1 00:00:09,687 --> 00:00:11,678 (GROANS OF EFFORT) 2 00:00:31,367 --> 00:00:33,403 (LABOURED BREATHING) 3 00:00:44,327 --> 00:00:49,196 The Niger River has brought me to the heart of the Sahara, and can take me no further. 4 00:00:49,367 --> 00:00:54,282 From here on, the only ships I'm likely to see are ships of the desert, 5 00:00:54,447 --> 00:00:57,280 and where better to get acquainted with them 6 00:00:57,447 --> 00:00:59,961 than the legendary city of Timbuktu? 7 00:01:00,887 --> 00:01:02,878 (CAMEL BRAYS) 8 00:01:07,767 --> 00:01:09,837 Well, I've reached Timbuktu. 9 00:01:10,007 --> 00:01:12,999 (CAMEL GRUNTS) I said I've reached Timbuktu! 10 00:01:13,167 --> 00:01:16,204 (CAMEL GRUNTS) I said I've reached Timbuktu! 11 00:01:16,367 --> 00:01:17,846 I can't say it again! 12 00:01:18,007 --> 00:01:21,044 And back in the Sahara, 13 00:01:21,207 --> 00:01:24,882 the first time in the land of the Touareg, 14 00:01:25,047 --> 00:01:27,515 the Saharan nomad traders 15 00:01:27,687 --> 00:01:32,044 who founded Timbuktu about 800 years ago as a trading post 16 00:01:32,207 --> 00:01:36,359 for that most precious commodity in the Sahara, the salt, 17 00:01:36,527 --> 00:01:40,566 and the extraordinary thing is, that still today, 18 00:01:40,727 --> 00:01:44,402 the salt is brought down on camels in these great tablets, 19 00:01:44,567 --> 00:01:46,558 as it was all those years ago, 20 00:01:46,727 --> 00:01:50,720 from the mines 800ks up into the desert. 21 00:01:51,607 --> 00:01:54,405 So nothing's really changed, has it? 22 00:01:54,567 --> 00:01:57,843 You've changed, but, basically, you look the same 23 00:01:58,007 --> 00:02:00,840 as the original camel herds, don't you? 24 00:02:02,007 --> 00:02:05,841 How is it, lugging all that salt around? It must be sheer hell! 25 00:02:06,007 --> 00:02:07,998 Is it nice now it's finished? 26 00:02:08,167 --> 00:02:10,158 (CAMEL GRUNTS) Yeah! 27 00:02:12,687 --> 00:02:14,405 But things HAVE changed. 28 00:02:14,567 --> 00:02:18,401 In Timbuktu today, the Touareg are camped against the walls, 29 00:02:18,567 --> 00:02:22,276 sheltering from the desert rather than crossing it, 30 00:02:22,447 --> 00:02:25,359 and the walls are not what they used to be. 31 00:02:25,527 --> 00:02:27,916 Once inside the crumbling ramparts, 32 00:02:28,087 --> 00:02:31,238 it's hard to tell what it is about this desert city 33 00:02:31,407 --> 00:02:34,240 that has enthralled travellers for so long, 34 00:02:34,407 --> 00:02:37,160 and why it is that so many risked their lives 35 00:02:37,327 --> 00:02:39,318 to reach streets like these. 36 00:02:44,767 --> 00:02:48,760 This mosque is evidence of the golden age of Timbuktu. 37 00:02:51,807 --> 00:02:55,880 El-Saheli, the man said to have invented mudbrick architecture, 38 00:02:56,047 --> 00:02:58,641 designed and built it for Mansa Musa, 39 00:02:58,807 --> 00:03:00,604 the immensely rich emperor, 40 00:03:00,767 --> 00:03:04,043 at a time when Mali was the greatest empire in Africa. 41 00:03:06,087 --> 00:03:08,521 It's a great mosque here in Timbuktu. 42 00:03:08,687 --> 00:03:12,919 It's an extraordinarily powerful and quietly affecting building. 43 00:03:13,087 --> 00:03:15,681 It's built on almost 100 columns, 44 00:03:15,847 --> 00:03:21,797 and it creates a sort of forest of coolness in the cauldron of heat outside. 45 00:03:22,287 --> 00:03:26,075 It was originally constructed in 1325, 46 00:03:26,247 --> 00:03:29,603 and just the sheer scale of the place is testimony 47 00:03:29,767 --> 00:03:34,124 to the power of the Islamic presence here in the Middle Ages. 48 00:03:44,047 --> 00:03:46,720 (MAN CHANTS) 49 00:03:49,087 --> 00:03:52,682 (MAN SPEAKS IN ARABIC OVER TANNOY) 50 00:03:54,287 --> 00:03:56,278 It's Friday in Timbuktu, 51 00:03:56,447 --> 00:03:58,961 the holiest day of the week for Muslims, 52 00:03:59,127 --> 00:04:02,722 and after prayers, the imam invites me back to his house. 53 00:04:07,487 --> 00:04:08,966 The 16th century... 54 00:04:09,127 --> 00:04:12,517 Alors, la lune, le soleil, on explique tout ça ici. 55 00:04:12,687 --> 00:04:14,598 The imam has scientific texts 56 00:04:14,767 --> 00:04:17,406 that show the planets circling the sun. 57 00:04:17,567 --> 00:04:19,683 They date back hundreds of years, 58 00:04:19,847 --> 00:04:22,839 preserved, I assume, by the dry desert air. 59 00:04:23,007 --> 00:04:26,682 It's convincing evidence that the scholars of Timbuktu 60 00:04:26,847 --> 00:04:29,361 knew a lot more than those in Europe. 61 00:04:29,527 --> 00:04:32,599 In 15th-century Timbuktu, the mathematicians 62 00:04:32,767 --> 00:04:36,680 knew about the rotation of the planets and about the eclipse. 63 00:04:36,847 --> 00:04:38,326 They knew things 64 00:04:38,487 --> 00:04:41,957 which we had to wait almost 200 years to know in Europe 65 00:04:42,127 --> 00:04:44,118 when Galileo and Copernicus 66 00:04:44,287 --> 00:04:46,881 came up with these same calculations... 67 00:04:47,887 --> 00:04:50,401 ...and were given a very hard time for it! 68 00:04:53,207 --> 00:04:55,675 (CHILDREN CHANT) 69 00:04:57,287 --> 00:04:59,642 In his house, the imam runs a school 70 00:04:59,807 --> 00:05:02,196 where local children learn the Koran. 71 00:05:02,367 --> 00:05:05,279 (IMAM) On est en train de lutter 72 00:05:05,447 --> 00:05:09,156 afin que Timbuktu retrouve son visage d'avant. 73 00:05:09,327 --> 00:05:14,799 He explained that he hopes that Timbuktu can regain some of its former glory, 74 00:05:14,967 --> 00:05:19,199 and become once again the great centre of scholarship. 75 00:05:22,287 --> 00:05:24,278 (CHILDREN CHANT) 76 00:05:29,807 --> 00:05:33,197 After the Middle Ages, Timbuktu slid into decline, 77 00:05:33,367 --> 00:05:34,880 but its mystique grew, 78 00:05:35,047 --> 00:05:39,165 stoked by the fact that no one could get to it. Then, in 1826, 79 00:05:39,327 --> 00:05:43,002 a Scotsman, Alexander Laing, rediscovered Timbuktu. 80 00:05:43,167 --> 00:05:46,557 His house is for sale if you fancy a weekend hideaway! 81 00:05:46,727 --> 00:05:50,163 Over a period of about 350 years, 82 00:05:50,327 --> 00:05:54,320 43 people tried to get to Timbuktu, 83 00:05:54,487 --> 00:05:57,957 only four succeeded, of which Laing was the first. 84 00:05:58,127 --> 00:06:01,278 When he got here, it looked pretty much like this. 85 00:06:01,447 --> 00:06:03,438 He wasn't greatly impressed. 86 00:06:03,607 --> 00:06:07,156 It wasn't the fabled city of wealth that he'd expected. 87 00:06:07,327 --> 00:06:10,876 Anyway, they were very hospitable, and as he went home, 88 00:06:11,047 --> 00:06:15,962 he fell out with the people who were taking him back across the Sahara. 89 00:06:16,127 --> 00:06:18,118 He refused to convert to Islam 90 00:06:18,287 --> 00:06:20,642 so they cut his head off at the age of 33. 91 00:06:20,807 --> 00:06:24,800 That was the end of Laing, but his house is remembered here. 92 00:06:27,407 --> 00:06:31,525 I can see myself festering here, gazing mournfully at the past, 93 00:06:31,687 --> 00:06:33,678 but the desert beckons! 94 00:06:36,287 --> 00:06:39,882 East of Timbuktu, the Sahara is virtually inaccessible 95 00:06:40,047 --> 00:06:43,437 to all but the nomads who move their cattle across it. 96 00:06:43,607 --> 00:06:47,600 Once a year they get together at Ingal in the Republic of Niger. 