1
00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:06,480
I'm setting off on the greatest
journey of my life...

2
00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:08,520
Let's do this!

3
00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:11,400
..to travel around the globe
by train.

4
00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:13,880
I have no idea what platform
we're going from.

5
00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:21,200
I'll be riding some of the most
spectacular rail routes on Earth,

6
00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:24,520
on the fastest, steepest,

7
00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:27,560
and most luxurious trains,

8
00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:30,400
passing through some of the world's
most famous places...

9
00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:32,000
The Eiffel Tower.

10
00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:33,520
Grand Central Station.

11
00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:36,840
There it is, Mount Fuji.

12
00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:41,800
..and beyond, to parts of the planet
I never knew existed...

13
00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:44,080
We're totally isolated.

14
00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:45,960
..to immerse myself...

15
00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:50,960
This isn't for anything, this
is just what people do on a Sunday.

16
00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:53,560
..in the weird...

17
00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:55,920
..the wild...

18
00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:57,760
..and the wonderful.

19
00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:00,280
This is unlike
anything I've ever done before.

20
00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:12,120
So, here we are in St Pancras,
London,

21
00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:14,000
this is where it all begins.

22
00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,520
I'm on the 07.01 train to Paris.

23
00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:20,600
I've only got a few days in Paris,

24
00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:23,840
then I'm going to blast on
to Stuttgart, then Munich,

25
00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,760
we'll race on to Budapest,
and if there's time, even Romania,

26
00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:30,840
before hurtling on to the edge
of Europe in Istanbul.

27
00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:37,240
Right, so off I go around the world,
just me and my bag...

28
00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:40,760
..and these blokes,
and all this filming stuff...

29
00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:43,600
..and Sam, the cameraman.

30
00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:44,760
Come on.

31
00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:54,480
Nearly 20 trains a day speed under
the Channel Tunnel

32
00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:58,720
from London to Paris,
at up to 186mph.

33
00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:01,920
We've all got that cliched view
of Paris, haven't we?

34
00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:05,800
With people walking poodles
and the cancan

35
00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:10,320
and gorgeous women looking at you
with a really haughty face.

36
00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:12,120
Mind you, that happens to me
anywhere,

37
00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:14,440
so that won't be very different.
But you know what I mean,

38
00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:16,760
that strange smell of those
cigarettes and everything,

39
00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:19,760
but I'd like to really
break through all of that

40
00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:22,200
and try and find something
of the real Paris.

41
00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:26,720
Just 2 hours 15 minutes later,
the train delivers me

42
00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:28,680
right into the heart of the city.

43
00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:32,640
Yay, Paris!

44
00:02:32,640 --> 00:02:35,360
As soon as you step out
of the station, it just looks

45
00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:36,840
so foreign, doesn't it?

46
00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:38,680
Look at her, see what I mean?

47
00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:42,000
Carlisle is further away
from London.

48
00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:46,240
I've got more than 2,000 miles
to cover, but first of all,

49
00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:49,760
this place, 24 hours,
that's all we've got, come on.

50
00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:51,440
Come on!

51
00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:52,440
Come on.

52
00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:57,120
Paris, so much to see,
and definitely not enough time.

53
00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,360
Did I mention I was lugging
a crew around with me?

54
00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:02,480
Two more there, mate.

55
00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:09,080
Here we are.

56
00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:10,840
The Eiffel Tower.

57
00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:13,000
Have a good look, because we're not
hanging around.

58
00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,240
Let's go, Sam.

59
00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:17,640
Just over 2 million people
live here...

60
00:03:17,640 --> 00:03:19,360
Excuse me, coming through.

61
00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:21,440
Sacre-Coeur.

62
00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:24,440
..but every year, more than
33 million people visit it.

63
00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:27,280
Montmartre.
If you like a bit of art.

64
00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,640
You see,
the thing about beautiful cities...

65
00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:33,920
..is there's a huge pressure
to visit all the famous sites

66
00:03:33,920 --> 00:03:36,120
which you've seen countless
times anyway.

67
00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:37,320
It's all a bit of a waste.

68
00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:40,600
And I've only got 24 hours.

69
00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:46,120
I'm pretty much in the heart
of Paris here.

70
00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:48,960
Beyond that yellow bus,
there's the Eiffel Tower,

71
00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:54,360
this is the Place de la Concorde,
you've got the Champs-Elysees there,

72
00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:57,240
round here, there's the Tuileries,

73
00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:01,080
and the only people
I can see are flipping tourists!

74
00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:04,240
But surely there's got to be more
to Paris than that.

75
00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:07,160
It's the Parisians that make
the city, isn't it?

76
00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:08,520
Pousse toi!

77
00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:11,280
There, there are people crossing,
that never happens.

78
00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:13,320
Pousse toi.

79
00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:15,400
Agh! Oh, get out of the way!

80
00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:18,760
Oh, oh, oh.
I think I can smell burning rubber.

81
00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:19,960
Yeah, me, too.

82
00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:23,360
You haven't got the handbrake on,
have you?

83
00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:27,240
My Parisian friend Julie Collard
is brilliant at unpicking

84
00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:30,800
the cliches of Paris for bamboozled
foreigners like me.

85
00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:35,040
It's funny, I'm not that bothered
about seeing the big sights.

86
00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:39,040
You don't really care, do you?
Not a huge amount.

87
00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:43,000
You're more interested by small
things that Paris has to offer,

88
00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,720
which gives you the real Parisian
vibe, right?

89
00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:47,320
Yeah, that's what I'm after. Yeah.

90
00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:49,520
I'm hoping that you can give me
some of that.

91
00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:51,760
Well, you're going to have the real
good Parisian vibes

92
00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:54,080
in a few seconds now.

93
00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:57,720
Look right now, look at that.
That's the Arc de Triomphe.

94
00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:01,920
SHE BEEPS HORN
Like this bus,
why does he have priority?

95
00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:03,400
No, don't worry.

96
00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:06,680
This is like a fighters
in the Second World War. Yeah, look.

97
00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:07,920
SHE BEEPS HER HORN

98
00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:13,160
Why do you think Parisians drive
in the way they do?

99
00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:16,880
I think we're closer to Italian
people, we have the Latin...

100
00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:21,440
Oh, you're Mediterranean, yeah,
fiery. Latin fire inside of us.

101
00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:26,040
Brake! Don't worry.

102
00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:28,400
It's fine, you're not going to die.

103
00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:33,280
Safe in the back streets,
it's time for tips on cafe culture

104
00:05:33,280 --> 00:05:34,640
and French kissing.

105
00:05:36,280 --> 00:05:40,120
Kisses! Yeah. Does everybody
in France kiss like mwah mwah?

106
00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:41,800
No, of course not, no.

107
00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:44,360
In Paris, it's two kisses,
then in the rest of France,

108
00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:48,120
sometimes it's one, sometimes it's
three, which is weird.

109
00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:52,080
They'll go, like, one, two,
and then you go, like, three?

110
00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:53,560
It's the same in England sometimes.

111
00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:56,040
And then you never know if someone's
going to give you four. Four?!

112
00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:58,520
I'm going to show you...
I'm going to show you the bises.

113
00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:00,680
No-one knows why there's
a difference,

114
00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:01,720
even the French need help.

115
00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:05,520
What we've got here is an app...

116
00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:08,280
Excuse me, Julie,
just for one second.

117
00:06:08,280 --> 00:06:13,240
..that shows you where people snog
in different ways in France.

118
00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:15,840
Pink is how many?
It's four, I think.

119
00:06:15,840 --> 00:06:20,560
Pink is four,
so that pretty peasanty.

120
00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:23,560
And then you've got...
The light blue is one? It's one.

121
00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:25,920
So it's a bit hit-and-run.

122
00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:29,160
I'm glad to see some
proper science. See?

123
00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:32,360
This is weird, you know,
the way the seats are placed. Yeah.

124
00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:34,600
We're not looking at each other,
we're looking out...

125
00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:37,320
I don't need to look at you. I know
you, so I don't need to look at you.

126
00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:38,840
I need to look at the street.

127
00:06:38,840 --> 00:06:40,720
And what are you looking at
out on the street?

128
00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,040
We're looking at people. See?
I'm talking to you right now.

129
00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:46,040
Ah, she just looked at us.
So, it's a Parisian exercise.

130
00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:47,560
You get used to it, see?

131
00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:51,120
I'm talking to you, just...
But you hardly look at me, do you?

132
00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:52,960
Yeah, you look at me too much.

133
00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:55,680
No, don't look at me that much.
Why not?

134
00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:58,480
I feel like I have something wrong
on my cheek, don't look at me.

135
00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:00,200
Just turn around.

136
00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:03,480
If I really need to look at you,
I'll go like, "Hey, Tony."

137
00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:05,680
And I'll go like that.
And then can I come around?

138
00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:08,280
Sure, yeah, then you can look at me,
that's fine. Then look at...

139
00:07:08,280 --> 00:07:11,640
And then we go back to looking at...
And look at the street, it's fine.

140
00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:19,160
I've only just arrived,
and I've already crossed off

141
00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:21,920
two thirds of the things
on my must-see list.

142
00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:24,840
But what's the point of coming
to Paris without having

143
00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:26,440
a proper bang-up meal?

144
00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:30,440
The French love it.
I mean, they really love it.

145
00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:34,160
You can even see this obsession
with food in their language.

146
00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:36,600
Rather than, "Don't make a fuss
about something",

147
00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:40,000
they say, "Don't make
a big cheese about it."

148
00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:42,160
Instead of,
"Mind your own business",

149
00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:44,440
they go, "Mind your own onions."

150
00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:47,200
And instead of, "I'm drunk",

151
00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:50,320
they go, "I'm really buttered."

152
00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:51,480
I like that one.

153
00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:58,200
I've had a tip about a restaurant
around here that's

154
00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:03,400
slightly different to the usual
fancy, high-end Parisian cuisine.

155
00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:07,640
Yeah, this is it.
Look up there. See?

156
00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:10,880
L'Avant Comptoir de la Terre.

157
00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:14,000
Apparently, it's not pretentious,
not expensive,

158
00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:15,520
just one slight problem.

159
00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:21,080
It's standing room only, with
a menu hanging from the ceiling.

160
00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:24,040
This place, it's not like
a restaurant,

161
00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:25,600
it's like a sandwich bar, isn't it?

162
00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:27,040
Look at the stuff up here.

163
00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:31,520
Langues d'oiseau pistou Parmesan,
whatever that is.

164
00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:34,400
If you want to try wine?
How many wines have you got?

165
00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:36,400
Maybe 250 different wines.
TONY LAUGHS

166
00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:38,600
Try this. This is Beaujolais.

167
00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:41,000
Je vous laisse gouter,
si vous aimez pas, on peut changer.

168
00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:44,200
I just turned round and very slowly
tried to engage this gentleman

169
00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:46,560
in conversation, and he's English.

170
00:08:46,560 --> 00:08:48,760
This is John.
Do you come to this place often?

171
00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:51,760
Yeah, it's one of my local
stop-offs. It's incredibly Parisian.

172
00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:53,480
It's pretty crowded, isn't it?

173
00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:55,480
Oh, it's crowded,
but it's authentic.

174
00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:58,320
John Branton has lived in Paris
for 20 years.

175
00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:01,840
And if anyone knows his onions,
it's him.

176
00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:05,280
There's been a movement, that is
called, in general, bistronomie.

177
00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:08,080
Bist... Bistronomie.
Bistronomie, I like that word, yeah.

178
00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:11,400
Yeah, it's the idea of a bistro
and not so expensive.

179
00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:15,160
John, what is that?

180
00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:17,920
Which is what I was trying to ask
you a couple of seconds ago.

181
00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:20,400
That's a huge mound
of salted butter.

182
00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:23,680
Part of the mentality of this
zinc counter philosophy

183
00:09:23,680 --> 00:09:26,360
is that there are certain things
that are free,

184
00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:30,880
so you have amazing bread baked
in the kitchen here, butter,

185
00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:33,400
and very sharp tangy gherkins,

186
00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:37,640
because they're bound to bring some
charcuterie or some pate along.

187
00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:40,960
I don't care about the question
or the answer any more!

188
00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:44,720
I have no idea what this is.

189
00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:46,840
You taste it first,
I tell you afterwards.

190
00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:52,680
What is that? You've just eaten
a piece of pig's ear.

191
00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:57,240
L'oreille du cochon -

192
00:09:57,240 --> 00:09:58,880
the ear of the pig.

193
00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:00,800
Which is one of the most
down-to-earth dishes

194
00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:01,840
that you can get.

195
00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:03,200
Sliced up. Yeah.

196
00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:06,400
And then fried in two minutes,
and served like this.

197
00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:13,600
Oh, dear. Those pigs' ears are lying
pretty heavy on my stomach.

198
00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:16,600
And I don't even have time
to digest them...

199
00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:18,160
Next stop, Germany.

200
00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:19,800
..because I'm off again.

201
00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:26,440
Coming up, I press on into Germany
for a beer...

202
00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:28,200
Salud, cheers!

203
00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:31,160
I put German engineering
to the test on the road...

204
00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:32,720
Whoa!

205
00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,320
..and I find out what's
under the bonnet.

206
00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:38,600
My eyes keep wanting to flick down
and look at your willy.

207
00:10:44,470 --> 00:10:46,870
It's day two and I'm hurtling
through Europe.

208
00:10:46,870 --> 00:10:50,430
I've left the French capital
and rejoined the rails for the next

209
00:10:50,430 --> 00:10:53,950
leg of my journey,
on a quick train to Stuttgart.

210
00:10:53,950 --> 00:10:56,990
I'm loving this high-speed,
hi-tech intercity express.

211
00:10:56,990 --> 00:10:59,870
Although it's so slick
it's making me drowsy.

212
00:10:59,870 --> 00:11:03,030
I've been asleep for the
last two hours.

213
00:11:03,030 --> 00:11:08,150
It's such a comfy train you'd never
think it's going round about 170mph.

214
00:11:08,150 --> 00:11:11,310
These impressive trains were
created for the German railway

215
00:11:11,310 --> 00:11:12,870
network in the 1990s,

216
00:11:12,870 --> 00:11:17,790
and they were so successful they're
now used on routes across Europe.

217
00:11:17,790 --> 00:11:20,670
It's a brilliant German
transport creation.

218
00:11:20,670 --> 00:11:22,550
But it's not the only one.

219
00:11:22,550 --> 00:11:26,430
I've arrived at the place where
Karl Benz invented the automobile.

220
00:11:28,310 --> 00:11:31,150
I'm just getting off here
for a few hours,

221
00:11:31,150 --> 00:11:37,230
because apparently there's a really
good Mercedes centre in Stuttgart,

222
00:11:37,230 --> 00:11:41,230
and I've always been nuts
about Mercedes.

223
00:11:41,230 --> 00:11:45,310
When things started going well for
me my very first car was a Merc,

224
00:11:45,310 --> 00:11:48,830
and it was like I never thought
I would, ever,

225
00:11:48,830 --> 00:11:51,310
have my own Mercedes-Benz.

226
00:11:51,310 --> 00:11:55,550
So today, if the crew can keep up,
I'm on a personal mission -

227
00:11:55,550 --> 00:11:58,550
to drive the flashiest Merc
I can get my hands on.

228
00:11:58,550 --> 00:12:01,510
MUSIC: Flower Duet from Lakme
by Leo Delibes

229
00:12:01,510 --> 00:12:06,270
This is the GTR, which they use
as the pace car for Formula 1 races.

230
00:12:13,870 --> 00:12:15,230
Are you a good driver?

231
00:12:15,230 --> 00:12:16,710
Fantastic.

232
00:12:16,710 --> 00:12:19,870
Before you go fast, I just have to
tell you, I have a wife

233
00:12:19,870 --> 00:12:21,230
and a little son at home.

234
00:12:21,230 --> 00:12:22,910
Do you want to give them a call?

235
00:12:24,110 --> 00:12:27,550
I've paired up with motoring expert
Holger Karkheck -

236
00:12:27,550 --> 00:12:31,110
presumably so I don't crash the car,
or nick it.

237
00:12:31,110 --> 00:12:34,830
What is this thing about
Germans and cars?

238
00:12:34,830 --> 00:12:39,110
10% say that the car is more
important for them than their

239
00:12:39,110 --> 00:12:43,910
own partner, so that might give you
an idea of what cars are for us.

240
00:12:47,790 --> 00:12:50,830
Why do you think the Germans are
so good at engineering?

241
00:12:50,830 --> 00:12:52,510
We like details.

242
00:12:52,510 --> 00:12:54,870
We are good at planning things.

243
00:12:54,870 --> 00:12:56,950
We like to be precise.

244
00:12:56,950 --> 00:13:00,030
That isn't just a cliche. No.
Germans really are precise people?

245
00:13:00,030 --> 00:13:01,710
No. We are, we are.

246
00:13:01,710 --> 00:13:04,270
Precise, and brutally honest.

247
00:13:04,270 --> 00:13:07,790
If I asked you about Britain and
cars, what would you say?

248
00:13:09,150 --> 00:13:10,950
That's a good question.

249
00:13:10,950 --> 00:13:13,150
Actually, no, it's a German
car industry

250
00:13:13,150 --> 00:13:15,390
because we bought
all your companies.

