Gangtok:
Isikkim: The show will be telecast every Monday at 8 pm starting March 26, Globetrotter extraordinaire Ian Wright is back to discover the world’s best travel destinations through truly authentic local experiences in brand new episodes of “Invite Mr. Wright” – thanks to his friends from across the world, who offer not just their hospitality but an inside track to their home turf! This time Ian visits the beautiful and renowned Rumtek monastery in the remote Indian state of Sikkim. Guided by three resident monks, Ian discovers all there is to being a monk at the famous monastery. Follow Ian as he is invited to some of the best tourist destinations in the world by the unique characters who call those places home. From Darwin to Okinawa to Singapore to Sikkim and more, Ian gets a different perspective on life and culture in these vibrant places. “Invite Mr Wright 2″ premieres every Thursday at 10 p.m., starting March 29 on TLC and encores every Sunday at 9 p.m. The first season took a humourous and off-beat look at the world of travel where Ian experienced a country through the eyes of his hosts, their family and friends. The brand new season sees our intrepid host back for more, this time in Australia, Japan, India, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam where he hangs out with an eclectic mix of people to learn what life is really like for the locals who live there. Whether staying with a monk in the Himalayas, a Japanese professional football club in Okinawa, or a tribesman in rural Vietnam, Ian participates in the lives, jobs and hobbies of his hosts and discovers that there is always more than meets the eye to everyone. Ian scores an invitation to Okinawa, Japan, from the Ryuku FC. Footy enthusiast Ian gets a kick out of knowing what makes Japan’s southern-most island tick, in exchange for being the professional football team’s acting team mascot. Next, Ian heads to the Indonesian island of Sumatra and gets close to nature – and in a bit of danger! – as he goes in search of the elusive orangutan, and has tender moment watching an endangered female green turtle lay eggs on the remote island of Bangkaru. Down Under, the Diwell family invites Ian to Darwin and gives him a chance to take part in the Top End Mud races, one of the most unusual forms of motor racing ever invented! But before Ian can take his 4-wheel drive on a mud track to ride with the big boys, he is given an introduction to the quirky and crazy side of the Northern Territory. Shu Tan, a young woman from the Black H’Mong ethnic minority, invites Ian to Sapa in Vietnam. Ian learns how hill tribes of Vietnam are picking up new skills to cope with the demands of succeeding in modern Vietnam. He also gets invited to a traditional hill tribe wedding where he realises, in a tired, drunken state after three days and nights of home-brewed rice wine, that the phrase ‘work hard, play hard’ fits the happy tribes people perfectly! Ian travels to the remote Indian state of Sikkim, as the guest of the monks of its incredibly beautiful and renowned Rumtek monastery. Set high in the foothills of the Himalayas, on the border with Tibet, Ian is guided in his stay by three of the Rumtek monks: Fu, Shirup and Lee. Together, they show him every aspect of life in this famous monastery. From art classes, to music lessons, from cooking lunch for the 300 monks to debating classes and meditation lessons, Ian learns how much there is to being a monk. And in the island nation of Singapore, Ian dons a chef’s hat for a crash course in cooking. As his host and mentor, celebrity chef Justin Quek of Marina Bay Sands’ Sky on 57 takes Ian through the challenge of creating a signature dish of his own to impress his friends.
Source: Isikkim
