1 00:00:16,647 --> 00:00:19,764 (GRUNTS OF EFFORT) 2 00:00:31,767 --> 00:00:34,076 (LABOURED BREATHING) 3 00:00:43,087 --> 00:00:47,763 Headquarter Company, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, 4 00:00:47,927 --> 00:00:51,806 will fire a Royal gun salute 5 00:00:51,967 --> 00:00:54,959 on the occasion of the birthday 6 00:00:55,127 --> 00:00:59,405 of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second. 7 00:01:01,087 --> 00:01:02,520 Fire! 8 00:01:04,527 --> 00:01:07,519 Number one gun... Fire! 9 00:01:12,687 --> 00:01:16,077 Number two gun... Fire! 10 00:01:16,567 --> 00:01:19,525 I always have bad dreams before a new journey. 11 00:01:19,687 --> 00:01:23,282 Dreams of being late, forgetting to pack my underwear or... 12 00:01:23,847 --> 00:01:25,439 being shot at. 13 00:01:26,647 --> 00:01:30,560 What do I need? Maps. Boots. 14 00:01:31,727 --> 00:01:33,877 Mosquito net... Mosquito net! 15 00:01:34,047 --> 00:01:36,481 Stay calm. Read the newspaper. 16 00:01:36,647 --> 00:01:39,559 It might be the last you'll see for a while. 17 00:01:42,927 --> 00:01:45,600 My destination isn't that far away now. 18 00:01:45,767 --> 00:01:47,883 From here, you can almost see it. 19 00:01:48,047 --> 00:01:51,198 It all seems so easy - last lunch on British soil 20 00:01:51,367 --> 00:01:55,280 whilst looking out across the Straits of Gibraltar to Africa. 21 00:02:05,487 --> 00:02:07,557 What terrors can the Sahara hold 22 00:02:07,727 --> 00:02:12,562 when it's only 300 miles from a British Home Stores, or a bobby, 23 00:02:12,727 --> 00:02:14,877 or a pint of warm beer? 24 00:02:15,047 --> 00:02:17,720 Setting off's like getting up on Monday morning. 25 00:02:17,887 --> 00:02:19,445 I know I've got to do it, 26 00:02:19,607 --> 00:02:22,724 but I'm putting it off till the very last minute. 27 00:02:26,167 --> 00:02:29,637 There are no more last minutes. It's time to go. 28 00:02:35,327 --> 00:02:37,522 The Sahara Desert is huge - 29 00:02:37,687 --> 00:02:41,726 the size of the United States - with the population of Norfolk. 30 00:02:41,887 --> 00:02:45,084 It's as alien and hostile as anywhere on the planet. 31 00:02:45,247 --> 00:02:48,205 It's also completely unknown territory for me. 32 00:02:48,367 --> 00:02:50,403 I'm ready to be tested again - 33 00:02:50,567 --> 00:02:53,764 if necessary, to the very limits of endurance. 34 00:02:54,687 --> 00:02:56,086 Ooh, good heavens. 35 00:02:56,247 --> 00:02:59,717 It's like going up a lift shaft, 15 floors at a time. 36 00:02:59,887 --> 00:03:05,166 Well, I'm not in the desert yet, but I'm on a camel on the sand. 37 00:03:05,327 --> 00:03:08,558 You may laugh - this is the sand of Tangier beach, 38 00:03:08,727 --> 00:03:12,037 but it's a good place to practise camel riding. 39 00:03:12,207 --> 00:03:14,641 It doesn't come naturally to me. 40 00:03:16,607 --> 00:03:19,075 I get vertigo on top of these things. 41 00:03:19,247 --> 00:03:21,602 We're going to have a go. OK, Mohammed. 42 00:03:24,247 --> 00:03:26,442 Imagine the dunes around. 43 00:03:26,607 --> 00:03:28,643 Forget the hotel blocks. 44 00:03:29,847 --> 00:03:33,203 There won't be girls walking around the Sahara either. 45 00:03:33,367 --> 00:03:37,076 The beach at Tangier is only 12 miles from Gibraltar, 46 00:03:37,247 --> 00:03:39,715 but it feels unmistakably African. 47 00:03:39,887 --> 00:03:41,878 Thank you, Fatima. 48 00:03:42,847 --> 00:03:46,760 It's a friendly place. There's always a game of football on. 49 00:03:46,927 --> 00:03:50,806 I haven't played for years, which soon becomes obvious. 50 00:03:50,967 --> 00:03:52,286 Ow! 51 00:03:54,047 --> 00:03:56,003 I've done the splits. 52 00:04:02,447 --> 00:04:03,766 Ah! 53 00:04:07,287 --> 00:04:09,323 Screwed my leg up. 54 00:04:10,847 --> 00:04:12,405 Injury, injury. 55 00:04:13,247 --> 00:04:15,238 It really does hurt. 56 00:04:15,487 --> 00:04:17,318 I shouldn't have done it. 57 00:04:18,767 --> 00:04:21,156 Never play when you're over 57. 58 00:04:24,207 --> 00:04:25,560 That's the time to stop! 59 00:04:25,727 --> 00:04:28,844 Injuring yourself on camera is a good thing. 60 00:04:29,007 --> 00:04:31,362 Doing it on day one, not so good. 61 00:04:31,527 --> 00:04:34,917 But this is the Arab world and treatment is close at hand. 62 00:04:36,727 --> 00:04:39,321 The oriental steam bath - the hammam - 63 00:04:39,487 --> 00:04:41,478 is not just about cleanliness, 64 00:04:41,647 --> 00:04:43,877 it's also about meeting new people, 65 00:04:44,047 --> 00:04:46,038 doing interesting things. 66 00:04:51,127 --> 00:04:52,606 OK. Yeah. 67 00:04:53,727 --> 00:04:55,843 Stretching my groin. Ooh. 68 00:04:59,207 --> 00:05:01,198 That's good. Feels good. 69 00:05:09,847 --> 00:05:12,156 Ah... that's OK. 70 00:05:15,487 --> 00:05:18,638 It's amazing how quickly you make friends here! 71 00:05:18,807 --> 00:05:21,241 Before this, we hardly knew each other. 72 00:05:27,807 --> 00:05:29,638 Yeah. That's OK. It's good. 73 00:05:29,807 --> 00:05:32,719 Within half an hour, I feel completely cured. 74 00:05:41,647 --> 00:05:45,640 From the 1920s to the 1950s, Tangier was a free port 75 00:05:45,807 --> 00:05:49,117 in which Europeans and Americans built elegant villas, 76 00:05:49,287 --> 00:05:52,597 seduced by blue skies and relaxed morals. 77 00:05:53,767 --> 00:05:56,520 (STIRRING ORIENTAL MUSIC) 78 00:05:58,007 --> 00:05:59,963 Today, it's part of Morocco. 79 00:06:00,127 --> 00:06:01,719 The morals are less relaxed, 80 00:06:01,887 --> 00:06:05,004 but the streets that drew the likes of Oscar Wilde, 81 00:06:05,167 --> 00:06:08,477 Ronnie Kray and Errol Flynn, are largely unchanged. 82 00:06:16,127 --> 00:06:19,517 This innocent-looking square, the Petit Socco, 83 00:06:19,687 --> 00:06:23,157 was once described as "the sinkhole of iniquity." 84 00:06:23,327 --> 00:06:26,956 I asked a present-day resident, writer Jonathan Dawson, 85 00:06:27,127 --> 00:06:29,561 if this wasn't a bit strong. 86 00:06:29,727 --> 00:06:32,400 - Was it ever that? - Yes, it really was that. 87 00:06:32,567 --> 00:06:35,684 When you say, "Is it still?", it's not obviously here, 88 00:06:35,847 --> 00:06:38,361 but, everything is there if you want it. 89 00:06:38,527 --> 00:06:40,279 "Seek and ye shall find." 90 00:06:40,447 --> 00:06:44,156 You can have boys or girls or cockerels or anything you want. 91 00:06:44,327 --> 00:06:48,479 Hashish. It's a national pastime to smoke kif for the Moroccans. 92 00:06:48,647 --> 00:06:52,481 It's not legal, but it's sort of slightly not illegal. 93 00:06:53,167 --> 00:06:54,964 I don't encourage it. 94 00:06:55,127 --> 00:06:58,119 To find out what brings people to Tangier today, 95 00:06:58,287 --> 00:07:01,085 Jonathan recommends I go to church on Sunday - 96 00:07:01,247 --> 00:07:03,044 if I can only find it. 97 00:07:03,527 --> 00:07:06,803 Ah! The Anglican Church of St Andrew. 98 00:07:09,127 --> 00:07:10,719 - Hello. - Hello. 99 00:07:10,887 --> 00:07:14,721 - I'm Michael. - Oh, good. I'm Mustafa Chergui. 