251
00:13:15,390 --> 00:13:17,910
So, erm... So there is no British
industry.

252
00:13:17,910 --> 00:13:19,270
There is no British industry.

253
00:13:19,270 --> 00:13:20,750
Look at Rolls-Royce.

254
00:13:20,750 --> 00:13:22,510
I mean, Rolls-Royce is BMW,

255
00:13:22,510 --> 00:13:24,710
and they're more successful
than ever.

256
00:13:24,710 --> 00:13:26,870
Even Bentley is owned
by the Germans.

257
00:13:26,870 --> 00:13:28,750
Oh, is it? Yeah.

258
00:13:28,750 --> 00:13:33,070
Are people in Germany aware of how
successful their industry is?

259
00:13:33,070 --> 00:13:34,310
Oh, yes, we are.

260
00:13:34,310 --> 00:13:37,510
When you ask Germans,
"What is German for you?",

261
00:13:37,510 --> 00:13:39,950
the number one topic is cars.

262
00:13:39,950 --> 00:13:43,630
Mercedes, with Mr Benz,
built the first car,

263
00:13:43,630 --> 00:13:45,470
and so it was our idea.

264
00:13:45,470 --> 00:13:46,950
Cars are our idea.

265
00:13:51,750 --> 00:13:55,190
Safe and sound, just as I predicted,
we're back at the museum.

266
00:13:56,710 --> 00:13:59,790
And what an extraordinary
piece of architecture it is.

267
00:14:01,310 --> 00:14:02,550
Look at that.

268
00:14:02,550 --> 00:14:04,910
Money, power, design.

269
00:14:17,030 --> 00:14:21,630
This is the world's first-ever
motor car.

270
00:14:21,630 --> 00:14:26,790
It's got its own chassis,
it's got petrol,

271
00:14:26,790 --> 00:14:29,150
it's got the clutch down there.

272
00:14:29,150 --> 00:14:30,390
Exquisite, isn't it?

273
00:14:30,390 --> 00:14:34,950
And wouldn't it be wonderful just to
climb on it, start it,

274
00:14:34,950 --> 00:14:38,990
ride off this dais, through the door
out into the car park

275
00:14:38,990 --> 00:14:40,670
and down the road?

276
00:14:40,670 --> 00:14:42,270
God, I'd love to do that!

277
00:14:43,750 --> 00:14:46,310
CLANKING

278
00:14:46,310 --> 00:14:47,510
I've nicked it!

279
00:14:49,670 --> 00:14:50,670
I've nicked it.

280
00:14:51,990 --> 00:14:53,390
It's very fast.

281
00:15:01,230 --> 00:15:04,870
Not quite as comfy as my very
first Mercedes C-Class.

282
00:15:04,870 --> 00:15:06,910
But it is such a lot of fun.

283
00:15:06,910 --> 00:15:08,630
Whoa...

284
00:15:08,630 --> 00:15:10,430
I've got to slow it down now!

285
00:15:17,030 --> 00:15:19,350
Well, that was a quick stop,
but it was fun.

286
00:15:19,350 --> 00:15:21,230
I fancy a beer now.

287
00:15:21,230 --> 00:15:22,390
Munich, onwards!

288
00:15:25,670 --> 00:15:30,590
From here it's about three hours
onto Munich, which is in Bavaria,

289
00:15:30,590 --> 00:15:35,030
a region of Germany that likes to
celebrate its differences.

290
00:15:35,030 --> 00:15:38,310
I think the Bavarians like to
think of themselves as rather

291
00:15:38,310 --> 00:15:41,790
different from other Germans,
a bit like the Scots and English.

292
00:15:41,790 --> 00:15:45,310
The Bavarians are, you know,
a bit more laid back.

293
00:15:45,310 --> 00:15:46,430
We'll see.

294
00:15:47,710 --> 00:15:51,670
The other thing that springs to mind
about Germany, of course, is beer.

295
00:15:54,350 --> 00:15:58,990
Munich is home to Oktoberfest,
the world's biggest beer festival,

296
00:15:58,990 --> 00:16:01,190
where, at the end of September
every year,

297
00:16:01,190 --> 00:16:05,830
6 million thirsty visitors quadruple
the size of the city.

298
00:16:05,830 --> 00:16:09,390
I'm going to immerse myself in
the local traditions with breakfast,

299
00:16:09,390 --> 00:16:10,710
Bavarian-style.

300
00:16:12,230 --> 00:16:13,950
Oh, it's a white sausage.

301
00:16:15,710 --> 00:16:18,830
A bit like I'm waiting for an early
morning flight to Benidorm.

302
00:16:18,830 --> 00:16:20,390
Yeah!

303
00:16:20,390 --> 00:16:22,590
It's typical from Bavaria.

304
00:16:22,590 --> 00:16:24,470
Thank you very much.
You're welcome.

305
00:16:25,510 --> 00:16:27,990
Mmm.

306
00:16:27,990 --> 00:16:29,550
It's quite nice, actually.

307
00:16:30,870 --> 00:16:34,030
There's something that's very
off-putting about a white sausage,

308
00:16:34,030 --> 00:16:35,550
isn't there?

309
00:16:35,550 --> 00:16:39,430
Looks a bit like a drowned finger
in a lake.

310
00:16:40,830 --> 00:16:44,990
But, with this very sweet Bavarian
mustard, it's rather good.

311
00:16:47,030 --> 00:16:48,550
Especially...

312
00:16:49,830 --> 00:16:53,030
..with a zonking great
glass of breakfast beer!

313
00:16:54,390 --> 00:16:56,870
To get to the bottom of
Bavarian beer,

314
00:16:56,870 --> 00:17:00,310
I'm heading off to
the state-owned brewery.

315
00:17:00,310 --> 00:17:02,510
I think I've come to the right
place.

316
00:17:02,510 --> 00:17:05,950
Yes, you heard me -
a state-owned brewery.

317
00:17:05,950 --> 00:17:07,950
Finally, politics I can agree with!

318
00:17:09,070 --> 00:17:13,870
The Hofbrauhaus brewery knocks
out over 33 million litres a year.

319
00:17:13,870 --> 00:17:16,670
Like tiny ballet dancers!

320
00:17:16,670 --> 00:17:19,830
The more that's drunk,
the richer the state gets on taxes.

321
00:17:21,230 --> 00:17:23,030
It smells very hoppy in here.

322
00:17:26,230 --> 00:17:28,430
We have only four ingredients.

323
00:17:28,430 --> 00:17:31,550
We have the water, the malt,
we have the hops,

324
00:17:31,550 --> 00:17:34,990
and of course you need
the yeast for fermenting.

325
00:17:34,990 --> 00:17:37,310
And that's all there is,
in all of this beer?

326
00:17:37,310 --> 00:17:39,510
All of the beers
produced in Bavaria.

327
00:17:39,510 --> 00:17:43,430
I've managed to snag the CEO here,
Michael Moller.

328
00:17:43,430 --> 00:17:45,710
That must limit the kinds of beer?

329
00:17:45,710 --> 00:17:46,870
Oh, no.

330
00:17:46,870 --> 00:17:50,310
In Germany we have roughly 5,000
different types of beers.

331
00:17:50,310 --> 00:17:52,230
What's the difference between them,
then?

332
00:17:52,230 --> 00:17:56,470
There are so many different malts
available, so many different hops,

333
00:17:56,470 --> 00:18:00,150
and even with the yeast
there are many, many varieties.

334
00:18:00,150 --> 00:18:04,030
So you can really significantly
change the taste of the beer.

335
00:18:04,030 --> 00:18:08,710
Why is beer such an obsession
for Bavaria generally?

336
00:18:08,710 --> 00:18:12,030
In Bavaria, beer is part of our
life.

337
00:18:16,150 --> 00:18:19,630
So I set off to sample this
Bavarian life for myself,

338
00:18:19,630 --> 00:18:22,950
at the Hofbrauhaus -
Munich's most famous pub.

339
00:18:22,950 --> 00:18:27,270
And I promised myself I'd experience
everything on this trip.

340
00:18:27,270 --> 00:18:30,350
Don't say anything.

341
00:18:35,910 --> 00:18:39,790
This place has been here since 1589.
It's incredibly famous.

342
00:18:39,790 --> 00:18:43,390
Everyone's drunk here.
Hitler, Lenin...

343
00:18:43,390 --> 00:18:48,070
..American presidents, astronauts,
musicians like Mozart...

344
00:18:48,070 --> 00:18:49,790
..Meatloaf.

345
00:18:51,310 --> 00:18:53,030
And look at all these people here -
look.

346
00:18:53,030 --> 00:18:55,430
Look, look, look.

347
00:18:55,430 --> 00:18:58,470
The bar serves up to 5,000 people
a day.

348
00:18:58,470 --> 00:19:00,030
And I'm going to lend a hand.

349
00:19:03,230 --> 00:19:06,270
It's all going a bit crazy
at the moment.

350
00:19:06,270 --> 00:19:08,590
I was worried about skidding,
but there's no chance.

351
00:19:08,590 --> 00:19:11,630
It's so sticky my feet are
practically glued to the floor.

352
00:19:11,630 --> 00:19:13,790
There you are, sir.

353
00:19:13,790 --> 00:19:15,910
Thank you very much.

354
00:19:17,630 --> 00:19:19,550
It's effortless!

355
00:19:21,550 --> 00:19:23,750
So, middle... Yeah.

356
00:19:23,750 --> 00:19:26,390
The other one here. Oh, I see.

357
00:19:26,390 --> 00:19:29,110
And the other one here, and then
you can...

358
00:19:29,110 --> 00:19:30,790
Then it's all in one hand.

359
00:19:30,790 --> 00:19:32,430
Yes. Just like this.

360
00:19:32,430 --> 00:19:34,110
Perfect.

361
00:19:38,510 --> 00:19:41,150
Hello! Here's your beer. Oh...

362
00:19:45,230 --> 00:19:46,990
Nice to meet you.

363
00:19:46,990 --> 00:19:49,590
I would never have known that you
were Bavarian, never!

364
00:19:49,590 --> 00:19:50,870
Oh!

365
00:19:53,710 --> 00:19:56,870
For a while I thought this Bavarian
easy-going thing was

366
00:19:56,870 --> 00:19:59,070
because people were tanked up
on beer.

367
00:19:59,070 --> 00:20:02,470
But there's something else about
this place.

368
00:20:02,470 --> 00:20:04,750
I wandered over to the
English Garden,

369
00:20:04,750 --> 00:20:07,390
their equivalent
of London's Hyde Park.

370
00:20:07,390 --> 00:20:10,350
It's laid-back here too -
and not a beer in sight.

371
00:20:13,670 --> 00:20:15,990
It's like a giant,
unofficial water park.

372
00:20:17,350 --> 00:20:19,670
Even though signs say
it's not allowed.

373
00:20:24,110 --> 00:20:27,470
A concrete block dumped in the river
here has given surfers

374
00:20:27,470 --> 00:20:28,950
a permanent wave to ride.

375
00:20:32,430 --> 00:20:35,470
You've got all those surfers
breaking every health

376
00:20:35,470 --> 00:20:38,630
and safety regulation you can
possibly imagine.

377
00:20:38,630 --> 00:20:41,910
You've got people swimming
in the river, even though it quite

378
00:20:41,910 --> 00:20:45,510
clearly says everywhere,
"Don't swim in the river."

379
00:20:45,510 --> 00:20:47,790
Just so free and easy!

380
00:20:47,790 --> 00:20:50,390
In fact, it's incredibly
free and easy.

381
00:20:52,550 --> 00:20:53,830
See what I mean?

382
00:20:56,550 --> 00:20:58,470
It seems anything goes here.

383
00:20:58,470 --> 00:20:59,990
And I mean anything.

384
00:21:01,030 --> 00:21:05,270
Excuse me, I can't help noticing
that there are thousands of people
here

385
00:21:05,270 --> 00:21:08,390
either with very few clothes on
or no clothes at all,

386
00:21:08,390 --> 00:21:10,550
including yourself.

387
00:21:10,550 --> 00:21:11,510
What's your name?

388
00:21:11,510 --> 00:21:12,590
Alexander.

389
00:21:12,590 --> 00:21:15,030
Alexander, are you allowed to
do this?

390
00:21:15,030 --> 00:21:17,750
Are the coppers going to come
and wrap a towel around you?

391
00:21:17,750 --> 00:21:20,030
No, basically you're allowed to,

392
00:21:20,030 --> 00:21:21,950
or let me say it this way -
it's not forbidden.

393
00:21:21,950 --> 00:21:24,110
There are places where it's
specifically allowed,

394
00:21:24,110 --> 00:21:25,670
like you can see at this place here.

395
00:21:25,670 --> 00:21:28,190
So this is a designated place
where you can take your kit off?

396
00:21:28,190 --> 00:21:29,590
It's a designated area.

397
00:21:29,590 --> 00:21:31,790
It's only if people start
complaining about you,

398
00:21:31,790 --> 00:21:34,510
then the police come and tell you,
"Please, dress yourself."

399
00:21:34,510 --> 00:21:37,750
So, theoretically, you could wander
through the centre of the city

400
00:21:37,750 --> 00:21:38,830
without any clothes on?

401
00:21:38,830 --> 00:21:41,550
It's only if somebody complained
that there might be a problem?

402
00:21:41,550 --> 00:21:45,110
Yes. I find it quite difficult to
talk to you in the nude.

403
00:21:45,110 --> 00:21:48,510
My eyes keep wanting to flick down
and look at your willy,

404
00:21:48,510 --> 00:21:51,950
because I know I'm not really
supposed to - or that's how it
feels.

405
00:21:51,950 --> 00:21:58,470
Do you think nudists tend to have
a sense of vulnerability about them?

406
00:21:58,470 --> 00:22:01,750
Nudism is not about sexuality
or something like that.

407
00:22:01,750 --> 00:22:04,830
Of course the media sexualise it
very strongly,

408
00:22:04,830 --> 00:22:07,310
but there's really no problem
when you look at me. I mean,

409
00:22:07,310 --> 00:22:09,790
I'm just a man, I'm here
in the nude, I feel comfortable...

410
00:22:09,790 --> 00:22:12,110
If you don't mind I can just kind of
check you out. Yeah.

411
00:22:12,110 --> 00:22:14,830
And you're not going to worry
about it. It's lovely, you know?

412
00:22:14,830 --> 00:22:17,670
Even while we've been talking there
have been people wandering by.

413
00:22:17,670 --> 00:22:20,230
Some of them have got clothes on,
some of them haven't.

414
00:22:20,230 --> 00:22:23,990
But they just... They don't really
seem to take much notice.

415
00:22:23,990 --> 00:22:27,190
I think that it's a very relaxed
mood here in Munich, and obviously

416
00:22:27,190 --> 00:22:31,110
even if just the minority of people
are doing the nudism thing...

417
00:22:31,110 --> 00:22:35,350
I wish I had the bottle to have
interviewed you in the nude.

418
00:22:35,350 --> 00:22:39,230
I haven't, but I wish I had.
I'd... Perhaps you still can!

419
00:22:39,230 --> 00:22:43,430
Yeah, maybe one day! Thanks, Alex.
OK, good. See you.

420
00:22:43,430 --> 00:22:44,670
Still to come,

421
00:22:44,670 --> 00:22:47,790
in Hungary, I roll
into their Communist past...

422
00:22:47,790 --> 00:22:49,150
Aargh!

423
00:22:49,150 --> 00:22:52,950
I get an unexpected surprise
on the sleeper train to Bucharest...

424
00:22:52,950 --> 00:22:54,630
Oh, blimey, it's not water!

425
00:22:54,630 --> 00:22:57,190
And in Istanbul I discover
exquisite artefacts...

426
00:22:57,190 --> 00:22:59,230
I think we should get that one
as well, don't you?

427
00:22:59,230 --> 00:23:01,590
It really is the tackiest thing
I've ever seen in my life.

428
00:23:01,590 --> 00:23:02,650
Thank you.

429
00:23:06,450 --> 00:23:08,050
I've left Bavaria behind,

430
00:23:08,050 --> 00:23:11,490
and hit the rails again to reach
my next destination.

431
00:23:11,490 --> 00:23:13,410
With half of Europe already
behind me,

432
00:23:13,410 --> 00:23:17,810
I'm heading east another 400 miles,
through Austria and into Hungary.

433
00:23:19,570 --> 00:23:22,010
A seven-hour train journey has
delivered me

434
00:23:22,010 --> 00:23:25,810
and my mountain of TV kit
right into the middle of Budapest.

435
00:23:29,810 --> 00:23:31,650
Isn't this gorgeous?

436
00:23:31,650 --> 00:23:34,450
So light and bright, and
clear and airy.

437
00:23:34,450 --> 00:23:37,570
It hardly feels as though we're
in the heart of the city at all,

438
00:23:37,570 --> 00:23:38,690
does it?

439
00:23:38,690 --> 00:23:42,410
Well, that is because until
the middle of the 19th century

440
00:23:42,410 --> 00:23:43,570
we wouldn't have been.

441
00:23:43,570 --> 00:23:46,290
There were two cities.
There was Buda over there,

442
00:23:46,290 --> 00:23:51,210
Pest over there, with the mighty
River Danube in between.