97 00:06:53,967 --> 00:06:56,879 These are the Wodaabe, a tall, elegant people 98 00:06:57,047 --> 00:06:59,436 thought to originate from Ethiopia. 99 00:06:59,607 --> 00:07:03,077 They walk and ride hundreds of miles every year, 100 00:07:03,247 --> 00:07:05,477 seeking pasture for their cattle. 101 00:07:11,527 --> 00:07:14,519 They move camp every six or seven days, 102 00:07:14,687 --> 00:07:16,757 so all they own must be portable. 103 00:07:24,407 --> 00:07:27,080 Recent rains have brought food and water, 104 00:07:27,247 --> 00:07:30,876 and they must take every advantage of these conditions 105 00:07:31,047 --> 00:07:33,038 to fatten their cattle. 106 00:07:33,207 --> 00:07:35,198 The Wodaabe grow no food, 107 00:07:35,367 --> 00:07:38,484 so without the animals they would not survive. 108 00:07:42,487 --> 00:07:45,479 The fattening of the animals on the salt grass 109 00:07:45,647 --> 00:07:49,401 is celebrated at an annual festival called Cure Salée - 110 00:07:49,567 --> 00:07:51,046 the Salt Cure. 111 00:07:51,207 --> 00:07:56,122 This great gathering of the nomadic clans is only days away. 112 00:07:56,287 --> 00:07:59,359 One of their spokesmen - they don't have chiefs - 113 00:07:59,527 --> 00:08:01,006 is Doulla. 114 00:08:01,167 --> 00:08:03,237 Tous les gens de la même famille? 115 00:08:03,407 --> 00:08:06,399 - Le père et la mère. - Ah, oui, oui. 116 00:08:08,047 --> 00:08:11,801 Using French and English, he says that everyone in the group 117 00:08:11,967 --> 00:08:14,162 comes from the same family line. 118 00:08:16,527 --> 00:08:19,724 - Perri! - Ah, Perri. 119 00:08:19,887 --> 00:08:21,878 Je te présente Perri. 120 00:08:22,047 --> 00:08:23,560 - Ah, Perri. - Oui. 121 00:08:23,727 --> 00:08:25,365 He introduces me to Perri, 122 00:08:25,527 --> 00:08:28,917 who sports a heavy-duty pair of Austrian sunglasses 123 00:08:29,087 --> 00:08:31,078 which I never see him remove. 124 00:08:33,567 --> 00:08:36,001 Though Perri looks like the Godfather, 125 00:08:36,167 --> 00:08:39,159 Doulla assures me he's only the brother-in-law. 126 00:08:39,327 --> 00:08:41,318 Ah, yes. 127 00:08:43,287 --> 00:08:45,278 The obvious non-family member 128 00:08:45,447 --> 00:08:49,440 is a French student, Celine, who's been living with the group 129 00:08:49,607 --> 00:08:52,883 and working with the women. She shares everything, 130 00:08:53,047 --> 00:08:55,880 including medicine, which is much in demand. 131 00:08:56,487 --> 00:09:01,402 What are the relationships like between the men and the women? 132 00:09:01,567 --> 00:09:04,639 I know that some of them have three or four wives. 133 00:09:04,807 --> 00:09:06,604 Are there problems there? 134 00:09:06,767 --> 00:09:08,758 It's a free life here. 135 00:09:08,927 --> 00:09:10,565 The woman is... 136 00:09:10,727 --> 00:09:13,560 Well, I can't say free, but more or less free, 137 00:09:13,727 --> 00:09:16,366 like all around the world, a free woman. 138 00:09:16,527 --> 00:09:19,519 - So she can... - She is with her husband, 139 00:09:19,687 --> 00:09:24,238 but if she wants, she can leave him. 140 00:09:24,407 --> 00:09:26,398 She can go to... 141 00:09:26,567 --> 00:09:30,560 She can go with another man. 142 00:09:30,727 --> 00:09:33,036 They're quite liberated sexually. 143 00:09:33,207 --> 00:09:35,243 More or less, yes. 144 00:09:35,407 --> 00:09:38,717 (MICHAEL) It's important for them to look beautiful? 145 00:09:38,887 --> 00:09:40,878 (CELINE) Yes, very important. 146 00:09:41,047 --> 00:09:45,325 When a man chooses a woman or a woman chooses a man, 147 00:09:45,487 --> 00:09:49,924 the first thing they look for is the beauty of the person. 148 00:09:50,087 --> 00:09:52,078 (MEN CHANT) 149 00:09:52,767 --> 00:09:56,760 This is the most extraordinary beauty contest I've ever seen! 150 00:09:56,927 --> 00:09:58,758 This is the gerewol - 151 00:09:58,927 --> 00:10:01,999 a Wodaabe equivalent of the high school hop. 152 00:10:02,167 --> 00:10:04,635 The young men go to enormous lengths 153 00:10:04,807 --> 00:10:07,037 to make themselves irresistible. 154 00:10:07,207 --> 00:10:10,597 This means plenty of make-up, exotic hairdressing, 155 00:10:10,767 --> 00:10:14,521 the ability to repeat the same song and movement for hours, 156 00:10:14,687 --> 00:10:16,325 and some fancy eye work! 157 00:10:27,087 --> 00:10:30,159 How long do they dance for? 158 00:10:30,327 --> 00:10:33,125 - They dance for seven days. - Seven days? 159 00:10:33,287 --> 00:10:34,686 - Yes. - Seven days? 160 00:10:41,287 --> 00:10:43,084 Now it's the girls' turn. 161 00:10:43,247 --> 00:10:45,602 Once decked out in all their finery 162 00:10:45,767 --> 00:10:48,406 by doting mothers, aunts and grannies, 163 00:10:48,567 --> 00:10:52,560 they will parade in front of the boys and choose their partner. 164 00:10:55,327 --> 00:10:58,125 They look very beautiful, very young 165 00:10:58,287 --> 00:11:00,403 and rather frightened. 166 00:11:01,567 --> 00:11:04,957 (SINGING CONTINUES) 167 00:11:16,047 --> 00:11:20,916 Now comes the time for the girls to play their part in the ceremony. 168 00:11:22,087 --> 00:11:24,078 (SINGING CONTINUES) 169 00:11:27,687 --> 00:11:30,155 - Do they come forward? - Yes. 170 00:11:30,327 --> 00:11:33,080 People like the women want to swear this. 171 00:11:34,287 --> 00:11:37,518 Though the girls have the right to choose - 172 00:11:37,687 --> 00:11:40,599 it looks more like an ordeal than a privilege - 173 00:11:40,767 --> 00:11:43,679 their choice must be made for everyone to see. 174 00:11:47,687 --> 00:11:49,882 Nerves are beginning to show. 175 00:11:55,247 --> 00:11:57,238 (SINGING CONTINUES) 176 00:12:05,567 --> 00:12:08,764 (MICHAEL) Do the girls choose one boy? 177 00:12:08,927 --> 00:12:10,326 (DOULLA) Yes. 178 00:12:10,487 --> 00:12:12,796 They go up and put their hand on them? 179 00:12:12,967 --> 00:12:15,037 Yes, maybe one woman, maybe two. 180 00:12:19,887 --> 00:12:22,685 Guided by the mistress of ceremonies, 181 00:12:22,847 --> 00:12:25,839 each girl walks the line until contact is made 182 00:12:26,007 --> 00:12:29,158 and the choice announced in the traditional way. 183 00:12:30,447 --> 00:12:32,438 (SHRILL WHOOP) 184 00:12:35,207 --> 00:12:37,198 Now, the worst is over. 185 00:12:37,367 --> 00:12:40,040 Her chosen one will meet up with her later. 186 00:12:40,207 --> 00:12:42,118 He's hers for the night. 187 00:12:52,887 --> 00:12:56,766 Next morning, I meet a boy and a girl who got together 188 00:12:56,927 --> 00:12:58,963 at last year's gerewol. 189 00:13:02,327 --> 00:13:05,364 Rainey, tucking into millet porridge, 190 00:13:05,527 --> 00:13:07,085 was chosen by Gooday, 191 00:13:07,247 --> 00:13:10,683 and they now have to decide if they want to get married. 192 00:13:10,847 --> 00:13:13,315 This is not a marriage for the parents. 193 00:13:13,487 --> 00:13:16,399 Non, ce n'est pas un mariage pour les parents. 194 00:13:16,647 --> 00:13:19,639 - So they love each other and... - Voilà, voilà. 195 00:13:19,807 --> 00:13:21,684 C'est le mariage pour I'amour. 196 00:13:23,847 --> 00:13:27,681 Doulla explains that although they've been lovers for a year, 197 00:13:27,847 --> 00:13:30,042 Gooday wants to go to Cure Salée 198 00:13:30,207 --> 00:13:33,916 and see how Rainey shapes up in the big gerewol dance. 