1 00:00:52,734 --> 00:00:55,407 These men are more than just wrestlers. 2 00:00:59,654 --> 00:01:02,612 In Mexico City, they're heroes. 3 00:01:06,014 --> 00:01:09,051 They're mean, moody and macho. 4 00:01:12,414 --> 00:01:15,372 And like everywhere where men throw each other about, 5 00:01:15,534 --> 00:01:18,207 there are women who love to watch. 6 00:01:20,214 --> 00:01:24,093 - How many years has she been watching? - 40 years. 7 00:01:24,254 --> 00:01:26,370 40 years? 8 00:01:26,534 --> 00:01:29,890 These are the Lucha Libre, or free fighters. 9 00:01:30,054 --> 00:01:34,172 Inspired by comic-book heroes, they have names like Satan and The Ghost. 10 00:01:34,334 --> 00:01:38,407 Amongst the oppressed of Mexico City, they have a legendary status. 11 00:01:38,574 --> 00:01:42,328 - What are they all shouting? - "Kill him, kill him." 12 00:01:42,494 --> 00:01:44,246 (SHOUTING) 13 00:01:44,414 --> 00:01:50,569 Grandmothers watch appreciatively as groins are clutched, faces punched, arms wrenched. 14 00:01:58,374 --> 00:02:01,923 Their grandchildren can't wait to grow up and get in there too. 15 00:02:02,094 --> 00:02:06,451 For everyone else, it's just a great day out. 16 00:02:14,334 --> 00:02:17,929 I'm sure there are Mexicans who stay at home in the evening, 17 00:02:18,094 --> 00:02:20,562 but this is not the land of the introverted. 18 00:02:20,734 --> 00:02:24,409 If you like company, Mexico is the place for you. 19 00:02:25,934 --> 00:02:30,086 Mariachi bands will serenade you wherever you want to go, 20 00:02:30,254 --> 00:02:32,245 whether you like it or not. 21 00:02:34,254 --> 00:02:36,404 Under pretence of selling cigars... 22 00:02:36,574 --> 00:02:41,694 And if you want to know if you're a real man, there are machines on hand to prove it. 23 00:02:41,854 --> 00:02:43,845 Yeah. 24 00:02:44,014 --> 00:02:46,653 I do this. You put electric... Ah! Ooh! 25 00:02:46,814 --> 00:02:49,453 Yeah. I see. Yeah. 26 00:02:49,614 --> 00:02:52,651 It's supposed to test your macho-ness, isn't it? 27 00:02:52,814 --> 00:02:56,887 There's a definite tingle. Ooh! OK. Ooh! 28 00:02:57,054 --> 00:03:03,129 It's like those machines at the fair that said, "Kissable, very kissable, explosive." 29 00:03:03,294 --> 00:03:07,526 Yeah. Higher? What's that going to? 30 00:03:07,694 --> 00:03:11,926 Three? 30 volts? No, I don't think so. 31 00:03:13,934 --> 00:03:19,452 All I need is a lampshade on my head. That's quite enough. Stop. 32 00:03:19,614 --> 00:03:23,653 That's quite enough! He's a sadist, this man. 33 00:03:23,814 --> 00:03:27,363 - Ah, ooh, OK. Ow! - (CHILDREN LAUGH) 34 00:03:27,534 --> 00:03:30,332 I've broken his machine! Oh, dear. 35 00:03:30,494 --> 00:03:32,724 (SHOUTS IN SPANISH) 36 00:03:32,894 --> 00:03:34,885 (SHOUTING) 37 00:03:35,054 --> 00:03:37,932 (SINGS) 38 00:03:47,014 --> 00:03:49,209 Mexico City has quite a pedigree. 39 00:03:49,374 --> 00:03:54,050 0nce it was a dazzling Aztec citadel, full of canals and palaces. 40 00:03:54,214 --> 00:03:58,446 Then the Spanish conquerors built the centre of their American empire here. 41 00:03:58,614 --> 00:04:00,969 Today it's the world's largest city. 42 00:04:01,134 --> 00:04:07,369 16 million people live in a polluted bowl 7,500 feet above the sea. 43 00:04:19,054 --> 00:04:23,570 For the few lucky ones, there has always been prosperity at the centre of it all. 44 00:04:23,734 --> 00:04:26,646 Today huge investment, mostly from the USA, 45 00:04:26,814 --> 00:04:31,251 has taken the place of the wealth the Spanish left behind. 46 00:04:42,534 --> 00:04:47,244 Cathedral bells sound over the Zocalo, the square that is the heart of the city 47 00:04:47,414 --> 00:04:50,884 and a good place for a quiet start to the day. 48 00:04:51,054 --> 00:04:56,174 But, this being Mexico, there's no such thing as a quiet start to the day. 49 00:04:56,334 --> 00:04:59,053 (DRUMMING) 50 00:05:03,814 --> 00:05:06,851 The Aztecs may have been gone for nearly 500 years, 51 00:05:07,014 --> 00:05:11,849 but fortunately for the tourist board someone remembers their dances. 52 00:05:15,374 --> 00:05:18,923 In the centre of the square there's more topical activity. 53 00:05:27,014 --> 00:05:31,963 A local radical group is painting temporary hoardings as a protest against the government. 54 00:05:32,134 --> 00:05:35,206 (CHANTING IN SPANISH) 55 00:05:38,454 --> 00:05:41,730 Their caped crusader is a character called Super Barrio, 56 00:05:41,894 --> 00:05:47,651 "barrio" meaning a poor district, the sort of place from which most of his support is drawn. 57 00:05:47,814 --> 00:05:50,567 (CHANTING IN SPANISH) 58 00:05:52,774 --> 00:05:59,612 Super Barrio had the bright idea of turning the masked wrestlers into political activists. 59 00:06:00,254 --> 00:06:03,132 (SPEAKS SPANISH) 60 00:06:03,294 --> 00:06:07,367 "The situation in Mexico is hopeless," he says to the crowd. 61 00:06:07,534 --> 00:06:10,367 "There is no work, no future. 62 00:06:12,414 --> 00:06:15,372 "This state of affairs is forcing thousands of people 63 00:06:15,534 --> 00:06:18,048 "to risk their lives crossing the border 64 00:06:18,214 --> 00:06:22,127 "to find even worse conditions in the USA." 65 00:06:24,374 --> 00:06:27,684 Super Barrio's words are noted and reported. 66 00:06:27,854 --> 00:06:30,926 (CHANTING) Super Barrio presidente! 67 00:06:34,694 --> 00:06:38,323 When he's finished painting, the government moves in. 68 00:06:41,014 --> 00:06:44,324 They have only one colour, but it does the job. 69 00:06:46,974 --> 00:06:52,446 Soon the tourists in the Zocalo will no longer have to be bothered with Super Barrio's views. 70 00:06:55,574 --> 00:06:59,692 As befits the world's largest city, there's something for everyone. 71 00:06:59,854 --> 00:07:02,926 A shop entirely full of loofahs, for instance. 72 00:07:03,094 --> 00:07:07,849 And across the square, a restaurant promising "comida exótica y precolombina". 73 00:07:08,014 --> 00:07:12,883 The food they ate before Columbus found America. I have to find out what this is. 74 00:07:13,054 --> 00:07:15,045 (SPEAKS SPANISH) 75 00:07:15,214 --> 00:07:18,331 Before the Spaniards brought over sheep, cows and goats, 76 00:07:18,494 --> 00:07:22,009 the staple food seems to have been insects. 