Amazing Quest: Alaska, Costa Rica and More | Somewhere on Earth: Best Of | Free Documentary

[Music] [Music] Alaska the continent in the Inu language Libby is a young American full of energy after her studies she decided to come back to live in Homer where she was born to be as close as possible to the mountains and to the Sea her two passions the myth of Alaska is what brought Lial here this French Globe trout became a guide in the catmi region land of Grizzlies a virgin land with the largest population of brown bears in the world farther north the roof of America with Daniel this lady belongs to the club of bush Pilots a very select group there is a year that I spent in Alaska my first year I never had a car I went everywhere by an airplane or a mountain bike so and to me that was a Dreamland we're still [Music] is the Kenai Peninsula in southern Alaska is a land of volcanoes endless forests and fjords a land sculpted by the Sea and Glaciers living here means accepting Nature's implacable law cold snow Winters that are 7 months long rain mud mosquitoes in the summer and Libby loves it [Music] all for her returning to the land where she was born was the obvious thing to do this land has gotten under her skin tattooed even on her ankle eight Stars the emblem of Alaska after I finished University it was a pretty easy decision to come back to Alaska it's just a wild open place where there's still a lot of room to breathe and you can be far away from all the hassles of traffic and shopping malls and cars and and just too many people and you can get get away to where life really is which is in the mountains and in the forests just natural wonders catmac Bay near Homer Alaska is home to the biggest crabs in America and to the biggest Greenland halibut in the Pacific and that's no fish story so fishermen flock here to enjoy miraculous fishing at least once in their lifetimes and Libby turns sailor to teach them the basics of fishing generally I run a Wilderness backpacking school for children but sometimes I fill in on the charter boat just because it's fun and it's there's good money in it and um it's I like being out on the water I think it's really fun and it's always it's always a pleasure so listen up I'm going to teach you how to fish in case you forgotten my name's Libby Chet the other deck came Libby has her sea legs on which can't be said for everyone on board the boat in this region of the far north you have to know how to adapt people living here hold down several different jobs at a time Libby is an English teacher in the winter in Summer She's a mountain guide and a fishing guide and she's just as at home on a boat up to her elbows and fish as she is in a classroom teaching English literature a lot of young people come back after going to University they come back to Homer to work on the charter boats in the summertime and um there's not a lot of work in the winter but in the summer there's more work than there are people so it's a it's a good good job to have I like fishing cuz it's it's fun but I definitely prefer the mountains at Libby's place there's no running water just a little sistern to collect rain water water that has to be boiled as for the toilet it's outside summer and winter her Farm constructed by early 20th century immigrants has a long history the house was built on land granted to Pioneers to grow food for the early gold Hunters seeking their Fortunes in Alaska this little house has been home to a good many dreams it's the oldest Farm in the region and now it's home to Libby's dreams yeah aan is the grandson of pioneers from Switzerland farmers who came in the 1930s he also has decided to stay in Alaska like Libby the mountains are in his blood in Alaska I feel like there is towns and the Wilderness goes out everywhere else in the lower 48 I feel like the Wilderness is always surrounded by the towns and so people go from the towns Into the Wilderness but in Alaska because it's so big still we the towns are very small and we go out and so it's the further you go the more danger and just the more Adventure and the more opportunities there are to see things that that have never been seen and to go places where no one has ever been so I like Alaska for that reason a lot [Music] the generation of Libby's parents was part of the last great wave of American style Pioneers in the 1960s a lot of hippies left California for a more authentic lifestyle in Alaska they all found their promised land and the space in which to be free [Music] [Music] this is a small gathering of our closest family friends from my mother's 60th birthday everything's special about Homer we have beautiful scenery wonderful people really nice close Community there's glaciers nearby and mountains amazing fishing and um just a really nice art [Music] Community take off here the lake Libby and aan have just opened a new climbing route on one of the mountaintops across the bay [Music] we're going with them on their last reconnaissance flight before winter they have to make this trip in order to evaluate the difficulty of the climb and of the glacier if all goes well they'll be bringing groups of teenagers here next [Music] summer here's a really difficult spot for the pilot to land because it's a very small Valley and he has to circle around and then land anything windy and it's going to be a little bit tricky so we're on his schedule the uh the glacier Pilots here and the bush Pilots here are they're in charge they're the number one so we just kind of work by their schedule there are a few things that I love more than being away from everyone else I'm a very solo person and when I'm out here in the wilderness that's why I really feel at peace because there's nobody to tell me what to