100 00:07:14,887 --> 00:07:16,479 - Mustafa? - Chergui. 101 00:07:16,647 --> 00:07:19,445 - Church cantica... - Church catholic? Excellent. 102 00:07:19,607 --> 00:07:22,917 - I wanted to see the church. - I've been here 38 years. 103 00:07:23,087 --> 00:07:27,683 - 38 years? - 13-8 years. 104 00:07:27,847 --> 00:07:30,645 I'm really happy for English church being here. 105 00:07:30,807 --> 00:07:32,684 - Can I see the church? - Thank you. 106 00:07:32,847 --> 00:07:36,522 109 years in the church. Thank you very much. 107 00:07:36,687 --> 00:07:38,962 - 109 years old. - Yes. Thank you. 108 00:07:40,007 --> 00:07:41,679 Thanks to Mr Chergui, 109 00:07:41,847 --> 00:07:44,407 the church and its gardens are immaculate - 110 00:07:44,567 --> 00:07:46,797 a rich mix of Arab and Anglo. 111 00:07:49,567 --> 00:07:53,355 (PRIEST) And to share with one another the sign of peace... 112 00:07:53,527 --> 00:07:56,121 The congregation is a pretty rich mix too. 113 00:07:59,007 --> 00:08:01,521 (MOBILE PHONE RINGS) 114 00:08:02,447 --> 00:08:04,438 (SOFT SINGING) 115 00:08:17,447 --> 00:08:20,325 (DIFFERENT RING TONE) 116 00:08:20,487 --> 00:08:23,479 (ANOTHER RING TONE) 117 00:08:28,087 --> 00:08:32,365 The ex-pats of St Andrew's are outnumbered by Nigerians, 118 00:08:32,527 --> 00:08:35,360 who've crossed the Sahara on their way north. 119 00:08:35,927 --> 00:08:37,997 Do they have particular problems? 120 00:08:38,167 --> 00:08:41,125 I suppose they're trying to move on into Europe. 121 00:08:41,287 --> 00:08:43,118 What's life like for them here? 122 00:08:43,287 --> 00:08:45,243 Well, very precarious. 123 00:08:45,407 --> 00:08:48,683 Quite a lot get arrested and shunted across to Algeria. 124 00:08:48,847 --> 00:08:53,204 The Moroccan and the Algerian governments tend to play a game 125 00:08:53,367 --> 00:08:56,916 of putting their undesirables across each other's borders. 126 00:08:57,087 --> 00:08:58,486 (MOBILE TONE) 127 00:08:58,647 --> 00:09:00,877 Half the congregation is Nigerian. 128 00:09:01,047 --> 00:09:03,083 Well, it was about 200 people 129 00:09:03,247 --> 00:09:06,796 with perhaps seven old hands and about 200... 130 00:09:06,967 --> 00:09:09,162 But they're wonderful people. 131 00:09:09,327 --> 00:09:11,966 Did you hear the phones ringing in the service? 132 00:09:12,127 --> 00:09:14,880 Yes, I did. There were quite interesting themes. 133 00:09:15,047 --> 00:09:18,119 At Christmas, they all rang with Jingle Bells. 134 00:09:18,287 --> 00:09:20,278 We had a great laugh then. 135 00:09:23,647 --> 00:09:27,117 - You must come and meet Birdie. - I'd love to. 136 00:09:27,287 --> 00:09:31,644 - Tomorrow, if you're free? - Yes, sure. I think we are. 137 00:09:31,807 --> 00:09:35,083 People have been very friendly. Lots of invitations. 138 00:09:35,247 --> 00:09:38,796 - So what time? - Eleven, if you want to. 139 00:09:38,967 --> 00:09:40,878 Mid morning. Excellent. 140 00:09:42,127 --> 00:09:44,083 - OK. - Great. 141 00:09:44,247 --> 00:09:47,125 Just as I'm thinking how dreadfully British this is, 142 00:09:47,287 --> 00:09:50,199 Mr Chergui has someone he wants me to meet. 143 00:09:50,367 --> 00:09:53,564 - Lovely. Thank you. - This is a pretty courtyard. 144 00:09:53,727 --> 00:09:56,241 Very nice. Lovely tiles. 145 00:09:59,127 --> 00:10:02,722 - Hello. - Oh, hello. 146 00:10:02,887 --> 00:10:05,924 - La cusina. - Yes, yes, yes. 147 00:10:06,087 --> 00:10:08,555 Come and say hello. 148 00:10:08,727 --> 00:10:12,037 We're all from London. Very nice to see you. 149 00:10:13,327 --> 00:10:16,797 He has been very good to us today. He's shown me round. 150 00:10:16,967 --> 00:10:18,958 - Very good. - Thank you very much. 151 00:10:19,127 --> 00:10:22,642 (SPEAKS ARABIC) 152 00:10:22,807 --> 00:10:26,846 Ah, 40 years. There must be something right. 153 00:10:27,007 --> 00:10:29,919 She say before, "Oh, Mustafa!" 154 00:10:36,527 --> 00:10:39,280 We're going to leave you to your Sunday lunch. 155 00:10:40,727 --> 00:10:44,720 Next day, I arrive at Jonathan's apartment, eager to meet Birdie, 156 00:10:44,887 --> 00:10:46,605 whoever Birdie is. 157 00:10:46,767 --> 00:10:49,804 In these sorts of circles, it could be his wife, 158 00:10:49,967 --> 00:10:52,401 auntie, maybe an old golfing chum. 159 00:10:53,207 --> 00:10:56,404 I'm completely wrong. Birdie is a bird. 160 00:10:57,687 --> 00:10:59,518 - Jonathan. - Yes. 161 00:10:59,687 --> 00:11:02,565 It's a bit of an unusual pet. 162 00:11:03,247 --> 00:11:07,206 Well, I thought he was a hen and would lay me eggs for breakfast. 163 00:11:07,367 --> 00:11:10,723 It was in the market, passing out in a box in the sun, 164 00:11:10,887 --> 00:11:14,118 I thought I'd grow him for a breakfast... 165 00:11:16,247 --> 00:11:17,726 Stop it, Birdie. 166 00:11:17,887 --> 00:11:20,959 - A bit of nerves. - He's nervous. 167 00:11:21,127 --> 00:11:26,076 I thought he'd be good for... I quite like the odd boiled egg. 168 00:11:26,247 --> 00:11:29,125 But he turned into a fella, which was a shock. 169 00:11:29,287 --> 00:11:31,039 Tangier is one of those places 170 00:11:31,207 --> 00:11:33,641 where it's hard to tell who's a fella! 171 00:11:33,807 --> 00:11:36,321 I think he's trying to sum me up a bit. 172 00:11:39,007 --> 00:11:41,362 - So you bought an egg. - He's going to crow. 173 00:11:41,527 --> 00:11:43,995 (LOUD CROWING) 174 00:11:44,167 --> 00:11:47,762 - How did you know that? - I know if he's going to crow. 175 00:11:47,927 --> 00:11:50,441 It's four o'clock in the afternoon. 176 00:11:50,607 --> 00:11:53,883 When he doesn't stop at one, you need ear plugs. 177 00:11:54,047 --> 00:11:56,356 It is completely abnormal 178 00:11:56,527 --> 00:11:59,087 for a bird to be sitting on a sofa in a library. 179 00:11:59,247 --> 00:12:02,762 - Yes. - He's not reading a book. 180 00:12:02,927 --> 00:12:04,918 He is a dog with feathers. 181 00:12:05,087 --> 00:12:08,284 I love that bird. I'm sorry to say that, but I do. 182 00:12:13,367 --> 00:12:15,483 There's no way of reaching the Sahara 183 00:12:15,647 --> 00:12:17,717 without crossing the Atlas Mountains - 184 00:12:17,887 --> 00:12:21,436 a series of long, steep ranges that stretch across Morocco. 185 00:12:21,607 --> 00:12:25,395 In amongst them are some of the oldest cities in North Africa. 186 00:12:28,607 --> 00:12:32,441 Fez is thought by many to be the most perfect medieval city 187 00:12:32,607 --> 00:12:34,598 in the Islamic world. 188 00:12:36,247 --> 00:12:40,877 Is this the point where the cars stop and the donkeys take over? 189 00:12:41,047 --> 00:12:43,561 (MUEZZIN CALLS) 190 00:12:43,727 --> 00:12:47,640 Once inside its walls, you might as well be in a maze, 191 00:12:47,807 --> 00:12:52,039 but it's one that delights the senses - sight, sound and smell. 192 00:12:53,087 --> 00:12:56,284 If you shop at Sainsbury's, it'll not make much sense, 193 00:12:56,447 --> 00:12:59,280 which is why I need my indispensable guide - 194 00:12:59,447 --> 00:13:03,406 Abdul Fettah, a local artist - to guide me through this labyrinth 195 00:13:03,567 --> 00:13:05,523 of souks and sweatshops. 