77 00:07:22,174 --> 00:07:25,962 Delicacies include baby grasshoppers, mosquito eggs, 78 00:07:26,134 --> 00:07:30,650 fried beetles and the chef's speciality, gusanos. 79 00:07:32,054 --> 00:07:34,249 (SPEAKS SPANISH) 80 00:07:39,134 --> 00:07:40,726 Get out my phrase book. 81 00:07:40,894 --> 00:07:46,014 Now, then, let me see. Gusanos. Ahl Here we are. 82 00:07:46,174 --> 00:07:48,324 Gusanos... maggots. 83 00:07:48,494 --> 00:07:54,933 So I eat it with this. A bit of tortilla and a bit of guacamole to help the maggots slide down. 84 00:07:55,094 --> 00:07:57,403 There we are. Let's try one there. 85 00:07:57,574 --> 00:08:00,452 Two. Just try two to start with. 86 00:08:00,614 --> 00:08:03,003 There they are, nestling out. 87 00:08:08,934 --> 00:08:12,370 Not the best maggot I've had, but pretty damn close. 88 00:08:13,574 --> 00:08:16,168 It's good grub! 89 00:08:29,094 --> 00:08:33,963 Mexico City is behind us, but there's still a long way to go to complete the circle. 90 00:08:34,134 --> 00:08:36,728 With nearly 40,000 miles on the clock, 91 00:08:36,894 --> 00:08:41,445 fatigue is creeping in and dreams of home are becoming more frequent. 92 00:08:56,574 --> 00:09:00,453 Mexico is split between the Hispanics, whose ancestors were European, 93 00:09:00,614 --> 00:09:03,447 and the Indians, whose predecessors were from Asia, 94 00:09:03,614 --> 00:09:07,846 and who, many believe, crossed the Bering Strait when it was still land. 95 00:09:08,014 --> 00:09:12,565 More often than not, it's the Indians who get the rough end of the stick. 96 00:09:13,494 --> 00:09:16,645 Guadeloupe and her family are Indians. 97 00:09:18,454 --> 00:09:21,366 Her husband, Don Antonio, works a smallholding. 98 00:09:21,534 --> 00:09:25,686 This year he can't afford to grow anything other than maize. 99 00:09:25,854 --> 00:09:31,053 Maize is the basis of tortillas, the staple diet of rural Mexico. 100 00:09:32,654 --> 00:09:36,806 With ten mouths to feed, Guadeloupe must make 80 a day. 101 00:09:38,254 --> 00:09:40,927 But she still has time to give cookery lessons. 102 00:09:41,094 --> 00:09:43,324 (THEY SPEAK SPANISH) 103 00:09:47,574 --> 00:09:53,046 - OK. Water first. Agua más importante. - Si. 104 00:09:53,214 --> 00:09:55,205 Agua. And then... 105 00:09:59,734 --> 00:10:03,363 I think mine's a bit wet. Yours looks nice and dry. 106 00:10:03,534 --> 00:10:08,050 Oh, dear. Look at that. Serrated edges! 107 00:10:11,614 --> 00:10:17,405 In normal cookery programmes they cut to one they made earlier. They don't keep going! 108 00:10:18,254 --> 00:10:20,404 Jolly difficult, actually, isn't it? 109 00:10:20,574 --> 00:10:25,648 It took her 30 years to do this. I'm expected to do it in 30 seconds! 110 00:10:25,814 --> 00:10:29,329 Most of this, Guadeloupe, is in my hand. 111 00:10:36,734 --> 00:10:39,532 I wouldn't give that to a dog! Oh, dear. 112 00:10:39,694 --> 00:10:44,688 Despite my appalling performance, Guadeloupe would not let us go without tortillas, 113 00:10:44,854 --> 00:10:48,688 nor Don Antonio without a sackful of corn cobs. 114 00:10:50,094 --> 00:10:52,369 From their village north of Mexico City, 115 00:10:52,534 --> 00:10:58,723 we head across the country to the Pacific coast and the American border, 1,000 miles away. 116 00:11:05,654 --> 00:11:10,125 Tijuana is always painted as the victim, a town of easy virtue. 117 00:11:10,294 --> 00:11:13,047 Its cultural heritage is all too often ignored. 118 00:11:13,214 --> 00:11:17,287 The guidebooks are disparaging about architecture but they never mention this. 119 00:11:17,454 --> 00:11:19,570 The lady over there is a house. 120 00:11:19,734 --> 00:11:23,966 Not your typical two-up one-down, 121 00:11:24,134 --> 00:11:27,843 but that was designed by an architect and modelled on his wife. 122 00:11:28,014 --> 00:11:30,574 Before it was finished, he divorced his wife. 123 00:11:30,734 --> 00:11:35,205 He lives there with his second wife, who resents living in the first one's body. 124 00:11:35,374 --> 00:11:38,172 It's wonderful that they were allowed to build it. 125 00:11:38,334 --> 00:11:40,484 A message for Britain's planners. 126 00:11:40,654 --> 00:11:43,691 Barratt Homes, estates of naked ladies across Surrey! 127 00:11:43,854 --> 00:11:47,164 Get on with it, Britain! Take your example from Tijuana! 128 00:11:52,854 --> 00:11:57,006 - (WOMAN) Adiós, señor! - Bye! 129 00:11:58,734 --> 00:12:00,326 This is the US border. 130 00:12:00,494 --> 00:12:05,807 A ten-foot high steel barrier made from landing strip sections from the Vietnam War. 131 00:12:05,974 --> 00:12:07,965 It's called the Tortilla Curtain. 132 00:12:08,134 --> 00:12:12,764 Those who cross illegally are known as "pollos" - chickens. 133 00:12:12,934 --> 00:12:19,453 You have to pay about... between 300 to 350. It all depends. 134 00:12:19,614 --> 00:12:23,687 Dollars, you know. To pay to the coyote. 135 00:12:23,854 --> 00:12:30,327 So, I tell you, many people has not one nickel. 136 00:12:30,494 --> 00:12:34,009 So they have to do for themselves. 137 00:12:34,174 --> 00:12:37,530 - Do you know of anyone who's been over? - Yes, me. 138 00:12:37,694 --> 00:12:43,291 - Really? You've tried it yourself? - Yes, I did. Twice. 139 00:12:44,854 --> 00:12:46,845 Tijuana is a magnet for the pollos. 140 00:12:47,014 --> 00:12:49,528 From here, it's no distance to Los Angeles. 141 00:12:51,614 --> 00:12:56,290 If you're determined to go, the Tortilla Curtain can look a very flimsy obstacle. 142 00:12:56,454 --> 00:12:59,844 Do people swim out and round it, or is that too dangerous? 143 00:13:00,014 --> 00:13:04,530 I think it's too dangerous because it's very... 144 00:13:04,694 --> 00:13:08,004 Sometimes the sea is very great, you know. 145 00:13:08,174 --> 00:13:10,210 Some people cross, but... 146 00:13:10,374 --> 00:13:14,765 - What does that mean? "Cuidate..." - "Cuidate, paisano." 147 00:13:14,934 --> 00:13:16,925 "Take care, neighbour." 