443
00:23:51,210 --> 00:23:54,810
But then, in 1873,
the two cities united,

444
00:23:54,810 --> 00:23:57,650
and thus Budapest was born.

445
00:23:57,650 --> 00:24:00,810
As I'm only here for the day, to see
the city quickly I'm swapping

446
00:24:00,810 --> 00:24:02,610
the train for the tram.

447
00:24:05,450 --> 00:24:08,650
Budapest is a vibrant, modern city.

448
00:24:09,690 --> 00:24:11,330
It's absolutely gorgeous.

449
00:24:12,530 --> 00:24:15,930
It was recently voted one of
the nicest to live in in Europe.

450
00:24:22,290 --> 00:24:26,810
This is where everyone comes to get
their archetypal view of Budapest.

451
00:24:26,810 --> 00:24:28,170
You can't blame them, can you?

452
00:24:28,170 --> 00:24:30,130
It is pretty wonderful.

453
00:24:30,130 --> 00:24:31,690
It might be hard to imagine now,

454
00:24:31,690 --> 00:24:36,450
but less than 30 years ago
Budapest felt very different.

455
00:24:36,450 --> 00:24:39,490
It was under strict Communist rule.

456
00:24:39,490 --> 00:24:43,530
Step into the back streets,
look past the designer shop fronts

457
00:24:43,530 --> 00:24:47,410
and busy restaurants,
and this city reveals its past.

458
00:24:48,810 --> 00:24:53,130
All over Budapest,
there are pockmarks on the walls.

459
00:24:53,130 --> 00:24:54,650
Look right up there.

460
00:24:54,650 --> 00:24:57,530
What they are are bullet holes
from the short-lived,

461
00:24:57,530 --> 00:25:02,730
but very bloody, revolution
against the Communists in 1956.

462
00:25:02,730 --> 00:25:05,730
The students started demonstrating
all over the country,

463
00:25:05,730 --> 00:25:10,130
the people attempted to take back
control - which they very

464
00:25:10,130 --> 00:25:13,250
nearly did, until the Russians
called time

465
00:25:13,250 --> 00:25:15,130
and brought in the tanks.

466
00:25:19,730 --> 00:25:24,010
If there's one thing that epitomises
the Hungarian Revolution of 1956,

467
00:25:24,010 --> 00:25:26,290
it's a T-55 tank.

468
00:25:26,290 --> 00:25:30,010
And if anything's going to stop it,
it'll be this.

469
00:25:31,610 --> 00:25:34,850
To find out how a bunch of cheap
frying pans managed to halt

470
00:25:34,850 --> 00:25:39,690
an army, I've hijacked a local
historian, Gyula Hegedus.

471
00:25:39,690 --> 00:25:41,890
Look, it worked.

472
00:25:41,890 --> 00:25:46,090
I was told, in 1956,
during the uprising,

473
00:25:46,090 --> 00:25:48,650
frying pans actually did stop tanks.

474
00:25:48,650 --> 00:25:50,250
Did they really do it back then?

475
00:25:50,250 --> 00:25:52,170
It was very simple, actually.

476
00:25:52,170 --> 00:25:55,810
Young kids stole frying pans from
their mothers' kitchens... Yeah.

477
00:25:55,810 --> 00:25:58,690
..they broke off the handle and
put it in the middle of

478
00:25:58,690 --> 00:26:00,530
a small side street. Yeah.

479
00:26:00,530 --> 00:26:05,330
And as the tanks were coming,
all the driver could see was

480
00:26:05,330 --> 00:26:08,130
something that looked exactly
like a mine.

481
00:26:08,130 --> 00:26:10,370
So if the street was narrow enough,

482
00:26:10,370 --> 00:26:12,970
a whole line of tanks could be
stopped that way.

483
00:26:15,490 --> 00:26:20,250
The Hungarian Revolution lasted
just 17 days before being brutally

484
00:26:20,250 --> 00:26:23,690
quashed by the Soviets
and their tanks.

485
00:26:23,690 --> 00:26:27,850
The country remained Communist until
the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

486
00:26:35,410 --> 00:26:39,450
Today, tanks like these in Budapest
give tourists a more

487
00:26:39,450 --> 00:26:41,410
entertaining Soviet experience.

488
00:26:43,970 --> 00:26:47,170
She's very, very difficult to drive!

489
00:26:52,850 --> 00:26:54,450
Tonight I'm moving on.

490
00:26:54,450 --> 00:26:58,370
I'm on the 7.10 train to Bucharest,
Romania...

491
00:26:58,370 --> 00:27:01,130
I've no idea what platform
we're going from.

492
00:27:01,130 --> 00:27:02,650
..if we can find it.

493
00:27:02,650 --> 00:27:04,450
Six!

494
00:27:04,450 --> 00:27:06,090
It's that one there.

495
00:27:06,090 --> 00:27:07,250
Come on.

496
00:27:07,250 --> 00:27:11,770
It's a sleeper train -
frustratingly, our slowest so far.

497
00:27:11,770 --> 00:27:14,730
It'll be our home
for the next 16 hours.

498
00:27:14,730 --> 00:27:17,450
The train runs from Budapest
into Romania,

499
00:27:17,450 --> 00:27:21,130
travelling 500 miles to reach
the capital, Bucharest,

500
00:27:21,130 --> 00:27:24,490
which I'm not even going to
have time to see.

501
00:27:24,490 --> 00:27:29,130
It's similar to the original route
taken by the Orient Express.

502
00:27:29,130 --> 00:27:31,810
I wonder if I'm going to get
that level of luxury.

503
00:27:33,650 --> 00:27:36,050
Well, there's a top bunk.

504
00:27:38,090 --> 00:27:39,770
I'm not quite sure how
you get up there.

505
00:27:39,770 --> 00:27:40,890
A little washbasin.

506
00:27:42,090 --> 00:27:43,210
Ah!

507
00:27:43,210 --> 00:27:44,930
A lot of cupboard.

508
00:27:44,930 --> 00:27:46,890
Ta-da!

509
00:27:46,890 --> 00:27:49,050
So this is the washbasin,
so that, presumably,

510
00:27:49,050 --> 00:27:51,170
is just somewhere to store stuff.

511
00:27:52,410 --> 00:27:53,570
Oh, it's a palace!

512
00:27:55,210 --> 00:27:58,490
We didn't have time to buy
sandwiches or anything before we
boarded,

513
00:27:58,490 --> 00:28:01,810
and two hours into the journey
I'm starving.

514
00:28:01,810 --> 00:28:03,730
Excuse me, is the buffet
down that way?

515
00:28:03,730 --> 00:28:04,930
What? The buffet?

516
00:28:04,930 --> 00:28:06,770
Buffet? No buffet, no buffet.

517
00:28:06,770 --> 00:28:08,570
No buffet? No.

518
00:28:08,570 --> 00:28:10,410
OK. Vali car?

519
00:28:10,410 --> 00:28:11,530
Yeah...

520
00:28:13,570 --> 00:28:14,850
Oh, thank you very much!

521
00:28:14,850 --> 00:28:17,370
No... Hot, hot, hot, hot!

522
00:28:17,370 --> 00:28:18,730
Eros - it's strong.

523
00:28:18,730 --> 00:28:20,770
Oh, blimey, it's not water!

524
00:28:20,770 --> 00:28:22,410
It's strong. Strong.

525
00:28:24,610 --> 00:28:25,610
OK?

526
00:28:26,930 --> 00:28:28,450
Well, this is all right, isn't it?

527
00:28:30,770 --> 00:28:33,810
Sam, come and say hello
to these people.

528
00:28:33,810 --> 00:28:35,730
Say hello.

529
00:28:35,730 --> 00:28:38,410
Hello! Hello.

530
00:28:38,410 --> 00:28:40,410
This is good. I want to sit here.

531
00:28:40,410 --> 00:28:44,650
Home-made cheese puffs and Hungarian
moonshine - what's not to love?

532
00:28:44,650 --> 00:28:47,890
No buffet, but I've got a bit
hammered. Not bad, is it?

533
00:28:51,330 --> 00:28:55,330
I've slept off the Hungarian
hospitality and woken up in Romania.

534
00:28:57,330 --> 00:29:01,330
I want to get to Turkey,
but there aren't any direct trains.

535
00:29:01,330 --> 00:29:03,130
So it's yet another quick stop.

536
00:29:06,290 --> 00:29:09,970
I managed to get about five hours'
sleep, which wasn't too bad.

537
00:29:09,970 --> 00:29:14,370
Now I'm in Bucharest, Romania,
which I want to explore

538
00:29:14,370 --> 00:29:17,930
and tell you all about it, but
I can't because there's

539
00:29:17,930 --> 00:29:21,850
another train now going all the way
down to Istanbul.

540
00:29:21,850 --> 00:29:26,610
And once I'm there I'll be out of
Europe, into Asia Minor.

541
00:29:28,850 --> 00:29:33,890
We're heading south across Bulgaria
into Turkey, and eventually
Istanbul.

542
00:29:38,810 --> 00:29:43,890
My 2,000-mile rail journey
across Europe has finally reached

543
00:29:43,890 --> 00:29:45,170
the end of the line.

544
00:29:46,490 --> 00:29:50,450
I've always wanted to come here to
Istanbul, and I'll tell you why.

545
00:29:50,450 --> 00:29:53,370
Look. That's the Orient Express
Restaurant.

546
00:29:53,370 --> 00:29:56,730
This is where the original
Orient Express ended.

547
00:29:56,730 --> 00:29:59,050
But the thing about Istanbul is
this.

548
00:29:59,050 --> 00:30:02,050
It's where Europe and Asia collide -

549
00:30:02,050 --> 00:30:05,290
the two halves of the city
divided by a dramatic stretch

550
00:30:05,290 --> 00:30:08,090
of water called the Bosphorus.

551
00:30:08,090 --> 00:30:09,650
It's a colossal port,

552
00:30:09,650 --> 00:30:13,290
and over thousands of years it
became the most famous trading city

553
00:30:13,290 --> 00:30:16,210
in the world, and that meant
lots of cultures,

554
00:30:16,210 --> 00:30:20,130
lots of religions, and lots of
exotic goods from all over the
globe.

555
00:30:20,130 --> 00:30:22,730
Oh, they're cute! It smells amazing.

556
00:30:22,730 --> 00:30:25,130
Donkey milk soap.
Never seen that before.

557
00:30:26,410 --> 00:30:30,010
I'm shopping with local historian
Pelin Batu.

558
00:30:30,010 --> 00:30:32,450
It's the best place to buy
Turkish delight.

559
00:30:32,450 --> 00:30:34,570
They have a zillion different types.

560
00:30:35,970 --> 00:30:37,530
Can we just go round the other way,

561
00:30:37,530 --> 00:30:40,850
just so that I can show everyone
this incredible ceiling?

562
00:30:44,050 --> 00:30:46,490
This is a combination of
really brassy modernity

563
00:30:46,490 --> 00:30:50,370
and really old-fashioned, rather
exotic-looking shops, isn't it?

564
00:30:50,370 --> 00:30:51,490
Yeah, yeah.

565
00:30:51,490 --> 00:30:52,970
It is kind of schizophrenic.

566
00:30:52,970 --> 00:30:54,050
Yeah.

567
00:30:54,050 --> 00:30:57,330
I always thought Istanbul was a very
feminine city, in that,

568
00:30:57,330 --> 00:31:02,290
like, it's histrionic. It changes
its moods and its appearances.

569
00:31:02,290 --> 00:31:06,170
So it is like a very overly
melodramatic women, in a way.

570
00:31:07,530 --> 00:31:11,330
I'm glad I wasn't the one who said
that a female characteristic

571
00:31:11,330 --> 00:31:13,610
was being melodramatic
and histrionic.

572
00:31:20,450 --> 00:31:23,450
Turkey's renowned for its coffee.

573
00:31:23,450 --> 00:31:27,690
And this is one of the most famous
coffee shops in the city.

574
00:31:27,690 --> 00:31:31,170
You find this queue every day
and every hour.

575
00:31:31,170 --> 00:31:33,650
People come here to buy coffee
and they've been doing so

576
00:31:33,650 --> 00:31:35,130
for almost 100 years now.

577
00:31:35,130 --> 00:31:37,050
This smell is incredible, isn't it?

578
00:31:45,530 --> 00:31:47,170
So are we going to get some
ourselves?

579
00:31:47,170 --> 00:31:48,330
Yes, we should.

580
00:31:48,330 --> 00:31:50,170
It's all backing up behind now.

581
00:31:50,170 --> 00:31:53,490
We've completely destroyed this
production line!

582
00:31:54,650 --> 00:31:56,810
This is the Iznik design.

583
00:31:56,810 --> 00:31:58,010
Nicaea.

584
00:31:58,010 --> 00:32:00,490
It's like, you know,
what you usually find in

585
00:32:00,490 --> 00:32:02,050
these coffee shops around.

586
00:32:02,050 --> 00:32:03,930
Two of these.

587
00:32:03,930 --> 00:32:06,130
I think we should get that
one as well, don't you?

588
00:32:06,130 --> 00:32:08,490
It really is the tackiest thing
I've ever seen in my life.

589
00:32:08,490 --> 00:32:09,850
Thank you.

590
00:32:13,210 --> 00:32:18,250
Even looking around now, it does
seem quite a heady mixture of

591
00:32:18,250 --> 00:32:20,730
East and West, modern and old.

592
00:32:20,730 --> 00:32:25,130
The Golden Horn was one of the most
famous ports of ancient history,

593
00:32:25,130 --> 00:32:28,170
and it had people
from all over the world.

594
00:32:28,170 --> 00:32:31,970
Is it very different from the other
cities in Turkey?

595
00:32:31,970 --> 00:32:34,450
It's a country, an empire,
of its own.

596
00:32:34,450 --> 00:32:38,970
You can actually see
and feel the cosmopolitan nature

597
00:32:38,970 --> 00:32:40,850
of the city everywhere you go.

598
00:32:40,850 --> 00:32:44,690
And after the Syrian war,
we have lots of Arabs right now.

599
00:32:44,690 --> 00:32:49,330
So, like, every five, ten years,
it changes its costume and garb,

600
00:32:49,330 --> 00:32:52,330
and even the dominant
language changes.

601
00:32:52,330 --> 00:32:54,850
What you're saying is that
throughout the centuries there

602
00:32:54,850 --> 00:32:59,370
have been these waves of people
coming here with their different

603
00:32:59,370 --> 00:33:02,410
cuisines, their different attitudes
and their different languages.

604
00:33:03,890 --> 00:33:07,570
It's extraordinary how this place
has constantly evolved,

605
00:33:07,570 --> 00:33:10,930
from the Romans who first
established it as a trading point,

606
00:33:10,930 --> 00:33:14,930
through the Byzantine Empire, to
the Ottomans who transformed it

607
00:33:14,930 --> 00:33:18,610
into a symbol of Islamic culture.

608
00:33:18,610 --> 00:33:23,050
And it's all on display to be
admired here at the Galata Bridge.

609
00:33:23,050 --> 00:33:25,050
It's a good spot for fishing, too.

610
00:33:25,050 --> 00:33:28,210
I suppose you could just walk across
this bridge thinking about what you

611
00:33:28,210 --> 00:33:31,210
might like to have for tea, but...
Oh, look at all those fish there!

612
00:33:31,210 --> 00:33:32,850
Aren't they great?

613
00:33:32,850 --> 00:33:36,810
But if you did that, you'd be
missing the most extraordinary

614
00:33:36,810 --> 00:33:40,850
panorama that there is here
of Istanbul's history.

615
00:33:40,850 --> 00:33:43,730
Over there is the Topkapi Palace.

616
00:33:43,730 --> 00:33:47,130
When the Ottomans first arrived
here in the 15th century that's

617
00:33:47,130 --> 00:33:48,850
where all the sultans lived.

618
00:33:48,850 --> 00:33:53,050
Beyond it, there, you've got
the Hagia Sophia, which was once

619
00:33:53,050 --> 00:33:55,250
the most massive Christian church,

620
00:33:55,250 --> 00:33:57,610
which was eventually turned into
a mosque.

621
00:33:58,690 --> 00:34:00,850
Crikey, he's caught some more!

622
00:34:00,850 --> 00:34:02,090
Hiya.

623
00:34:02,090 --> 00:34:03,250
What bait do you use?

624
00:34:03,250 --> 00:34:05,010
HE SPEAKS TURKISH

625
00:34:06,050 --> 00:34:07,610
Your hands smell of fish!

626
00:34:12,050 --> 00:34:13,090
HE SPEAKS TURKISH

627
00:34:13,090 --> 00:34:14,130
Yeah?

628
00:34:17,130 --> 00:34:19,490
I can't hear what you're...
Fish, fish, fish, fish! Oh!

629
00:34:19,490 --> 00:34:21,330
Fish. Well, I've got a...fish,
fish!

630
00:34:21,330 --> 00:34:23,330
HE SPEAKS TURKISH

631
00:34:23,330 --> 00:34:24,330
That way?

632
00:34:26,690 --> 00:34:28,210
Lots of - lots of!

633
00:34:28,210 --> 00:34:29,890
Oh, OK!