196 00:13:05,687 --> 00:13:07,279 Busy everywhere, isn't it? 197 00:13:07,447 --> 00:13:11,201 Yes. Those pots are for cooking preserved meat. 198 00:13:11,367 --> 00:13:13,164 Preserved meat? 199 00:13:13,327 --> 00:13:15,966 Which lasts for the whole winter. 200 00:13:16,647 --> 00:13:20,925 Like all the best guides, Abdul wants to end on a high note. 201 00:13:21,087 --> 00:13:23,521 Ah, good heavens. 202 00:13:23,687 --> 00:13:25,484 That is amazing. 203 00:13:25,967 --> 00:13:28,765 It's exactly how it looked in medieval times. 204 00:13:28,927 --> 00:13:32,442 It's extraordinary. First, from the narrow passageways 205 00:13:32,607 --> 00:13:34,598 there's suddenly so much space. 206 00:13:34,767 --> 00:13:38,521 But also this... I've never seen anything like that anywhere. 207 00:13:38,687 --> 00:13:41,360 That's incredible. So what's going on here? 208 00:13:41,527 --> 00:13:44,087 Obviously, dyeing and tanning. 209 00:13:44,247 --> 00:13:46,078 All the different colours. 210 00:13:46,247 --> 00:13:48,681 Talk me through it, as they say. 211 00:13:48,847 --> 00:13:51,964 It's different stages of treatment of the hides. 212 00:13:52,127 --> 00:13:54,243 There's a washing machine there, 213 00:13:54,407 --> 00:13:57,763 then they get the hide into the holes 214 00:13:57,927 --> 00:14:00,077 with some lime and pigeon poo. 215 00:14:00,247 --> 00:14:03,080 - Pigeon poo? Pigeon droppings? - Yeah. 216 00:14:03,247 --> 00:14:05,044 Is that good for stripping... 217 00:14:05,207 --> 00:14:08,517 Yes. It's got some sort of acid in it 218 00:14:08,687 --> 00:14:11,042 and it also feeds the hide. 219 00:14:11,207 --> 00:14:14,836 Yes. Because it's quite a pungent smell. 220 00:14:15,007 --> 00:14:16,645 It's quite high. Then? 221 00:14:16,807 --> 00:14:19,321 After that, they get them into these vats 222 00:14:19,487 --> 00:14:22,320 where they are going to take the final colour. 223 00:14:22,487 --> 00:14:25,797 Either yellow for baboushes... 224 00:14:26,647 --> 00:14:30,606 or red for pouffes or other uses. 225 00:14:32,727 --> 00:14:36,515 How old are these vats? How old is this system here? 226 00:14:37,287 --> 00:14:39,642 It's actually as old as Fez. 227 00:14:39,807 --> 00:14:43,766 Fez started by producing hides 228 00:14:43,927 --> 00:14:49,479 and selling them into the open markets, sometimes in Europe. 229 00:14:49,647 --> 00:14:51,763 So it's a really very old... 230 00:14:51,927 --> 00:14:54,157 A thousand years old. Something like this? 231 00:14:54,327 --> 00:14:56,966 Twelve centuries, with no exaggeration. 232 00:14:57,127 --> 00:14:59,960 It is the most extraordinary sight. 233 00:15:02,727 --> 00:15:06,766 It's like a great paintbox. When I was young, I had a paintbox. 234 00:15:06,927 --> 00:15:09,600 I opened it up and it was just like that. 235 00:15:09,767 --> 00:15:11,962 Yes. It's a nice comparison. 236 00:15:12,127 --> 00:15:16,279 Fez is a magical city and I have to leave it far too soon, 237 00:15:16,447 --> 00:15:19,245 but I suspect it won't be the last temptation 238 00:15:19,407 --> 00:15:21,796 that lies between me and the Sahara. 239 00:15:25,247 --> 00:15:27,442 If Fez was a little reserved, 240 00:15:27,607 --> 00:15:29,598 then Marrakech is wide open. 241 00:15:29,767 --> 00:15:31,997 If you've got it, you flaunt it - 242 00:15:32,167 --> 00:15:34,761 whatever it is and whatever it costs. 243 00:15:34,927 --> 00:15:37,805 It's a very nice shoe, but I can't go as high as 350. 244 00:15:37,967 --> 00:15:40,356 It's good quality. How much can you pay? 245 00:15:40,527 --> 00:15:42,757 - 150. - Yes. 150 each. 246 00:15:42,927 --> 00:15:44,326 150 each! 247 00:15:44,487 --> 00:15:46,364 (LIVELY PIPE MUSIC) 248 00:15:48,967 --> 00:15:51,800 I'm not good at maths, but that equals 300. 249 00:15:51,967 --> 00:15:54,037 350 for both. 250 00:15:54,207 --> 00:15:56,880 - No, I can't... - For one, 350. 251 00:16:01,127 --> 00:16:04,005 One's not really enough, is it, really? 252 00:16:04,167 --> 00:16:06,158 - You need two. - Two. 300. 253 00:16:06,327 --> 00:16:08,602 Two for 300. Ah, you're coming down. 254 00:16:13,047 --> 00:16:15,607 - How about 200? 200. - 280. 255 00:16:18,847 --> 00:16:20,644 - 220 for two? - 250. 256 00:16:20,807 --> 00:16:23,082 - No. Sorry about that. - 240. 257 00:16:23,247 --> 00:16:26,876 - How much your last price? - 220, that's it. Sorry. 258 00:16:27,047 --> 00:16:30,005 Anyway, yellow isn't really my colour. 259 00:16:30,167 --> 00:16:31,919 (INDISTINCT) 260 00:16:32,087 --> 00:16:34,123 No, it's slippers I'm after. 261 00:16:44,527 --> 00:16:47,883 From Marrakech, it's all uphill to the Sahara, 262 00:16:48,047 --> 00:16:51,198 passing first of all through the land of the Berber people, 263 00:16:51,367 --> 00:16:54,086 one of whom is my companion, Amina, 264 00:16:54,247 --> 00:16:56,807 though she's spent so much time in America, 265 00:16:56,967 --> 00:16:59,527 her accent is more Mafia than Moroccan. 266 00:17:01,847 --> 00:17:04,600 - Are we in the Berber? - Yes, we are. 267 00:17:04,767 --> 00:17:06,644 We are in the Berber villages. 268 00:17:06,807 --> 00:17:11,597 They were the original inhabitants of Morocco 269 00:17:11,767 --> 00:17:14,964 - before the Arabs came through. - Yes, absolutely. 270 00:17:15,127 --> 00:17:18,085 We don't quite know the origins, 271 00:17:18,247 --> 00:17:22,160 but they sure were here before the Arabs, yeah. 272 00:17:22,327 --> 00:17:26,445 Sorry to go on, but what are the characteristics of the Berbers? 273 00:17:26,607 --> 00:17:28,359 Warm people. 274 00:17:31,487 --> 00:17:34,479 Very ambitious, hard-working. 275 00:17:34,647 --> 00:17:36,763 You're a New Yorker really! 276 00:17:36,927 --> 00:17:40,317 Not really. I'm a Casaoui, as they say. 277 00:17:40,487 --> 00:17:42,717 - Casaoui? - Casaoui. From Casablanca. 278 00:17:42,887 --> 00:17:45,037 Casaoui. That's good. I like that. 279 00:17:45,447 --> 00:17:49,486 Casaoui. I'm from Sheffield! I'm a Sheffielder-oui. 280 00:17:49,967 --> 00:17:52,800 Talking of that, I must go and find the toilet. 281 00:17:54,767 --> 00:17:57,839 Here we transfer to a more rugged form of transport - 282 00:17:58,007 --> 00:18:00,282 the luxury pick-up we've been promised. 283 00:18:00,447 --> 00:18:02,836 - Yeah. - OK. 284 00:18:03,007 --> 00:18:04,645 Let's go. 285 00:18:05,327 --> 00:18:07,966 - Shokran. - Thank you. Shokran. 286 00:18:18,207 --> 00:18:21,438 It may look like we're doing this to save the BBC money, 287 00:18:21,607 --> 00:18:26,123 but out of the village, you can see why they don't encourage cars. 288 00:18:37,127 --> 00:18:39,880 - How are you feeling? - I feel great. 289 00:18:40,047 --> 00:18:42,641 That rush of blood that comes with nature... 290 00:18:42,807 --> 00:18:44,763 Yeah. The air is fresher. 291 00:18:44,927 --> 00:18:47,282 - Yeah. - How do you feel? 292 00:18:47,447 --> 00:18:48,960 Yeah. It's fantastic. 