Michael Palin on childhood holidays, stunning South American citadels, and West African delicacies

Michael Palin is no stranger to the travel world. Since his time on Monty Python, the comedian has made several travel documentaries and written widely about destinations all over the world. Below, Since 1980, Palin has made numerous television travel documentaries and is a widely recognised writer and presenter. Below, the British actor looks back on “exotic” Norfolk, the dramatic beauty of Machu Picchu, and eating giant land snails in Nigeria.

Where have you just come back from?

Costa Rica. I travelled with my daughter to the rainforest in the north near the volcanic region. I've never been quite so happy for it to rain on a holiday. Everything comes alive and the colours are wonderful and the birds are fantastic. Then we moved to the Pacific coast, and that's just amazing to walk along the beach and feel the sunshine. The fish was terrific and the oysters wonderful.

Name a place that lived up to the hype

Machu Picchu. The stunning verticals are just extraordinary. You’re in the middle of a vast ascending world, just clinging onto the side, looking down. The cliffs plunge 1,000 metres to the river below. Someone has somehow built a city there and I cannot believe how they got the materials. And, of course, there's nobody there now apart from llamas, who wander about and get quite hostile spitting at you!

What's your favourite city?

Istanbul comes fairly high because you've got two continents mixing there. And it's an old city. It hasn't been ruined in the sense that there are still lots of back streets, small businesses and engaging places. And it's by the Bosphorus. Also, there's something about New York that's like Machu Picchu – there's nothing like it in the world, at least visually.

What memories do you have from your childhood holidays?

The ocean. We called the North Sea “the ocean”. We lived in Sheffield, which feels like right in the middle of industrial England, so to actually see the sea itself was absolutely amazing. My father was from Norfolk, so for about 10 years we went to Sheringham on the Norfolk coast. That was a great excitement. The air was salty and you had food from the sea. It was so utterly different to Sheffield. Norfolk became our exotic world.

Sightseeing or sunlounger?

I used to sunbathe when I was younger because one's marketability depended on having a bit of a tan. When the Python team were in Barbados to work on the Life of Brian script, we would sit by the sea and it was absolutely essential to get as much of your body in the sun as possible. Now I'm completely the opposite. I realised I’d actually rather walk around and see things – or even sit in the shade and read – than stretching oneself out and being burned.

Describe a holiday disaster

We went to Torquay in 1978, and the hotel where we stayed was called Gleneagles – very, very different from the hotel in Scotland. We were treated so badly by such a rude man. We had to start filming the next day at 7.30am so we asked for breakfast at 7am. The man said, ‘Seven o'clock?... Seven o’clock! Who's gonna be able to get you breakfast at seven o’clock?’ That was where John Cleese based Fawlty Towers on. Myself and Graham Chapman and Terry Jones left the hotel after the first night.

Who's the most interesting person you've met on your travels?

The Dalai Lama because of what he represents. We went to Dharamsala when he was receiving pilgrims. There must have been two or three hundred people lined up, and the way he dealt with each of them was interesting: they immediately prostrated themselves in front of him so he tried to get them up face to face with him. He had a different word for everybody. Then he gave us an interview, and I was really impressed by his attitude towards us. The first thing he did was shake hands with all the crew. I mean, no one normally does that. He was a delight to talk to and very open, and yet around him was this enormous panoply of colour on the throne and all that sort of thing. But none of it spoiled him – he was remarkable for being a major religious leader with so little pretension.

Which is the smartest hotel you’ve ever stayed in?

While filming Around The World in 80 Days, we went on a dhow from Dubai to Mumbai. It had no facilities at all and moved very slowly. As we got onboard I remember thinking, This is going to be the worst time. But it turned out to be a terrific experience. There were no cabins, we all slept on the cargo. The crew of 18 Gujarati fishermen couldn’t speak English but gradually we got to know them. They were extraordinarily friendly and helpful. We had brought things like Sainsbury's ham from England but they couldn't see us eating that, so they shared what little curry they had, and we joined in the life of the ship. No holiday company could give you that kind of experience. We then reached Mumbai and stayed at the Taj Hotel, which is an amazing hotel, but when I saw the way the staff were being treated by the guests (“Get this, boy”), I felt very unhappy. I realised how much being on the dhow meant to me because I would never again be in circumstances where we all have to look after each other.

Where in the world have you felt happiest?

When I’m happiest it's usually relative to something that's gone terribly wrong. We had done a journey up the Amazon, which had been very tough. It was very, very difficult to get a plane out of the jungle but eventually we got out and were flown to Bogotá in Colombia. And that was just wonderful. I mean, Bogotá is not the most beautiful city but there were things like bookshops and coffee shops, and it seemed the most wonderful place in the world. That “return to civilisation”, if you like, was utterly memorable because of what had gone before. It was a great healing time. But then the footage we got from the Amazon was terrific. You get much better footage when you suffer.

You’ve recently travelled around Nigeria for your new series. Did you try any food there?

I thought I’d give the snails a try. They're huge! Absolutely enormous, like small steaks. Unbelievable. Unfortunately we weren't filming at the time. David Attenborough was talking to me about my trip, and I told him about them and he said, ‘These are the biggest snails in the world! And you ate one? What was it like?’ It wasn't garnished with garlic and all that but it’s something I’ll always remember – the giant land snails of Nigeria.

Michael Palin in Nigeria - Tuesday 23rd April, 9pm on Channel 5 and available to catch up on My5