199 00:13:35,687 --> 00:13:37,917 ...qu'il danse bien... 200 00:13:38,087 --> 00:13:41,875 If he dances well, sings well and looks good, 201 00:13:42,047 --> 00:13:44,766 she'll very likely decide to be his wife. 202 00:13:44,927 --> 00:13:47,839 ...et après ils vont faire le mariage. 203 00:13:48,007 --> 00:13:50,157 Then they can claim the family bed, 204 00:13:50,327 --> 00:13:53,558 the most important of all Wodaabe status symbols. 205 00:13:57,247 --> 00:13:59,238 But until Cure Salée's over, 206 00:13:59,407 --> 00:14:01,841 Gooday's keeping everyone guessing. 207 00:14:23,087 --> 00:14:25,078 Well, we're on our way. 208 00:14:25,247 --> 00:14:29,035 The great Wodaabe family outing has begun to Cure Salée, 209 00:14:29,207 --> 00:14:31,198 an enormous festival 210 00:14:31,367 --> 00:14:33,597 where all the nomads come together 211 00:14:33,767 --> 00:14:35,962 for this great once-yearly event. 212 00:14:36,127 --> 00:14:38,118 I'm not quite sure what goes on, 213 00:14:38,287 --> 00:14:41,518 but all sorts of festivities - dancing, whatever. 214 00:14:41,687 --> 00:14:43,678 It's just a bit of a long walk! 215 00:14:43,847 --> 00:14:45,838 Coming! 216 00:14:53,367 --> 00:14:55,358 (INAUDIBLE) 217 00:15:19,967 --> 00:15:23,004 The town where Cure Salée is celebrated 218 00:15:23,167 --> 00:15:25,158 is 60 miles from the camp, 219 00:15:25,327 --> 00:15:27,522 and no, I don't walk the whole way. 220 00:15:27,687 --> 00:15:29,678 I ride to Ingal in a bush taxi 221 00:15:29,847 --> 00:15:32,361 with 15 Wodaabe crammed on board, 222 00:15:32,527 --> 00:15:37,203 reducing their travelling time from two days to two hours. 223 00:15:38,367 --> 00:15:40,927 We've now reached... Foma! 224 00:15:41,087 --> 00:15:42,520 Foma. 225 00:15:42,687 --> 00:15:44,678 That means hello in Wodaabe. 226 00:15:44,847 --> 00:15:47,156 We've finally reached the big city - 227 00:15:47,327 --> 00:15:49,318 it isn't a big city at all. 228 00:15:49,487 --> 00:15:51,796 This is Ingal and it's quite small. 229 00:15:51,967 --> 00:15:54,276 It's where Cure Salée takes place, 230 00:15:54,447 --> 00:15:57,041 and after where we were, it's a big shock. 231 00:15:57,207 --> 00:15:59,960 Suddenly, there's walls, cars and police. 232 00:16:00,127 --> 00:16:03,597 There are people looking to rent out property. 233 00:16:03,767 --> 00:16:05,837 They've got this courtyard here 234 00:16:06,007 --> 00:16:08,760 probably at a bit of a high rent! 235 00:16:08,927 --> 00:16:11,680 It doesn't feel totally comfortable here. 236 00:16:11,847 --> 00:16:14,600 You know, country boys come to the big city. 237 00:16:14,767 --> 00:16:17,520 There are lots of their families out there, 238 00:16:17,687 --> 00:16:21,362 but they haven't found them yet and are making a base here. 239 00:16:21,527 --> 00:16:24,724 There's a slightly hostile, cautious feeling. 240 00:16:26,287 --> 00:16:29,165 Hello. Foma! Foma! How are you? 241 00:16:29,327 --> 00:16:33,764 They're so lovely! They just walk at this very gentle pace, 242 00:16:33,927 --> 00:16:36,122 and out there is complete mayhem! 243 00:16:44,727 --> 00:16:48,561 Cure Salée is everything - a grand party, trade fair, 244 00:16:48,727 --> 00:16:52,561 highland games, sports day and agricultural show. 245 00:16:52,727 --> 00:16:56,686 For one week a year, this little backwater is filled to bursting 246 00:16:56,847 --> 00:17:00,965 as thousands of nomads come to eat and drink, buy and sell, 247 00:17:01,127 --> 00:17:03,687 see and be seen, race their camels, 248 00:17:03,847 --> 00:17:05,963 and celebrate the joys of living 249 00:17:06,127 --> 00:17:08,118 in a land without boundaries. 250 00:17:09,127 --> 00:17:11,197 (THEY WHOOP) 251 00:17:12,367 --> 00:17:14,278 For Doulla and Perri, 252 00:17:14,447 --> 00:17:17,439 it's also a chance to catch up on the shopping. 253 00:17:20,367 --> 00:17:22,756 (THEY GREET EACH OTHER) 254 00:17:22,927 --> 00:17:26,715 I don't know all the rest! I only know the start! 255 00:17:26,887 --> 00:17:30,277 There are 17 different things we have to say! 256 00:17:30,447 --> 00:17:32,438 So what are we going to buy? 257 00:17:32,607 --> 00:17:35,679 - I want to buy the sucre. - Sugar. Sucre. 258 00:17:35,847 --> 00:17:38,964 (MICHAEL) For quatre-vingt personnes. 259 00:17:39,127 --> 00:17:43,120 So that's 80 people we're getting the provisions for. 260 00:17:44,487 --> 00:17:46,523 Will you stay four days here? 261 00:17:46,687 --> 00:17:50,760 I don't know. I want to dancing, I want to see many people... 262 00:17:50,927 --> 00:17:52,918 ...from my family. 263 00:17:53,087 --> 00:17:55,885 (MICHAEL) Are you going to buy new clothes? 264 00:17:56,047 --> 00:17:58,242 (DOULLA) Yes, I want to see this man. 265 00:17:59,647 --> 00:18:01,842 Perri's a bit of a dude, isn't he? 266 00:18:02,007 --> 00:18:04,202 He always looks rather dashing! 267 00:18:04,367 --> 00:18:07,404 - Is this new, too? - Oui. 268 00:18:07,567 --> 00:18:09,364 (DOULLA) This is very old. 269 00:18:09,527 --> 00:18:11,518 That's old, yeah. 270 00:18:12,727 --> 00:18:14,718 Oh, yes, look at that. 271 00:18:16,847 --> 00:18:21,477 The clothes are so much more interesting than mine! 272 00:18:23,207 --> 00:18:27,200 These trousers, they are in beige (!) 273 00:18:27,367 --> 00:18:29,517 - But I like these. - Me, too. 274 00:18:29,687 --> 00:18:33,157 - You like that? - Every people like these. 275 00:18:36,287 --> 00:18:38,084 (MAN) Bonjour! 276 00:18:42,687 --> 00:18:45,281 Qu'est-ce que ces choses ici? 277 00:18:45,447 --> 00:18:48,439 Ça c'est... C'est du sel. 278 00:18:48,607 --> 00:18:50,598 Oh, that's salt! 279 00:18:50,767 --> 00:18:53,679 - Ça c'est du sel. - It looks like solid rock. 280 00:18:53,847 --> 00:18:55,838 Ça vient de Bilma. 281 00:18:56,007 --> 00:18:57,998 This is salt from Bilma. 282 00:18:58,167 --> 00:19:00,397 Where the caravans go. 283 00:19:00,567 --> 00:19:03,161 The salt trade is the oldest in the Sahara, 284 00:19:03,327 --> 00:19:08,526 but Cure Salée is not stuck in the past. If you've a new idea, flaunt it! 285 00:19:08,687 --> 00:19:10,757 It's a bit hot for skiing! 286 00:19:10,927 --> 00:19:14,397 (INDISTINCT) 287 00:19:14,567 --> 00:19:17,877 - Do you ski on sand? - Yeah. Ski from desert. 288 00:19:18,047 --> 00:19:22,245 - Do you sink into the sand? - It's very good, yes. 289 00:19:22,407 --> 00:19:24,796 I have picture for this ski. 290 00:19:24,967 --> 00:19:28,926 - Have you got one? All right. - Let me show you first. 291 00:19:29,087 --> 00:19:33,444 These are European skis, the same as snow skis? 292 00:19:33,607 --> 00:19:36,679 - Yes. - Comment tu t'appelles? 293 00:19:36,847 --> 00:19:38,997 Mon nom c'est Abdul Khadir Danger. 294 00:19:39,167 --> 00:19:41,476 Abdul Khadir Danger, as in danger? 295 00:19:41,647 --> 00:19:43,922 - Yeah. - Abdul Khadir Danger! 296 00:19:44,087 --> 00:19:46,476 (MAN) I've been to Joe magazine, too. 297 00:19:46,647 --> 00:19:50,117 Ah, yes, a very good French magazine for travellers. 298 00:19:50,287 --> 00:19:53,165 - I have picture in there. - Abdul Danger! 299 00:19:53,327 --> 00:19:55,761 I'm not sure that gives me confidence! 300 00:19:55,927 --> 00:19:58,521 - That's right. - I am Michael Cowardly! 