148 00:13:17,094 --> 00:13:19,528 Meaning dangerous to go beyond... 149 00:13:19,694 --> 00:13:27,044 That's right, because just crossing the border, they find many, many problems. 150 00:13:27,214 --> 00:13:31,048 What's the view of the Mexicans of this fence? It shouldn't be there? 151 00:13:31,214 --> 00:13:39,849 Very sad, you know, because don't forget, all this used to be Mexico. 152 00:13:40,854 --> 00:13:45,848 Arturo Espinosa shows me the risks that Mexicans and others are prepared to take 153 00:13:46,014 --> 00:13:49,893 to climb out of poverty and into the land of opportunity. 154 00:13:53,334 --> 00:13:57,566 There's a never-ending stream of pollos waiting to take their chance. 155 00:13:57,734 --> 00:14:05,322 - Are these all people waiting to get over? - Yes. They try to get some polleros. 156 00:14:05,494 --> 00:14:10,284 They may go on their own, or pay guides known as polleros or coyotes. 157 00:14:10,454 --> 00:14:14,891 When will these guys go, do you think? Oh, they're going now. 158 00:14:15,054 --> 00:14:17,727 Yeah, they go now. There's a way they cross. 159 00:14:17,894 --> 00:14:19,691 - Yeah. - See? 160 00:14:19,854 --> 00:14:25,247 Just... What's going to happen to them? The middle of the day is a bit risky. 161 00:14:25,414 --> 00:14:29,885 I think it's a big mistake, you know, but... they do. 162 00:14:30,054 --> 00:14:33,285 Is it just young guys, or do women and children go under? 163 00:14:33,454 --> 00:14:36,252 Women and children and old people too. 164 00:14:36,414 --> 00:14:39,326 Anybody who needs work, who needs money. 165 00:14:39,494 --> 00:14:42,406 - I could get under there into America. - Sure. 166 00:14:42,574 --> 00:14:45,964 You can go if you want. 167 00:14:47,774 --> 00:14:51,130 Look right, look left. 168 00:14:53,054 --> 00:14:56,410 - Here I am. This is America. - It's America. 169 00:14:56,574 --> 00:14:59,247 - No passport, no papers. No queues. - Nothing. 170 00:14:59,414 --> 00:15:01,405 We are pollos already. 171 00:15:01,574 --> 00:15:04,646 So are they. Nigel, have you got your passport? 172 00:15:04,814 --> 00:15:08,124 - You cheated on me! - They look like chickens too! 173 00:15:08,294 --> 00:15:12,572 - Vehicles patrol along here. - Yes. 174 00:15:12,734 --> 00:15:16,852 - Are we being observed at this moment? - Sure. Of course. 175 00:15:17,014 --> 00:15:21,132 We are observed from there. You see that point? More and more fellas. 176 00:15:21,294 --> 00:15:25,685 - We'd better leave the land of the free. - Yeah, we'd better go. 177 00:15:29,094 --> 00:15:32,325 Last year alone, over half a million people were arrested 178 00:15:32,494 --> 00:15:35,850 for crossing this 60-mile stretch of the Tortilla Curtain. 179 00:15:36,014 --> 00:15:37,811 But still they go. 180 00:15:41,094 --> 00:15:45,884 The young woman I saw at the fence goes ahead to scout the ground. 181 00:15:49,574 --> 00:15:52,008 (MICHAEL) There's a whole group going now. 182 00:15:52,174 --> 00:15:56,087 One, two, three, four, five, six, seven people. 183 00:15:56,254 --> 00:15:58,814 Eight, with the girl. 184 00:15:58,974 --> 00:16:02,728 - Are they with a coyote? - I don't think so. 185 00:16:02,894 --> 00:16:05,249 (ARTURO) They go for it themselves. 186 00:16:05,414 --> 00:16:09,487 (MICHAEL) They're bent double, crouching to avoid being seen. 187 00:16:09,654 --> 00:16:12,646 (ARTURO) These people have more experience. 188 00:16:15,854 --> 00:16:18,209 A crowd gathers to will them on. 189 00:16:18,374 --> 00:16:22,083 But in broad daylight and only 100 yards from the airport terminal, 190 00:16:22,254 --> 00:16:24,404 the attempt looks suicidal. 191 00:16:27,374 --> 00:16:32,368 (MICHAEL) They don't seem to wear any dark or camouflage clothing. 192 00:16:32,534 --> 00:16:34,809 Someone with a pink shirt. Very obvious. 193 00:16:34,974 --> 00:16:38,489 (ARTURO) Poor people. They are very simple people. 194 00:16:38,654 --> 00:16:43,170 - (MICHAEL) Just take what they've got. - People from the country. 195 00:16:47,254 --> 00:16:50,929 (ARTURO) Look. See? They get to know the direction. 196 00:16:54,494 --> 00:16:56,803 (HELICOPTER OVERHEAD) 197 00:17:00,294 --> 00:17:03,730 The helicopter is coming. Right there, see? 198 00:17:05,454 --> 00:17:07,763 The helicopter is coming. 199 00:17:16,694 --> 00:17:19,003 (MICHAEL) Here comes the vehicle. 200 00:17:21,134 --> 00:17:26,003 They must know that they've made the break. They must have observed them. 201 00:17:27,454 --> 00:17:31,970 - How many in each patrol? Is it just two guys? - Yeah. Two guys. 202 00:17:32,134 --> 00:17:36,571 - Are they armed? - They have guns and everything. 203 00:17:36,734 --> 00:17:38,725 (ARTURO) They go for them. 204 00:17:41,214 --> 00:17:44,684 If you were in that group of people, what would you do? 205 00:17:44,854 --> 00:17:46,924 I'd run in different directions. 206 00:17:47,094 --> 00:17:49,688 - Somebody can escape. - Yeah. 207 00:17:50,734 --> 00:17:54,886 - (ARTURO) Look at the other van. - Here comes the other vehicle. 208 00:17:55,054 --> 00:17:58,046 (ARTURO) It's coming in the other direction. 209 00:18:00,094 --> 00:18:02,892 (MICHAEL) They're cornered. They've had it. 210 00:18:03,054 --> 00:18:06,683 - And the money they paid the coyote? - They lose it. Wasted. 211 00:18:06,854 --> 00:18:10,005 - How much do you reckon they pay? - I think 250. 212 00:18:10,174 --> 00:18:14,645 (ARTURO) Look at the other cars. There are three now. 213 00:18:14,814 --> 00:18:17,248 So it's impossible they escape. 214 00:18:19,934 --> 00:18:25,770 The legal border between Tijuana and the USA is the busiest land crossing in the world. 215 00:18:25,934 --> 00:18:30,644 30 million people pass over it in a year and the salesmen are ready for them. 216 00:18:40,814 --> 00:18:45,410 The gauntlet of souvenir stalls, row upon row of international junk, 217 00:18:45,574 --> 00:18:51,331 feels like an ominous warning of what is to come as I step from the Third World into the First. 218 00:18:59,014 --> 00:19:01,164 (W0MAN) Welcome to the United States. 219 00:19:01,334 --> 00:19:05,452 You are about to apply for admission at the world's busiest border. 