634
00:34:29,890 --> 00:34:31,490
Have I got one? Yes!

635
00:34:31,490 --> 00:34:32,850
Oh, yes!

636
00:34:34,210 --> 00:34:35,210
Oh!

637
00:34:36,850 --> 00:34:38,330
Ah.

638
00:34:38,330 --> 00:34:40,490
Skill, concentration.

639
00:34:40,490 --> 00:34:41,530
OK.

640
00:34:41,530 --> 00:34:42,530
Yeah.

641
00:34:43,690 --> 00:34:45,170
Oh!

642
00:34:46,290 --> 00:34:47,970
Can I put him back now?

643
00:34:47,970 --> 00:34:49,370
No problem.

644
00:34:49,370 --> 00:34:52,170
OK. Thank you very much.
Thank you.

645
00:34:52,170 --> 00:34:53,770
The champion!

646
00:34:55,410 --> 00:34:57,250
It was that size!

647
00:35:00,370 --> 00:35:03,570
I'm here on the Asian side
of the city at Istanbul's

648
00:35:03,570 --> 00:35:05,930
Haydarpasa railway station.

649
00:35:05,930 --> 00:35:09,530
This grand terminus was the
starting point for routes to

650
00:35:09,530 --> 00:35:13,290
the Middle East
and beyond for well over 100 years.

651
00:35:13,290 --> 00:35:19,050
But sadly, the tracks alongside
its platforms have been pulled
up for renovations.

652
00:35:19,050 --> 00:35:22,330
The good news, though, is that,
when they started digging,

653
00:35:22,330 --> 00:35:28,010
they came across some extraordinary
finds so that now this railway line

654
00:35:28,010 --> 00:35:32,890
is probably the world's longest,
thinnest archaeological trench.

655
00:35:37,490 --> 00:35:41,050
From the air, you can see just how
impressive this site is.

656
00:35:45,890 --> 00:35:48,970
The station's been
closed for five years now,

657
00:35:48,970 --> 00:35:51,250
and no-one's quite sure
when it will reopen.

658
00:35:53,130 --> 00:35:56,530
And that's because they just keep
finding so much good stuff.

659
00:35:59,370 --> 00:36:02,250
This find's just sticking out here.
Have you seen this one?

660
00:36:02,250 --> 00:36:09,570
It's an amphora from the 6th century
After Christ from the Byzantine era.

661
00:36:09,570 --> 00:36:12,010
So this is just the neck here,
isn't it? Yes.

662
00:36:12,010 --> 00:36:15,690
You've got the mouth bit here,
so it would have gone...

663
00:36:15,690 --> 00:36:17,410
All the way over there, yeah.

664
00:36:17,410 --> 00:36:20,730
They must have carried liquid,
looking at the mouth here,

665
00:36:20,730 --> 00:36:23,770
which is narrow.
So you can bung it up easily?

666
00:36:23,770 --> 00:36:27,410
Yeah, so it would either be
olive oil or wine.

667
00:36:27,410 --> 00:36:30,570
This really is an extraordinary
big site, isn't it?

668
00:36:30,570 --> 00:36:33,410
I mean, how far in that direction
do you think it's going to go?

669
00:36:33,410 --> 00:36:37,970
It's another 2km. And how big is
the excavation so far?

670
00:36:37,970 --> 00:36:41,570
It's 300,000 square metres.
It's ridiculous!

671
00:36:41,570 --> 00:36:45,170
And it's all essentially
one trench? Yes.

672
00:36:45,170 --> 00:36:49,330
You must have to make an awful
lot of cups of tea at 11am!

673
00:36:52,770 --> 00:36:56,370
This huge dig has uncovered
evidence of a whole ancient

674
00:36:56,370 --> 00:36:58,330
town on the banks of the Bosphorus.

675
00:37:01,050 --> 00:37:03,250
The really old stuff is twofold.

676
00:37:03,250 --> 00:37:07,210
There's this lovely road here -
that's about 4th century AD.

677
00:37:07,210 --> 00:37:11,050
But about 800 years earlier
than that is down here.

678
00:37:11,050 --> 00:37:15,090
You've got a load of flagstones
which are tied together with

679
00:37:15,090 --> 00:37:17,410
sort of metal ties.

680
00:37:17,410 --> 00:37:21,650
Now, it was the Romans who invented
the technology of cement

681
00:37:21,650 --> 00:37:25,130
and concrete,
so this has got to be pre-Roman -

682
00:37:25,130 --> 00:37:30,730
400 years Before Christ, all buried
underneath one railway line.

683
00:37:33,210 --> 00:37:36,010
Coming up, I'm
starting my journey in Delhi, where

684
00:37:36,010 --> 00:37:38,490
I take part in a spiritual ritual...

685
00:37:38,490 --> 00:37:42,450
It's just like I'm in bird madness!

686
00:37:42,450 --> 00:37:44,930
..I travel on the most
astonishing train...

687
00:37:46,050 --> 00:37:50,810
The train is actually going down the
middle of the street. I love it!

688
00:37:50,810 --> 00:37:54,050
..and I take to the skies to explore
one of the world's most

689
00:37:54,050 --> 00:37:56,170
extraordinary ancient kingdoms.

690
00:37:57,930 --> 00:37:59,330
It's just bloody lovely.

691
00:38:09,380 --> 00:38:12,460
I'm travelling through a couple of
the world's most exciting

692
00:38:12,460 --> 00:38:15,140
countries - India and Burma.

693
00:38:17,060 --> 00:38:20,500
I'm covering a vast
distance from Delhi to Darjeeling,

694
00:38:20,500 --> 00:38:23,060
then I'll hurtle
across the border to Burma,

695
00:38:23,060 --> 00:38:26,700
and take a sharp turn
down to the ancient city of Bagan.

696
00:38:26,700 --> 00:38:28,940
But there's only one place to start.

697
00:38:30,020 --> 00:38:34,580
I'm in Delhi - the mind-boggling
mega capital of India which is

698
00:38:34,580 --> 00:38:36,460
bursting at the seams.

699
00:38:36,460 --> 00:38:39,580
There's currently 22 million
people living here.

700
00:38:39,580 --> 00:38:41,460
By the end of the next decade,

701
00:38:41,460 --> 00:38:44,740
they reckon that will have
doubled to 44 million.

702
00:38:48,500 --> 00:38:51,380
This is one of the busiest
cities in the world with

703
00:38:51,380 --> 00:38:54,220
millions of people commuting
in and out every day.

704
00:38:56,020 --> 00:38:59,300
I'm on board what's locally
known as the EMU train,

705
00:38:59,300 --> 00:39:01,900
racing to get to the heart of Delhi.

706
00:39:01,900 --> 00:39:06,900
They've built an extra 230 km
of Metro to help deal with all

707
00:39:06,900 --> 00:39:11,940
the movement, but still, right now
the beating heart of the city's

708
00:39:11,940 --> 00:39:15,420
transport is suburban
trains like this one.

709
00:39:21,740 --> 00:39:26,020
I've got very little time here,
and there's a lot I want to fit in.

710
00:39:26,020 --> 00:39:28,300
I don't think I've ever
been in a town where there's

711
00:39:28,300 --> 00:39:30,060
so much unnecessary beeping.

712
00:39:30,060 --> 00:39:31,260
HORN BEEPS

713
00:39:31,260 --> 00:39:32,380
There he goes. Meep!

714
00:39:33,820 --> 00:39:36,980
Delhi's one of India's
most historic cities.

715
00:39:36,980 --> 00:39:38,980
Today, it's both a modern capital

716
00:39:38,980 --> 00:39:42,700
and a city with a rich past that
dates back hundreds of years.

717
00:39:44,060 --> 00:39:48,300
The extraordinary thing about
this city is that it's in
constant movement.

718
00:39:48,300 --> 00:39:50,780
Everywhere you look,
there are people doing things.

719
00:39:52,540 --> 00:39:54,100
It's a chorus of endeavour.

720
00:39:56,180 --> 00:39:59,300
For me, this is a city
full of contradictions.

721
00:39:59,300 --> 00:40:02,500
On one hand, it's a leading tech hub
but, on the other, you can

722
00:40:02,500 --> 00:40:04,500
still see poverty all around.

723
00:40:06,100 --> 00:40:10,260
Yet everywhere, you get a sense of
this can-do entrepreneurial spirit.

724
00:40:13,660 --> 00:40:15,860
The next morning, I'm up early.

725
00:40:15,860 --> 00:40:18,220
I'm here to see a side of Delhi
that couldn't be more

726
00:40:18,220 --> 00:40:20,940
different to the chaos I've
encountered so far.

727
00:40:23,340 --> 00:40:27,580
I've come to the Yamuna -
one of India's seven holy rivers.

728
00:40:27,580 --> 00:40:30,220
Good morning. Good morning.
Thank you very much.

729
00:40:31,820 --> 00:40:38,100
It's 6am, and boatman Ravinder is
taking me to a special ritual. Oh!

730
00:40:38,100 --> 00:40:44,420
Oh! You're calling for the birds?
I can hear them now. Oh! Oh!

731
00:40:44,420 --> 00:40:50,140
This area's famous for the birds
that come here just as the sun
begins to rise.

732
00:40:50,140 --> 00:40:53,620
I think you can see some of them
just starting to mass.

733
00:40:56,620 --> 00:41:00,860
For most locals, these waters hold
a spiritual significance and,

734
00:41:00,860 --> 00:41:03,860
apparently, feeding seagulls
here brings good karma.

735
00:41:06,020 --> 00:41:07,660
Not many have come here yet.

736
00:41:07,660 --> 00:41:10,460
Let's throw a bit of this stuff -
see if it'll make the difference.

737
00:41:12,980 --> 00:41:15,100
Go on, my darlings! Oh!

738
00:41:20,660 --> 00:41:25,060
Every year, these gulls migrate over
2,500 miles,

739
00:41:25,060 --> 00:41:26,780
escaping Siberia's winter.

740
00:41:28,500 --> 00:41:31,140
This is something that
rich businessmen do -

741
00:41:31,140 --> 00:41:33,660
they get the boatman to take them
out

742
00:41:33,660 --> 00:41:39,380
so they can lob all this stuff
up into the air for the birds.

743
00:41:39,380 --> 00:41:41,940
Oh! Oh! Oh!

744
00:41:45,300 --> 00:41:48,620
This ritual's
performed on the Yamuna every day.

745
00:41:48,620 --> 00:41:52,260
People hope that feeding the birds
will bring prosperity and good
health.

746
00:41:54,500 --> 00:41:58,260
I can't hear anything else around me
now for the sound of birds.

747
00:41:59,780 --> 00:42:02,740
It's just like I'm in bird madness!

748
00:42:07,020 --> 00:42:09,900
I suppose you feel
an enormous sense of power,

749
00:42:09,900 --> 00:42:13,420
being able to draw all
these birds to you.

750
00:42:13,420 --> 00:42:15,380
I don't know if that's luck,

751
00:42:15,380 --> 00:42:18,380
but it's a strong feeling to start
the day.

752
00:42:18,380 --> 00:42:21,620
Incorporating wildlife into
rituals like this seems to

753
00:42:21,620 --> 00:42:24,020
be at the heart of Indian life.

754
00:42:24,020 --> 00:42:27,260
Back in Britain, the only time
most of us notice seagulls is

755
00:42:27,260 --> 00:42:29,460
when they're trying to
nick your chips.

756
00:42:37,340 --> 00:42:39,380
It's time for me to leave Delhi.

757
00:42:39,380 --> 00:42:41,020
This is New Delhi station,

758
00:42:41,020 --> 00:42:45,420
and it's my gateway to one of the
largest railway systems in the
world.

759
00:42:45,420 --> 00:42:47,660
Blimey, it's crowded!
That's the sleeper.

760
00:42:48,940 --> 00:42:50,300
This one's absolutely rammed.

761
00:42:50,300 --> 00:42:53,740
The train network covers almost
all of India, and it carries

762
00:42:53,740 --> 00:42:59,180
an astonishing 23 million passengers
on 12,000 trains every day.

763
00:43:01,620 --> 00:43:04,140
This is one of the longest
trains I've been on.

764
00:43:04,140 --> 00:43:06,100
I'm practically at the Himalayas!

765
00:43:07,340 --> 00:43:11,580
Indian Railways is also the
country's biggest employer with

766
00:43:11,580 --> 00:43:16,420
nearly 1.5 million workers keeping
this massive operation running 24/7.

767
00:43:17,700 --> 00:43:24,580
Right, I think it's this way.
I think it's number 11. Hello.

768
00:43:24,580 --> 00:43:30,900
9, 10. Oh, 11 here. Thanks.
Thank you. Are you selling pens?

769
00:43:32,900 --> 00:43:33,900
Two? Only two?

770
00:43:36,420 --> 00:43:39,820
It's been fascinating to see how
Delhi mixes ancient traditions

771
00:43:39,820 --> 00:43:43,700
with a frenzied pace of life,
but I do feel a bit overwhelmed.

772
00:43:45,100 --> 00:43:49,900
To be honest, I'm really
rather glad to leave Delhi.

773
00:43:49,900 --> 00:43:52,940
It's just so nonstop mad.

774
00:43:52,940 --> 00:43:57,860
I've been getting hardly any sleep
because, somewhere close by,

775
00:43:57,860 --> 00:44:03,900
there's been a large party going on
every night to about 2.30am.

776
00:44:05,300 --> 00:44:08,540
It's a wonderful place to
be in that it's so awesome,

777
00:44:08,540 --> 00:44:11,020
but it's not really my lifestyle.

778
00:44:12,940 --> 00:44:16,020
TRAIN WHISTLES

779
00:44:16,020 --> 00:44:19,820
India is the world's seventh
largest country and home to

780
00:44:19,820 --> 00:44:22,900
some of the most spectacular
rail journeys in the world.

781
00:44:25,100 --> 00:44:28,580
This train is travelling
almost 1,000 miles across

782
00:44:28,580 --> 00:44:31,060
northern India to the foothills
of the Himalayas.

783
00:44:32,460 --> 00:44:35,500
The town of Darjeeling used
to be a summer resort for

784
00:44:35,500 --> 00:44:38,340
the British Empire's elite,

785
00:44:38,340 --> 00:44:41,620
and I've come here to see
some of its colonial past.

786
00:44:43,340 --> 00:44:45,540
I'm thousands of feet above sea
level,

787
00:44:45,540 --> 00:44:50,820
I'm surrounded on all sides by huge
mountains and winding valleys,

788
00:44:50,820 --> 00:44:56,260
and yet, just there, over the road,
are half a dozen magnificent,

789
00:44:56,260 --> 00:44:59,180
ancient British-built steam engines

790
00:44:59,180 --> 00:45:03,540
because this is
the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

791
00:45:03,540 --> 00:45:09,580
And if you care anything at all
about trains, then this is your
Xanadu.

792
00:45:09,580 --> 00:45:11,780
TRAIN WHISTLES

793
00:45:11,780 --> 00:45:15,180
Like most of India's railways,
this was built by the British.

794
00:45:16,740 --> 00:45:20,500
They have to keep the fires
in the boilers going 24 hours a day.

795
00:45:20,500 --> 00:45:22,980
They'd never be able to get them
started in time otherwise!

796
00:45:24,660 --> 00:45:26,700
Nicknamed the toy train,

797
00:45:26,700 --> 00:45:31,500
these are some of India's smallest
engines, but they pack a punch.

798
00:45:31,500 --> 00:45:35,500
Even by today's standards,
they're an engineering miracle.

799
00:45:35,500 --> 00:45:38,380
The tracks are narrow
and the engines robust,

800
00:45:38,380 --> 00:45:43,100
enabling them to gain serious
altitude in just 50 miles.

801
00:45:43,100 --> 00:45:44,340
It's mad, isn't it?

802
00:45:44,340 --> 00:45:48,260
The train is actually
going down the middle of the street.

803
00:45:48,260 --> 00:45:51,060
When the cars go by,
I can wave at the little kids

804
00:45:51,060 --> 00:45:53,380
and they wave back at me.

805
00:45:53,380 --> 00:45:54,700
Hello. Hello.

806
00:45:58,940 --> 00:46:03,180
Sometimes, the track actually
crosses the street

807
00:46:03,180 --> 00:46:06,740
and the train gets
stuck in traffic jams.

808
00:46:06,740 --> 00:46:09,420
It just has to stay there
until the jam clears.

809
00:46:11,100 --> 00:46:13,860
I love it! It's so daft!

810
00:46:13,860 --> 00:46:16,940
You've got the perfect
example of a bit of a traffic jam.

811
00:46:18,180 --> 00:46:22,420
He can't go anywhere!
He's trying to get past in the jam!

812
00:46:22,420 --> 00:46:23,420
TRAIN WHISTLES

813
00:46:26,060 --> 00:46:30,580
I continue my journey 25 miles
towards India's border with Nepal.

814
00:46:33,700 --> 00:46:37,500
At this point, I've had to abandon
the train tracks because I'm trying

815
00:46:37,500 --> 00:46:41,780
to get somewhere very remote - to a
community I've always wanted to
meet.

816
00:46:42,940 --> 00:46:46,940
I'm west of Darjeeling now in the
town of Mane Bhanjang, which is

817
00:46:46,940 --> 00:46:49,860
a border town between
Nepal and India.

