Julian Hanton relives his top five highlights making Travel Channel New Zealand's brand new series, Asian Times
Earlier this year I was lucky enough to spend a number of weeks filming in Asia for my new TV series, Asian Times, on Travel Channel New Zealand.
The premise of the series is to look at how Asia has changed since I first visited as a child in the 1970s. I've been asked to outline five highlights of my journeys to the east and have decided not to focus on things I may have enjoyed, but more on things that I will remember. As is always the way with travel, it's the experiences that you treasure, so here are five of my most treasured experiences.
1. Hong Kong - One-Inch Punch
While in Hong Kong I investigated one of the city's most famous sons: Bruce Lee. I managed to find an old friend of the famous actor and martial artist who was happy enough to put me through a few training procedures. After the stock-standard punch, block, punch, block, he told me about one of Bruce Lee's favourite moves: the "one-inch punch". It is a punch thrown to the body from only one inch away, but carries all the strength of a full blow. He demonstrated the punch on me before I could get voice my concerns: BOOM! - straight to the solar plexus.
As I'm getting married later this year I headed along to what the locals call a "marriage market" in the people's square of Shanghai. Rather than the usual dresses, cakes, photographers and venues vying for the punters' attention, it had only one type of retailer - mothers, all advertising their sons or daughters. A typical sign reads "Female, 1980, 156cm tall, professional, no children, seeks man 30-40, professional". Not really what I was expecting but, as is usually the case in my shows, I soon found myself in the action, creating my own sign for the scores of parents patrolling the square looking to marry off their single children. Although my sign was obviously for filming purposes I attracted rather a lot of attention, with one mother hounding me relentlessly: "My daughter is perfect for you," she kept saying, "well paid, same year, speaks English, very beautiful" and pulled out a photo. She then confessed she had been looking for a match for four years, insisting that I give her my number. At that point, I decided it was time to make a quick escape.
3. Vietnam - Dog-meat
Vietnamese cuisine offers some of the best food in world: fresh rice paper rolls, heartening pho soups and spicy salads are to die for. However not everything on the menu there was to my taste.
Julian Hanton emerges from a Viet Cong bunker in Vietnam.
4. Philippines - Superman
I meet quite a lot of interesting people on my journeys and one my favourites so far is Herbert Chavez, the Filipino Superman. Herbert has had 17 plastic surgery procedures in order to make himself look like his childhood hero. He holds the world record for having the most items of Superman memorabilia and is looking at opening a museum dedicated to his obsession. Many people may write him off as crazy or just a fool (as perhaps I did, before meeting him), but Herbert lives his passion on a daily basis. A truly nice guy who's inspired by his belief that Superman, and heroes in general, have a lot to offer society.
5. Thailand - my undercover bust
I got the chance to tag along with Thapanee Letsrichai, one of Thailand's top undercover investigative TV reporters. Thapanee was staking out an illegal gambling ring and needed footage for her broadcast.
Julian Hanton has his feet cleaned by fish in Thialand.
Asian Times screens on Travel Channel New Zealand (Sky 025) on Wednesdays at 7.30pm.