do there is nothing to distract me from myself or from the world around me and I can really focus on what's most important to me which is enjoying life one place for sleeping another for eating one has to take all possible precautions to avoid unpleasant surprises bears are everywhere in these mountains we tried to put everything away um so that bears don't come around and can get into our camp can set up the uh this going I do my fire like my grandfather taught me to do my fire this wood is high in um turpentine this is magnesium and opine wood the Magnesium when it's lit it burns very hot so the two of them together this wood helps the Magnesium catch on fire a few meters from the glacier the temperature hardly goes above 5° C and this is summer we're lucky but we can't sit around the campfire for very long in a few hours we attack the [Music] glacier there are dozens of ice fields in the Kenai Peninsula some of the largest in the world and and most of these Frozen seas are practically inaccessible this morning the elements are against us on the other side of the Pacific thousands of kilometers away a typhoon is starting to blow we can feel it even here and the mountain amplifies its [Music] effect just across the mountain range is the Gulf of Alaska and so the weather comes usually from the Gulf of Alaska out there and it comes over these mountains and it just comes in real fast sometimes strong winds and because the glacier is very cold it creates winds all on its own too that come and Rush down the glacier sometimes so uh those are some weather concerns we have to think [Music] about [Music] there's all kinds of volcanoes around here we have um Mount Austine Mount iliamna and mount re out Mount row just erupted in April of this year and it was a pretty big eruption um it spewed Ash for hundreds of miles there's Ash all over Homer and Anchor Point and all the way as far as the head of the um up here that's what you can see all the black on the glacier is all from the volcanic ash the glacier is alive it's always moving liby and aan have to come here regularly to update their knowledge of the mountain and to evaluate the dangers this seemingly immobile mass is constantly changing crevices shift and like everywhere else in the world this immense Sea of Ice is receding inch by inch the valley has been the same for a thousand years the ice has moved back of course but people have not come here and you know there's no campsites and the Bears don't come and eat your food because they don't even know that they can there's no reason for it to change in the past and we try to keep it so there's no reason that it has to change in the future you know you always make sure your campfire is put out and cleaned up and I try to scatter it and bury it so that you can't tell that anyone was even here that this wasn't even a campsite so that it can be preserved for the next people and for generations to come and also appreciate places like this A's grandfather the Pioneer who came to build Alaska handed down this philosophy to him the Earth is generous on condition you don't take everything from it it's hard to believe but even here man's insatiable appetite is putting nature at risk [Music] [Applause] [Music] from the Paris suburbs to the vast stretches of of Alaska there are many worlds to cross Lionel has seen them all urged on by his yearning for adventure I came to Alaska 30 years ago so I've been here for 30 years at first it was so I could make money to continue traveling and I ended up staying I was taken in by Alaska captivated by the nature in the beginning I traveled around all over by plane by snow scooter and then I wanted to share it all with other people so after having worked as a Baker and in restaurants I felt like doing something a little closer to Nature I sold all my businesses and started working as a guide the sea plane is the only way of getting to where we're going liel is a nature guide and his specialty is brown bears the Grizzlies that are the pride of the Alaskan people hey seat belts on everybody seat bels [Music] we're going Biv whacking with Lionel in the katmai a totally virgin region 400 km west of Anchorage North until the wind came out of the North down we're finally getting it here the catmi is a vast uninhabited region of middle Range mountains lakes volcanoes and Tundra for nearly 100 years the catmi has been a protected area a natural reserve this land is [Music] sacred two or three times a year lion sets up camp as near as possible to the Bears this time around he's here with a team of animal photographers from [Music] Europe when you're really isolated like this if something's missing there's no way you can get it you have to have it with you that means an enormous amount of planning a lot of material if you want to be completely safe we need satellite telephones weapons good quality tents if we forget something we do without it that's it you never know what could happen it could rain the weather in the North changes very quickly and then there are all the weather fronts that come from the east from Siberia there isn't a weather station every 20 km here so they have to rely solely on the satellite image and sometimes that changes [Music] rapidly this is the last Sanctuary for one of the most legendary of animals the brown [Music] bear nearly 3,000 of them have been counted in the catmi region nowhere else on the planet is there such a [Music] concentration you always want to stay with them a little longer really these animals are so mysterious and captivating close to us it's like our childhood teddy bear come alive at the end of the summer the Bears gobble down quantities of Pacific salmon they can catch up to 80 a day every year at the same time