220 00:19:05,614 --> 00:19:07,969 Please have your documents ready. 221 00:19:08,134 --> 00:19:11,126 The use of fraudulent documents is a federal offence. 222 00:19:11,294 --> 00:19:14,206 Aliens attempting to enter with fraudulent documents 223 00:19:14,374 --> 00:19:17,889 will be detained for a hearing before an immigration judge. 224 00:19:18,054 --> 00:19:23,811 Re-entry after exclusion or deportation will result in felony prosecution. 225 00:19:35,054 --> 00:19:37,568 Welcome to the United States of America. 226 00:19:37,734 --> 00:19:41,727 You are about to apply for admission at the world's busiest border. 227 00:19:41,894 --> 00:19:44,169 Please have your documents ready. 228 00:19:44,334 --> 00:19:47,371 The use of fraudulent documents is a federal offence. 229 00:19:47,534 --> 00:19:50,412 Aliens attempting to enter with fraudulent documents 230 00:19:50,574 --> 00:19:53,884 will be detained for a hearing before an immigration judge. 231 00:19:54,054 --> 00:19:55,885 Re-entry after exclusion... 232 00:19:56,054 --> 00:19:58,568 (MICHAEL) Before I go very far into the US, 233 00:19:58,734 --> 00:20:02,568 curiosity compels me to look at the border from the other side. 234 00:20:02,734 --> 00:20:07,046 I'm with Ron Henley of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service. 235 00:20:07,214 --> 00:20:10,968 Yesterday's enemy is my host today. 236 00:20:11,134 --> 00:20:14,206 Last year, 523,000 arrests. 237 00:20:14,374 --> 00:20:20,370 Um... right now we're up around a little over 400,000, so we're on a pace with that. 238 00:20:20,534 --> 00:20:25,324 How many of these people have been over before? Do you have any figures on that? 239 00:20:25,494 --> 00:20:30,648 At a bare minimum, we have about a 40% recidivism rate. 240 00:20:30,814 --> 00:20:33,851 What's your feeling about the people you pick up? 241 00:20:34,014 --> 00:20:39,964 What do you feel? That they're just trying to get some work, or what? 242 00:20:40,134 --> 00:20:44,889 It's a push-pull effect. They're pushed up here and drawn up here economically. 243 00:20:45,054 --> 00:20:49,525 I think if I was in their shoes, I'd be doing the same thing. 244 00:20:51,134 --> 00:20:52,931 The border at night. 245 00:20:53,094 --> 00:20:57,372 An expensive array of hi-tech equipment has been made available to Ron's men 246 00:20:57,534 --> 00:21:01,322 by a generous, if increasingly paranoid, US Congress. 247 00:21:01,494 --> 00:21:04,531 Infrared cameras scan the fence. 248 00:21:04,694 --> 00:21:10,132 - What are you seeing there? - There's a group on the south side of the fence... 249 00:21:11,454 --> 00:21:15,413 ...waiting to cross the border. 250 00:21:15,574 --> 00:21:17,371 They're still in Mexico. 251 00:21:17,534 --> 00:21:20,970 They're moving around, seeing where there's a good opening 252 00:21:21,134 --> 00:21:24,365 to come through without being detected. 253 00:21:24,534 --> 00:21:29,892 - How far away are they? - From a quarter of a mile to half a mile away. 254 00:21:30,894 --> 00:21:35,604 They are in darkness. As far as they're concerned, they're walking around... 255 00:21:35,774 --> 00:21:38,129 - Yes, they are. - They're in the dark. 256 00:21:38,294 --> 00:21:43,322 You can see them because of the sensor... which gets the heat... 257 00:21:43,494 --> 00:21:47,248 The body heat. Yes. Exactly. 258 00:21:47,414 --> 00:21:50,963 - There's a lot of activity, isn't there? - Yes. 259 00:21:51,134 --> 00:21:56,288 - What's happening there? - We have a group of 10 or 15. 260 00:21:56,454 --> 00:21:59,969 They're on the north side of the fence, which is US. 261 00:22:00,134 --> 00:22:02,853 It looks like they're resting right now. 262 00:22:03,014 --> 00:22:08,293 They wait and look for the movement of our vehicles and see when they disperse. 263 00:22:08,454 --> 00:22:11,491 They wait for an opportunity to move north. 264 00:22:11,654 --> 00:22:14,964 Do you think those people are about to move? 265 00:22:15,134 --> 00:22:17,853 No. Not yet. 266 00:22:18,014 --> 00:22:21,973 They'll wait around at a different hole and see how the area looks 267 00:22:22,134 --> 00:22:24,284 and see what the movement is. 268 00:22:24,454 --> 00:22:28,732 As you can see, there's the helicopter flying above. 269 00:22:28,894 --> 00:22:32,045 They won't move. 270 00:22:32,214 --> 00:22:34,205 They'll just stay there. 271 00:23:07,574 --> 00:23:10,532 Unlike the pollos, we're free to go north, 272 00:23:10,694 --> 00:23:15,563 into California, the richest state of the richest country in the world. 273 00:23:18,734 --> 00:23:21,294 For the 32 million people who live here, 274 00:23:21,454 --> 00:23:25,208 it's the ultimate realisation of the American dream. 275 00:23:36,094 --> 00:23:38,085 (VOICES ON RADIO) 276 00:23:38,254 --> 00:23:41,291 The epicentre of the American dream is Los Angeles, 277 00:23:41,454 --> 00:23:43,809 one of the great cities of the Pacific. 278 00:23:43,974 --> 00:23:46,966 The only way to take it all in is from the air. 279 00:23:47,134 --> 00:23:49,204 (PILOT) This is downtown Los Angeles. 280 00:23:49,374 --> 00:23:54,573 Just over here on the east side is the older section of Los Angeles. 281 00:23:54,734 --> 00:23:58,613 My guide is Bob Tur, doyen of the LA skies. 282 00:23:58,774 --> 00:24:02,972 (RADl0) New help may be on the way for women with bladder control problems. 283 00:24:03,134 --> 00:24:08,083 (MICHAEL) Tur makes a living by swooping from the air to snatch the news from his rivals. 284 00:24:08,254 --> 00:24:14,363 He was the first on the scene when 0J Simpson was chased down the freeways. 285 00:24:18,454 --> 00:24:21,252 From an office in Santa Monica airport, 286 00:24:21,414 --> 00:24:24,451 his wife Marika monitors emergency service frequencies 287 00:24:24,614 --> 00:24:28,926 and guides the helicopter to the scene of the next crisis. 288 00:24:29,094 --> 00:24:31,085 The airport's right here. 289 00:24:31,254 --> 00:24:35,247 This morning's first big story is an emergency landing on a freeway. 