301 00:19:58,687 --> 00:20:02,077 - Michael Cowardly? - Yes, Michael Highly Cowardly. 302 00:20:02,247 --> 00:20:04,442 - Michael Howly Cowardly. - Yes. 303 00:20:04,607 --> 00:20:06,802 Oh, well, let's think about it. 304 00:20:06,967 --> 00:20:08,480 It's just so amazing! 305 00:20:08,647 --> 00:20:12,606 Two African masks and a course of skiing lessons, please! 306 00:20:12,767 --> 00:20:15,235 (MEN SING) 307 00:20:16,287 --> 00:20:19,484 As evening approaches, crowds gather to watch 308 00:20:19,647 --> 00:20:23,037 one of the day's highlights - a mass gerewol. 309 00:20:23,767 --> 00:20:26,998 Back at base, Rainey and the other Wodaabe 310 00:20:27,167 --> 00:20:28,839 prepare to join the dance. 311 00:20:32,767 --> 00:20:34,758 (MEN SING) 312 00:20:37,647 --> 00:20:40,639 They'll be facing some strong competition. 313 00:20:53,287 --> 00:20:56,916 Rainey and the boys make final checks in the hand mirrors 314 00:20:57,087 --> 00:21:01,842 that every self-respecting Wodaabe lad carries with him. 315 00:21:06,927 --> 00:21:10,237 With ostrich headdresses rounding off the outfit, 316 00:21:10,407 --> 00:21:12,523 they're ready for the big time. 317 00:21:26,807 --> 00:21:29,480 (THEY SING AND CHANT) 318 00:21:30,447 --> 00:21:32,517 Rainey's already looking around, 319 00:21:32,687 --> 00:21:34,757 maybe wondering where Gooday is 320 00:21:34,927 --> 00:21:37,600 or on the lookout for some action himself. 321 00:21:37,767 --> 00:21:40,156 This is what Cure Salée is all about - 322 00:21:40,327 --> 00:21:44,206 the one time in a hard year when tribes who live on the move 323 00:21:44,367 --> 00:21:46,835 can stop in the same place at the same time 324 00:21:47,007 --> 00:21:49,157 to exchange contacts, advice, 325 00:21:49,327 --> 00:21:52,717 and, of course, widen the waters of the gene pool. 326 00:22:08,367 --> 00:22:11,325 I've benefited from Cure Salée as well - 327 00:22:11,487 --> 00:22:14,081 a group of Touareg have agreed to take us 328 00:22:14,247 --> 00:22:17,717 on a salt caravan leaving from a nearby village. 329 00:22:20,087 --> 00:22:23,682 The journey will take us across an arid furnace of desert, 330 00:22:23,847 --> 00:22:25,883 but then the unbelievable happens. 331 00:22:28,487 --> 00:22:30,398 (THUNDERCLAP) 332 00:22:30,567 --> 00:22:32,683 There IS water in the Sahara! 333 00:22:32,847 --> 00:22:36,078 When the rainy season hits, it's pretty dramatic. 334 00:22:36,247 --> 00:22:40,240 This morning, this would have just been like a beach anywhere. 335 00:22:40,407 --> 00:22:44,400 This has happened within one day. This will continue to grow. 336 00:22:44,567 --> 00:22:48,116 Rains have fallen somewhere, I don't know quite where. 337 00:22:48,287 --> 00:22:50,084 This will come up to my waist, 338 00:22:50,247 --> 00:22:52,442 and in a week, it will be dry again. 339 00:22:52,607 --> 00:22:54,598 At the oasis of Tabelot, 340 00:22:54,767 --> 00:22:58,123 this precious water stays close enough to the surface 341 00:22:58,287 --> 00:22:59,959 to create a minor miracle. 342 00:23:00,127 --> 00:23:03,358 This is like the Garden of Eden, Omar! 343 00:23:04,807 --> 00:23:06,320 And this is Omar, 344 00:23:06,487 --> 00:23:09,877 the man who will soon be leading me and the camel train 345 00:23:10,047 --> 00:23:12,038 across the burning sands. 346 00:23:22,727 --> 00:23:26,925 - Ça c'est le puits? - Oui, c'est le puits. 347 00:23:27,087 --> 00:23:30,921 All the water has to be brought up from below. 348 00:23:31,087 --> 00:23:33,078 This well is some 50 feet deep. 349 00:23:33,247 --> 00:23:35,238 A camel works the wooden winch, 350 00:23:35,407 --> 00:23:37,637 and a goatskin bag spills the water 351 00:23:37,807 --> 00:23:40,321 into a network of irrigation channels. 352 00:23:40,487 --> 00:23:43,763 It's a method as old as the Bible, probably older. 353 00:23:47,807 --> 00:23:49,559 (WARBLING BIRDCALL) 354 00:23:49,727 --> 00:23:51,080 And it works. 355 00:23:51,247 --> 00:23:54,922 The fields are rich in onions, carrots, maize and millet, 356 00:23:55,087 --> 00:23:58,602 whilst the trees provide orange, fig, pomegranate, 357 00:23:58,767 --> 00:24:00,280 and, of course, dates, 358 00:24:00,447 --> 00:24:04,360 which when ripe are wrapped in bags to keep the birds off them. 359 00:24:05,927 --> 00:24:08,122 (MICHAEL) Quelle est la plus grande? 360 00:24:08,287 --> 00:24:12,565 - C'est vingt metres. - Vingt metres. 60 feet up. 361 00:24:12,727 --> 00:24:15,287 - Il monte vingt metres? - Il monte, oui. 362 00:24:17,007 --> 00:24:20,761 So he gets up 60 feet to get the... dates. 363 00:24:25,847 --> 00:24:27,838 He's dropped his load. 364 00:24:34,487 --> 00:24:36,955 I only wanted three! 365 00:24:37,567 --> 00:24:41,401 (MICHAEL) Mmm... Ah, oui... 366 00:24:42,407 --> 00:24:44,204 Merci! 367 00:24:44,367 --> 00:24:46,164 Merci beaucoup! 368 00:24:51,927 --> 00:24:54,680 Omar's home is in the centre of the village, 369 00:24:54,847 --> 00:24:56,838 a mile or so away from the well. 370 00:24:58,287 --> 00:25:00,437 He's taking me to meet his family. 371 00:25:00,607 --> 00:25:02,279 They speak only Arabic 372 00:25:02,447 --> 00:25:05,325 or Tamahaq, the language of the Touareg, 373 00:25:05,487 --> 00:25:08,718 but Omar has French which is a lot better than mine. 374 00:25:08,887 --> 00:25:11,879 He tells me he has four wives and 15 children. 375 00:25:12,047 --> 00:25:14,038 - 15 children? - Oui. 376 00:25:14,207 --> 00:25:16,596 Ooh, tu es riche! 377 00:25:16,767 --> 00:25:18,485 Non - en enfants, oui! 378 00:25:18,647 --> 00:25:22,845 C'est un problème d'avoir quatre femmes? 379 00:25:23,007 --> 00:25:25,237 Although he smiles easily enough, 380 00:25:25,407 --> 00:25:28,399 things are clearly not as rosy as they look. 381 00:25:28,567 --> 00:25:30,956 He has a problem finding enough money 382 00:25:31,127 --> 00:25:34,119 to buy food and medicine for all the children, 383 00:25:34,287 --> 00:25:37,484 particularly the little ones who cannot work. 384 00:25:37,647 --> 00:25:39,638 - C'est un peu dur. - Yeah. 385 00:25:39,807 --> 00:25:43,163 Il y a des enfants, il y a des petits enfants. 386 00:25:43,327 --> 00:25:47,366 - So... C'est difficile? - C'est très difficile. 387 00:25:47,527 --> 00:25:50,997 His wives seem to be of all different ages, 388 00:25:51,167 --> 00:25:53,317 and I ask him if there are problems 389 00:25:53,487 --> 00:25:56,797 having all four under the same roof at the same time. 390 00:25:56,967 --> 00:26:01,438 - Beaucoup de problèmes. - They agree! 391 00:26:01,607 --> 00:26:04,804 Yes, he says, there are many, many problems. 392 00:26:04,967 --> 00:26:08,846 They all seem to boil down to the same thing - jealousy. 393 00:26:09,927 --> 00:26:12,919 (OMAR) Jalousie. (MICHAEL) Jealousy, you say? 394 00:26:14,007 --> 00:26:15,759 (MICHAEL) Peut-être, um... 395 00:26:15,927 --> 00:26:19,283 ...si vous... si tu as... 396 00:26:19,447 --> 00:26:23,440 "Wouldn't it be easier", I ask in my impertinent Western way, 397 00:26:23,607 --> 00:26:25,598 "to have just one wife?" 398 00:26:25,767 --> 00:26:28,156 With one woman, it's not difficult. 399 00:26:28,327 --> 00:26:30,318 One wife, pas difficile! 400 00:26:30,487 --> 00:26:33,877 Mais avec quatre femmes c'est très difficile! 401 00:26:34,047 --> 00:26:36,038 (MICHAEL) Pourquoi... 402 00:26:36,207 --> 00:26:38,198 Pourquoi... 