never before been exposed to the reality of the wars' continued effect on the world. Such is evidenced clearly (although not exclusively) in the demographics of both Germany and Poland's current populations. Germany now famously suffers from an ageing population, with a rapidly declining birth rate in addition to labour force, predominantly high out-migration levels and many areas that have fallen into a state of decline. Poland too has demographically suffered, with an imbalanced, unsustainable population pyramid; it too experiences high out-migration levels, particularly in the male cohort, leaving a sexually imbalanced and highly dependant demographic structure.* Socio-political effects may also be seen in the confounding stigma surrounding both countries, stemming from their previous political constitutions. Hence, I thoroughly enjoyed Palin's exploration into the socio-political effects of wars in 'Full Circle'. Amongst other examples, he writes of the sustained impact of the second world war on Nagasaki and Hiroshima (Japan), the subsequent and juxtaposing divisions within Korea, the growing understanding and response to Communism in China, and the socio-political relevance of the Vietnam war in Vietnamese society. Whilst some countries like China have excelled since the wars, in facets not exclusive to socio-political ones, other areas have dismally failed and continue to suffer negative implications. For the former group of areas, the war seems to have been utilized as a motivational driving factor for development, whilst for the latter, it continues to hold a socio-political polluting presence in the air. The relationship between Geographies of different periods, such as focusing on wars, is an area of Geography I fervently look forward to exploring with greater depth in the future. For those interested: the History channel is currently running a documentary series focusing on WW1 and 2 predominantly politically, called 'The World Wars'. It deserves a 5/5 rating.

Palin's opening point about these countries being the next global rulers is interesting to compare to how the (nearly) two decades following his book's publication (1997) have unfolded. For some countries, such a prophesy has been recognised, with China undeniably leading the way. For others, like Indonesia and Bolivia, their positions remain more statical. The role of geopolitics in determining these outcomes is equally intriguing. 

A concluding insight into my reading pile, which slowly continues to grow in height by my desk (I enjoy composing lists, in case you haven't thus realised!):

1. Alone in Berlin - Hans Fallada
2. Dead Aid - Dambisa Moyo
3. GeoPolitics: a very short introduction - Klaus Dodds
4. Quiet: the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking - Susan Cain
5. Space and Place - Yi-fu Tuan

Until next time,
C  

   

* That is not to say that the demographics of Germany and Poland are explicitly and exclusively resultant of the wars. Rather, the wars arguably presented both indirect and direct catalysts for such, by (for example) changing economic structure and stability, socially altering morals and roles, moreover resulting directly in huge numbers of deaths and relocated refugees.