293 00:18:49,127 --> 00:18:52,802 We're so suddenly out of the valley 294 00:18:52,967 --> 00:18:55,845 and the trees and cherry orchards and walnut trees, 295 00:18:56,007 --> 00:18:59,841 and now there's nothing. Just bare rock. 296 00:19:00,007 --> 00:19:02,805 I can't believe there's a village up ahead. 297 00:19:02,967 --> 00:19:05,037 - Yes. - They're not fooling us? 298 00:19:05,207 --> 00:19:09,439 No, they're not. I hope they're not! I'm sure they're not. 299 00:19:09,607 --> 00:19:12,644 - He's laughing, so we're OK. - Is there a restaurant? 300 00:19:12,807 --> 00:19:16,516 The Berber village of Aremd, 8,000 feet up in the Atlas, 301 00:19:16,687 --> 00:19:19,724 is so well camouflaged you could easily miss it. 302 00:19:19,887 --> 00:19:24,597 It looks cold and inhospitable, but we're in for a surprise. 303 00:19:26,087 --> 00:19:30,956 OK. We're not the only ones eating here. We have to share. 304 00:19:31,127 --> 00:19:34,563 Is this the national dish, the tagine, of Morocco? 305 00:19:34,727 --> 00:19:36,718 - Let me see. - The national dish. 306 00:19:36,887 --> 00:19:40,402 - That's the tagine. - And in there... Oh, wow. 307 00:19:40,567 --> 00:19:44,526 It's meat, potatoes... Olives. 308 00:19:44,687 --> 00:19:47,281 Are those beans or are those olives? 309 00:19:47,447 --> 00:19:49,244 Beans... no, olives. 310 00:19:49,407 --> 00:19:52,319 (LIVELY BELLS AND DRUMS) 311 00:20:07,167 --> 00:20:11,080 The Berbers are a minority in a predominantly Arab Morocco. 312 00:20:11,247 --> 00:20:14,683 A dance like this is celebrating more than just a betrothal. 313 00:20:14,847 --> 00:20:18,317 It's celebrating the survival of their own culture. 314 00:20:38,007 --> 00:20:41,317 A coach service connects up the last towns and villages 315 00:20:41,487 --> 00:20:43,478 of the Atlas Mountains. 316 00:20:47,927 --> 00:20:50,316 It should take me to the end of Morocco, 317 00:20:50,487 --> 00:20:53,843 where the road runs out and the desert begins. 318 00:20:54,927 --> 00:20:57,441 The sound of the Koran fills the bus, 319 00:20:57,607 --> 00:21:00,519 ensuring that Allah will protect us on our journey. 320 00:21:00,687 --> 00:21:03,155 (CHANTING OVER TANNOY) 321 00:21:11,607 --> 00:21:13,484 At the village of Tademt, 322 00:21:13,647 --> 00:21:16,207 we pull in at a motorway service station. 323 00:21:20,927 --> 00:21:25,000 If it's fast food you're after, the signs are not encouraging. 324 00:21:29,887 --> 00:21:32,242 - Just deux. - Deux? 325 00:21:32,407 --> 00:21:35,877 With a little help from a friend, I negotiate for a kebab. 326 00:21:36,047 --> 00:21:38,242 You have to watch what they put in it. 327 00:21:39,807 --> 00:21:42,640 (SPEAKS FRENCH) 328 00:21:44,887 --> 00:21:46,639 Brochette seulement. 329 00:21:48,607 --> 00:21:51,405 Dear Delia, I've just eaten a bit of sheep's head. 330 00:21:51,567 --> 00:21:54,843 Would this be best with white wine sauce or a roulade? 331 00:21:55,007 --> 00:21:56,406 Merci. 332 00:22:08,927 --> 00:22:11,839 When Muslims talk about making a journey, 333 00:22:12,007 --> 00:22:14,840 they always add "inshallah" - God willing. 334 00:22:15,007 --> 00:22:16,440 It seems appropriate 335 00:22:16,607 --> 00:22:19,326 as we climb the highest pass on the Atlas mountains. 336 00:22:20,567 --> 00:22:22,046 Inshallah. 337 00:22:28,847 --> 00:22:31,202 Now we've crossed the High Atlas we are, 338 00:22:31,367 --> 00:22:34,564 for the first time in this journey, on the edge of desert, 339 00:22:34,727 --> 00:22:38,800 yet this village is one of the most familiar on the planet. 340 00:22:38,967 --> 00:22:41,356 If you've seen Gladiator, you've seen it. 341 00:22:41,527 --> 00:22:45,440 Or if you've seen Lawrence of Arabia, Romancing the Stone, 342 00:22:45,607 --> 00:22:47,723 or The Four Feathers, you've seen it. 343 00:22:47,887 --> 00:22:49,718 If you've seen Sodom and Gomorra, 344 00:22:49,887 --> 00:22:52,526 which I saw as a "treat", you've seen it. 345 00:22:52,687 --> 00:22:56,475 Ait Benhaddou is one of the great film sets of the world. 346 00:22:56,647 --> 00:22:59,480 The towers of Ait Benhaddou are beautiful. 347 00:22:59,647 --> 00:23:02,684 but it's hard to tell which are made of red desert earth 348 00:23:02,847 --> 00:23:05,520 and which are made of four by two plasterboard. 349 00:23:08,047 --> 00:23:09,844 In this Moroccan Hollywood, 350 00:23:10,007 --> 00:23:12,760 illusion and reality play strange tricks. 351 00:23:18,807 --> 00:23:22,322 From now on, signs of life are few and far between. 352 00:23:32,647 --> 00:23:34,763 The last river sinks into the sand. 353 00:23:34,927 --> 00:23:37,395 The last salesmen make their pitch. 354 00:23:37,567 --> 00:23:40,206 Quinze? We have a vingt, we have a quinze. 355 00:23:40,367 --> 00:23:42,119 - Quinze? - Oui. 356 00:23:42,287 --> 00:23:44,039 How about dix? 357 00:23:52,927 --> 00:23:56,602 Tomorrow, I'll be in the Sahara at last. 358 00:24:23,887 --> 00:24:26,720 (ALARM CHANTS) 359 00:24:36,567 --> 00:24:38,046 So this is it. 360 00:24:38,207 --> 00:24:40,516 The last hotel for a while, 361 00:24:40,687 --> 00:24:44,805 but to be honest, I feel pretty good. Glad to be alive. 362 00:24:47,447 --> 00:24:50,917 I'm glad that I'll no longer have to ask anyone else 363 00:24:51,087 --> 00:24:53,965 what the Sahara Desert looks like. 364 00:25:42,407 --> 00:25:45,399 The comforts of Morocco are now well behind us. 365 00:25:45,567 --> 00:25:50,004 We've come beyond the protective arm of the Atlas mountains. 366 00:25:50,167 --> 00:25:53,557 Ahead of us is a thousand miles of sand and stone. 367 00:25:53,727 --> 00:25:56,366 Unlike Morocco, the Sahara is not welcoming. 368 00:25:56,527 --> 00:26:00,964 It's hard and it's hostile and from now on, it gets serious. 369 00:26:01,127 --> 00:26:02,480 OK. 370 00:26:07,847 --> 00:26:11,681 South and west of Morocco lies the disputed territory 371 00:26:11,847 --> 00:26:13,678 of Western Sahara. 372 00:26:13,847 --> 00:26:15,758 It was once a Spanish colony, 373 00:26:15,927 --> 00:26:19,602 but when they left in 1975, the Moroccans moved in. 374 00:26:19,767 --> 00:26:23,919 Those inhabitants who didn't want to be Moroccan had to flee. 375 00:26:24,087 --> 00:26:27,238 They were given land near Tindouf in Algeria 376 00:26:27,407 --> 00:26:30,126 for four temporary refugee camps, 377 00:26:30,287 --> 00:26:34,041 which is where they still are a quarter of a century later. 378 00:26:46,687 --> 00:26:49,247 Their military and political organisation 379 00:26:49,407 --> 00:26:51,398 is called the Polisario Front. 380 00:26:51,567 --> 00:26:53,922 Their job is to keep the flag flying, 381 00:26:54,087 --> 00:26:57,124 make sure the world doesn't forget their plight 382 00:26:57,287 --> 00:27:01,758 and ensure that nearly 200,000 people are fed and watered 383 00:27:01,927 --> 00:27:05,806 in one of the most inhospitable corners of the Sahara. 384 00:27:12,087 --> 00:27:15,841 The nearest water supply is 16 miles away from the camp. 385 00:27:16,007 --> 00:27:19,841 Over centuries, this water has filtered down from the mountains 386 00:27:20,007 --> 00:27:22,805 to fill huge underground reservoirs. 