290 00:24:35,414 --> 00:24:39,123 Bob Tur goes in, broadcasting live. 291 00:24:39,294 --> 00:24:44,812 (TUR) We have the aircraft in sight. The pilot has made a safe landing on the freeway. 292 00:24:44,974 --> 00:24:50,924 It appears to be not the 405 freeway, but the intersection... the 405-5 interchange. 293 00:24:51,094 --> 00:24:54,086 It is a Cessna single-engine aircraft. 294 00:24:54,254 --> 00:24:59,965 Four people can be aboard, but we understand two are aboard. Looks like everybody's OK. 295 00:25:00,134 --> 00:25:04,173 (TUR) We listened to this guy coming in over the Van Nuys airport frequency. 296 00:25:04,334 --> 00:25:08,213 He said he lost his engines. He was over 2,000 feet up in the air. 297 00:25:08,374 --> 00:25:12,811 He couldn't make it to the airport, so he decided to put it down on the freeway. 298 00:25:12,974 --> 00:25:16,284 The pilot is waving up in the air, ecstatic that he's safe. 299 00:25:16,454 --> 00:25:19,844 Just an incredible situation. The aircraft is just fine. 300 00:25:20,014 --> 00:25:23,563 All aboard are OK. Nobody injured on the ground. 301 00:25:23,734 --> 00:25:26,692 This is a code 4. Everybody's OK. Back to you. 302 00:25:26,854 --> 00:25:29,288 (MICHAEL) During a brief lull in emergencies, 303 00:25:29,454 --> 00:25:34,972 Bob and his pilot give me a landmark tour of America's second-biggest city. 304 00:25:35,134 --> 00:25:37,602 This is our version of the Eiffel Tower. 305 00:25:37,774 --> 00:25:43,531 You can see the Hollywood sign and above it that tower that we can see so brilliantly at night. 306 00:25:43,694 --> 00:25:46,413 They have to repaint it white every so often 307 00:25:46,574 --> 00:25:50,089 because people think it's fun to tag it and put graffiti on it. 308 00:25:50,254 --> 00:25:53,246 - Very clean today, isn't it? - It is clean. 309 00:25:53,414 --> 00:25:57,965 It was cleaned in honour of your presence last night. 310 00:25:58,134 --> 00:26:01,444 I wanted "With Michael Palin" but they couldn't afford it. 311 00:26:01,614 --> 00:26:03,605 The lettering was expensive. 312 00:26:03,774 --> 00:26:09,485 - Is that translucent or something, the surface? - No. 313 00:26:09,654 --> 00:26:13,010 - In front of us we have Madonna's house. - In front of you? 314 00:26:13,174 --> 00:26:16,132 International rock star Madonna's home. 315 00:26:16,294 --> 00:26:20,412 - She's very fond of us. - Is she in? Will she come out on the roof? 316 00:26:20,574 --> 00:26:23,134 Make a 360 over... 317 00:26:23,294 --> 00:26:26,969 It's off to your left. It's got the adobe roof and the tower. 318 00:26:27,134 --> 00:26:30,604 - Behind it is the pool. - Right. Yes. 319 00:26:30,774 --> 00:26:34,244 Bugsy Siegel, one of our notorious gangsters, owned that home. 320 00:26:34,414 --> 00:26:37,247 You can see the maintenance people are there. 321 00:26:39,694 --> 00:26:41,924 No Madonna. No photographers. 322 00:26:42,094 --> 00:26:46,724 The tour comes to an abrupt halt as word comes in of a serious accident. 323 00:26:46,894 --> 00:26:49,408 (MAN) Southbound l-5 Hollywood Way. Roger. 324 00:26:49,574 --> 00:26:52,372 Tell me what you're seeing, Bob. 325 00:26:52,534 --> 00:26:55,094 It's a car pinned between a big rig. 326 00:26:55,254 --> 00:26:58,883 The car is up against the guard rail, completely crushed. 327 00:26:59,054 --> 00:27:03,570 His bird's-eye view, combined with the power of a 72:1 zoom lens, 328 00:27:03,734 --> 00:27:08,444 gives him a range of shots rarely available to those on the ground. 329 00:27:08,614 --> 00:27:12,527 His network, CBS, clears a space on the news for his report. 330 00:27:12,694 --> 00:27:15,811 (PRESENTER) Bob Tur is live and above the scene. 331 00:27:15,974 --> 00:27:21,207 We have a terrible accident here in Sun Valley, the 5 freeway southbound. 332 00:27:21,374 --> 00:27:25,731 We have a big rig that pinned a small automobile against the central divider. 333 00:27:25,894 --> 00:27:31,252 There was an explosion. Fire swept through the area, killing the automobile driver. 334 00:27:31,414 --> 00:27:37,853 (TUR)... had to use heavy equipment to pry open the automobile door to see inside. 335 00:27:38,014 --> 00:27:41,086 Unfortunately we believe nobody survived that crash. 336 00:27:45,374 --> 00:27:49,526 (MICHAEL) Tur is fiercely competitive, setting himself high standards. 337 00:27:49,694 --> 00:27:54,006 By the time we return to Santa Monica, I'm utterly exhausted. 338 00:27:54,174 --> 00:27:57,530 For Bob it's just been a routine kind of day. 339 00:28:00,214 --> 00:28:03,286 Back in the office, with the help of his video library, 340 00:28:03,454 --> 00:28:06,764 he shows me days that weren't quite as routine. 341 00:28:06,934 --> 00:28:12,930 - What's this story? - Sheriff's deputies beating up illegal immigrants. 342 00:28:13,094 --> 00:28:15,654 We're a few miles away with our camera system. 343 00:28:15,814 --> 00:28:20,934 They don't hear us and they continue to give these people a beating. 344 00:28:22,094 --> 00:28:25,530 The only positive thing I can think about this appalling scene 345 00:28:25,694 --> 00:28:29,607 is that there are very few countries that would allow Tur the freedom 346 00:28:29,774 --> 00:28:32,732 to show that things like this actually go on. 347 00:28:40,774 --> 00:28:47,122 Compared to the freeways, the Pacific Coast Highway is as quiet as an English country lane. 348 00:28:47,294 --> 00:28:51,333 I could almost fool myself into thinking there's no hurry at all. 349 00:28:56,094 --> 00:28:59,484 0utside Salinas I pick up the immigrant trail again. 350 00:28:59,654 --> 00:29:02,771 By picking strawberries in John Steinbeck country 351 00:29:02,934 --> 00:29:07,246 they can earn $1.40 a box, a fortune back home. 352 00:29:14,094 --> 00:29:20,329 It is no surprise that over 90 per cent of the fruit crop in California is picked by immigrants. 353 00:29:20,494 --> 00:29:22,724 It suits everybody. 354 00:29:41,094 --> 00:29:45,690 By the time I reach the Golden Gate Bridge, the sea mist is catching on its towers 355 00:29:45,854 --> 00:29:51,212 and the weather has turned from sultry Mediterranean to bracing North European. 