818
00:46:49,860 --> 00:46:51,580
This is very childish
and I don't even know

819
00:46:51,580 --> 00:46:53,540
if I'm supposed to do it,
but here you go.

820
00:46:53,540 --> 00:46:55,940
One foot in Nepal, one foot in
India.

821
00:46:55,940 --> 00:46:58,060
Anyway, I'm looking for a lift.

822
00:46:59,540 --> 00:47:03,300
Home to the world's third highest
mountain, Kangchenjunga, this

823
00:47:03,300 --> 00:47:08,020
region is India's least populated,
so getting around can be a
challenge.

824
00:47:08,020 --> 00:47:09,940
Flippin' heck! Look at this!

825
00:47:11,700 --> 00:47:14,900
A swarm of Land Rovers! Wow!

826
00:47:14,900 --> 00:47:17,740
Aren't they beautiful?

827
00:47:17,740 --> 00:47:19,940
I need to get to Pedong. Yeah.

828
00:47:19,940 --> 00:47:23,140
Is there any chance that one of you
would be able to drive me there?

829
00:47:23,140 --> 00:47:26,260
I'll do that. You'd do that?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which one's yours?

830
00:47:26,260 --> 00:47:30,220
This vehicle. Oh, that's gorgeous,
isn't it, that one? That's lovely.

831
00:47:35,020 --> 00:47:37,580
There are about 40 vehicles here.

832
00:47:37,580 --> 00:47:41,540
They're so rare that you'd get about
30 grand for one of these back home.

833
00:47:45,620 --> 00:47:48,020
Have you ever driven on
these types of roads?

834
00:47:49,980 --> 00:47:52,420
No, some of the London roads,
people are complaining about,

835
00:47:52,420 --> 00:47:58,020
but they're dead easy compared with
this. There's the monastery.

836
00:47:58,020 --> 00:48:02,620
So all the people are lined up to
welcome you. That's fantastic!

837
00:48:02,620 --> 00:48:06,020
I've come here to meet a remote
mountain tribe called the Lepchas.

838
00:48:09,180 --> 00:48:11,620
THEY CHEER

839
00:48:11,620 --> 00:48:12,620
Hello! Hello!

840
00:48:13,700 --> 00:48:14,700
Thank you.

841
00:48:16,020 --> 00:48:23,980
THEY SING

842
00:48:30,780 --> 00:48:33,140
This is my best greeting ever!

843
00:48:33,140 --> 00:48:41,100
THEY SING

844
00:48:42,940 --> 00:48:44,580
Hello, little one!

845
00:48:44,580 --> 00:48:47,820
THEY CHEER

846
00:48:47,820 --> 00:48:53,340
I have never been welcomed
so happily, so profoundly,

847
00:48:53,340 --> 00:48:55,540
so beautifully in the
whole of my life.

848
00:48:55,540 --> 00:48:57,220
Thank you so much.

849
00:48:57,220 --> 00:48:59,700
THEY CHEER

850
00:49:01,020 --> 00:49:06,300
The village is called Kalimpong,
and my host here is Jangu Lepcha.

851
00:49:06,300 --> 00:49:07,660
Why were they so excited?

852
00:49:07,660 --> 00:49:09,860
They don't get to see
the foreigners,

853
00:49:09,860 --> 00:49:12,060
so they've been waiting
since morning and so excited.

854
00:49:12,060 --> 00:49:15,580
They've been waiting since the
morning? Yes! It's 4pm, man!

855
00:49:18,820 --> 00:49:22,700
As night falls, Jangu shows me
where I'll be sleeping.

856
00:49:22,700 --> 00:49:25,660
So this is the way down to
the main house. Right.

857
00:49:25,660 --> 00:49:27,860
I can hardly see anything.

858
00:49:27,860 --> 00:49:32,060
Oh, this is like the witch's
cottage in Hansel And Gretel!

859
00:49:32,060 --> 00:49:33,900
Goodnight, guys. Goodnight.

860
00:49:37,820 --> 00:49:42,060
This is absolutely lovely!
This is not what I expected at all.

861
00:49:42,060 --> 00:49:44,860
All right, so maybe
I didn't expect an oven and witch,

862
00:49:44,860 --> 00:49:48,260
but I did think that it would be
pretty rudimentary.

863
00:49:48,260 --> 00:49:50,540
Look at this! Cute little window!

864
00:49:51,820 --> 00:49:53,020
HE GASPS

865
00:49:53,020 --> 00:49:57,700
A heater! Hang on, what's this?
Is it what I hope and dream it is?

866
00:49:57,700 --> 00:50:01,940
Oh, it's a toilet!
It's a toilet! Result!

867
00:50:01,940 --> 00:50:05,420
I tell you, after you've been in
India for a little while,

868
00:50:05,420 --> 00:50:07,780
you do start looking
nervously around.

869
00:50:07,780 --> 00:50:10,820
Oh, this is perfect.

870
00:50:10,820 --> 00:50:13,060
Everything a man could want. Oh!

871
00:50:20,140 --> 00:50:25,260
The next morning, I wake up to fresh
mountain air and a glorious view.

872
00:50:25,260 --> 00:50:28,220
You'd think in a place like this
I'd feel healthier than ever.

873
00:50:28,220 --> 00:50:30,980
HE SNIFFS
I've got the sniffles,

874
00:50:30,980 --> 00:50:34,380
so now we're looking for the
Himalayan version of a pharmacy.

875
00:50:36,140 --> 00:50:39,180
GUIDE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE
Be careful.

876
00:50:39,180 --> 00:50:43,100
Mm-hm. He has to look for the
medicine for the running nose.

877
00:50:44,580 --> 00:50:47,780
They're the masters in medicine.
Yeah.

878
00:50:47,780 --> 00:50:51,620
You know, they know which one is
poisonous, which one is medicine.

879
00:50:51,620 --> 00:50:53,780
HE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE

880
00:50:53,780 --> 00:50:56,140
THEY REPEAT

881
00:50:58,940 --> 00:51:01,340
You have to sniff. Yeah. Mm-hm.

882
00:51:04,460 --> 00:51:07,540
HE INHALES
Yeah. Next, next, next, next.

883
00:51:07,540 --> 00:51:09,980
Oh. How are you feeling?

884
00:51:09,980 --> 00:51:12,020
It's burning?

885
00:51:12,020 --> 00:51:15,100
It's good. That's good, yeah.

886
00:51:15,100 --> 00:51:18,940
It's like a combination of clover
and Vicks Inhaler.

887
00:51:18,940 --> 00:51:21,780
It definitely is clearing my nose.
Mm-hm. Yeah. Yeah. It's good.

888
00:51:21,780 --> 00:51:23,260
For sure.

889
00:51:23,260 --> 00:51:27,100
Sanjay knows every plant and animal
in this forest,

890
00:51:27,100 --> 00:51:31,100
but he hopes that the next
generation will have different
opportunities.

891
00:51:31,100 --> 00:51:33,660
What do you want your sons to do?

892
00:51:33,660 --> 00:51:36,300
HE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE

893
00:51:36,300 --> 00:51:39,620
He wants his children to study,
because he has done

894
00:51:39,620 --> 00:51:43,500
so much of hardship in his life.
He is not educated,

895
00:51:43,500 --> 00:51:45,740
so he wants his son to be educated.

896
00:51:45,740 --> 00:51:49,500
But if they're educated, maybe
they'll go away from the village.

897
00:51:49,500 --> 00:51:53,300
There's a chance
but he'll try his best,

898
00:51:53,300 --> 00:51:57,540
sons to understand the value
of our community and the value

899
00:51:57,540 --> 00:52:00,700
of the medicine and the value
of what he's doing right now.

900
00:52:03,220 --> 00:52:07,460
In a globalised world,
this place typifies the untouched.

901
00:52:07,460 --> 00:52:11,260
If locals leave to study
and backpackers arrive instead,

902
00:52:11,260 --> 00:52:15,660
I can see how the authenticity
of this place could easily
disappear.

903
00:52:15,660 --> 00:52:19,860
It makes me feel all the more
privileged to have come here today.

904
00:52:19,860 --> 00:52:23,060
India is, of course, amazing.

905
00:52:23,060 --> 00:52:25,340
I'd expected the kind of wild,

906
00:52:25,340 --> 00:52:29,220
anarchistic chaos that you get in
Delhi and I wasn't remotely

907
00:52:29,220 --> 00:52:32,820
disappointed, but up here,
this is where I lost my heart.

908
00:52:32,820 --> 00:52:37,580
I absolutely love it here. But now,
reluctantly, I've got to leave.

909
00:52:37,580 --> 00:52:42,580
I'm going over the Bay of Bengal to
Myanmar, in that direction,

910
00:52:42,580 --> 00:52:45,940
about which I know absolutely
nothing, apart from the stuff I've

911
00:52:45,940 --> 00:52:50,260
seen in the newspaper.
It's all a big question mark to me.

912
00:52:50,260 --> 00:52:53,380
A question mark which
hopefully will be some extent

913
00:52:53,380 --> 00:52:56,340
dispelled in the next few days.

914
00:52:56,340 --> 00:52:57,420
TRAIN HONKS

915
00:52:57,420 --> 00:53:01,740
Coming up - I take a train to go
shopping the Burmese way.

916
00:53:01,740 --> 00:53:06,140
This is brilliant. There's a market
and it's on the railway lines.

917
00:53:07,620 --> 00:53:11,300
I bring out my best moves in a local
spirit ceremony.

918
00:53:13,140 --> 00:53:15,140
And stumble across a celebration

919
00:53:15,140 --> 00:53:17,460
that's unlike anything
I've ever seen.

920
00:53:17,460 --> 00:53:21,590
It's fantastic. The whole town has
been mobilised.

921
00:53:27,750 --> 00:53:31,950
From India, I need to cross the
border to Mandalay in Burma, or

922
00:53:31,950 --> 00:53:33,910
Myanmar as it's also known.

923
00:53:35,550 --> 00:53:38,830
First introduced
by the British in 1877,

924
00:53:38,830 --> 00:53:44,270
Burma's rail network now covers
nearly 3,800 miles.

925
00:53:44,270 --> 00:53:46,110
But although connecting Indian

926
00:53:46,110 --> 00:53:48,950
and Burmese railways has been
talked about, it's

927
00:53:48,950 --> 00:53:53,390
not yet possible to travel between
these two countries by train.

928
00:53:53,390 --> 00:53:57,310
So, my next train will be taken
from the iconic city of Mandalay.

929
00:53:59,310 --> 00:54:03,470
Built in the mid 19th century, it
was the last capital of the old
kingdom.

930
00:54:04,550 --> 00:54:09,390
This palace here was the last
seat of the Burmese Royal family.

931
00:54:09,390 --> 00:54:12,150
I say the last seat because in 1885,

932
00:54:12,150 --> 00:54:15,790
the Brits marched in
and took over the entire country.

933
00:54:15,790 --> 00:54:20,190
You can see why the Brits might have
wanted it, because you've got

934
00:54:20,190 --> 00:54:24,190
China there, you've got India there,
you've got what was Siam, now

935
00:54:24,190 --> 00:54:28,910
Thailand down there, and bosh, right
in the middle you've got Mandalay.

936
00:54:31,030 --> 00:54:34,270
Burma was ruled by the Brits
for 50 years.

937
00:54:34,270 --> 00:54:38,590
It gained independence in 1948
and, today, Mandalay is the second

938
00:54:38,590 --> 00:54:42,270
largest city here and the heart of
regional transport.

939
00:54:44,150 --> 00:54:48,150
I'm taking a local train north just
outside the city centre.

940
00:54:50,190 --> 00:54:52,870
When I was really young,

941
00:54:52,870 --> 00:54:55,870
I wasn't sure that Mandalay
actually existed.

942
00:54:55,870 --> 00:55:02,190
It was one of those towns that you
hear in poems and in songs.

943
00:55:02,190 --> 00:55:05,230
Nelly the elephant packed her trunk
and went there.

944
00:55:06,910 --> 00:55:09,230
Where I'm heading today is a bazaar.

945
00:55:11,190 --> 00:55:13,710
And I don't think I'll have any
trouble finding it.

946
00:55:17,470 --> 00:55:19,070
This is brilliant.

947
00:55:19,070 --> 00:55:23,150
Just here, there's a market and
it's on the railway lines

948
00:55:23,150 --> 00:55:26,710
and they just step back when the
train comes through

949
00:55:26,710 --> 00:55:29,510
and then move back in again
afterwards.

950
00:55:29,510 --> 00:55:32,710
Such a brilliant use of space.

951
00:55:32,710 --> 00:55:35,590
Hi.
HE CHUCKLES

952
00:55:38,670 --> 00:55:42,310
A whole strip right through a town
that back home we'd ignore,

953
00:55:42,310 --> 00:55:46,470
but here it's central to the
people's trade and commerce.

954
00:55:48,710 --> 00:55:50,470
It's ridiculous.

955
00:55:50,470 --> 00:55:53,710
I see a market and it's a lot
of people squatting on a railway

956
00:55:53,710 --> 00:55:57,590
track and I immediately think
poverty, but that's nonsense.

957
00:55:57,590 --> 00:56:00,990
Look at the quality of all this veg
and there's so much of it,

958
00:56:00,990 --> 00:56:02,430
such a big market.

959
00:56:02,430 --> 00:56:05,710
This is a thriving, rural economy.

960
00:56:10,110 --> 00:56:14,470
Oh, my God. These are...
so cute, aren't they?

961
00:56:14,470 --> 00:56:17,430
All destined for the pot.

962
00:56:17,430 --> 00:56:19,350
But they are very cute.

963
00:56:21,190 --> 00:56:24,950
Mandalay local Zarni is showing me
around the market.

964
00:56:24,950 --> 00:56:28,150
We have to buy whole chicken...
Yeah.

965
00:56:28,150 --> 00:56:32,870
..tea leaves... Yeah. ..fish...
Yeah. ..and two sets of banana

966
00:56:32,870 --> 00:56:34,270
and popped rice.

967
00:56:35,350 --> 00:56:37,270
Oh, look, that lady there,

968
00:56:37,270 --> 00:56:40,430
she's got this fantastic stuff...
Yes. ..on her face.

969
00:56:40,430 --> 00:56:43,910
Why... What's that? Sun cream.
Sun cream! Sun cream.

970
00:56:43,910 --> 00:56:48,230
I thought this was some mysterious
ritual. It's suncream. Yeah.

971
00:56:48,230 --> 00:56:50,350
Come on, let's get on with
the shopping then.

972
00:56:51,950 --> 00:56:53,950
TRAIN HONKS

973
00:56:53,950 --> 00:56:56,550
We're not just buying dinner.

974
00:56:56,550 --> 00:56:59,590
We're getting offerings
for a uniquely Burmese spirit

975
00:56:59,590 --> 00:57:01,950
ceremony that's taking place
up the road.

976
00:57:01,950 --> 00:57:03,790
MUSIC PLAYS

977
00:57:06,670 --> 00:57:09,310
I just hope we've brought
enough bananas.

978
00:57:13,230 --> 00:57:17,510
In local folklore,
there are 37 spirits called Nats.

979
00:57:17,510 --> 00:57:21,710
These Nats are said to have the
power to assist or devastate lives.

980
00:57:21,710 --> 00:57:24,230
He say, "I'm your mother."

981
00:57:24,230 --> 00:57:27,670
Thank you, Mum. Thank you, Mum.

982
00:57:27,670 --> 00:57:29,230
Hoy!

983
00:57:31,190 --> 00:57:34,990
These dancers are mediums who
connect with the ancient spirits

984
00:57:34,990 --> 00:57:37,670
while worshippers ask them
for favours

985
00:57:37,670 --> 00:57:40,630
and today, I seem to have
a role in the ceremony.

986
00:57:45,190 --> 00:57:49,110
This is so exciting,
it's real ancient storytelling.

987
00:57:49,110 --> 00:57:52,070
It's about two twin brothers
who fail to

988
00:57:52,070 --> 00:57:56,110
fulfil their religious obligations,
so they're executed,

989
00:57:56,110 --> 00:58:01,430
but they can't die and so they turn
into Nats and the one in the middle,

990
00:58:01,430 --> 00:58:06,430
that's their mum, and everybody's
cheering in this old story.

991
00:58:06,430 --> 00:58:08,230
It's lovely.

992
00:58:08,230 --> 00:58:09,710
In this country,

993
00:58:09,710 --> 00:58:13,630
Nats have been worshipped alongside
Buddhism for centuries,

994
00:58:13,630 --> 00:58:16,030
but I still think I can show them
some moves.

995
00:58:25,790 --> 00:58:29,990
I head backstage to meet
the star of the show.

996
00:58:29,990 --> 00:58:31,190
Can I come in?

997
00:58:31,190 --> 00:58:35,190
That was fantastic. Thank you so
much. Thank you.

998
00:58:35,190 --> 00:58:38,270
When did you start to do this?

999
00:58:38,270 --> 00:58:39,510
18 years ago.

1000
00:58:55,150 --> 00:58:58,510
And how old were you
when that happened?