387 00:27:32,607 --> 00:27:36,077 Because the water is impure, bleach has to be added. 388 00:27:38,367 --> 00:27:40,244 Where does it come from? 389 00:27:40,407 --> 00:27:43,444 My host Bachir has been a refugee for half his life. 390 00:27:43,607 --> 00:27:47,122 Well-educated and travelled, he lived for a while in Leeds. 391 00:27:47,287 --> 00:27:49,801 That water is for everything they need - 392 00:27:49,967 --> 00:27:52,845 for cooking, washing, bathing? 393 00:27:53,007 --> 00:27:55,726 Yes. For everything except for tea. 394 00:27:55,887 --> 00:27:58,685 Because this is a little bit salty - 395 00:27:58,847 --> 00:28:00,883 relatively salty - 396 00:28:01,047 --> 00:28:04,483 so it's very good for cooking, washing, for everything, 397 00:28:04,647 --> 00:28:09,562 but not for tea because tea needs very good water. 398 00:28:09,727 --> 00:28:12,719 - And it needs unsalty water. - Unsalty water. 399 00:28:12,887 --> 00:28:14,798 Where does the tea water come from? 400 00:28:14,967 --> 00:28:17,925 From another well which is very, very far from here 401 00:28:18,087 --> 00:28:19,998 - and you can't see it. - How far? 402 00:28:20,167 --> 00:28:24,922 It's about er... Something like about 50 miles. 403 00:28:25,087 --> 00:28:27,555 - 50 miles for a cup of tea! - Yeah. 404 00:28:29,847 --> 00:28:32,998 The tankers shuttle back and forth across the desert, 405 00:28:33,167 --> 00:28:35,044 day in and day out. 406 00:28:35,207 --> 00:28:38,358 Without them, Smara Camp would die of thirst. 407 00:28:43,647 --> 00:28:48,004 How many people are there in Smara, in this camp? 408 00:28:48,167 --> 00:28:52,206 In this camp... it's the second largest camp of refugees 409 00:28:52,367 --> 00:28:55,837 and we have here something like 40,000 people. 410 00:28:56,007 --> 00:28:59,363 40,000. Do people have to pay for their houses here? 411 00:28:59,527 --> 00:29:02,644 - Do they pay rent? - No. Absolutely nothing. 412 00:29:02,807 --> 00:29:04,843 But education is free? 413 00:29:05,007 --> 00:29:07,475 Education is free. Health is free. 414 00:29:07,647 --> 00:29:09,922 - Water? - Water. Transportation. 415 00:29:10,807 --> 00:29:12,957 Each house has a tent, I notice. 416 00:29:13,127 --> 00:29:15,880 Yeah. Yeah. It's er... 417 00:29:18,607 --> 00:29:23,283 The fact that we keep the tents here is very symbolic. 418 00:29:23,447 --> 00:29:27,520 It shows that we always have the desire 419 00:29:27,687 --> 00:29:29,564 to go back to our country. 420 00:29:29,727 --> 00:29:33,879 This is not our definitive land or homeland or something. 421 00:29:41,847 --> 00:29:44,407 Despite Bachir's unquenchable optimism, 422 00:29:44,567 --> 00:29:46,842 there are more of his people each year 423 00:29:47,007 --> 00:29:50,317 for whom the time to return home has already run out. 424 00:29:50,487 --> 00:29:53,445 It's sad, isn't it? A lot of people here... 425 00:29:54,407 --> 00:29:58,685 I don't know how many are in this area, 426 00:29:58,847 --> 00:30:02,920 but they must be people who've died outside their own country. 427 00:30:03,087 --> 00:30:04,645 These are all exiles. 428 00:30:04,807 --> 00:30:08,004 (BASHIR) They have fled from their old country 429 00:30:08,167 --> 00:30:13,764 and they have come to live here in these very hard conditions 430 00:30:13,927 --> 00:30:17,124 while they were waiting to go back to their country. 431 00:30:17,287 --> 00:30:19,960 But unfortunately, they died here. 432 00:30:23,567 --> 00:30:27,879 So this is the main market of Smara Camp. 433 00:30:28,047 --> 00:30:30,436 This is where the main shops are? 434 00:30:30,607 --> 00:30:33,963 Where the main shops are and they are very recent. 435 00:30:34,127 --> 00:30:40,726 - All this since '94 or '95. - What did you have before that? 436 00:30:40,887 --> 00:30:43,196 (MICHAEL) A shopping mall, however basic, 437 00:30:43,367 --> 00:30:47,121 would have been unthinkable in Smara Camp ten years ago. 438 00:30:48,287 --> 00:30:51,324 Recently, the Spanish government agreed to pay pensions 439 00:30:51,487 --> 00:30:53,876 to those who'd once served in its army. 440 00:30:55,207 --> 00:30:59,485 This has given some refugees the money to start a business. 441 00:30:59,647 --> 00:31:03,720 I need two bottles of water and some dates. 442 00:31:10,567 --> 00:31:13,161 Which kind of dates do you like? 443 00:31:13,327 --> 00:31:15,477 Have you got any British dates? 444 00:31:16,607 --> 00:31:18,165 No, no, no. 445 00:31:18,327 --> 00:31:21,125 The best. I'll take a recommendation. 446 00:31:21,287 --> 00:31:24,563 - Some Sheffield dates. - Sheffield dates! 447 00:31:25,527 --> 00:31:28,803 You know about those, having been to Leeds. 448 00:31:29,807 --> 00:31:33,197 The only meat I've eaten for the last three days is camel. 449 00:31:33,367 --> 00:31:35,597 I suppose this is where it comes from. 450 00:31:37,927 --> 00:31:40,441 How much is a camel's head? 451 00:31:47,807 --> 00:31:49,923 400 Algerian dinars. 452 00:31:50,087 --> 00:31:53,284 400 Algerian dinars. How much is that in? 453 00:31:53,447 --> 00:31:57,804 - In pounds? Four pounds. - Four pounds? That's not bad. 454 00:31:57,967 --> 00:32:00,606 - Do you boil it? - Yeah. You boil it. 455 00:32:00,767 --> 00:32:05,124 But it takes a lot of time. Three or four hours to cook. 456 00:32:05,287 --> 00:32:08,802 Because it's not the best part of the camel. 457 00:32:13,887 --> 00:32:15,878 Before my next camel dinner, 458 00:32:16,047 --> 00:32:18,242 I retire to the bathroom for a shower 459 00:32:18,407 --> 00:32:22,958 whilst Bachir's wife, Krikiba, conjures up another meal for us. 460 00:32:27,527 --> 00:32:29,757 Sadly, the hot water isn't working. 461 00:32:29,927 --> 00:32:31,246 Ooh! 462 00:32:36,887 --> 00:32:39,355 We're moving on tomorrow, 463 00:32:39,527 --> 00:32:41,597 on around the Sahara, 464 00:32:41,767 --> 00:32:45,442 and one thing I remember about Smara here - 465 00:32:45,607 --> 00:32:49,646 apart from the way you've looked after us and the hospitality - 466 00:32:49,807 --> 00:32:55,040 is that it's a very well-organised, well-run town. 467 00:32:55,207 --> 00:32:58,643 I keep forgetting it's not a town it's a refugee camp. 468 00:32:58,807 --> 00:33:02,083 You are, to all intents and purposes, refugees. 469 00:33:02,247 --> 00:33:06,240 Your children have never seen the country you were born in. 470 00:33:06,407 --> 00:33:09,126 I wonder what the future is. 471 00:33:09,287 --> 00:33:12,916 I mean, how do you see the future developing? 472 00:33:13,087 --> 00:33:15,078 For us, the future is very clear. 473 00:33:15,247 --> 00:33:19,604 We will fight. We will continue this fight until the end. 474 00:33:19,767 --> 00:33:22,042 (WHISTLES AND DRUMS) 475 00:33:22,647 --> 00:33:24,365 At a school in the desert, 476 00:33:24,527 --> 00:33:26,916 these children are rehearsing for a parade 477 00:33:27,087 --> 00:33:30,238 to mark the anniversary of the founding of Polisario. 