356 00:29:58,574 --> 00:30:04,410 0nly a short way from the temples of pleasure is the temple of punishment, Alcatraz Island. 357 00:30:04,574 --> 00:30:09,364 Separated from the mainland by just over a mile of fierce currents and icy water, 358 00:30:09,534 --> 00:30:12,890 it was regarded as the ultimate in incarceration. 359 00:30:19,574 --> 00:30:23,328 This is where they put the hard men: Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly 360 00:30:23,494 --> 00:30:29,569 and my two guides today, retired bank robbers Jim Quillan and Glenn Williams. 361 00:30:29,734 --> 00:30:33,966 Apart from spells in the punishment block, this was their view of the world 362 00:30:34,134 --> 00:30:37,843 for 17 and a half hours of every day. 363 00:30:39,294 --> 00:30:42,525 Both were glad they didn't have a cell with this view. 364 00:30:42,694 --> 00:30:45,128 It was considered unbearable. 365 00:30:46,134 --> 00:30:52,482 Can I ask you about probably the most famous occupant, the Birdman of Alcatraz? 366 00:30:52,654 --> 00:30:54,849 - Did you know him? - Yes. 367 00:30:55,014 --> 00:31:01,169 - What were your feelings about him? - My feelings... he was a jerk. 368 00:31:01,334 --> 00:31:07,648 He was a guy that thrived on chaos, turmoil, upheaval. 369 00:31:07,814 --> 00:31:13,605 He liked other people to be involved in these kind of things, 370 00:31:13,774 --> 00:31:16,732 but he was never a participant. 371 00:31:16,894 --> 00:31:19,488 What did you think of the movie? 372 00:31:19,654 --> 00:31:22,532 - Fantasy. - I refer to them as comedies. 373 00:31:22,694 --> 00:31:24,969 I have seen them all. 374 00:31:25,134 --> 00:31:29,571 One way or another, we have become consultants on those movies. 375 00:31:29,734 --> 00:31:32,453 It isn't long before the director tells you, 376 00:31:32,614 --> 00:31:36,607 "Look, we'll just ask you a couple of questions. We'll make the movie." 377 00:31:36,774 --> 00:31:41,086 And when you see the end product, it's kinda funny. 378 00:31:41,254 --> 00:31:43,449 Other people cry and we laugh. 379 00:31:43,614 --> 00:31:49,849 We have this image through the media, the movies, the magazines, 380 00:31:50,014 --> 00:31:54,769 that there's something glamorous and macho about prison. 381 00:31:54,934 --> 00:32:00,486 But you know what prison really is? It's tears and sorrow and heartaches and loneliness. 382 00:32:00,654 --> 00:32:05,125 Bitterness, insanity, murder, suicide, death. 383 00:32:05,294 --> 00:32:07,364 That's what prison's all about. 384 00:32:07,534 --> 00:32:11,368 Yet when the media portrays it, these guys are heroic. 385 00:32:11,534 --> 00:32:16,244 (JIM) That's about as far from the truth as you can possibly get. 386 00:32:16,414 --> 00:32:19,645 (MICHAEL) Jim was one of the few who tried to escape from Alcatraz. 387 00:32:19,814 --> 00:32:21,805 He says there were 14 attempts. 388 00:32:21,974 --> 00:32:24,488 Seven men were shot dead, six were drowned. 389 00:32:24,654 --> 00:32:27,452 0nly one ever made it to the mainland. 390 00:32:27,614 --> 00:32:30,003 He was recaptured almost immediately. 391 00:32:34,894 --> 00:32:39,763 Despite Alcatraz, San Francisco is best known as a free-thinking town. 392 00:32:39,934 --> 00:32:42,243 To see how it lives up to this tradition, 393 00:32:42,414 --> 00:32:46,373 I take a tour of one of the world's largest gay communities. 394 00:32:46,534 --> 00:32:48,889 My guide calls herself Trevor. 395 00:32:49,054 --> 00:32:51,966 Michael, let me tell you about this intersection. 396 00:32:52,134 --> 00:32:56,013 The intersection where we are right now, of 18th and Castro, 397 00:32:56,174 --> 00:33:00,452 this is reputed to be the gayest four corners on earth. 398 00:33:00,614 --> 00:33:02,889 That's quite a claim. 399 00:33:03,054 --> 00:33:08,003 The gay and lesbian community in the Castro is over a quarter of a million strong. 400 00:33:08,174 --> 00:33:12,645 Here they call heterosexuals those who enjoy an alternative lifestyle. 401 00:33:15,014 --> 00:33:18,689 Trevor, who was once called Evelyn, is proud of its achievement. 402 00:33:18,854 --> 00:33:23,006 The Castro is to gays what Israel is to the Jews, she tells me. 403 00:33:23,814 --> 00:33:26,772 Why is San Francisco particularly tolerant? 404 00:33:26,934 --> 00:33:30,244 San Francisco's birth was the gold rush. 405 00:33:30,414 --> 00:33:32,644 When gold was struck in this area, 406 00:33:32,814 --> 00:33:39,208 40,000 men migrated to this area from the four corners of the earth. 407 00:33:39,374 --> 00:33:45,131 With everyone arriving on equal footing, the first characteristic to develop was acceptance. 408 00:33:45,294 --> 00:33:49,412 - Acceptance of men with men. Men alone. - Precisely. 409 00:33:54,534 --> 00:33:57,810 The Castro seems the epitome of a well-ordered community. 410 00:33:57,974 --> 00:34:00,534 Everyone seems to know and love everyone else. 411 00:34:00,694 --> 00:34:03,606 ...the drug culture of Haight-Ashbury... 412 00:34:03,774 --> 00:34:07,892 Sorry, Michael, I didn't mean to interrupt you, but here's Dennis. 413 00:34:08,054 --> 00:34:11,490 - May I introduce Michael Palin? - Pleased to meet you. 414 00:34:11,654 --> 00:34:16,045 - Local bobby, as we say in England. - That's what you say? 415 00:34:16,214 --> 00:34:24,724 Trevor tells me that this is the centre of the gay community in San Francisco. 416 00:34:24,894 --> 00:34:29,445 - Does it help to be a gay cop? Are you gay? - Yes. 417 00:34:29,614 --> 00:34:32,845 So does it help in your work to be gay? 418 00:34:33,014 --> 00:34:37,292 I think as far as the community's perceptions are concerned, yes. 419 00:34:37,454 --> 00:34:41,527 I think that makes one more approachable, especially over certain issues. 420 00:34:41,694 --> 00:34:46,848 - Are your fellow officers predominantly gay? - No. Not at all. 421 00:34:47,014 --> 00:34:52,088 I don't think... according to the numbers that I am most familiar with, 422 00:34:52,254 --> 00:34:57,931 I would say probably no more than two per cent of the department. Maybe a little more. 423 00:34:58,094 --> 00:35:01,564 - Do they ask to come and work here? - Some do. 424 00:35:01,734 --> 00:35:05,932 Trevor, I think we must go. Really nice to meet you. 425 00:35:06,094 --> 00:35:10,451 - I'm also glad we ran into you. - We're going to see the neighbourhood. 