Big Crazy Family Adventure
2015 · Travel Channel · 60 min · 1 season
S01E09 · Leg 9: The Final 100, a Pony and Monks with a View
Thu, 30 July, 2:00 am
A monastery in Ladakh, India; trekking through rugged terrain for 100 miles to elevations of 16,700 feet.
About
Travel writer, wilderness guide and photographer Bruce Kirkby, wife Christine and their two young children take an epic vacation, and Big Crazy Family Adventure invites viewers to come along. Beginning in Kimberley, British Columbia, the 13,000-mile trek concludes 96 days later when the family arrives at a remote monastery in the Himalayas, where they'll live and work for three months with Buddhist monks. To fully experience what exploring the world provides, the Kirkbys discard air travel of any kind, instead getting around by canoe, container ship, ferry, train, pony, their own feet, and more. Destination highlights of nine, hourlong episodes include South Korea, the Great Wall of China, Mount Everest, Kathmandu, the Ganges River, the Taj Mahal, and the stunning cliffside monastery in Ladakh, India.
Episodes
- E01
The Beginning: How to Get to Beijing Without a Plane
Mon, 22 June· 60 minThe first leg of the Kirkbys' 13,000-mile journey — from their home in British Columbia to India — involves paddling canoes, riding a train, taking a container ship to South Korea and bullet trains to Beijing. Storms, life vests and a run-in with Russians create challenges while moth larvae and bubbles add to the fun.
- E02
Leg 2: The DMZ, Scorpions and Peking Duck
Mon, 22 June· 60 minThe second leg of the Kirkbys' 13,000-mile journey — from their home in British Columbia to India — begins in Busan, South Korea, and involves taking a bullet train, sailing the Yellow Sea and sprinting to Beijing. Moth larvae and bubbles add to the fun.
- E03
Leg 3: Trains, A Wild Wall and Yaks at Altitude
Mon, 29 June· 60 minThe journey starts in Beijing dining on Peking duck and walking the Great Wall; Tibetan permits and Taj's health are up in the air.
- E04
Leg 4: Barley Beer, Everest and Expiring Visas
Mon, 6 July· 60 minA 27-hour train ride; Mt. Everest and meditation; race to the Tibetan border before Visas expire.
- E05
Leg 5: Child Princess, Leaches and Chocolate Cake
Mon, 13 July· 60 minA Hindu goddess in Nepal, bargaining for presents, riding elephants, chocolate cake and tigers for a birthday surprise.
- E06
Leg 6: Sailing the Ganges, Lassis and Burning Ghats
Mon, 20 July· 60 minScorching heat on the Ganges River, sweet treats, snake chambers and burning ghats; racing a train to the Taj Mahal.
- E07
Leg 7: Swimming in Luxury, Beggars and Bollywood
Thu, 30 July· 60 minA 5-star hotel at the Taj Mahal, a Bollywood Dance class, a spice market and a rock and water-filled adventure park.
- E08
Leg 8: Toy Trains, Monkey Thieves and a Fever
Thu, 30 July· 60 minAdventurer, guide and photojournalist Bruce Kirkby is taking his entire family on a 13,000 mile journey from their home in British Colombia to a remote monastery in the Himalaya, all without taking a single plane.
- E09
Leg 9: The Final 100, a Pony and Monks with a View
Thu, 30 July· 60 minA monastery in Ladakh, India; trekking through rugged terrain for 100 miles to elevations of 16,700 feet.