478 00:33:30,407 --> 00:33:32,204 With Spanish and Cuban teachers, 479 00:33:32,367 --> 00:33:35,325 they are among the best-educated children in Africa. 480 00:33:35,487 --> 00:33:38,797 But where they go from here is by no means certain. 481 00:33:47,567 --> 00:33:50,843 For us, it's time to hit the road, or rather, the sand, 482 00:33:51,007 --> 00:33:54,363 as Bachir escorts us through the flat, treeless wastes 483 00:33:54,527 --> 00:33:56,722 along the borders of Western Sahara. 484 00:33:57,647 --> 00:34:01,322 And when, at last, they do find a tree, they chop it down. 485 00:34:02,087 --> 00:34:05,796 Well, not all of it. Just enough to get a campfire going. 486 00:34:25,327 --> 00:34:27,124 While the stew's cooking, 487 00:34:27,287 --> 00:34:31,200 I test one of the advantages of flat, treeless wastes - 488 00:34:31,367 --> 00:34:33,676 terrific telephone reception. 489 00:34:33,847 --> 00:34:35,280 Hello? 490 00:34:35,447 --> 00:34:36,800 Hello. 491 00:34:38,167 --> 00:34:40,397 You'll never guess where I am. 492 00:34:40,567 --> 00:34:44,526 Oh, you did. Sahara, yes, but what bit? 493 00:34:45,927 --> 00:34:50,284 We're just in Western Sahara. We've just come in from Algeria. 494 00:34:50,447 --> 00:34:52,403 The desert's fantastic. 495 00:34:52,567 --> 00:34:55,127 It seems the same, but it changes all the while. 496 00:34:55,287 --> 00:34:59,599 We're just having a lunch. They chopped down some wood, 497 00:34:59,767 --> 00:35:03,840 making a fire. We'll probably be having camel again. Yes. 498 00:35:04,007 --> 00:35:07,363 I've had over the last few days a lot of camel. 499 00:35:07,527 --> 00:35:09,961 Most of the bits of the camel, yes. 500 00:35:10,127 --> 00:35:14,040 Just to say that we're here and I'm fine. Any messages? What? 501 00:35:15,407 --> 00:35:17,602 I've won the Lottery, yes, and? 502 00:35:17,767 --> 00:35:20,804 Pat's in to paint the sitting room. Fantastic. 503 00:35:20,967 --> 00:35:23,527 Listen... No, tell him I don't want that. 504 00:35:23,687 --> 00:35:26,042 Not that buttermilk we had before. 505 00:35:26,207 --> 00:35:29,722 Can we have it lilac with a purple stripe rising up 506 00:35:29,887 --> 00:35:31,923 and the dado in brown, OK? 507 00:35:32,087 --> 00:35:34,726 Yeah. No, no, it's much better. 508 00:35:34,887 --> 00:35:38,482 No, it's better. We all get athlete's foot at some time. 509 00:35:38,647 --> 00:35:41,366 No, it is better. I am putting the ointment on. 510 00:35:41,527 --> 00:35:43,279 OK. Bye, love. 511 00:35:43,447 --> 00:35:45,438 Bye from the Sahara. 512 00:36:04,207 --> 00:36:07,722 A hundred miles further south, I'm with an armed guard 513 00:36:07,887 --> 00:36:10,606 climbing a ridge incredibly rich in fossils - 514 00:36:10,767 --> 00:36:13,964 a reminder that the Sahara was once under the ocean. 515 00:36:14,127 --> 00:36:16,118 It looks out over a valley 516 00:36:16,287 --> 00:36:18,403 where a wall and a minefield mark 517 00:36:18,567 --> 00:36:22,401 one of the least-known armed confrontations in the world. 518 00:36:29,687 --> 00:36:33,077 I'm feeling a bit jumpy up here because only a mile away 519 00:36:33,247 --> 00:36:35,238 there's a wall built by the Moroccans 520 00:36:35,407 --> 00:36:38,956 to keep the Polisario out of what they see as their homeland. 521 00:36:39,127 --> 00:36:41,800 The wall runs for 1,600 miles. 522 00:36:41,967 --> 00:36:44,925 There are 160,000 Moroccan troops patrolling it - 523 00:36:45,087 --> 00:36:47,237 some are probably looking at us now. 524 00:36:47,407 --> 00:36:50,160 The situation is more tense since the Polisario, 525 00:36:50,327 --> 00:36:52,795 who weren't asked if the Paris-Dakar rally 526 00:36:52,967 --> 00:36:56,118 could enter their territory, abandoned the ceasefire. 527 00:36:56,287 --> 00:36:59,882 So it's all a bit dangerous. I'll stick to fossil hunting. 528 00:37:05,207 --> 00:37:09,519 The Polisario may have abandoned their ceasefire with Morocco, 529 00:37:09,687 --> 00:37:12,520 but the army detachment I met up with near the wall 530 00:37:12,687 --> 00:37:15,440 looks ill-equipped to back up any sabre-rattling. 531 00:37:17,367 --> 00:37:19,961 ...Against tanks. - Against tanks, yeah. 532 00:37:20,127 --> 00:37:22,083 They have very basic equipment - 533 00:37:22,247 --> 00:37:24,602 a few anti-aircraft guns 534 00:37:24,767 --> 00:37:28,555 and Russian tanks, third-hand from the Algerians. 535 00:37:42,087 --> 00:37:45,762 There's no doubting their courage, but it seems clear 536 00:37:45,927 --> 00:37:49,044 that if these defiant exiles are to win their land back, 537 00:37:49,207 --> 00:37:52,643 it'll have to be with the ballot box, not the gun. 538 00:38:09,647 --> 00:38:13,196 We spent last night at an old Spanish fort. 539 00:38:14,327 --> 00:38:16,795 This morning, there's a sandstorm brewing 540 00:38:16,967 --> 00:38:20,596 as a convoy arrives to take us over the border to Mauritania - 541 00:38:20,767 --> 00:38:24,123 a country, I confess, that I've barely heard of before. 542 00:38:24,287 --> 00:38:27,643 But that's what travel's all about - learning something new, 543 00:38:27,807 --> 00:38:31,197 and, of course, constantly having to say goodbye. 544 00:38:31,367 --> 00:38:33,483 Bye, guys. Thank you. 545 00:38:38,047 --> 00:38:40,515 We never got to play our game together. 546 00:38:40,687 --> 00:38:42,837 Bye. Thank you. Thank you. 547 00:38:43,007 --> 00:38:45,237 Thank you. Thanks very much. 548 00:38:46,807 --> 00:38:48,718 Hey, my driver. My man. 549 00:38:49,807 --> 00:38:52,844 Best driver. Best driver in the Sahara. Goodbye. 550 00:38:59,407 --> 00:39:01,204 The chef. The chef man. The cook. 551 00:39:01,367 --> 00:39:04,040 I'm very sad to be leaving Bachir, 552 00:39:04,207 --> 00:39:07,882 who shows his British connection by apologising for the weather. 553 00:39:08,047 --> 00:39:11,005 Sometimes we don't have this kind of sandstorms. 554 00:39:11,167 --> 00:39:13,727 You've given us a little of everything. 555 00:39:13,887 --> 00:39:17,402 We get to disappear into a cloud of dust. You've laid this on. 556 00:39:17,567 --> 00:39:20,843 - I hope you find your way back. - We will find it for sure. 557 00:39:21,007 --> 00:39:23,919 Left at Coventry and take the spur road! 558 00:39:24,087 --> 00:39:27,204 As you find your way through the fog, 559 00:39:27,367 --> 00:39:29,483 we'll find our way through the sand. 560 00:39:29,647 --> 00:39:32,480 I hope to see you all again. OK, Bachir. 561 00:39:32,647 --> 00:39:36,196 Bon voyage. Bon voyage. Merci. Merci. 562 00:39:40,567 --> 00:39:42,717 (HORNS HOOT) 563 00:39:44,087 --> 00:39:45,600 Thank you. 564 00:40:01,207 --> 00:40:03,118 As the conditions worsen, 565 00:40:03,287 --> 00:40:06,006 I fear we might miss the Mauritanian border altogether. 566 00:40:06,167 --> 00:40:09,523 But suddenly we're upon it, bouncing out of the sands 567 00:40:09,687 --> 00:40:12,963 onto - luxury of luxuries! - a tarmac road, 568 00:40:13,127 --> 00:40:15,516 the first we've seen for over a week. 569 00:40:15,687 --> 00:40:17,325 Oh, bliss! 