Page 24 | Race Across the World

Liquorandvinegar · 2025-04-14T16:39:22+00:00

New series starting next week - really looking forward to it. The teams are travelling in Asia, but I can't find information about the couples yet. Wednesday nights sorted!

BootballJoy · 15/05/2025 12:37

BootballJoy · 15/05/2025 12:26

Definitely the China bit was curated! Some bits had the feel of travelling round China- the brothers in the place with the door etc. I wanted to see more interaction with locals - Chinese people can take hospitality really seriously if you establish a connection with them.

I'd guess the deal for them to shoot in China would be that the checkpoints were places recently renovated for tourism which they wanted to showcase. I lived in China for years and those borders were never safe, I don't think I ever met anyone who had crossed it. It would've been unsafe not to fly in.

The thing that surprised me most about the money exchange on the train was that he had cash on him! China's largely cashless/digipay these days, especially someone that age, think they got lucky.

Nepal looked great (maybe not the roads but apart from that!)

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It's not letting me edit - but was bored and googled- it looks like the border is open nowadays but for escorted tours only for foreigners, not individual travel. Probably a lot of paperwork and not really compatible with racing!

Femalefootyfan · 15/05/2025 14:00

I’m really liking the 2 brothers and they’re my favourites at this point and I’m finding the back stories very interesting.

I’m with Sioned on India, I would find it very overwhelming with the noise and sheer numbers of people and the traffic and I lived in Beijing for 6 months!

CaptBirdsEar · 15/05/2025 14:06

the80sweregreat · 15/05/2025 12:29

People complain about our roads, but those ones looked really unsafe and I couldn’t deal with those high cliff edges without any kind of barriers around them.

I’ve been driven up and through the Himalayas, the roads are just like that! Terrifying

HelenHywater · 15/05/2025 18:41

I must admit I found Sioned annoying too. My 17 year old would cope better than her I think. I can't fathom raising children who are just so sheltered and live in such a small world as she does with so little ambition to see more and do more (as well as marrying her childhood boyfriend). What a small life!

Then again, she has gone on RATW - there will be so many young adults who are like her who do nothing like this.

ChompandaGrazia · 15/05/2025 19:11

Don’t forget that the teens are 19 so will have missed out some chances to travel and be independent due to covid.

MrsLargeEmbodied · 15/05/2025 19:15

the world opened up at least 4 years ago though - but they are still very young

Ellephanting · 15/05/2025 19:21

I worked with a guy who loved India so much, their daughter was called India. Unfortunately after his recent trip he brought with him something that caused him to lose three stone. He never told us what it was. 🐛🤮

the80sweregreat · 15/05/2025 19:32

Oddly enough, Dh didn’t suffer with any stomach problems when he went over there a couple of times.
He was about the only one who didn’t get some thing and they were in a half decent hotel etc.
I bet one of these get ill.
Picking up animal poo with your bare hands did make me feel ill. 😷

MrsLargeEmbodied · 15/05/2025 19:33

at least the animals were vegetarian!

Fatfreefatball · 15/05/2025 19:37

@HelenHywater what a patronising attitude! A 'small life' indeed! Just because you've lived in the same town or village all your life doesn't mean you are deprived. And Wales is hardly the back of beyond. Not everyone wants to go travelling across the world, although it does seem to be compulsory according to Mumsnet🙄

Tomatotater · 15/05/2025 20:01

CaptBirdsEar · 15/05/2025 14:06

I’ve been driven up and through the Himalayas, the roads are just like that! Terrifying

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Yep, I've done the same in Pune. It's terrifying.
I really don't know how Sioned is going to manage for a month.It is like that in most cities especially in the North, and I'm.not sure how she'd travel in the rural areas but yes the crying is annoying. If she's going to cry and carry on for the whole thing, get Yin and Gaz back!
I do think maybe because she and maybe therefore her family aren't well travelled they could have been quite naive. As someone who has been to India and other places in Asia, I'd steer my kids ( who aren't much ypunger) away from doing a trip like that, especially as a first trip. I'd want them to do it, but as part of a tour group like Intrepid ir something. Or do it with me.

Rictasmorticia · 15/05/2025 20:37

It made me laugh when the couple were asked where they are from. When they said India and the Indian man said “Lovely Jubbly”. Only Fools and Horses fan I guess.

WitchesCauldron · 15/05/2025 20:45

I like the teenagers and the brothers. Sisters i'm nonplussed. The mum and son just irritate me. Irrational I know.