403 00:26:38,367 --> 00:26:41,165 Omar agrees that it would be much easier, 404 00:26:41,327 --> 00:26:43,318 but then, as he puts it, 405 00:26:43,487 --> 00:26:47,082 he wants lots of children so he needs lots of wives. 406 00:26:47,247 --> 00:26:49,397 Je veux beaucoup d'enfants. 407 00:26:49,567 --> 00:26:52,081 I think in his own modest way, 408 00:26:52,247 --> 00:26:55,398 Omar rather likes the idea of starting a dynasty. 409 00:26:58,807 --> 00:27:01,879 (WOMEN SING AND ULLULATE) 410 00:27:02,047 --> 00:27:05,164 The night before the camel train leaves 411 00:27:05,327 --> 00:27:09,081 for the salt pans of Bilma, there's a big party. 412 00:27:12,367 --> 00:27:15,404 The dancing gets wilder and wilder as the men strut 413 00:27:15,567 --> 00:27:17,080 every step they know 414 00:27:17,247 --> 00:27:20,398 to impress the women, and there's no sitting it out! 415 00:27:27,407 --> 00:27:31,400 (BEATING DRUMS AND WOMEN SINGING) 416 00:27:37,807 --> 00:27:41,516 The local boys are tireless, happy to raise the sand 417 00:27:41,687 --> 00:27:44,997 all night long, but for us oldies, it's time for bed. 418 00:27:45,167 --> 00:27:47,635 There's a long hard journey ahead. 419 00:27:57,367 --> 00:27:59,756 Early morning in Tabelot, 420 00:27:59,927 --> 00:28:02,521 and the day of departure has arrived. 421 00:28:02,687 --> 00:28:04,757 These are the men and the beasts 422 00:28:04,927 --> 00:28:09,318 with whom I'll share the most desolate corners of the Sahara. 423 00:28:09,487 --> 00:28:11,876 (MICHAEL) Sur le chameau? 424 00:28:12,047 --> 00:28:14,038 Oui, oui. 425 00:28:16,167 --> 00:28:18,158 Merci. 426 00:28:18,967 --> 00:28:22,198 They've got more important things to put on first. 427 00:28:23,367 --> 00:28:25,358 This is straw in here. 428 00:28:25,527 --> 00:28:28,917 I asked if it's for the camel to eat, he said, "No, no!" 429 00:28:29,087 --> 00:28:33,000 It's for us (!) You don't get much to eat, mate. I'm sorry. 430 00:28:37,807 --> 00:28:41,277 We have nine chameliers or cameleers, and 30 camels. 431 00:28:41,447 --> 00:28:43,961 Most are of the white docile variety 432 00:28:44,127 --> 00:28:47,244 beloved by the Touareg of the Aïr mountains. 433 00:28:48,167 --> 00:28:50,158 (CAMEL BRAYS) 434 00:28:50,327 --> 00:28:53,558 My camel, I notice, is neither white nor docile, 435 00:28:53,727 --> 00:28:56,400 but brown and rather stroppy! 436 00:29:00,927 --> 00:29:03,361 It's so excited to have my bag on board, 437 00:29:03,527 --> 00:29:05,518 it's going to make off with it! 438 00:29:06,207 --> 00:29:08,198 - Il a un nom? - Oui. Est Ekowik. 439 00:29:08,367 --> 00:29:10,358 - Ekowik? - Est Ekowik. 440 00:29:10,527 --> 00:29:12,518 Ekowik. 441 00:29:12,687 --> 00:29:17,363 Ekowik, I think means, "He who takes foreigners" (!) 442 00:29:18,687 --> 00:29:22,475 (OMAR) Est Ekowik. (MICHAEL) Ekowik. 443 00:29:22,647 --> 00:29:24,638 (MICHAEL) Est Ekowik. 444 00:29:27,687 --> 00:29:31,077 We're ready to go. Everything we need for the journey 445 00:29:31,247 --> 00:29:34,045 has to be carried on the backs of the camels, 446 00:29:34,207 --> 00:29:37,836 except, of course, fresh food - which walks alongside. 447 00:29:38,007 --> 00:29:39,998 Well, here we go. 448 00:29:40,167 --> 00:29:42,727 Not quite sure about me yet. 449 00:29:42,887 --> 00:29:44,764 Come on. 450 00:29:46,287 --> 00:29:48,482 Well, this is it. 451 00:29:48,647 --> 00:29:50,638 It's not quite what I expected - 452 00:29:50,807 --> 00:29:54,197 camel rides on the beach or once round the pyramids - 453 00:29:54,367 --> 00:29:57,518 this is the real thing, the start of the train. 454 00:29:57,687 --> 00:30:01,475 I've failed already! I got him a few yards anyway. 455 00:30:04,727 --> 00:30:06,718 So we leave Tabelot. 456 00:30:06,887 --> 00:30:10,926 A modest caravan compared to the one which left here in 1922, 457 00:30:11,087 --> 00:30:13,237 observed by one Captain Buchanan 458 00:30:13,407 --> 00:30:16,205 who estimated it to be six miles long. 459 00:30:30,487 --> 00:30:32,478 Come on, Ekowik! 460 00:30:49,407 --> 00:30:53,002 It's 350 miles across the desert to Bilma, 461 00:30:53,167 --> 00:30:55,727 but I shall be leaving before that 462 00:30:55,887 --> 00:30:59,118 and branching north towards the Algerian border. 463 00:31:10,287 --> 00:31:12,517 As we pass out of the mountains, 464 00:31:12,687 --> 00:31:15,759 Omar shows me some of the extraordinary rock art 465 00:31:15,927 --> 00:31:19,158 that covers this part of the Sahara. 466 00:31:19,327 --> 00:31:22,399 - Il a quel age? - Vers six mille. 467 00:31:22,567 --> 00:31:24,558 - Hmm? - Six mille. 468 00:31:24,727 --> 00:31:26,797 Six mille. 6,000 years. 469 00:31:26,967 --> 00:31:29,356 6,000 years old? 470 00:31:29,527 --> 00:31:31,995 Some say they're men from outer space, 471 00:31:32,167 --> 00:31:35,557 others believe they're ancestors of the Wodaabe, 472 00:31:35,727 --> 00:31:37,797 but the wild animals they depict 473 00:31:37,967 --> 00:31:40,481 are taken as proof that not that long ago 474 00:31:40,647 --> 00:31:43,366 the Sahara was a green and fertile place. 475 00:31:54,807 --> 00:31:58,402 Since the last Ice Age ended, the Sahara and its wildlife 476 00:31:58,567 --> 00:32:02,321 have borne the brunt of the long process of global warming. 477 00:32:02,487 --> 00:32:06,480 Now the camel, introduced from Arabia about the time of Christ, 478 00:32:06,647 --> 00:32:09,719 has this parched wilderness almost to itself. 470 00:32:33,047 --> 00:32:36,119 It looks rather pleasant and gentle, this pace, 480 00:32:36,287 --> 00:32:38,278 ambling through the sand, 481 00:32:38,447 --> 00:32:42,406 but it's very deceptive, because this is really stark desert. 482 00:32:42,567 --> 00:32:46,321 This is killer landscape because there is no water here, 483 00:32:46,487 --> 00:32:49,001 there's no shelter anywhere around. 484 00:32:49,167 --> 00:32:53,001 And so you go slowly because it's the only way to survive, 485 00:32:53,167 --> 00:32:56,318 and if you didn't have water and friends with you, 486 00:32:56,487 --> 00:32:58,557 that would be it within 24 hours. 487 00:33:06,567 --> 00:33:11,163 The camel - or dromedary as the single-humped animals are called - 488 00:33:11,327 --> 00:33:13,477 is a marvellous desert machine. 489 00:33:13,647 --> 00:33:16,081 Their weight is so finely distributed 490 00:33:16,247 --> 00:33:18,841 that they leave barely a mark in the sand. 491 00:33:19,007 --> 00:33:21,521 Provided they have somewhere to graze, 492 00:33:21,687 --> 00:33:24,121 they can last two weeks without water, 493 00:33:24,287 --> 00:33:28,519 and can carry loads of up to 500lbs over enormous distances. 494 00:33:28,687 --> 00:33:31,360 Camels changed the history of the Sahara. 495 00:33:32,527 --> 00:33:35,121 Without them, 2,000 years of trade, war, 496 00:33:35,287 --> 00:33:37,278 expansion and exploration 497 00:33:37,447 --> 00:33:39,438 would never have happened. 498 00:33:43,527 --> 00:33:46,758 It's midday, the peak of heat, 499 00:33:46,927 --> 00:33:48,918 and we're seeking a tree. 500 00:33:49,087 --> 00:33:52,477 You just have to keep drinking lots and lots of water. 