570 00:40:30,927 --> 00:40:34,681 Even in a sandstorm, the usual formalities have to be observed. 571 00:40:34,847 --> 00:40:37,725 Or in this case, rather, unusual formalities. 572 00:40:38,967 --> 00:40:41,356 Bonjour. Mauritani? 573 00:40:41,527 --> 00:40:44,360 Ah, merci. Un passeport. 574 00:40:46,087 --> 00:40:48,760 (METAL RATTLES) 575 00:41:00,327 --> 00:41:02,124 Quel bruit! 576 00:41:02,287 --> 00:41:05,882 What a noise. Things like that can spark a conversation. 577 00:41:06,047 --> 00:41:07,639 Sometimes. 578 00:41:11,327 --> 00:41:13,761 C'est finis? Merci. 579 00:41:14,287 --> 00:41:15,845 Merci bien. 580 00:41:17,207 --> 00:41:18,686 Au revoir. 581 00:41:25,527 --> 00:41:27,643 The hotel may not be four star, 582 00:41:27,807 --> 00:41:30,719 but it does have things I haven't seen for a while - 583 00:41:30,887 --> 00:41:33,162 hot water, a flushing lavatory, 584 00:41:33,327 --> 00:41:35,841 and, unfortunately, a mirror. 585 00:41:37,207 --> 00:41:38,845 Oh, my God. 586 00:41:44,287 --> 00:41:46,039 Aah. 587 00:41:49,087 --> 00:41:50,566 Merci. 588 00:42:01,727 --> 00:42:04,844 Dear Delia, can't get sheep's head for love or money. 589 00:42:05,007 --> 00:42:06,679 Can I do with warthog soup? 590 00:42:10,727 --> 00:42:13,958 Out on the streets, the weather is getting worse. 591 00:42:14,127 --> 00:42:16,561 A ferocious wind is whipping in the sand, 592 00:42:16,727 --> 00:42:19,002 stinging the face and blinding the eyes. 593 00:42:19,167 --> 00:42:22,398 The locals, of course, know how to deal with this. 594 00:42:23,007 --> 00:42:25,521 This is the first time I've worn the howli, 595 00:42:25,687 --> 00:42:29,362 as they call it in Arabic, or turban, as we know it. 596 00:42:30,607 --> 00:42:34,759 This is not cosmetic. This is essential. 597 00:42:34,927 --> 00:42:37,566 If you've ever had to tie someone else's tie, 598 00:42:37,727 --> 00:42:42,198 you'll understand why most of Mauritania has turned out to help me. 599 00:42:42,367 --> 00:42:45,518 I can't, as yet, tie it myself. 600 00:42:45,687 --> 00:42:47,359 There we go. 601 00:42:48,247 --> 00:42:51,319 The howli, as it's called in Arabic. 602 00:42:51,487 --> 00:42:53,443 The turban, as we know it. 603 00:42:54,487 --> 00:42:56,045 Thank you. 604 00:42:59,087 --> 00:43:04,445 I see 6.1, 5.1... 7.3. It's a good score. 605 00:43:07,967 --> 00:43:10,117 Zouerat is a company town. 606 00:43:10,287 --> 00:43:13,438 Rich iron ore deposits have turned this corner of the Sahara 607 00:43:13,607 --> 00:43:15,837 into a multi-million dollar asset. 608 00:43:46,927 --> 00:43:50,920 Iron ore makes up almost half of Mauritania's foreign earnings. 609 00:43:51,087 --> 00:43:55,239 Production goes on round the clock to fill the huge trains. 610 00:44:06,367 --> 00:44:08,517 Despite the presence of the mine, 611 00:44:08,687 --> 00:44:11,406 Zouerat has pockets of great poverty. 612 00:44:19,087 --> 00:44:21,078 Here, everything is recycled. 613 00:44:21,247 --> 00:44:23,966 An oil drum becomes not only the side of a house, 614 00:44:24,127 --> 00:44:28,359 but the roof and the doors and the garden wall. 615 00:44:36,247 --> 00:44:38,761 Five years ago, this family were farmers 616 00:44:38,927 --> 00:44:41,395 till drought forced them into the town. 617 00:44:41,567 --> 00:44:44,240 The wall of their tent is made from material 618 00:44:44,407 --> 00:44:47,001 once used to wrap mining explosive. 619 00:44:47,167 --> 00:44:49,920 I wanted to know how they stayed so happy. 620 00:44:51,207 --> 00:44:55,041 Qu'est-ce que... que faites vous... 621 00:44:55,207 --> 00:44:57,960 (HALTING FRENCH) 622 00:44:58,127 --> 00:45:02,166 Que sorts de celebration ou parti? 623 00:45:02,327 --> 00:45:04,557 What makes you so happy? 624 00:45:15,047 --> 00:45:16,799 The country... 625 00:45:16,967 --> 00:45:19,606 (INDISTINCT) 626 00:45:19,767 --> 00:45:23,316 The country, the calm and the beautiful house. Very good. 627 00:45:25,247 --> 00:45:27,602 My beautiful house. 628 00:45:38,327 --> 00:45:40,443 Every day, seven days a week, 629 00:45:40,607 --> 00:45:44,566 iron ore trains more than two kilometres long leave Zouerat. 630 00:45:44,727 --> 00:45:48,720 And, unlikely as it may seem, some of them carry passengers. 631 00:45:49,767 --> 00:45:52,122 After a week in back-breaking vehicles, 632 00:45:52,287 --> 00:45:55,996 the chance to cross the desert by rail is not one I can ignore. 633 00:46:10,247 --> 00:46:13,717 I've got a ticket, but I'm not quite sure what for. 634 00:46:24,767 --> 00:46:27,520 The railway officials aren't over-helpful. 635 00:46:27,687 --> 00:46:31,282 Their primary role appears to be to stop anyone getting on. 636 00:46:31,447 --> 00:46:34,166 I don't think he's very keen to let us on. 637 00:46:45,527 --> 00:46:47,882 Thank goodness I got a reservation. 638 00:46:54,407 --> 00:46:57,285 They're getting in now. Shall we try down there? 639 00:46:59,327 --> 00:47:01,238 Come on. Let's go. 640 00:47:23,527 --> 00:47:25,722 There's one last hope - 641 00:47:25,887 --> 00:47:28,526 the recycling bin at the back of the train. 642 00:47:32,367 --> 00:47:34,403 C'est le première? 643 00:47:34,567 --> 00:47:37,639 C'est le première classe ici? 644 00:47:37,807 --> 00:47:39,479 Ce voiture? 645 00:47:40,807 --> 00:47:44,117 I'm very confused, but I'm told this is first-class. 646 00:47:44,287 --> 00:47:48,439 Though you'd be forgiven for thinking it was rubbish-class. 647 00:48:19,407 --> 00:48:22,638 The iron ore express may take a while to get going, 648 00:48:22,807 --> 00:48:26,846 but then it is the longest train in the world - probably. 649 00:48:39,847 --> 00:48:42,998 It may look a bit like climbing into a bottle bank, 650 00:48:43,167 --> 00:48:47,126 but, actually, once you get in, this is première classe 651 00:48:47,287 --> 00:48:49,323 on the iron ore train in Mauritania, 652 00:48:49,487 --> 00:48:52,445 and people get onto their bunks and people talk. 653 00:48:52,607 --> 00:48:56,236 The unlucky ones, the people who travel with nothing at all, 654 00:48:56,407 --> 00:49:00,844 just scramble on the wagons with the iron ore or the rubble, 655 00:49:01,007 --> 00:49:03,282 and they can sit there for nothing. 656 00:49:03,447 --> 00:49:05,642 I'm going on this train down south. 657 00:49:05,807 --> 00:49:09,561 This goes to Nouâdhibou - takes all the iron ore to the coast. 658 00:49:09,727 --> 00:49:12,241 We're going to be getting off before that. 659 00:49:12,407 --> 00:49:16,366 After that, I'm prepared for rush hour anywhere in the world. 660 00:49:16,527 --> 00:49:19,485 We've got six hours now to settle down. 661 00:49:19,647 --> 00:49:23,003 Read a newspaper, join the frequent traveller's club. 662 00:49:23,167 --> 00:49:24,725 Whatever. 663 00:49:39,887 --> 00:49:42,879 It's not bad. Très intéressant. 664 00:50:31,567 --> 00:50:34,035 The iron ore goes on its way to the coast 665 00:50:34,207 --> 00:50:37,597 and we turn inland to a classic Saharan town 666 00:50:37,767 --> 00:50:41,077 and an even more classic relic of French colonial days - 667 00:50:41,247 --> 00:50:44,000 the fort, now hotel, Saganne. 