426 00:35:10,614 --> 00:35:14,766 - Look after it. - We certainly will. Enjoy. 427 00:35:16,494 --> 00:35:22,490 The rainbow flag of the gay community flutters outside one of the most significant locations. 428 00:35:23,494 --> 00:35:27,009 - Did the Names Project begin in San Francisco? - Yes, it did. 429 00:35:27,174 --> 00:35:31,326 - When was that? - In 1987, early spring, 430 00:35:31,494 --> 00:35:36,488 is when people began to make and collect panels in this very building. 431 00:35:36,654 --> 00:35:38,849 What does each panel represent? 432 00:35:39,014 --> 00:35:44,372 Each of these panels represents an individual that has been lost to the Aids epidemic. 433 00:35:56,374 --> 00:36:00,128 30 other countries have their own quilt with this group's blessing. 434 00:36:00,294 --> 00:36:03,331 It's used as a vehicle for grief, 435 00:36:03,494 --> 00:36:06,770 a memorial to those we've lost to the Aids epidemic, 436 00:36:06,934 --> 00:36:11,803 and it also is an education to people about what the epidemic truly represents. 437 00:36:11,974 --> 00:36:17,253 All this youth, talent, creativity that's being lost. 438 00:36:26,774 --> 00:36:32,246 Moving on, I'm at San Francisco airport for an early evening flight to Seattle. 439 00:36:40,094 --> 00:36:43,211 Z-1, rotate. 440 00:36:45,174 --> 00:36:48,530 For some reason, probably because the pilots get so bored, 441 00:36:48,694 --> 00:36:53,210 I'm often invited up onto the flight deck to watch a take-off or landing. 442 00:36:53,374 --> 00:36:55,171 Today is an exception. 443 00:36:55,334 --> 00:36:59,691 As we approach Seattle, I'm asked to do more than just watch. 444 00:36:59,854 --> 00:37:02,448 - Mr Palin, how are you? - Very well. 445 00:37:02,614 --> 00:37:04,684 - Here? - Why not? 446 00:37:04,854 --> 00:37:07,891 - Like to try a landing? - You must be joking. 447 00:37:08,054 --> 00:37:12,491 No. Piece of cake. We'll talk you right through it. 448 00:37:12,654 --> 00:37:15,964 Well, I think I'll probably... 449 00:37:16,134 --> 00:37:18,125 (VOICE ON RADIO) 450 00:37:18,294 --> 00:37:22,845 - A little to the left. - 800 feet. 451 00:37:23,014 --> 00:37:27,405 - Is the airport in sight? Is that the runway? - Straight ahead. 452 00:37:27,574 --> 00:37:30,247 Small corrections now. 453 00:37:31,654 --> 00:37:34,088 - A little left. - Little left. 454 00:37:34,254 --> 00:37:37,087 - Left. Left. - Whoa. 455 00:37:37,254 --> 00:37:39,973 - Back to the left. - I've lost it. Whoa. 456 00:37:40,134 --> 00:37:43,092 - Left and down. Down and to the left. - Down. 457 00:37:43,254 --> 00:37:47,133 - Ooh! - 80 feet. 458 00:37:47,294 --> 00:37:49,444 50. 30. 459 00:37:49,614 --> 00:37:53,812 Ooh! Wow! Sorry about that, everyone. Spilled your drinks. 460 00:37:55,854 --> 00:38:00,769 - Now just welcome them to Seattle. - Well... W-W-W... 461 00:38:00,934 --> 00:38:04,085 W-W-Welcome to S-S-Seattle. 462 00:38:04,254 --> 00:38:09,453 Home of Boeing and their wonderful in-flight simulators. Realistic, aren't they? 463 00:38:12,454 --> 00:38:17,403 After a night in Seattle we're on our way again, across another border and into Canada. 464 00:38:17,574 --> 00:38:22,364 First to Vancouver, then by railway north through British Columbia. 465 00:38:26,454 --> 00:38:29,810 0ur first Canadian train is pulled by one of the locomotives 466 00:38:29,974 --> 00:38:34,206 that used to haul expresses right across the country 60 years ago. 467 00:38:42,854 --> 00:38:48,850 I'm told that because there are so few people here, you can flag trains down like buses. 468 00:38:49,014 --> 00:38:50,606 We'll see. 469 00:38:50,774 --> 00:38:53,368 (HORN) 470 00:39:12,774 --> 00:39:18,485 Well, it's worked, but then the Canadians are notorious for being very nice people. 471 00:39:19,454 --> 00:39:24,403 Thanks a lot. Sorry to stop you, but I was told you stop anywhere. 472 00:39:28,534 --> 00:39:33,164 Ah! I couldn't afford the whole fare. 473 00:39:43,774 --> 00:39:47,289 Where else in the world could you stop an entire express train 474 00:39:47,454 --> 00:39:50,412 and still get lunch without a reservation? 475 00:39:53,734 --> 00:40:00,048 This is timber country, with logjams on one side of us and sawmills on the other. 476 00:40:04,814 --> 00:40:08,443 And in Canada, where there are trees, there are lumberjacks. 477 00:40:08,614 --> 00:40:14,610 (TANNOY) Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Mr Michael Palin. 478 00:40:15,814 --> 00:40:22,765 (MICHAEL) I once sang a song about lumberjacks. Today in Squamish I pay for it. 479 00:40:22,934 --> 00:40:25,687 The annual logging games always start with a bang, 480 00:40:25,854 --> 00:40:28,368 and this year I've been asked to provide it. 481 00:40:28,534 --> 00:40:31,253 - Has it got a kick on it? - Just a little kick. 482 00:40:31,414 --> 00:40:36,090 See that tree with the red markings on it up there? No excuses, now. 483 00:40:36,254 --> 00:40:39,451 Ready? And fire. 484 00:40:41,334 --> 00:40:44,007 Whoa! We've never had anybody miss! 485 00:40:44,174 --> 00:40:46,972 You did it! 486 00:40:47,134 --> 00:40:49,250 It was nothing. It was nothing. 487 00:40:49,414 --> 00:40:53,407 - He said it was nothing. - I worked in a firing squad. 488 00:40:53,574 --> 00:40:56,964 Enjoy the show. We'll call you again a little bit later. 489 00:40:57,134 --> 00:41:00,171 Michael Palin, ladies and gentlemen. 490 00:41:01,534 --> 00:41:04,287 After that, thank God, all I have to do is watch 491 00:41:04,454 --> 00:41:08,288 as the loggers show us 101 things you can do to a tree. 492 00:41:09,134 --> 00:41:14,049 (TANNOY)... get through that wood faster than they normally would go. 493 00:41:14,214 --> 00:41:17,445 They saw them, climb up and down them in under 30 seconds 494 00:41:17,614 --> 00:41:21,243 and even, surprisingly, dance on them. 495 00:41:21,414 --> 00:41:25,930 Watching their feet. As long as they don't go over the red line, anything goes. 496 00:41:26,094 --> 00:41:29,404 Ready to go. Each one, remember, not less than eight... 