1001
00:58:58,510 --> 00:59:02,190
Because you had a dream, you knew
what you wanted. Dreams do come
true.

1002
00:59:02,190 --> 00:59:04,190
Yeah.

1003
00:59:06,270 --> 00:59:09,870
I've seen so much theatre
and dance which is masked

1004
00:59:09,870 --> 00:59:13,510
and people with make-up and people
doing all that sort of stuff,

1005
00:59:13,510 --> 00:59:19,590
but this was the exact opposite
of that sort of demure type of show.

1006
00:59:19,590 --> 00:59:21,790
This was really in your face.

1007
00:59:21,790 --> 00:59:24,950
It was people saying, "Look at me,
aren't I talented?"

1008
00:59:24,950 --> 00:59:26,430
And I really enjoyed that.

1009
00:59:27,990 --> 00:59:32,350
Many of the spirit mediums don't
conform to traditional gender roles.

1010
00:59:32,350 --> 00:59:36,110
Some have faced discrimination
in life, but it seems that

1011
00:59:36,110 --> 00:59:40,430
in the world of spirits, the rules
of Burmese society are suspended.

1012
00:59:44,030 --> 00:59:46,710
The next day, it's time for me
to leave Mandalay.

1013
00:59:48,910 --> 00:59:52,830
It's early in the morning
and all this is really quite fun.

1014
00:59:52,830 --> 00:59:57,030
You've got this huge, battered
railway station built by the British

1015
00:59:57,030 --> 00:59:59,350
over 100 years ago.

1016
00:59:59,350 --> 01:00:02,230
Lots of little railway lines
and very small,

1017
01:00:02,230 --> 01:00:07,590
slow trains and a cacophony of sound
coming from all these shops

1018
01:00:07,590 --> 01:00:10,270
where people are having
their breakfast.

1019
01:00:10,270 --> 01:00:12,110
But for me, I'm getting
rather excited...

1020
01:00:12,110 --> 01:00:13,590
COCKEREL CROWS
Quiet, please.

1021
01:00:13,590 --> 01:00:16,510
..about the next part of my journey.

1022
01:00:16,510 --> 01:00:21,150
I'm going to one of the most
important historical, spiritual,

1023
01:00:21,150 --> 01:00:24,630
archaeological sites
in the whole of the world.

1024
01:00:24,630 --> 01:00:28,270
It's up there with Angkor Wat
and the pyramids.

1025
01:00:28,270 --> 01:00:30,670
It's a town called Bagan.

1026
01:00:33,910 --> 01:00:38,230
The journey from Mandalay to Bagan
is just over 100 miles south-west.

1027
01:00:41,030 --> 01:00:43,310
The route follows the
Ayeyarwady River

1028
01:00:43,310 --> 01:00:45,750
that flows all the way through
Burma.

1029
01:00:47,150 --> 01:00:52,870
You look out of the window at all
the little villages and the fields,

1030
01:00:52,870 --> 01:00:56,670
and it looks as though Burma hasn't
changed for a thousand years,

1031
01:00:56,670 --> 01:00:59,670
but that's a completely
false impression.

1032
01:00:59,670 --> 01:01:05,110
It's constantly been changing. None
more so than in the last century.

1033
01:01:08,990 --> 01:01:13,430
When the Brits left in 1948,
pretty soon afterwards,

1034
01:01:13,430 --> 01:01:16,270
a military junta was established.

1035
01:01:18,150 --> 01:01:21,430
Burma was closed off from the
outside world for 50 years.

1036
01:01:23,190 --> 01:01:25,470
Then Aung San Suu Kyi gained power

1037
01:01:25,470 --> 01:01:28,630
and the world wished
for a new era of democracy.

1038
01:01:30,150 --> 01:01:32,910
It was a pivotal
day for the country.

1039
01:01:32,910 --> 01:01:37,150
One that was full of hope, although
as you seen from the television

1040
01:01:37,150 --> 01:01:41,670
footage from the last year,
this fledgling democracy is still

1041
01:01:41,670 --> 01:01:44,830
suffering from a lot of agony
and violence.

1042
01:01:46,230 --> 01:01:49,950
In the West, Aung San Suu Kyi has
been widely criticised

1043
01:01:49,950 --> 01:01:52,550
as the violence continues.

1044
01:01:52,550 --> 01:01:54,430
But none of this is new.

1045
01:01:54,430 --> 01:01:56,270
Because of its strategic location,

1046
01:01:56,270 --> 01:02:00,070
Burma has a long
history of facing turmoil

1047
01:02:00,070 --> 01:02:03,070
and it looks like peace isn't
coming any time soon.

1048
01:02:09,190 --> 01:02:11,990
The next morning,
I wake up in Bagan.

1049
01:02:13,230 --> 01:02:16,430
This is Burma's old
religious capital.

1050
01:02:16,430 --> 01:02:19,630
And even today, people's devotion is
clear to see.

1051
01:02:19,630 --> 01:02:22,350
This morning, our fixers told us
that there was

1052
01:02:22,350 --> 01:02:26,270
going to be a little march through
the town today to celebrate

1053
01:02:26,270 --> 01:02:30,110
the fact that a lot of the young
boys were about to be

1054
01:02:30,110 --> 01:02:33,590
initiated as novice Buddhist monks.

1055
01:02:33,590 --> 01:02:37,510
But we had no idea it would be
as fantastic as this.

1056
01:02:37,510 --> 01:02:38,870
It's enormous.

1057
01:02:38,870 --> 01:02:42,550
It's like the whole town
has been mobilised.

1058
01:02:42,550 --> 01:02:46,870
As you can see, it isn't just the
boys, it's the young women, too.

1059
01:02:46,870 --> 01:02:50,030
They're all beautifully dressed up
and the irony for me

1060
01:02:50,030 --> 01:02:53,230
is that these kids are about to go

1061
01:02:53,230 --> 01:02:56,070
and enter a life of chastity

1062
01:02:56,070 --> 01:02:59,590
and poverty,
but they're all dressed up

1063
01:02:59,590 --> 01:03:04,550
like kings or gods out of
some ancient manuscript!

1064
01:03:06,830 --> 01:03:11,670
I find a local man called Zayar who
helps me understand what's going on.

1065
01:03:11,670 --> 01:03:15,150
Does every boy become a novice monk?

1066
01:03:27,750 --> 01:03:30,470
You've been a novice, haven't you?
Yes, I have. I've been there.

1067
01:03:30,470 --> 01:03:33,110
What do you do as a novice?
Can you still stay at home?

1068
01:03:43,950 --> 01:03:47,350
So it's like a big sleepover?
Exactly!

1069
01:03:47,350 --> 01:03:51,550
Many of the boys will stay in the
monastery for only a few weeks,

1070
01:03:51,550 --> 01:03:54,270
but some will ordain for life.

1071
01:03:54,270 --> 01:03:59,270
I can't help feeling a bit uneasy
about the use of the elephant,

1072
01:03:59,270 --> 01:04:02,670
but you've got to admit
it does look grand

1073
01:04:02,670 --> 01:04:05,470
and the little kid
right on top of it.

1074
01:04:05,470 --> 01:04:10,070
It's actually a little boy, it's the
son of the main donor, who's

1075
01:04:10,070 --> 01:04:15,030
got lippy on. It's a great honour to
be up there like that.

1076
01:04:15,030 --> 01:04:16,350
For poorer families,

1077
01:04:16,350 --> 01:04:20,590
sending their sons into monasteries
means guaranteeing a free education.

1078
01:04:20,590 --> 01:04:23,310
I've just seen people that are
holding up money to the elephant

1079
01:04:23,310 --> 01:04:26,950
and it lets its trunk down like that
and it takes the dosh

1080
01:04:26,950 --> 01:04:31,310
and it passes the money up to the
guy who's riding it.

1081
01:04:33,390 --> 01:04:37,070
People here believe that donating
money during the parades will

1082
01:04:37,070 --> 01:04:39,590
give them good prospects for their
next life.

1083
01:04:43,030 --> 01:04:46,630
This one of the world's greatest
archaeological sites

1084
01:04:46,630 --> 01:04:49,790
and come on, there's only one
way to see it properly.

1085
01:04:51,270 --> 01:04:55,510
The guy in the basket is called
Nobby, he's our pilot

1086
01:04:55,510 --> 01:04:59,670
and he's a Bristol City supporter.
I thought you'd like to know that.

1087
01:05:03,110 --> 01:05:05,670
CHEERING

1088
01:05:05,670 --> 01:05:09,870
We're off. So gentle. It's not cold.

1089
01:05:12,030 --> 01:05:14,670
Just bloody lovely.

1090
01:05:14,670 --> 01:05:19,630
We are almost kissing
the top of the trees with the basket

1091
01:05:19,630 --> 01:05:22,430
and already the pagodas
are beginning to appear.

1092
01:05:22,430 --> 01:05:27,670
This is the ancient
capital of the Pagan Kingdom,

1093
01:05:27,670 --> 01:05:30,710
home to around 2,500 Buddhist
monuments.

1094
01:05:33,790 --> 01:05:36,230
It's quite toasty on the head.

1095
01:05:36,230 --> 01:05:38,950
Particularly for those of us
who haven't got much hair.

1096
01:05:38,950 --> 01:05:40,510
Look at my director.

1097
01:05:40,510 --> 01:05:43,430
He actually had long hair at the
start of this flight.

1098
01:05:46,350 --> 01:05:49,030
Are we starting to climb? We are
starting to climb a little bit.

1099
01:05:49,030 --> 01:05:51,830
We're just on the eastern
edge of the monument zone here.

1100
01:05:51,830 --> 01:05:55,390
The air is very clear. We can see
about 50 to 60 miles this morning.

1101
01:05:57,990 --> 01:06:01,350
Many of these structures have been
here for 1,000 years

1102
01:06:01,350 --> 01:06:03,750
and they look absolutely incredible.

1103
01:06:09,430 --> 01:06:12,630
The villages that make up Bagan were
scattered around here.

1104
01:06:12,630 --> 01:06:16,550
You can see areas on the ground,
imprints, where the villages were

1105
01:06:16,550 --> 01:06:20,430
made of wood, so they are all gone
and the temples have all been left.

1106
01:06:20,430 --> 01:06:23,230
That's interesting because it
looks like it's a temple landscape

1107
01:06:23,230 --> 01:06:25,950
but it wasn't then, was it?
It was just a big city

1108
01:06:25,950 --> 01:06:28,270
that happened have a lot of temples
in it.

1109
01:06:32,550 --> 01:06:36,790
This place is where the Burmese
nation got its beginnings.

1110
01:06:36,790 --> 01:06:40,670
Today it's a complex country
full of division and violence.

1111
01:06:40,670 --> 01:06:42,990
But what has struck me about being
here

1112
01:06:42,990 --> 01:06:45,830
is that amidst all the political
confusion,

1113
01:06:45,830 --> 01:06:49,670
the incredible spirit of the Burmese
people shines through.

1114
01:06:53,630 --> 01:06:54,750
Hello.

1115
01:06:54,750 --> 01:06:58,750
I hope everything works out
for the Burmese.

1116
01:06:58,750 --> 01:07:00,110
They really deserve it.

1117
01:07:06,590 --> 01:07:07,950
Still to come...

1118
01:07:07,950 --> 01:07:12,190
I'll be continuing my epic railway
adventure in Thailand.

1119
01:07:12,190 --> 01:07:14,950
I take a tuk-tuk
to the taste of tomorrow.

1120
01:07:14,950 --> 01:07:16,510
Silk worm? Very good.

1121
01:07:16,510 --> 01:07:18,230
Tastes a little bit like fertiliser.

1122
01:07:18,230 --> 01:07:21,310
I live out my Thai island dreams.

1123
01:07:21,310 --> 01:07:23,310
And try to get high in Malaysia.

1124
01:07:23,310 --> 01:07:24,790
Is there any other way?

1125
01:07:24,790 --> 01:07:26,350
THEY LAUGH

1126
01:07:26,350 --> 01:07:27,710
All aboard!

1127
01:07:32,530 --> 01:07:35,650
Thailand means "Land of the Free"
and is the only

1128
01:07:35,650 --> 01:07:40,210
country in Southeast Asia never to
be colonised by the Europeans.

1129
01:07:40,210 --> 01:07:44,130
In fact, in the 19th century,
when Thailand's first railway line

1130
01:07:44,130 --> 01:07:47,650
began construction, the British
offered to help build it.

1131
01:07:47,650 --> 01:07:49,410
But the Thai King refused

1132
01:07:49,410 --> 01:07:53,330
because he was suspicious it was
a ruse to take the country by force.

1133
01:07:53,330 --> 01:07:55,090
Why would he have thought that?!

1134
01:08:08,770 --> 01:08:12,210
I'm in Chiang Mai Province
in the north of the country,

1135
01:08:12,210 --> 01:08:16,010
it's the land of temples,
hill tribes and elephants.

1136
01:08:16,010 --> 01:08:19,170
And I really do want to
see those elephants.

1137
01:08:22,210 --> 01:08:25,810
I've stumbled across
one of its 40,000 temples.

1138
01:08:27,730 --> 01:08:30,010
This is the gateway to Doi Saket.

1139
01:08:30,010 --> 01:08:32,610
And I seem to have arrived
just at the right time.

1140
01:08:35,010 --> 01:08:38,570
All these people here, they're
waiting for the monks to come

1141
01:08:38,570 --> 01:08:41,010
down from there to give them food.

1142
01:08:41,010 --> 01:08:44,290
I've just been and bought
some drinks for them, too.

1143
01:08:45,970 --> 01:08:49,170
And can you see the army
starting to stack up?

1144
01:08:49,170 --> 01:08:51,850
I think I'd better get up there
quick.

1145
01:08:51,850 --> 01:08:54,650
For the last three months,
the local monks have

1146
01:08:54,650 --> 01:08:58,650
remained at the temple for a kind
of Lent, but that ends today

1147
01:08:58,650 --> 01:09:02,010
and they are about return to the
community in this special ceremony.

1148
01:09:17,770 --> 01:09:20,890
You really get this feeling
of ancient ritual being

1149
01:09:20,890 --> 01:09:23,490
reinvented for the 21st century.

1150
01:09:35,450 --> 01:09:39,490
I'm continuing my train journey
through Thailand and Malaysia,

1151
01:09:39,490 --> 01:09:42,570
and I've made it through the
night on the train to Bangkok.

1152
01:09:43,890 --> 01:09:47,610
Well, I reckon I had about
four hours' sleep,

1153
01:09:47,610 --> 01:09:50,250
which I suppose, isn't that bad.

1154
01:09:52,370 --> 01:09:56,650
We're now approaching what
I always thought was called Bangkok,

1155
01:09:56,650 --> 01:09:58,090
but it is in fact called

1156
01:09:58,090 --> 01:10:02,090
Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon
Rattanakosin Mahinthara

1157
01:10:02,090 --> 01:10:04,810
Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop...

1158
01:10:04,810 --> 01:10:07,010
Can you just hold it a
bit straighter? Ta.

1159
01:10:07,010 --> 01:10:13,530
..Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom
Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan

1160
01:10:13,530 --> 01:10:17,130
Amon Piman Awatan Sathit

1161
01:10:17,130 --> 01:10:21,330
Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.

1162
01:10:21,330 --> 01:10:22,970
Which in English means,

1163
01:10:22,970 --> 01:10:27,210
"The city of the angels, the great
city, the eternal jewel city,

1164
01:10:27,210 --> 01:10:31,450
"the impregnable city of the God
Indra, the great capital of

1165
01:10:31,450 --> 01:10:34,130
"the world
endowed with nine precious gems."

1166
01:10:37,490 --> 01:10:41,050
This is Hua Lampong Station,
which serves around 60,000

1167
01:10:41,050 --> 01:10:45,050
passengers each day, but sadly,
I'll be amongst the last of them

1168
01:10:45,050 --> 01:10:48,530
because it closes this year
to become a museum.

1169
01:10:51,290 --> 01:10:55,290
I've only got a few hours in Bangkok
before another train south.

1170
01:10:55,290 --> 01:10:57,610
But before I do anything,
I need coffee!

1171
01:11:00,930 --> 01:11:03,490
NATIONAL ANTHEM PLAYS

1172
01:11:22,570 --> 01:11:24,410
That was the national anthem.

1173
01:11:24,410 --> 01:11:27,530
Lots of places around the country
blast it out every day

1174
01:11:27,530 --> 01:11:28,730
on the dot of 8am.

1175
01:11:34,810 --> 01:11:37,210
Hello, tuk-tuk. Where are you going?
What've you got?

1176
01:11:37,210 --> 01:11:39,850
One of those little things? Yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah. Tuk-tuk. OK.

1177
01:11:39,850 --> 01:11:42,210
Tuk-tuk driver. What's your name?

1178
01:11:42,210 --> 01:11:45,690
My name is King Kong.
King Kong! Look at this guy.

1179
01:11:45,690 --> 01:11:47,850
This is King Kong.
Welcome to Thailand.

1180
01:11:47,850 --> 01:11:48,930
Thank you. Off we go.

1181
01:11:53,490 --> 01:11:57,450
Bangkok is home to over
eight million people,

1182
01:11:57,450 --> 01:11:59,690
with about 20 million
visitors each year.