501 00:33:52,647 --> 00:33:55,081 The other thing that's nice about it 502 00:33:55,247 --> 00:33:57,761 is that the camels dictate the pace, 503 00:33:57,927 --> 00:33:59,918 but also the mood. 504 00:34:00,087 --> 00:34:04,797 It's a sort of continuous, sort of unchanging rhythm 505 00:34:04,967 --> 00:34:08,960 which is the way I think you survive this sort of thing. 506 00:34:09,127 --> 00:34:13,120 Once you keep stopping and starting, that's more difficult. 507 00:34:13,287 --> 00:34:16,199 I know you've got to have shelter and all that, 508 00:34:16,367 --> 00:34:18,961 but the camels are reassuring presences 509 00:34:19,127 --> 00:34:21,118 because they just keep going. 510 00:34:21,287 --> 00:34:23,278 Oh, you don't want to be patted. 511 00:34:24,447 --> 00:34:27,359 But, you know, there are good things about it! 512 00:34:27,527 --> 00:34:29,518 There are no flies! 513 00:34:29,687 --> 00:34:31,757 You can't get bitten by anything, 514 00:34:31,927 --> 00:34:35,397 and there's no undergrowth to catch your clothing on! 515 00:34:38,727 --> 00:34:41,400 But there's very little scope for action - 516 00:34:41,567 --> 00:34:44,400 more scope for imagination - so you think a lot 517 00:34:44,567 --> 00:34:48,560 like why did they even suggest doing this in the first place?! 518 00:34:48,727 --> 00:34:50,206 Just a joke! 519 00:34:51,487 --> 00:34:53,478 Oh, a tree! 520 00:34:53,647 --> 00:34:56,115 - Omar, un arbre! - C'est un arbre. 521 00:34:56,287 --> 00:34:58,755 - Un arbre pour nous? - Oui. 522 00:34:58,927 --> 00:35:00,918 (MICHAEL CHEERS) 523 00:35:02,927 --> 00:35:05,566 This is where we're going to stop next. 524 00:35:05,727 --> 00:35:07,718 It's two-star, I think. 525 00:35:07,887 --> 00:35:11,038 No lifts, no swimming pool. 526 00:35:11,207 --> 00:35:13,767 No room service. 527 00:35:13,927 --> 00:35:16,839 No roof. No stairs, 528 00:35:17,007 --> 00:35:20,079 and no room, actually, but it sounds jolly good! 529 00:35:24,247 --> 00:35:26,238 How much is in the water? 530 00:35:34,607 --> 00:35:36,598 Merci. 531 00:35:36,767 --> 00:35:38,758 Merci. 532 00:35:42,767 --> 00:35:44,758 Merci, Omar! 533 00:35:47,927 --> 00:35:50,566 (CAMELS BRAY) 534 00:35:51,807 --> 00:35:55,595 It's lovely the way they go down and sort of fold up like... 535 00:35:56,407 --> 00:35:59,080 ...collapsible tables. 536 00:36:19,247 --> 00:36:22,637 This is what they actually eat off the acacia tree. 537 00:36:22,807 --> 00:36:26,197 To get at the greenery, which I suppose they want, 538 00:36:26,367 --> 00:36:29,677 there are these amazingly long, very sharp thorns. 539 00:36:29,847 --> 00:36:32,998 That's a couple of inches long. Incredibly sharp. 540 00:36:33,167 --> 00:36:38,287 They chomp that off. What must go on between their tongue 541 00:36:38,447 --> 00:36:41,325 and the side of the mouth and the gullet? 542 00:36:41,487 --> 00:36:43,478 I wouldn't eat this! 543 00:36:43,647 --> 00:36:45,638 Not even in a sandwich! 544 00:36:45,807 --> 00:36:47,798 Well, possibly a sandwich. 545 00:36:47,967 --> 00:36:50,640 I'd eat anything at the moment! 546 00:37:07,607 --> 00:37:09,598 OK. 547 00:37:13,287 --> 00:37:15,039 - C'est bon. - C'est bon? 548 00:37:26,287 --> 00:37:30,280 The midday temperatures peak at around 56 Celsius, 549 00:37:30,447 --> 00:37:33,757 and only in late afternoon when it begins to cool off 550 00:37:33,927 --> 00:37:36,361 is it safe to set out again. 551 00:37:40,647 --> 00:37:43,559 The heat dictates everything. Because of it, 552 00:37:43,727 --> 00:37:47,276 Omar and his men sometimes leave at four in the morning, 553 00:37:47,447 --> 00:37:51,360 but despite it, they still aim to walk 14 or 15 hours a day. 554 00:37:52,407 --> 00:37:55,399 (MAN WHOOPS AND SINGS) 555 00:37:58,487 --> 00:38:00,478 I don't know about the camels, 556 00:38:00,647 --> 00:38:04,481 but I find walking in this soft sand is the most tiring of all. 557 00:38:04,647 --> 00:38:07,241 But Izambar Mohammed, the camel singer, 558 00:38:07,407 --> 00:38:10,205 keeps a beady eye out for flagging spirits. 559 00:38:12,367 --> 00:38:14,358 (IZAMBAR SINGS) 560 00:38:14,527 --> 00:38:16,916 There's a tree over there. 561 00:38:18,687 --> 00:38:21,360 Your expectations on this become so low 562 00:38:21,527 --> 00:38:24,758 that one tree becomes a wonderful luxury object. 563 00:38:24,927 --> 00:38:27,600 You can understand what coming to an oasis 564 00:38:27,767 --> 00:38:29,758 means to these people. 565 00:38:29,927 --> 00:38:32,157 Everything's just pared down. 566 00:38:34,287 --> 00:38:37,199 You have very minimal expectations. 567 00:38:43,687 --> 00:38:45,678 (HE SINGS) 568 00:39:22,607 --> 00:39:24,643 The main social event of the day 569 00:39:24,807 --> 00:39:28,925 is the evening meal, usually bread, dates and cheese, 570 00:39:29,087 --> 00:39:32,045 but tonight, in my honour, there'll be a stew as well. 571 00:39:38,527 --> 00:39:40,518 Everyone has a job to do. 572 00:39:40,687 --> 00:39:42,484 (RASPING CRY) 573 00:39:42,647 --> 00:39:45,207 Omar and Izambar slaughter the sheep, 574 00:39:45,367 --> 00:39:49,201 Osman bakes bread in a sand oven and Moussa plaits fresh twine 575 00:39:49,367 --> 00:39:51,358 to secure the camel loads. 576 00:39:51,527 --> 00:39:53,199 I'm still recovering. 577 00:40:01,047 --> 00:40:03,038 There's nowhere to sit. 578 00:40:03,207 --> 00:40:05,357 That's what I really miss most. 579 00:40:05,527 --> 00:40:09,679 I mean, I can sit here, but this is actually their bedding 580 00:40:09,847 --> 00:40:11,838 and food for the animals. 581 00:40:12,007 --> 00:40:15,556 I can't sit here for long. They don't believe in chairs. 582 00:40:15,727 --> 00:40:18,116 I do find that at the end of a long walk, 583 00:40:18,287 --> 00:40:22,200 it would be nice to just flop down on a chaise longue. 584 00:40:22,367 --> 00:40:25,757 That's what I'd bring if I had a camel train of my own - 585 00:40:25,927 --> 00:40:29,920 I'd just have a camel stacked with chairs of various kinds, 586 00:40:30,087 --> 00:40:32,681 reading lamps and perhaps a television, 587 00:40:32,847 --> 00:40:34,997 possibly a small bar and a fridge, 588 00:40:35,167 --> 00:40:39,479 a front doorbell, some stairs, maybe a couple of friends... 589 00:41:26,807 --> 00:41:30,277 It's very thick and coarse and heavy and... 590 00:41:30,447 --> 00:41:32,563 Tagilla. Tagilla. 591 00:41:32,727 --> 00:41:35,844 - Terwa? - Tagilla. 592 00:41:36,007 --> 00:41:39,124 - Gogowan? - Tagilla. 593 00:41:39,287 --> 00:41:42,916 - Ça c'est le Tagilla. - Tagoola. 594 00:41:43,087 --> 00:41:45,078 - Tergulla? - Tagilla. 595 00:41:47,247 --> 00:41:49,238 It's more like cake really. 596 00:41:49,407 --> 00:41:53,116 It's like a chunk of cake we used to have at school. 597 00:41:56,367 --> 00:41:59,279 A nice hard crispy outside. Very good. 598 00:41:59,447 --> 00:42:01,438 - Tagil-la. - Tagil-la! 599 00:42:01,607 --> 00:42:04,485 You have to get the emphasis right. 600 00:42:04,647 --> 00:42:07,764 Tagoo-la probably means buttock! 601 00:42:07,927 --> 00:42:11,317 Tagil-la! It means this lovely cake. 602 00:42:13,527 --> 00:42:15,518 (MICHAEL) Tergulla. 603 00:42:15,687 --> 00:42:18,360 (MAN) "Tergulla" (!) 604 00:42:22,927 --> 00:42:24,918 You're a great audience! 605 00:42:25,087 --> 00:42:27,601 I think I'm doing something wrong here 606 00:42:27,767 --> 00:42:31,555 because they seem to be breaking up the Tagilla... 