497 00:41:29,574 --> 00:41:32,134 Look at this! Look at this! 498 00:41:32,294 --> 00:41:35,650 (COMMENTARY INDISTINCT) 499 00:41:35,814 --> 00:41:39,045 That is one man down. Well done, Bill. 500 00:41:40,974 --> 00:41:44,683 You're watching two of the best, a heck of a match. 501 00:41:44,854 --> 00:41:46,845 (SHOUTS) 502 00:41:48,254 --> 00:41:53,453 (COMMENTARY INDISTINCT) 503 00:41:53,614 --> 00:41:56,526 Can he get across without falling in? 504 00:41:56,694 --> 00:42:02,087 A little encouragement again would do. Stay up there! 505 00:42:02,254 --> 00:42:08,523 Just as I think it's all over, I make the fatal mistake of getting excited. 506 00:42:08,694 --> 00:42:11,845 Pride comes before a fall. 507 00:42:12,014 --> 00:42:14,289 One, two, go! 508 00:42:14,454 --> 00:42:16,922 It's fast. Fast, fast, fast! 509 00:42:18,734 --> 00:42:22,807 It's no good. I think I've lost the will to win. 510 00:42:25,054 --> 00:42:28,046 Oh, my goodness! How about it! Let's give him... 511 00:42:28,214 --> 00:42:33,493 I want to go home! I want to go home! 512 00:42:34,454 --> 00:42:36,922 (TRAIN HORN BLARES) 513 00:42:45,934 --> 00:42:49,085 After that, the last lap can't go quickly enough. 514 00:42:49,254 --> 00:42:53,611 The remote grandeur of the Rockies, the raw power of the Fraser River 515 00:42:53,774 --> 00:42:59,690 are no match for my overwhelming desire to get back to Diomede and close the circle. 516 00:43:05,014 --> 00:43:09,530 The further north we go, the more limited our transport options become. 517 00:43:09,694 --> 00:43:12,447 Roads run out and the ocean takes over. 518 00:43:12,614 --> 00:43:17,404 This route through the coastal islands is called the Alaska Marine Highway. 519 00:43:22,934 --> 00:43:27,371 There is no regular passenger boat going further north than Skagway. 520 00:43:27,534 --> 00:43:33,211 We must use an aircraft to take us on, via Anchorage, to the edge of the continent. 521 00:43:42,974 --> 00:43:47,047 This is just... This is ultimately depressing. 522 00:43:47,214 --> 00:43:51,002 I've gone absolutely as far as I can go on the American mainland. 523 00:43:51,174 --> 00:43:55,053 This is a little area called Wales. That's Prince Of Wales Cape. 524 00:43:55,214 --> 00:43:58,411 It's impossible to go further west in America. 525 00:43:58,574 --> 00:44:04,683 And yet Diomede, where we began, is still about 25 miles out over the Bering Sea, 526 00:44:04,854 --> 00:44:10,929 which is choppy and cold and there's just no way of getting there. 527 00:44:12,334 --> 00:44:16,327 It's so frustrating after the distance we've been. 528 00:44:17,654 --> 00:44:19,645 To have got to the... 529 00:44:25,134 --> 00:44:27,125 Hang on. 530 00:44:30,894 --> 00:44:33,089 Hang on! 531 00:44:33,254 --> 00:44:35,324 Hey! Hey! 532 00:44:35,494 --> 00:44:37,849 Hey! Over here! 533 00:44:38,014 --> 00:44:43,725 The US Coast Guard, who offered us a ride down the Aleutian Islands chain a year ago, 534 00:44:43,894 --> 00:44:47,330 had promised to help us on our return journey. 535 00:44:47,494 --> 00:44:50,247 Today they're as good as their word. 536 00:44:52,054 --> 00:44:54,284 Their ship, the Munro, is in the area, 537 00:44:54,454 --> 00:44:57,287 winding up routine patrol duties in the Bering Sea. 538 00:44:57,454 --> 00:44:58,773 Thanks, guys. 539 00:44:58,934 --> 00:45:02,085 If anyone can get us to Diomede, it's the US Coast Guard. 540 00:45:02,254 --> 00:45:04,814 - All ahead full. - All ahead full. 541 00:45:05,654 --> 00:45:07,884 - All ahead full. - Right. 542 00:45:10,094 --> 00:45:14,451 Be advised we will be answering a full bell. All ahead full. 543 00:45:16,534 --> 00:45:18,525 All ahead full. 544 00:45:40,254 --> 00:45:42,814 We're not all that's racing to Diomede. 545 00:45:42,974 --> 00:45:47,729 A fierce storm from the south-west seems determined to beat us to it. 546 00:45:53,574 --> 00:45:56,247 (FOGHORN) 547 00:45:58,894 --> 00:46:03,285 Captain, it doesn't look too good. What are the chances of getting to Diomede? 548 00:46:03,454 --> 00:46:09,768 Not very good, I'm afraid. Winds are about 30 knots. Seas are about 12 feet. 549 00:46:09,934 --> 00:46:16,453 The fog signal's going off, which indicates reduced visibility around Diomede. 550 00:46:16,614 --> 00:46:20,004 I don't think we'll be able to fly the helicopter in either. 551 00:46:20,174 --> 00:46:24,690 - So that's helicopter... - Small boat. All out. 552 00:46:24,854 --> 00:46:29,291 - How far are we away from Diomede? - Only about two miles right now. 553 00:46:29,454 --> 00:46:31,445 We can't even see it. 554 00:46:31,614 --> 00:46:36,893 The visibility is very reduced, which means the helicopter can't fly in. 555 00:46:37,054 --> 00:46:39,488 The seas are too rough for the small boat. 556 00:46:39,654 --> 00:46:42,487 What's the forecast if we wait around for a bit? 557 00:46:42,654 --> 00:46:45,452 It's not looking any better. It's looking worse. 558 00:46:45,614 --> 00:46:51,166 There is a front coming through. The winds will pick up as the front passes us. 559 00:46:51,334 --> 00:46:55,247 We anticipate reduced visibility on the other side of the front. 560 00:46:55,414 --> 00:47:00,613 We expect some warm air to be brought in, which is just going to bring more fog. 561 00:47:00,774 --> 00:47:04,483 - So... - So I'm afraid that's about it. 562 00:47:22,414 --> 00:47:25,850 It looks as though the Bering Strait has defeated us. 563 00:47:26,014 --> 00:47:30,883 The most notorious and changeable and dangerous weather systems come through here. 564 00:47:31,054 --> 00:47:35,093 A year ago, when I started this journey, it was flat, calm, sunny, 565 00:47:35,254 --> 00:47:37,529 and everyone said, "You're very lucky." 566 00:47:37,694 --> 00:47:39,844 And this, today, is the reality. 567 00:47:40,014 --> 00:47:45,566 So I shan't set foot on Diomede, but I feel that I've closed the circle. 568 00:47:45,734 --> 00:47:49,409 It is out there. We've travelled 50,000 miles. 569 00:47:50,174 --> 00:47:55,123 We got within a gnat's of it, and I think that's something.