1183
01:12:00,970 --> 01:12:02,690
What's that building there?

1184
01:12:02,690 --> 01:12:04,690
The Second Palace.
Second Palace, yeah.

1185
01:12:04,690 --> 01:12:05,810
You take a photo?

1186
01:12:08,850 --> 01:12:11,370
Based on average annual
temperatures,

1187
01:12:11,370 --> 01:12:13,970
Bangkok is the world's hottest city,

1188
01:12:13,970 --> 01:12:17,170
but I'm glad to see Mr Kong's
keeping his shirt on cos

1189
01:12:17,170 --> 01:12:20,490
driving a motorised vehicle
bare-chested is against the law.

1190
01:12:22,210 --> 01:12:24,370
So is leaving the house
without wearing underwear,

1191
01:12:24,370 --> 01:12:26,770
but how can anyone can tell?

1192
01:12:26,770 --> 01:12:29,890
I drive for ten years. Yeah,
you've been a driver for ten years?

1193
01:12:29,890 --> 01:12:31,370
Yeah. Does it go very fast?

1194
01:12:31,370 --> 01:12:34,370
No. Safety first, slowly, slowly.

1195
01:12:34,370 --> 01:12:35,690
How old, are you? Me?

1196
01:12:35,690 --> 01:12:37,850
Yeah? You think?

1197
01:12:37,850 --> 01:12:40,010
24? Up, up.

1198
01:12:40,010 --> 01:12:41,130
28. Yes.

1199
01:12:41,130 --> 01:12:42,850
You? 72.

1200
01:12:42,850 --> 01:12:45,370
Oh, no. Yeah.

1201
01:12:45,370 --> 01:12:47,530
60. Thank you. Handsome.

1202
01:12:49,210 --> 01:12:53,130
Compliments! I like this bloke,
but did I mention I'm hungry?

1203
01:12:54,770 --> 01:12:58,490
Recently, Bangkok's mouth-watering
culinary scene has developed

1204
01:12:58,490 --> 01:13:04,250
a taste for fine dining, with 17 new
Michelin-starred restaurants,

1205
01:13:04,250 --> 01:13:06,850
but it's most famous
for its street food.

1206
01:13:08,370 --> 01:13:11,170
OK? You eat, starter.

1207
01:13:11,170 --> 01:13:13,530
A starter? Yes, yes.

1208
01:13:13,530 --> 01:13:16,450
OK. Silk worms.

1209
01:13:16,450 --> 01:13:18,290
A silk worm? I got to eat this?

1210
01:13:18,290 --> 01:13:19,370
Yes. Very good.

1211
01:13:21,530 --> 01:13:23,090
That's OK, isn't it? Yeah.

1212
01:13:23,090 --> 01:13:26,130
I wouldn't work my way through
the whole bag of them, but...

1213
01:13:26,130 --> 01:13:30,130
I mean, in 20 years' time,
when we can't afford to produce beef

1214
01:13:30,130 --> 01:13:33,770
and lamb, everybody's going to be
having silkworms for their tea.

1215
01:13:33,770 --> 01:13:35,610
Yes.

1216
01:13:35,610 --> 01:13:37,730
I, fortunately, will be
dead by then, but...

1217
01:13:39,170 --> 01:13:41,730
That's all right. A little bit like
fertiliser, but it's fine.

1218
01:13:41,730 --> 01:13:44,010
I'll give you the rest, but...

1219
01:13:44,010 --> 01:13:45,730
OK. Thank you very much.

1220
01:13:48,330 --> 01:13:51,970
That was a bit too challenging
and not filling enough.

1221
01:13:51,970 --> 01:13:53,730
You like pad Thai?

1222
01:13:53,730 --> 01:13:55,930
Oh, I love pad Thai. Wow.

1223
01:13:55,930 --> 01:13:59,050
With prawns. Yes.
And lots of peanuts.

1224
01:13:59,050 --> 01:14:00,770
What's your favourite food?

1225
01:14:00,770 --> 01:14:03,690
Papaya salad. Papaya? Yes.

1226
01:14:03,690 --> 01:14:05,050
HE LAUGHS

1227
01:14:08,050 --> 01:14:09,650
So where are we going now?

1228
01:14:09,650 --> 01:14:11,250
Go to the floating market.

1229
01:14:11,250 --> 01:14:12,890
The boats. The boats?

1230
01:14:12,890 --> 01:14:16,090
Yes. Ah! Wow, look at all
this stuff. Yeah.

1231
01:14:18,170 --> 01:14:22,530
Bangkok was once criss-crossed
by dozens of canals or "khlongs",

1232
01:14:22,530 --> 01:14:24,610
with the buildings on stilts,

1233
01:14:24,610 --> 01:14:28,090
earning it the nickname of
"the Venice of the east".

1234
01:14:28,090 --> 01:14:31,130
Although most of the canals have
been filled in and replaced

1235
01:14:31,130 --> 01:14:34,810
by roads, the city still
treasures its floating markets.

1236
01:14:34,810 --> 01:14:37,450
A great place for a real Thai feast.

1237
01:14:38,810 --> 01:14:40,970
Hello. Somboon.

1238
01:14:40,970 --> 01:14:42,490
Hi, Somboon.

1239
01:14:42,490 --> 01:14:46,770
Diners usually eat on shore,
served by kitchens on the boats,

1240
01:14:46,770 --> 01:14:48,970
but Mr Kong knows people,

1241
01:14:48,970 --> 01:14:51,730
and we're doing the
floating market tasting menu.

1242
01:14:51,730 --> 01:14:53,650
Papaya salad. Very good.

1243
01:14:53,650 --> 01:14:54,850
Papaya salad. Yes.

1244
01:14:54,850 --> 01:14:56,410
Oh, that's papaya? Yes.

1245
01:14:56,410 --> 01:14:57,970
What are these?

1246
01:14:57,970 --> 01:15:01,250
Little dried prawns,
beans and tomatoes?

1247
01:15:01,250 --> 01:15:02,250
Smash it all up.

1248
01:15:03,650 --> 01:15:05,250
Thank you. Thank you.

1249
01:15:05,250 --> 01:15:06,250
Cheers. Cheers.

1250
01:15:10,330 --> 01:15:12,170
Mm, very sweet.

1251
01:15:12,170 --> 01:15:14,010
Very spicy. Like that.

1252
01:15:14,010 --> 01:15:15,050
Really good.

1253
01:15:15,050 --> 01:15:17,010
It is really good.

1254
01:15:17,010 --> 01:15:19,890
OK, King Kong has pronounced,
this is really good.

1255
01:15:25,210 --> 01:15:29,610
What's that called?
Creepy noodles.

1256
01:15:29,610 --> 01:15:31,810
Creep, creepy noodles?
It's creepy noodles.

1257
01:15:31,810 --> 01:15:33,130
Really good.

1258
01:15:33,130 --> 01:15:35,850
We say crispy noodles.

1259
01:15:35,850 --> 01:15:38,770
Crispy noodles.
Yeah, that's right, yeah.

1260
01:15:40,410 --> 01:15:43,050
Kong, could we have a look at
this lady at the end here?

1261
01:15:43,050 --> 01:15:44,730
Ohh! There's big fish splashing.

1262
01:15:46,970 --> 01:15:47,970
What's this?

1263
01:15:49,290 --> 01:15:51,450
Hipon. Hyde Park?

1264
01:15:51,450 --> 01:15:52,690
Yeah.

1265
01:15:52,690 --> 01:15:54,730
Hyde Park? Hipon.

1266
01:15:54,730 --> 01:15:57,690
Hy... Hipon. Hyde Park.

1267
01:15:57,690 --> 01:15:59,130
Oh, you've got mussels in it.

1268
01:15:59,130 --> 01:16:01,330
Seafood. Yeah, it's a
seafood omelette, isn't it?

1269
01:16:01,330 --> 01:16:03,810
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Seafood omelette. Thank you.

1270
01:16:05,170 --> 01:16:08,650
I like the batter, very much
and it does feel so fresh.

1271
01:16:08,650 --> 01:16:10,890
It's very nice. Thank you very much.

1272
01:16:10,890 --> 01:16:11,930
We like this.

1273
01:16:13,010 --> 01:16:14,730
You like the sticky noodle? Yes.

1274
01:16:14,730 --> 01:16:16,930
Which one's best?
I like papaya salad.

1275
01:16:16,930 --> 01:16:18,490
Paya...papaya salad.

1276
01:16:18,490 --> 01:16:19,930
I knew you'd say that. Yeah.

1277
01:16:19,930 --> 01:16:22,810
I think I like this best,
this omelette. Local food.

1278
01:16:22,810 --> 01:16:24,650
Very, very good.

1279
01:16:24,650 --> 01:16:27,410
Well. No.

1280
01:16:27,410 --> 01:16:29,970
Even though she can't stand it.

1281
01:16:29,970 --> 01:16:33,170
Don't worry. I'll get you a nice
big English breakfast.

1282
01:16:33,170 --> 01:16:34,690
A little bit English. Yeah.

1283
01:16:36,290 --> 01:16:40,690
The 6.30 overnight train from
Bangkok takes 16 hours to travel the

1284
01:16:40,690 --> 01:16:44,570
500-odd miles down to Trang
on the south-west coast.

1285
01:16:48,130 --> 01:16:49,810
Welcome to Trang. Thank you.

1286
01:16:52,450 --> 01:16:55,650
Having done the hustle and bustle
of the big city, I'm keen to

1287
01:16:55,650 --> 01:17:00,570
experience the slower pace and
beauty of Thailand's famous islands.

1288
01:17:00,570 --> 01:17:03,370
Trang is the gateway to some
of the more remote ones.

1289
01:17:06,330 --> 01:17:09,850
I've hitched a ride on a long-tailed
boat with Sang, a friendly

1290
01:17:09,850 --> 01:17:13,210
fisherman from Koh Muk,
which means "Pearl Island".

1291
01:17:16,010 --> 01:17:17,410
Where's your village?

1292
01:17:17,410 --> 01:17:18,770
The other side.

1293
01:17:18,770 --> 01:17:20,250
How many people?

1294
01:17:20,250 --> 01:17:23,370
About 400 families.

1295
01:17:25,330 --> 01:17:28,890
But before we head on to Sang's
fishing village, he offers to

1296
01:17:28,890 --> 01:17:31,250
take me to one of the
island's best treasures -

1297
01:17:31,250 --> 01:17:32,370
the Emerald Cave.

1298
01:17:35,090 --> 01:17:36,370
Let's do this!

1299
01:17:39,570 --> 01:17:40,850
Which way are we going?

1300
01:17:40,850 --> 01:17:41,850
Over there, Tony.

1301
01:17:50,290 --> 01:17:54,370
You know, I've been boomed
in many different ways

1302
01:17:54,370 --> 01:17:58,330
during 50 years in television,
but look over there.

1303
01:17:58,330 --> 01:18:01,730
That is totally ridiculous.

1304
01:18:01,730 --> 01:18:03,450
THEY LAUGH

1305
01:18:06,770 --> 01:18:08,250
Oh, it's very beautiful.

1306
01:18:08,250 --> 01:18:10,010
Yes. I love this.

1307
01:18:13,730 --> 01:18:16,050
Does it fill it up at high tide?

1308
01:18:16,050 --> 01:18:19,330
Yeah, I say today,
the afternoon is full.

1309
01:18:19,330 --> 01:18:21,450
So we've got to get
back before then? Yes.

1310
01:18:26,930 --> 01:18:29,930
You can't see the sides.
You don't know what's below you.

1311
01:18:29,930 --> 01:18:31,450
And you've never done it before.

1312
01:18:31,450 --> 01:18:33,010
It seems a little bit lonely.

1313
01:18:37,850 --> 01:18:40,570
Wow, I can see the light ahead.

1314
01:18:44,170 --> 01:18:47,090
This is what being born
must have been like.

1315
01:18:47,090 --> 01:18:49,010
I'm coming out!

1316
01:18:49,010 --> 01:18:50,450
Welcome to the world.

1317
01:18:51,690 --> 01:18:53,050
You stand up now.

1318
01:18:53,050 --> 01:18:54,050
Whoa!

1319
01:18:56,890 --> 01:18:58,410
Brilliant!

1320
01:18:58,410 --> 01:19:01,610
Oh, wow, no wonder
you've brought me here.

1321
01:19:01,610 --> 01:19:06,170
I can see now why you had to
come through the cave

1322
01:19:06,170 --> 01:19:08,650
because there's no exit
on the other side.

1323
01:19:08,650 --> 01:19:11,250
It's just God's own courtyard.

1324
01:19:11,250 --> 01:19:12,810
Ah, ha, ha.

1325
01:19:18,850 --> 01:19:22,770
A little circle with the undergrowth
going right up into the sky

1326
01:19:22,770 --> 01:19:25,010
and we are totally isolated.

1327
01:19:27,850 --> 01:19:32,050
Apart from the other tourists
who were queueing behind us.

1328
01:19:34,530 --> 01:19:37,050
This is modern-day
tourist isolation.

1329
01:19:41,090 --> 01:19:42,410
Coming up...

1330
01:19:42,410 --> 01:19:45,010
When you say, "We're going to climb
it," you mean...? You and I.

1331
01:19:45,010 --> 01:19:46,810
..I try to get high in Malaysia.

1332
01:19:46,810 --> 01:19:48,170
Is there any other way?

1333
01:19:48,170 --> 01:19:50,020
THEY LAUGH

1334
01:19:54,380 --> 01:19:57,100
I started in the north,
finished in the south.

1335
01:19:57,100 --> 01:20:00,140
Now it's goodbye, Thailand,
hello, Malaysia!

1336
01:20:04,860 --> 01:20:08,340
But to get there by rail, you have
to change trains and get your

1337
01:20:08,340 --> 01:20:11,060
passport checked at Padang Besar.

1338
01:20:11,060 --> 01:20:14,140
Now I'm on my way
in a whole new country.

1339
01:20:16,780 --> 01:20:20,620
We're over the border now,
it all seems much tidier,

1340
01:20:20,620 --> 01:20:24,580
lots of different faces,
lots more headscarves.

1341
01:20:24,580 --> 01:20:28,220
When I was a little boy,
I had a stamp album

1342
01:20:28,220 --> 01:20:31,100
and it had stamps of Malaya.

1343
01:20:31,100 --> 01:20:35,500
There was King George looking
very austere and then a load

1344
01:20:35,500 --> 01:20:40,180
of local people doing something
with rubber or tea and I did know

1345
01:20:40,180 --> 01:20:44,220
that we had fought the Japanese here
in the Second World War

1346
01:20:44,220 --> 01:20:45,900
and it had been very bloody.

1347
01:20:45,900 --> 01:20:50,300
And I knew we had fought
local insurgents here in the 1950s

1348
01:20:50,300 --> 01:20:52,500
and that had been bloody, too.

1349
01:20:52,500 --> 01:20:56,820
And then in the 1960s,
Malaya got its freedom,

1350
01:20:56,820 --> 01:21:00,340
joined with some other countries
to become Malaysia and

1351
01:21:00,340 --> 01:21:03,780
quite frankly, I think the British
kind of forgot about it after that.

1352
01:21:03,780 --> 01:21:04,780
I certainly did.

1353
01:21:12,100 --> 01:21:14,500
There's the perfect example here

1354
01:21:14,500 --> 01:21:17,700
of the echoes of British rule
in Malaysia.

1355
01:21:18,900 --> 01:21:23,780
The stations have all got really
exotic names like Subang Jaya

1356
01:21:23,780 --> 01:21:28,660
and Batu Tiga, but the terminus
is called Butterworth.

1357
01:21:28,660 --> 01:21:30,140
Who was Butterworth?

1358
01:21:30,140 --> 01:21:32,860
Well, he was a
colonial administrator

1359
01:21:32,860 --> 01:21:35,180
here in the middle
of the 19th century,

1360
01:21:35,180 --> 01:21:39,860
and he was really unpopular
cos he was so stiff and pompous.

1361
01:21:39,860 --> 01:21:43,100
You can imagine him striding
around here, can't you?

1362
01:21:43,100 --> 01:21:44,660
Butterworth.

1363
01:21:51,540 --> 01:21:55,460
The station is a stroll
from the ferry I need to cross the

1364
01:21:55,460 --> 01:21:57,860
Straits of Malacca to Penang Island.

1365
01:21:59,500 --> 01:22:03,780
This area has always been
strategically important for trade.

1366
01:22:03,780 --> 01:22:07,540
And among others, the Romans,
the Portuguese, the Dutch and

1367
01:22:07,540 --> 01:22:09,740
Chinese were all here.

1368
01:22:09,740 --> 01:22:14,340
In 1786, the British East India
Company got hold of it,

1369
01:22:14,340 --> 01:22:18,700
and 80 years later, it became a
British Crown colony, with its main

1370
01:22:18,700 --> 01:22:22,140
town now the second-biggest city
in the whole of Malaysia,

1371
01:22:22,140 --> 01:22:25,340
known as George Town
after King George III.

1372
01:22:26,780 --> 01:22:29,380
This part of town
is a World Heritage Site.

1373
01:22:29,380 --> 01:22:31,500
It's fantastically multicultural.

1374
01:22:33,100 --> 01:22:35,420
Over there, you've got
a Buddhist Temple.