607 00:42:31,727 --> 00:42:35,800 ...le Tagilla into the bowl, so I suppose they'll put sauce on it, 608 00:42:35,967 --> 00:42:39,437 but you're popping a bit in your mouth at the same time, 609 00:42:39,607 --> 00:42:41,598 so I'll do a bit of that. 610 00:42:41,767 --> 00:42:43,758 (MAN) Un peu Tagilla. 611 00:42:43,927 --> 00:42:45,918 (MICHAEL) Un peu tadula. 612 00:42:46,087 --> 00:42:48,078 (MICHAEL) Un peu tadula. 613 00:42:48,247 --> 00:42:49,805 Tagilla. 614 00:42:49,967 --> 00:42:52,606 - Tagilla. - Dogoola. 615 00:42:52,767 --> 00:42:55,998 They're probably teaching me all the wrong words! 616 00:42:57,767 --> 00:42:59,758 I'm probably saying... 617 00:43:06,647 --> 00:43:11,243 Tagilla. Tagilla. Tagilla. 618 00:43:11,407 --> 00:43:13,967 (THEY LAUGH) 619 00:43:14,687 --> 00:43:17,724 It's a minimalist joke but it's serving me well. 620 00:43:17,887 --> 00:43:20,640 Ah, this looks like the... 621 00:43:22,287 --> 00:43:23,766 ...the meat. 622 00:43:27,927 --> 00:43:34,275 It's odd to be eating one of the creatures I've got to know quite well as we walk along. 623 00:43:34,447 --> 00:43:38,281 The camels are up there, and the two little sheep and the goat 624 00:43:38,447 --> 00:43:40,756 we've walked with are rather sweet. 625 00:43:40,927 --> 00:43:43,760 They get kicked about and no one seems to care 626 00:43:43,927 --> 00:43:45,997 and I rather identify with them. 627 00:43:46,167 --> 00:43:48,556 One of them has now been dispatched, 628 00:43:48,727 --> 00:43:51,241 and the others are swinging on the bush, 629 00:43:51,407 --> 00:43:54,240 and the other two are sort of looking around, 630 00:43:54,407 --> 00:43:57,683 obviously sort of, "Look what happened to Bert!" 631 00:43:59,007 --> 00:44:00,998 They don't seem too concerned. 632 00:44:01,167 --> 00:44:04,125 I think he laid down his life for a good cause. 633 00:44:04,287 --> 00:44:06,278 This is for Touaregs, a banquet 634 00:44:06,447 --> 00:44:09,723 because they very rarely have meat on a journey. 635 00:44:09,887 --> 00:44:11,957 I think they just have couscous. 636 00:44:12,127 --> 00:44:14,118 There'll be a lot of sand in it, 637 00:44:14,287 --> 00:44:16,642 especially with the wind blowing. 638 00:44:16,807 --> 00:44:18,684 It gets everywhere. 639 00:44:22,287 --> 00:44:24,517 For me? Ah, thank you! 640 00:44:36,567 --> 00:44:38,558 (THEY LAUGH) 641 00:44:38,727 --> 00:44:41,719 - Izzot? - Izzot! 642 00:44:41,887 --> 00:44:45,800 It's very 'ot! It's good! 643 00:44:45,967 --> 00:44:47,958 It's lovely! 644 00:44:49,967 --> 00:44:53,357 - Mmm! It's 'ot! - Izzot! 645 00:45:07,087 --> 00:45:10,079 (CAMEL BRAYS) 646 00:45:19,847 --> 00:45:22,281 This is much more sensible... 647 00:45:22,447 --> 00:45:24,438 ...than any hat you could buy... 648 00:45:24,607 --> 00:45:27,804 ...because... it's really cool. 649 00:45:27,967 --> 00:45:31,755 You have to tie it securely 'cause walking loosens it, 650 00:45:31,927 --> 00:45:35,522 but it keeps the dust off. You pull it right over? 651 00:45:35,687 --> 00:45:37,484 - Après. - Après, yes. 652 00:45:37,647 --> 00:45:43,244 Sorry. My dresser and general looker-after... 653 00:45:54,927 --> 00:45:57,077 I'd like to be able to see out a bit, 654 00:45:57,247 --> 00:45:59,841 or else I might walk into a camel. 655 00:46:00,007 --> 00:46:03,397 That's it, see? Brilliant! And this can go up... 656 00:46:07,727 --> 00:46:09,718 Voilà! 657 00:46:09,887 --> 00:46:12,799 - Et tu fais ça... - Thank you. 658 00:46:12,967 --> 00:46:14,958 - Ça va? - Merci. Merci. 659 00:46:16,047 --> 00:46:18,038 (THEY LAUGH) 660 00:46:18,207 --> 00:46:20,198 There! Ready for the route! 661 00:46:20,367 --> 00:46:23,325 Dust... And it's very, very cool. 662 00:46:23,487 --> 00:46:26,365 It's just excellent, yeah. Merci. 663 00:46:38,367 --> 00:46:42,406 One thing I've really got rather used to now about the camels 664 00:46:42,567 --> 00:46:45,559 is the strange rumblings that go round the camp 665 00:46:45,727 --> 00:46:49,117 whenever they're being loaded up or being put down. 666 00:46:49,287 --> 00:46:52,279 (CAMEL BRAYS) It's like a sort of language, 667 00:46:52,447 --> 00:46:56,122 and I'm not sure what it is when they're going to start off. 668 00:46:56,287 --> 00:46:58,278 Is it anger? Is it protest? 669 00:46:58,447 --> 00:47:02,360 Or is it, "Here we go again - another day at the office!" 670 00:47:02,527 --> 00:47:04,995 Some sort of communication goes on 671 00:47:05,167 --> 00:47:07,362 like "We're not meant to do this! 672 00:47:07,527 --> 00:47:10,405 "We're not meant to be beasts of burden!" 673 00:47:11,287 --> 00:47:14,916 I shall develop a noise of my own, I think, to go with it. 674 00:47:15,087 --> 00:47:17,885 Let's try one. Nee-ert! Noi-oy-oy! 675 00:47:18,047 --> 00:47:20,607 (LAUGHTER) Good! 676 00:47:20,767 --> 00:47:22,758 It works! 677 00:47:44,327 --> 00:47:48,320 We're now into what my French guidebook calls "désert absolu", 678 00:47:48,487 --> 00:47:50,478 absolute desert, 679 00:47:50,647 --> 00:47:54,003 the earth stripped clean, as bare as a glacier, 680 00:47:54,167 --> 00:47:56,556 as featureless as the sea. 681 00:47:56,727 --> 00:48:00,515 The outside world is so far away as to be almost irrelevant. 682 00:48:00,687 --> 00:48:02,405 I can understand 683 00:48:02,567 --> 00:48:05,525 why so many religions were born in the desert. 684 00:48:05,687 --> 00:48:09,236 The outside is so hostile, you have to look inside. 685 00:48:22,687 --> 00:48:27,477 Just as I achieve a little spiritual harmony with this great emptiness, 686 00:48:27,647 --> 00:48:30,115 I'm reminded that in the 21st century, 687 00:48:30,287 --> 00:48:33,518 the outside world is always closer than you think. 688 00:48:33,687 --> 00:48:36,884 We don't have the desert to ourselves after all. 689 00:48:37,047 --> 00:48:39,242 (WHINING MOTOR) 690 00:48:55,567 --> 00:48:58,718 A French paraglider swoops down over us, 691 00:48:58,887 --> 00:49:01,685 an all-seeing video camera at the ready. 692 00:49:01,847 --> 00:49:04,236 I feel he's intruding on our space, 693 00:49:04,407 --> 00:49:07,160 but deep down, I'm probably just jealous! 694 00:49:07,327 --> 00:49:10,125 You've been to many deserts in the world. 695 00:49:10,287 --> 00:49:14,485 Do you have a favourite, one place that is most rewarding? 696 00:49:14,647 --> 00:49:17,036 I've been, yes, to different places. 697 00:49:17,207 --> 00:49:22,201 I like this because the Sahara, there is an authentic life here. 698 00:49:22,367 --> 00:49:25,006 It's still alive. 699 00:49:25,167 --> 00:49:27,635 (MICHAEL) Well, it's a great machine. 700 00:49:27,807 --> 00:49:30,275 Can you do some work with us? 701 00:49:30,447 --> 00:49:34,235 Just get up in the air and we have our boys walking along? 702 00:49:34,407 --> 00:49:37,604 Is that all right to have another camera, Nigel? 703 00:49:39,287 --> 00:49:42,404 Oh, sorry! A few sweeties, something like that, 704 00:49:42,567 --> 00:49:44,080 and he'll be all right! 