668 00:50:44,167 --> 00:50:48,877 (VINTAGE RECORDING OF FRENCH FEMALE SINGER) 669 00:51:02,087 --> 00:51:05,682 Fort Saganne seems to represent something quintessential 670 00:51:05,847 --> 00:51:09,760 about the French empire in Africa - the Foreign Legion. 671 00:51:09,927 --> 00:51:12,760 The glory of France, but largely a German force. 672 00:51:12,927 --> 00:51:14,758 But the image persists. 673 00:51:14,927 --> 00:51:17,077 This place was used by Gerard Depardieu 674 00:51:17,247 --> 00:51:19,317 in a film called Fort Saganne. 675 00:51:19,487 --> 00:51:22,718 What I like up here is the amazing view. 676 00:51:22,887 --> 00:51:24,957 You have to one side Chinguetti - 677 00:51:25,127 --> 00:51:27,925 seventh holiest city of Islam - 678 00:51:28,087 --> 00:51:30,521 and on the other side, the sort of sand dunes 679 00:51:30,687 --> 00:51:33,201 you only see on the front of date packets. 680 00:51:36,967 --> 00:51:39,527 This is my first sight of a sand sea - 681 00:51:39,687 --> 00:51:42,326 a landscape as beautiful as any on Earth, 682 00:51:42,487 --> 00:51:46,116 created only by grains of sand and the force of the wind. 683 00:51:50,007 --> 00:51:51,998 So intense is the midday heat - 684 00:51:52,167 --> 00:51:53,964 well over 40 degrees - 685 00:51:54,127 --> 00:51:57,915 that Chinguetti only comes to life in the hours before dark. 686 00:51:58,087 --> 00:52:01,318 Then the streets become meeting places, playgrounds, 687 00:52:01,487 --> 00:52:03,637 and sports pitches. 688 00:52:03,807 --> 00:52:07,356 One of the great desert sports of Mauritania is Dhaemon - 689 00:52:07,527 --> 00:52:09,358 a game rather like draughts. 690 00:52:09,527 --> 00:52:12,087 All you need to play it are some sticks 691 00:52:12,247 --> 00:52:14,238 and a lot of camel droppings. 692 00:52:16,927 --> 00:52:19,999 This is the local grandmaster and before I know it, 693 00:52:20,167 --> 00:52:22,806 I'm given some jobbies and told to take him on. 694 00:52:29,687 --> 00:52:33,202 Merci pour votre assistance. You're going to lose me this. 695 00:52:43,367 --> 00:52:47,280 Do it for himself. Doucement, doucement, they say. 696 00:52:47,447 --> 00:52:50,678 Carefully. My whole reputation's... 697 00:52:56,887 --> 00:52:59,720 Bon. He comes in and grabs that. 698 00:52:59,887 --> 00:53:01,206 Now I'm... 699 00:53:03,887 --> 00:53:05,605 Don't move my shit. 700 00:53:06,367 --> 00:53:07,800 My bits. 701 00:53:11,167 --> 00:53:12,964 With a combination of luck 702 00:53:13,127 --> 00:53:16,437 and assistance from just about every man in Chinguetti, 703 00:53:16,607 --> 00:53:18,757 I get him into a bit of a corner. 704 00:53:23,727 --> 00:53:26,161 Next thing I know, I'm the champion. 705 00:53:26,327 --> 00:53:28,204 Thank you. 706 00:53:30,607 --> 00:53:32,837 Beginner's luck! Beginner's luck. 707 00:53:33,007 --> 00:53:34,998 I'm just a natural-born player. 708 00:53:37,167 --> 00:53:39,283 I've got to work out the strategy. 709 00:53:39,447 --> 00:53:41,563 Merci. Thank you, grand master. 710 00:53:42,607 --> 00:53:46,520 He's not taking it very well. Doesn't look me in the eye. 711 00:53:48,887 --> 00:53:52,357 Early next morning, I walk out across the sand sea 712 00:53:52,527 --> 00:53:54,836 before the heat becomes intolerable. 713 00:53:55,007 --> 00:53:58,966 The desert looks wonderful, but somehow it doesn't sound right. 714 00:53:59,127 --> 00:54:01,800 (LOW ENGINE ROAR) 715 00:54:20,687 --> 00:54:23,918 If that's a mirage, it's moving awfully quickly. 716 00:54:30,007 --> 00:54:31,520 Oh, my God! 717 00:54:31,687 --> 00:54:33,678 (UPBEAT MUSIC) 718 00:55:18,487 --> 00:55:20,523 No. It's not a dream. 719 00:55:20,687 --> 00:55:23,247 It's the 24th Paris-Dakar Rally. 720 00:55:23,407 --> 00:55:27,036 320 vehicles attempting to be the fastest 721 00:55:27,207 --> 00:55:29,357 to drive from France to Senegal. 722 00:55:30,567 --> 00:55:32,637 And this is just a press call. 723 00:55:34,447 --> 00:55:37,519 For one day, the local airport becomes a media city 724 00:55:37,687 --> 00:55:40,759 as live coverage is beamed across the world. 725 00:55:40,927 --> 00:55:43,680 No one complains, because without TV rights 726 00:55:43,847 --> 00:55:46,680 these competitors would never get the chance 727 00:55:46,847 --> 00:55:50,920 to do something as pointless as racing across the Sahara Desert. 728 00:56:01,727 --> 00:56:04,844 At the furthest, least comfortable end of the airport, 729 00:56:05,007 --> 00:56:07,805 is the only British team left in the race - 730 00:56:07,967 --> 00:56:10,197 Dave Hammond, the motorcyclist - 731 00:56:10,367 --> 00:56:13,040 sponsored not by Mitsubishi or Mercedes, 732 00:56:13,207 --> 00:56:15,801 but by Webb's Garages of Cirencester. 733 00:56:15,967 --> 00:56:19,198 Dave's technical team is Martin. 734 00:56:20,327 --> 00:56:22,761 52 bikes have already crashed out 735 00:56:22,927 --> 00:56:26,124 and this David is in with a chance against the Goliaths. 736 00:56:26,287 --> 00:56:29,723 But I'm more interested in what he thinks of the Sahara. 737 00:56:31,247 --> 00:56:34,364 Do you get any feeling of the country you go through? 738 00:56:34,527 --> 00:56:36,757 Have you any sense of Mauritania? 739 00:56:36,927 --> 00:56:38,918 No. Not at all, I'm afraid. 740 00:56:39,087 --> 00:56:42,477 I know we're going south because it's getting hotter. 741 00:56:42,647 --> 00:56:44,638 What are conditions like? 742 00:56:44,807 --> 00:56:48,766 You're at the edge of the airfield, tent on the rubble. 743 00:56:48,927 --> 00:56:53,682 What's it like? Have you got showers, rest facilities? 744 00:56:53,847 --> 00:56:55,405 Very little really. 745 00:56:55,567 --> 00:56:58,525 Sleeping bags and roll mats for sleeping on. 746 00:56:58,687 --> 00:57:01,121 Showers hanging off the back of the van. 747 00:57:01,287 --> 00:57:03,847 It is sparse, there's no doubt about it, 748 00:57:04,007 --> 00:57:07,682 but it's all part of being on the Dakar Rally. 749 00:57:13,887 --> 00:57:17,357 I've scribbled a good luck message on Dave's bike. 750 00:57:17,527 --> 00:57:19,324 As he lines up next morning, 751 00:57:19,487 --> 00:57:23,526 he's lying 21st out of the 166 bikes that started. 752 00:57:36,167 --> 00:57:40,524 There are only six stages left, but with loops and time trials, 753 00:57:40,687 --> 00:57:44,441 that's still 2,000 more miles to go till the finishing line. 754 00:57:50,047 --> 00:57:53,164 This is Atâr airport the morning after the rally 755 00:57:53,327 --> 00:57:56,364 and the circus is packing up and leaving town. 756 00:57:56,527 --> 00:57:59,200 They're heading remorselessly for Dakar, 757 00:57:59,367 --> 00:58:01,164 which is where I'm going too. 758 00:58:17,527 --> 00:58:21,281 Dave Hammond had moved up to 12th place with two stages left 759 00:58:21,447 --> 00:58:24,757 when he fell into a chasm on the blind side of a sand dune. 760 00:58:24,927 --> 00:58:28,636 He was rushed to hospital and is making a slow recovery.