1375
01:22:37,180 --> 01:22:39,940
Which is right opposite
a Hindu Temple.

1376
01:22:41,660 --> 01:22:44,180
And just down the road
is St George's Church.

1377
01:22:45,900 --> 01:22:48,980
And here's a rather nice mosque.

1378
01:22:48,980 --> 01:22:51,180
All in the same street.

1379
01:22:51,180 --> 01:22:54,420
Not surprising locals call it the
"Street of Harmony", is it?

1380
01:22:54,420 --> 01:22:56,700
Rather lovely.

1381
01:22:56,700 --> 01:23:00,300
I think it's time to make
like a colonial Brit and head for

1382
01:23:00,300 --> 01:23:03,180
the cooling breezes up
on Penang Hill.

1383
01:23:03,180 --> 01:23:08,140
This is a very special
kind of train - a funicular.

1384
01:23:08,140 --> 01:23:13,180
Funicular from the Latin "Funis",
meaning "rope",

1385
01:23:13,180 --> 01:23:17,340
because they used to use two ropes
to heave them up and down the hill.

1386
01:23:19,660 --> 01:23:22,620
It really is muggy and
hot in here, which is why

1387
01:23:22,620 --> 01:23:26,540
I bought this, which is
a bit stupid I know but...

1388
01:23:27,820 --> 01:23:28,900
..it is very effective.

1389
01:23:32,020 --> 01:23:37,580
This funicular railway
was built in 1923 by the British.

1390
01:23:37,580 --> 01:23:40,340
Which is probably entirely
the wrong sentence, isn't it?

1391
01:23:40,340 --> 01:23:43,140
It was built in 1923
FOR the British,

1392
01:23:43,140 --> 01:23:47,420
so they could stay in their
lovely cool mansions.

1393
01:23:49,420 --> 01:23:53,820
Now, this is the steepest railway
tunnel in the whole world.

1394
01:23:56,060 --> 01:23:57,620
Not long, but steep.

1395
01:24:01,900 --> 01:24:05,340
And stepping off the funicular,
you enter another world.

1396
01:24:07,180 --> 01:24:11,220
Malaysia's rain forests are
almost twice as old as the Amazon,

1397
01:24:11,220 --> 01:24:14,020
and this part of it, known
as "The Habitat",

1398
01:24:14,020 --> 01:24:18,300
welcomes 80,000 visitors a year
and is managed by Allen Tan.

1399
01:24:19,780 --> 01:24:21,380
This bridge is fairly impressive.

1400
01:24:21,380 --> 01:24:23,420
We're right in the middle
of the forest reserve.

1401
01:24:23,420 --> 01:24:25,900
Boom! Right in the rainforest.
Yes, we are.

1402
01:24:25,900 --> 01:24:28,660
80% of our park,
in a pristine rainforest,

1403
01:24:28,660 --> 01:24:30,980
is wheelchair and pram accessible.

1404
01:24:30,980 --> 01:24:33,860
150 years ago, this place wouldn't
have been all about accessibility.

1405
01:24:33,860 --> 01:24:36,060
No. I would have been allowed here.

1406
01:24:36,060 --> 01:24:38,580
You would have been down
the bottom of the hill. Yes, yes.

1407
01:24:38,580 --> 01:24:42,620
So you had to be of European descent
to even spend a night up here.

1408
01:24:42,620 --> 01:24:45,900
It was a retreat for the officers
of the British settlement

1409
01:24:45,900 --> 01:24:49,100
to begin with and then later,
British-owned companies.

1410
01:24:49,100 --> 01:24:51,900
And now I have to go through
the toll booth and you're the boss.

1411
01:24:51,900 --> 01:24:53,820
THEY LAUGH
Times have changed.

1412
01:24:53,820 --> 01:24:56,420
Changed definitely.
Hopefully for the better.

1413
01:24:59,060 --> 01:25:00,820
Ah. Is that something?

1414
01:25:00,820 --> 01:25:03,100
Yeah, they're our resident
dusky leaf monkeys.

1415
01:25:03,100 --> 01:25:04,700
We call them spectacle monkeys.

1416
01:25:04,700 --> 01:25:08,500
We have slow lorises, we have
flying lizards, flying frogs,

1417
01:25:08,500 --> 01:25:10,380
flying snakes. Ah, great...!

1418
01:25:10,380 --> 01:25:13,020
Actually, more than half of the
biodiversity in the rainforest

1419
01:25:13,020 --> 01:25:14,380
is, in fact, in the tree tops.

1420
01:25:16,940 --> 01:25:19,860
What is that?

1421
01:25:19,860 --> 01:25:21,300
You're in for a treat.

1422
01:25:21,300 --> 01:25:23,940
This is actually, easily,
the biggest tree that we have here

1423
01:25:23,940 --> 01:25:26,500
and we're going to climb it,
to experience the rainforest.

1424
01:25:26,500 --> 01:25:29,100
When you say, "We're going to
climb it," you mean...? You and I.

1425
01:25:29,100 --> 01:25:31,940
We? Yes, not to worry.
It's really easy.

1426
01:25:34,660 --> 01:25:38,900
I'm in Malaysia on a world tour
by train, but right now,

1427
01:25:38,900 --> 01:25:40,900
I'm on Penang Island

1428
01:25:40,900 --> 01:25:44,700
in a 130-million-year-old
rainforest,

1429
01:25:44,700 --> 01:25:47,540
and have been pressured
into climbing a very big tree.

1430
01:25:48,900 --> 01:25:55,980
Ben's going up first so that
he can shoot me coming up.

1431
01:25:55,980 --> 01:25:59,460
But the fit, young cameraman's
not making it look that easy.

1432
01:26:02,300 --> 01:26:04,140
Tony, how are you feeling
about the climb?

1433
01:26:04,140 --> 01:26:05,940
Not great.

1434
01:26:08,220 --> 01:26:09,940
Look at the sunset.

1435
01:26:09,940 --> 01:26:12,340
You couldn't have chosen
a better evening for it.

1436
01:26:18,860 --> 01:26:21,700
I've no confidence in doing this.
I really don't.

1437
01:26:22,860 --> 01:26:24,420
Never again.

1438
01:26:30,780 --> 01:26:33,620
And to film in the light
before the sun sets,

1439
01:26:33,620 --> 01:26:35,740
we're now under time pressure, too.

1440
01:26:37,900 --> 01:26:39,740
Ben! You know what the time is?

1441
01:26:39,740 --> 01:26:42,420
What time? 6.30.

1442
01:26:42,420 --> 01:26:44,220
You know what time we lose the sun?

1443
01:26:44,220 --> 01:26:45,740
6.30. Yeah.

1444
01:26:48,340 --> 01:26:50,380
OK. Sit on the harness. Yep.

1445
01:26:50,380 --> 01:26:53,540
There you go. You can use your
feet to bounce off the tree.

1446
01:26:53,540 --> 01:26:55,580
Yeah. Use the feet.

1447
01:26:55,580 --> 01:26:57,140
Kick off the tree.

1448
01:26:57,140 --> 01:26:58,860
Yep, OK? Yeah.

1449
01:26:58,860 --> 01:27:01,220
All right? Yeah.

1450
01:27:01,220 --> 01:27:03,380
All right, OK.

1451
01:27:03,380 --> 01:27:04,580
Allen? Yes.

1452
01:27:04,580 --> 01:27:07,580
Is there any other way to see this?

1453
01:27:07,580 --> 01:27:10,900
Yeah, well, there is, actually,
if you like. What?!

1454
01:27:12,460 --> 01:27:14,700
It's around the corner.
You said you wanted to climb.

1455
01:27:14,700 --> 01:27:16,900
I never said I wanted to climb!

1456
01:27:16,900 --> 01:27:19,340
Everybody else said
I wanted to climb. OK.

1457
01:27:19,340 --> 01:27:20,820
There we are.

1458
01:27:21,860 --> 01:27:23,860
OK. Oh, gosh.

1459
01:27:23,860 --> 01:27:25,700
Ah, jeez.
LAUGHTER

1460
01:27:25,700 --> 01:27:27,100
Well, I did try.

1461
01:27:28,780 --> 01:27:32,620
But now, the race is on to get
to another viewpoint to see

1462
01:27:32,620 --> 01:27:35,940
the special bio-diversity
of the rainforest treetops.

1463
01:27:37,380 --> 01:27:38,980
I can see mist.

1464
01:27:38,980 --> 01:27:40,340
The fog's coming in.

1465
01:27:50,380 --> 01:27:51,460
So here we are.

1466
01:27:52,660 --> 01:27:55,580
What would you say
we can see from here?

1467
01:27:55,580 --> 01:27:56,660
Fog.

1468
01:27:56,660 --> 01:27:58,500
LAUGHTER

1469
01:27:58,500 --> 01:28:01,220
And you can see Langkawi Island
on a clear day.

1470
01:28:01,220 --> 01:28:03,500
Yep. All the way down to the
south of the island.

1471
01:28:03,500 --> 01:28:06,380
There's an optimism about
you that I really like.

1472
01:28:06,380 --> 01:28:09,180
Cos frankly, all
I can see is the mist.

1473
01:28:09,180 --> 01:28:12,060
You can still see Bel Retiro,
the 200-year-old property that

1474
01:28:12,060 --> 01:28:14,260
belongs to the Governor of
Penang, across there.

1475
01:28:14,260 --> 01:28:17,420
Oh, yeah, you can see that because
it's only 50 yards away. Yes, it is.

1476
01:28:17,420 --> 01:28:18,940
Anyway. Moving on.

1477
01:28:23,820 --> 01:28:24,820
Butterworth.

1478
01:28:27,180 --> 01:28:31,380
My final destination on this leg
of my journey is Kuala Lumpur,

1479
01:28:31,380 --> 01:28:32,820
KL, as it's called.

1480
01:28:32,820 --> 01:28:35,940
It's supposed to be vibrant,
exciting.

1481
01:28:35,940 --> 01:28:37,180
Sounds good, doesn't it?

1482
01:28:40,100 --> 01:28:41,740
Coffee with milk, please.

1483
01:28:41,740 --> 01:28:45,060
And to get there, the train-spotters
out there will have noticed

1484
01:28:45,060 --> 01:28:48,660
I'm taking the ETS,
or electric train service.

1485
01:28:48,660 --> 01:28:50,060
I really like this train.

1486
01:28:50,060 --> 01:28:52,740
It's metre-gauge,
which is very rare.

1487
01:28:52,740 --> 01:28:56,980
It's electric, it goes at
a max speed of 89mph.

1488
01:28:56,980 --> 01:29:01,300
In fact, it's the fastest
metre-gauge electric train

1489
01:29:01,300 --> 01:29:02,300
in the world.

1490
01:29:06,700 --> 01:29:11,260
Kuala Lumpur rather unglamorously
means "muddy confluence",

1491
01:29:11,260 --> 01:29:17,020
cos the city was founded in 1857 by
Chinese tin miners who carved it out

1492
01:29:17,020 --> 01:29:22,260
of virgin jungle at the spot where
the Gombak and Klang Rivers meet.

1493
01:29:22,260 --> 01:29:26,140
But in the handful of generations
since, a lot has changed.

1494
01:29:27,220 --> 01:29:29,780
Kuala Lumpur,
the capital of Malaysia,

1495
01:29:29,780 --> 01:29:32,980
and one of the fastest-growing
cities in Southeast Asia.

1496
01:29:32,980 --> 01:29:36,780
Have a look at these
ridiculously tall towers.

1497
01:29:36,780 --> 01:29:38,980
The Petronas Twin Towers.

1498
01:29:38,980 --> 01:29:41,820
They epitomise the kind of
development that is going on

1499
01:29:41,820 --> 01:29:44,340
around here. They're futuristic.

1500
01:29:44,340 --> 01:29:47,860
They're confident. Real
"reach for the sky" architecture.

1501
01:29:49,540 --> 01:29:52,380
But Kuala Lumpur wasn't
always like this.

1502
01:29:52,380 --> 01:29:55,940
In the shadow of the modern city,
there's another side.

1503
01:29:55,940 --> 01:29:59,380
Asha Gill moved here from
Britain 24 years ago.

1504
01:29:59,380 --> 01:30:01,020
I do find it extraordinary.

1505
01:30:01,020 --> 01:30:04,780
You've got all these
fantastic skyscrapers,

1506
01:30:04,780 --> 01:30:09,580
a trillion miles high and over here,
almost in spitting distance,

1507
01:30:09,580 --> 01:30:12,980
you've got these beautiful
but tiny little shacks.

1508
01:30:12,980 --> 01:30:15,220
How did that happen? This is
right in the middle of town.

1509
01:30:15,220 --> 01:30:18,100
Well, when the Brits came over,
KL was very rural

1510
01:30:18,100 --> 01:30:21,460
and they were like, "Right,
we are placing our flag here!"

1511
01:30:21,460 --> 01:30:26,420
Right? OK. And so, they relocated
the kampung to the outskirts.

1512
01:30:26,420 --> 01:30:28,980
So these are people who did live
in the centre of town

1513
01:30:28,980 --> 01:30:30,220
and were then shoved out.

1514
01:30:30,220 --> 01:30:32,900
Shoved out and so this is
called Kampung Baru, which is

1515
01:30:32,900 --> 01:30:33,980
"the new village",

1516
01:30:33,980 --> 01:30:36,340
but now it's almost like the
most prime land in KL.

1517
01:30:36,340 --> 01:30:39,700
Some of the poorer Malays have
got the real prime property.

1518
01:30:39,700 --> 01:30:41,860
They're the richest people
in Malaysia, you know?

1519
01:30:44,660 --> 01:30:48,900
Even though the land here
is worth £1.1 billion,

1520
01:30:48,900 --> 01:30:53,460
the Kampung Baru is an important
political symbol of Malay culture

1521
01:30:53,460 --> 01:30:56,820
and the locals are still holding
out against the developers.

1522
01:30:59,060 --> 01:31:02,780
But in this city of contrasts,
you can go from street level

1523
01:31:02,780 --> 01:31:05,020
to the top of the world
in an instant.

1524
01:31:07,900 --> 01:31:10,220
It's extraordinary
that you've brought me

1525
01:31:10,220 --> 01:31:15,820
from this very modest old town to
all the glory of contemporary KL.

1526
01:31:17,580 --> 01:31:19,780
There's the call to prayer going,

1527
01:31:19,780 --> 01:31:23,300
but we're listening to it
in front of these sky-scrapers.

1528
01:31:23,300 --> 01:31:25,540
It's kind of like hi-tech minarets.

1529
01:31:25,540 --> 01:31:28,740
As a Brit, your great, great,
great grandparents

1530
01:31:28,740 --> 01:31:32,020
would have been involved in
seizing this country

1531
01:31:32,020 --> 01:31:35,540
and occupying it for
the best part of 150 years. Yeah.

1532
01:31:35,540 --> 01:31:37,460
Don't you feel slightly resented?

1533
01:31:37,460 --> 01:31:40,980
There was all of that history, but
what most people talk about when

1534
01:31:40,980 --> 01:31:42,940
they talk about the history
of Malaysia

1535
01:31:42,940 --> 01:31:44,900
is from independence onwards.

1536
01:31:44,900 --> 01:31:47,540
"Look what we've done.
Look how we've grown the country."

1537
01:31:47,540 --> 01:31:49,940
Do you mean to say
they've forgotten us?!

1538
01:31:49,940 --> 01:31:51,700
They've forgotten Butterworth?!

1539
01:31:51,700 --> 01:31:54,460
THEY LAUGH

1540
01:31:54,460 --> 01:31:57,900
It is an extraordinary country
full of contradictions, isn't it?

1541
01:31:57,900 --> 01:31:59,420
Yeah. Absolutely.

1542
01:32:05,140 --> 01:32:08,820
Seems an age ago since I
was playing with baby elephants

1543
01:32:08,820 --> 01:32:13,460
and being blessed by that monk
in Chiang Mai who hoped that

1544
01:32:13,460 --> 01:32:17,300
I would have and inspiring
and wonderful journey.

1545
01:32:17,300 --> 01:32:21,660
Well, I have and I hope
the next one will be just as good.

1546
01:32:21,660 --> 01:32:24,220
4,000 miles away - Sydney.

1547
01:32:26,060 --> 01:32:29,780
Next time, my journey
continues in Australia,

1548
01:32:29,780 --> 01:32:33,180
on some of the most
remote train lines in the world.

1549
01:32:34,660 --> 01:32:36,660
From the Aussie outback...

1550
01:32:36,660 --> 01:32:38,980
Not so fast! Not so fast!

1551
01:32:38,980 --> 01:32:41,180
..to the Great Barrier Reef.

1552
01:32:41,180 --> 01:32:44,860
It's like something out of
Apocalypse Now down there.

1553
01:32:44,860 --> 01:32:47,020
And I get up close...

1554
01:32:47,020 --> 01:32:48,780
Tastes like ant's bum to me.

1555
01:32:48,780 --> 01:32:51,380
..and personal to the local
wildlife.

1556
01:32:51,380 --> 01:32:53,700
It's a big'un. My goodness me!

1557
01:33:18,660 --> 01:33:21,660
Subtitles by Red Bee Media