I'd love to go to India but not sure I could cope with seeing those poor elephants ridden.

TragicMuse · 15/05/2025 20:55

the80sweregreat · 15/05/2025 19:32

Oddly enough, Dh didn’t suffer with any stomach problems when he went over there a couple of times.
He was about the only one who didn’t get some thing and they were in a half decent hotel etc.
I bet one of these get ill.
Picking up animal poo with your bare hands did make me feel ill. 😷

We went to India for 3 weeks and neither of us got upset stomachs. Not even a flicker…

CaptainMyCaptain · 15/05/2025 20:56

Rictasmorticia · 15/05/2025 20:37

It made me laugh when the couple were asked where they are from. When they said India and the Indian man said “Lovely Jubbly”. Only Fools and Horses fan I guess.

Street salesmen in Cairo said the same also 'Cheap as chips'.

CaptainMyCaptain · 15/05/2025 20:59

WitchesCauldron · 15/05/2025 20:45

I like the teenagers and the brothers. Sisters i'm nonplussed. The mum and son just irritate me. Irrational I know.

I'd love to go to India but not sure I could cope with seeing those poor elephants ridden.

They haven't shown all the people living on the streets. I know we have homeless people here but not three generation families living, sleeping, cooking and everything else on every street.

Pinkfluffypencilcase · 15/05/2025 21:05

Yes being homeless there is very different to being homeless here. You see all of their lives lived out in the street/ tracks. It took me a few days to acclimatise to India.

NewAgeNewMe · 15/05/2025 21:38

Just finished watching it. Brothers my favourite after last week axing 😡 but I like all the couples. Also with Sioned crying we don’t know how much influence the director has over certain scenes.

Aslockton · 15/05/2025 21:46

My DD spent 4 months in Nepal with VSO. She lived in village with a family. She said they had so little, but shared everything. The whole village greeted her and the parties, especially weddings, went on all day and all night. Everyone was invited. The squat toilets were disgusting, but you soon got used to them... just wear flip-flops! There was one communal shower area for the whole village. Two meals were eaten each day- both were dhal and rice.

DD told me about clambering over landslides in order to avoid a 1 hour detour to get to a clinic. She said the whole mountainside could have slipped at any time. The journey to the village by road was terrifying just like you see in RATW, but it was truly the best 4 months. Living a simple, but happy life in such a close and supportive community was wonderful experience.

FrothyCothy · 15/05/2025 23:23

Big fan of the brothers here too. Not sure if it’s been mentioned here before but they were interviewed on local radio near the start of the series and it’s clear RATW has been utterly transformative to their relationship and the relationship between their own families. I’ve found their discussions about their childhood really touching without being mawkish.

LindorDoubleChoc · 16/05/2025 00:08

The brothers aren't my favourites but at least we don't get hours of navel gazing moaning from them. Once again, this episode was more back story than actual adventure and travel. It feels like at least 15 minutes was devoted to the subject of Tom's right hand.

We were also quite mystified that there was a shovel available for cleaning up the pig poo, but not for the buffalo poo. Did they actually think that made for good telly, forcing the poor man to pick it up with his hands? Do they think we're stupid?

I hope the sisters have their big bust up and reconciliation scene soon (very reminiscent of the Mum and daughter last year) so that we can all move on!

TheyNotLikeUs · 16/05/2025 06:56

I've yet to watch this week's episode but older gentlemen presenting travel shows is a cliché, I'd like to see a new perspective.

Their laughs might be infectious but laughing at locking a sparse room was a bit distasteful.

CaptainMyCaptain · 16/05/2025 07:19

I had a feeling the locals were making fun of them picking up buffalo poo with their hands. A shovel is hardly sophisticated equipment.

LindorDoubleChoc · 16/05/2025 08:57

I think it's OK for a 19/20 year old to cry with overwhelm three weeks into a very full-on and pressured journey on a low budget half way across the world, all the time with a film crew shadowing her? I'm sure it wasn't the first or last time any of them will cry.

CrossPurposes · 16/05/2025 09:13

LindorDoubleChoc · 16/05/2025 08:57

I think it's OK for a 19/20 year old to cry with overwhelm three weeks into a very full-on and pressured journey on a low budget half way across the world, all the time with a film crew shadowing her? I'm sure it wasn't the first or last time any of them will cry.

I completely agree. I really felt for her.