705 00:49:52,927 --> 00:49:56,124 (MUSIC) 706 00:50:38,087 --> 00:50:41,477 This might be just a streak of Yorkshire puritanism, 707 00:50:41,647 --> 00:50:45,640 but I don't want the Sahara to become an adventure playground, 708 00:50:45,807 --> 00:50:47,798 and after all the excitement, 709 00:50:47,967 --> 00:50:50,686 I'm glad to be back with the people who live here. 710 00:50:53,247 --> 00:50:55,397 (CAMELS BRAY) 711 00:51:22,487 --> 00:51:26,480 It seems a bit bizarre having a fire in the Sahara 712 00:51:26,647 --> 00:51:31,596 after it's been 132 degrees Fahrenheit this afternoon - 713 00:51:32,647 --> 00:51:34,842 56 centigrade - 714 00:51:35,007 --> 00:51:37,646 but it gets quite cold at night. 715 00:51:37,807 --> 00:51:42,005 It goes down to about... It can get as low as the high 80s... 716 00:51:43,607 --> 00:51:47,486 ...you know, sort of 40 degrees, well, 38 degrees at night, 717 00:51:47,647 --> 00:51:50,719 and, oddly enough, it seems cold! 718 00:51:50,887 --> 00:51:53,606 Anyway, it's just nice to have a fire - 719 00:51:53,767 --> 00:51:55,837 very friendly, companionable. 720 00:51:56,007 --> 00:51:58,567 And I can make my joke about... It's 'ot! 721 00:51:58,727 --> 00:52:01,525 (MEN) Izzot! (MICHAEL) Goes down a bomb! 722 00:52:01,687 --> 00:52:03,882 (MICHAEL) It's 'ot! (MEN) Izzot! 723 00:52:25,047 --> 00:52:27,720 - Le thé. - Oh, pour moi? Merci! 724 00:52:28,887 --> 00:52:31,685 Oh, this is a bit of the cheese. 725 00:52:31,847 --> 00:52:34,884 - Mmm... - Tacoma. 726 00:52:35,047 --> 00:52:37,607 - Mmm! - Tacoma. 727 00:52:37,767 --> 00:52:39,837 - Mmm! "Goma." - Tacoma. 728 00:52:40,007 --> 00:52:43,397 You're going to teach me another word, aren't you?! 729 00:52:43,567 --> 00:52:45,956 - Tacoma. - Tacoma. 730 00:52:46,127 --> 00:52:49,563 - A la vôtre! - A la vôtre! 731 00:52:49,727 --> 00:52:52,480 - Sha-hee! - Sha-hee! 732 00:52:52,647 --> 00:52:56,037 (MEN LAUGH) They're teaching me rude words! 733 00:52:56,207 --> 00:52:58,198 (LAUGHTER CONTINUES) 734 00:52:59,727 --> 00:53:02,958 Ah! These little Touareg soirées (!) 735 00:53:07,287 --> 00:53:09,278 Mmm! Cheese is nice! 736 00:53:10,887 --> 00:53:12,878 Cheers! 737 00:53:13,047 --> 00:53:15,436 En anglais, nous disons "Cheers!" 738 00:53:15,607 --> 00:53:17,962 Cheers! Down the hatch! 739 00:53:18,127 --> 00:53:21,039 Bottoms up! Bottoms... up. 740 00:53:22,367 --> 00:53:25,439 (MICHAEL) Bottoms up? Bottoms... - Bottom. 741 00:53:25,607 --> 00:53:28,280 (MICHAEL) Bottoms... - Bottoms... 742 00:53:28,447 --> 00:53:30,244 (MICHAEL) Up. - Up. 743 00:53:30,407 --> 00:53:33,001 Yeah! Great! Bottoms up! 744 00:53:33,167 --> 00:53:35,761 - Bottoms up. (MICHAEL) Bottoms up. 745 00:53:35,927 --> 00:53:38,600 (THEY LAUGH) 746 00:53:41,687 --> 00:53:43,678 Very good. 747 00:53:43,847 --> 00:53:46,998 (MICHAEL) Bottoms up. - Bottoms up. 748 00:53:47,167 --> 00:53:49,920 - Sha-hee. (MICHAEL) Sha-hee. 749 00:53:50,087 --> 00:53:51,998 - Izzot! - It's 'ot! 750 00:53:52,167 --> 00:53:54,476 - A la vôtre. (MICHAEL) A la vôtre. 751 00:53:54,647 --> 00:53:56,797 - Tacoma! (MICHAEL) Tacoma! 752 00:53:56,967 --> 00:53:58,958 (THEY LAUGH) 753 00:54:01,967 --> 00:54:03,958 Tacoma! 754 00:54:04,127 --> 00:54:05,845 Tacoma! 755 00:54:06,007 --> 00:54:08,919 (MICHAEL) Not again! Tacoma. - A la vôtre. 756 00:54:09,087 --> 00:54:10,600 - A la vôtre. - Sha-hee. 757 00:54:10,767 --> 00:54:13,156 - Sha-hee. - Izzot! 758 00:54:13,327 --> 00:54:14,840 (MICHAEL) It's 'ot! 759 00:54:15,007 --> 00:54:16,998 (THEY LAUGH) 760 00:54:17,167 --> 00:54:19,601 (MICHAEL) Bottoms up! - Bottoms up! 761 00:54:19,767 --> 00:54:22,156 God bless Her Majesty! 762 00:54:22,327 --> 00:54:24,318 (THEY LAUGH) 763 00:54:25,567 --> 00:54:28,286 - Bottoms up. - Bottoms up. 764 00:54:37,047 --> 00:54:39,880 (CAMELS BRAY) 765 00:55:03,247 --> 00:55:06,205 Omar helps me load up for the last time. 766 00:55:06,367 --> 00:55:09,165 Later today, our ways will part, 767 00:55:09,327 --> 00:55:12,478 and already they've got someone new to look after. 768 00:55:17,367 --> 00:55:21,963 This little gazelle was found abandoned at the camp site, 769 00:55:22,127 --> 00:55:25,915 and they're going to keep it and look after it. 770 00:55:26,087 --> 00:55:28,647 This will be a pet. It's not for the pot. 771 00:55:28,807 --> 00:55:32,561 There are gazelles in the Sahara Desert! It's amazing! 772 00:55:32,727 --> 00:55:34,718 I know there are camels, 773 00:55:34,887 --> 00:55:38,277 and smaller animals, but there are gazelles as well. 774 00:55:38,447 --> 00:55:41,439 Even in the depths of desert there's life. 775 00:55:42,327 --> 00:55:45,205 And this one will, hopefully, survive. 776 00:55:45,367 --> 00:55:47,358 Amazing ears! 777 00:55:50,287 --> 00:55:52,881 Yes... 778 00:55:53,047 --> 00:55:56,084 ...they'll look after you, won't they? 779 00:56:09,287 --> 00:56:11,517 It's always the way, isn't it? 780 00:56:11,687 --> 00:56:15,282 Just as I'm learning how to cope, it's time to move on. 781 00:56:15,447 --> 00:56:18,757 I shall miss all this - the regular rhythm of the day, 782 00:56:18,927 --> 00:56:21,805 the reassuring pattern of life on the move. 783 00:56:21,967 --> 00:56:24,686 I shall miss Omar and Izambar, 784 00:56:24,847 --> 00:56:27,486 and all the team who've looked after me, 785 00:56:27,647 --> 00:56:31,196 even Ekowik and the camels, though they won't miss me. 786 00:56:31,367 --> 00:56:34,916 I've learnt a lot, maybe not enough to start a religion, 787 00:56:35,087 --> 00:56:38,079 but certainly a clearer view of basic truths - 788 00:56:38,247 --> 00:56:41,762 if you don't respect your environment, then you die. 789 00:56:41,927 --> 00:56:43,918 It's as simple as that. 790 00:56:50,287 --> 00:56:54,075 Omar will doubtless be delighted to see the back of us! 791 00:56:54,247 --> 00:56:57,796 Once we've gone, he can get back to the serious business 792 00:56:57,967 --> 00:57:00,356 of bringing the salt back from Bilma. 793 00:57:00,527 --> 00:57:03,883 Au revoir! Merci. Merci, Omar, pour tout! 794 00:57:04,047 --> 00:57:06,038 Bon voyage. 795 00:57:07,087 --> 00:57:09,806 Hey, bye. Merci! Merci! 796 00:57:09,967 --> 00:57:13,039 Merci! Merci! Merci! 797 00:57:13,207 --> 00:57:15,084 Merci pour tout. 798 00:57:15,247 --> 00:57:17,886 Hey, hey! You like my shirt, don't you! 799 00:57:19,567 --> 00:57:23,276 OK, au revoir, merci! 800 00:57:25,967 --> 00:57:27,958 Ah, bottoms up! 801 00:57:28,127 --> 00:57:30,118 (MAN WAILS) 802 00:57:32,207 --> 00:57:35,358 He's going to win the Oscar for this, isn't he! 803 00:57:35,527 --> 00:57:38,519 Stop it! It's my show, dammit! It's my show! 804 00:57:40,287 --> 00:57:43,245 II vient avec moi! 805 00:57:44,287 --> 00:57:46,164 II vient avec moi! 806 00:57:46,327 --> 00:57:51,242 Merci! Au revoir. Merci! Très, très bon! Bon voyage! OK! 807 00:57:51,407 --> 00:57:54,126 Now, then, which way? Yes... 808 00:57:54,287 --> 00:57:56,482 OK, au revoir! 809 00:57:56,647 --> 00:57:59,957 (MICHAEL) Tacoma. Bottom up. (MAN) Bottom up. 810 00:58:00,127 --> 00:58:04,245 (MICHAEL) Bottom up! (MAN) Bottom up. Izzot! 811 00:58:04,407 --> 00:58:06,398 - It's 'ot! - Izzot! 812 00:58:06,567 --> 00:58:08,558 Izzot! 813 00:58:08,727 --> 00:58:10,718 Izzot! 814 00:58:12,207 --> 00:58:14,198 Izzot! 815 00:58:15,127 --> 00:58:17,118 Izzot! 816 00:58:18,767 --> 00:58:20,758 Au revoir! 817 00:58:42,447 --> 00:58:46,599 Right, let me see... Algeria. Bear right over the mountain, 818 00:58:46,767 --> 00:58:49,520 left at the oasis, fork left at the volcano, 819 00:58:49,687 --> 00:58:53,999 across the lake and sharp right. Should be there by Tuesday week.