A FORK IN ASIA
Presenter: Pria Viswalingam
Pria Viswalingam gives us a unique perspective on the variety of lifestyles to be found across the Asian continent.
Episode 1: Japan
This episode highlights the stark contrast between life in Hokkaido and Tokyo. Snow-bound and quiet, Hokkaido is Japan's only wilderness. Although Tokyo is everyone's favourite concrete jungle nightmare, it's a surprisingly endearing collection of precincts, each with its own flavour and the best of everything the world has to offer - from flawless French cafés to far-out fashion victims
Episode 2: Delhi
How many times have you seen images of desperation and poverty in India? Today, Pria sees a different side of the country in Delhi's burgeoning middle classes. At work and at play, they live as rich and cosmopolitan a life as any big city person, if not more so. He explores the city's fashion, food and business cultures, set against the stunning visual backdrops of Old and New Delhi.
Episode 3: Beijing
What does the West know about Beijing? Tiananmen Square? The Great Wall? Pria gets off the streets and into people's homes - from high-rise flats to traditional communal family houses - to look and talk about living in this fast changing city. He also explores the city's social scene, which now includes everything from simple street food to haute cuisine restaurants, and even Irish pubs!
Episode 4: Nepal
Is Nepal only about trekking? Of course not. Pria explores the backstreets of Kathmandu and Bakhtapur, where tourists fear to tread, goes up into the mountains to sample the lifestyle of a shaman and a Buddhist monk, visits a Hindu ghat, where the dead give up their corneas for transplants, and enjoys the varied styles of Nepali cuisine, culminating in the spectacular Newari feast
Episode 5: Lebanon
The Lebanon has been and continues to be an afflicted country in a volatile region. But what does Pria find in this war-torn part of the world? Genuinely warm people with wit and humour distilled from 5000 years of history; a polyglot heritage of people living in the fault line between Christianity and Islam; and a diverse landscape with green valleys, cliff-top villages and snow-capped mountains. This is a refreshing view of an ancient land long associated with destruction - and yes, technically it's in Asia!
Episode 6: Singapore
Singapore is a dynamic and industrious little state that's clean and safe with great food and eclectic shopping. Pria Viswalingam spends time with some of the locals and visits a variety of locations, ranging from the unspoilt rural villages of Ubin Island to the high-rise corporate offices in the modern centre. This is a programme made with a strong affection for Singapore, to which Pria has travelled regularly since he was a child growing up in Malaysia some 30 years ago .
Episode 7: Guilin - China
Away from the bustle of Beijing, presenters Pria Viswalingam spends a few days with the cormorant fishermen of China's Li River. He travels through the local towns of Guilin and Yangshuo, sampling some of the more exotic local fare, including snake, turtle and a variety of reptilian delicacies. Focusing mainly on one fisherman and his father in a small village on the banks of the river, this is a fascinating portrait of a hard rural life in a beautiful, peaceful setting.
Episode 8: Thailand
Pria explores exotic Thailand, one of the world's most
fascinating countries and an increasingly popular year-round
holiday destination. He takes a leisurely tour through misty
mountain villages, cruises the waterways of the country's vibrant
capital, Bangkok, and chills out in a peaceful retreat tucked
away in the foothills near Chiang Mai