after an incredible journey hundreds of thousands of salmon come to lay their eggs and then die in the rivers of Alaska in the exact same spot where they had been born several years earlier yeah that's perfect and the Bears also come back to the same fishing holes from one year to the next the mother is dominant because she's managed to get rid of the male with two Cubs she took enormous risks she must have known that she would come out on top it must have been a male she knew because you don't often see a female with young drive off a male of that [Music] age the grizzly and the polar bear are the largest carnivores on Earth the male grizzly can measure 2 M50 weigh 300 kilos and charge at 50 km an hour look us it's always really impressive to see just how fast these huge hulks can move to see the speed at which they run because they're really huge creatures they always come across as clumsy but when they take off they can move there's always a good deal of yeah I'd say of Wonder involved when you see Grizzlies so close because well they're mythical animals this is the end of the road for these bright red salmon they are living their final hours they're exhausted and so they easy prey and that works out well because the Bears have only a few weeks left to Feast on them this is their last big feed before they return to their layers for the winter but a Pacific salmon however tired it is won't go down without a fight the catmi is a land for adventure Seekers Patrick started out in Colorado and in several stages has traveled more than 5,000 kilm in his little plane before finally flying over this territory where he has come to fish trout I enjoy the flying uh more than the fishing and uh yeah it's it's a it's a nice way way to relax and uh you appreciate a lot of things when you have the freedom of flight you got to be careful and you have to know your limits and uh the uh the way to stay alive is to be more conservative uh but but as you as you're here more there's little tricks uh that nature tells you that Nature's changing and uh if you're aware of that and safe uh it's it's a good time a farmer in Colorado Patrick is a wide openen space addict he loves Alaska and comes up to pitch his tent here several times a [Music] year [Music] sometimes we bring friends and family uh one month ago I bring my two nephews 12 and 13 years old they had a nice time Alaska is fun when you share it it's most fun when you share and show people the country is so magnificent and extraordinary that I think I've caught the Alaska bug I try to make it back here this is my seventh almost consecutive year the moment I board the plane to return to France all I can think about is coming back [Music] again [Music] you know I feel very very very fortunate I'm uh I feel honored and I feel blessed and I feel uh I don't know something about Alaska you you can't uh you can't explain it this this river right here might be the best Rainbow River in the world and to be here first all by myself it doesn't happen too often the catmi is Alaska's Horn of Plenty where man and animal cross paths the extraordinary becomes possible it's uh the Last Frontier the last place without a lot of rules the last place with no people you know the last place that you can die in two weeks they still don't know you're gone you know there's still a sense of adventure for Alaska for most people fishing in this Wild Land is exclusively for pleasure Catch and Release only it's a question of philosophy right now the the trout get in behind the the the red salmon the salmon are going up the rivers to spawn and lay the red eggs so right now the trout will get behind the salmon SL down yesterday I was here um I left camp at 5:30 and I got back at 4:00 you know so uh my back starts to hurt though yesterday I took a a nap on an island like this you always wake up looking for the bear sound of [Music] Alaska you know Bears if you you make yourself as big as you can with bright colors and a lot of noise most of the time they leave and uh the minute you run if you're going to walk away back up but the minute you run it's their character to chase so uh you just hold your ground and don't show any fear your heart this land is a magnet in spite of the danger setting foot here is like delving as deeply as possible into yourself it's an unforgettable apprenticeship of freedom its return to the roots Alaska is home to More than 70% of North America's brown bears they are the pride and joy of alaskans who are even ready to accept a Slowdown in economic development in order to protect this majestic animal this has been happening in the catmi for almost 100 years elsewhere the Bears were hunted and have almost disappeared after a few hours walk in the river we find ourselves face to face with a whole family this is the magical moment of the encounter right in the middle of a feast we try to get as close as possible to get good photos but the bear is a huge Predator so there's always a risk the rule is to not get closer than 50 m to a bear but sometimes they're all over the place and if you back away from one you find yourself closer to another bear so in fact we're quite often only 15 to 20 met away I found myself surrounded by bears but they didn't show any sign of aggressivity the most important thing to do is make yourself known to the Bears so they can identify you they're gone come closer there's a female and three little ones the bear is an extremely solitary animal changing its behavior during the feeding season when food is abundant it becomes more tolerant of humans and even more tolerant of other Bears we take advantage of this CU When you're as close as we are now it's not a common situation if there weren't salmon all over the place it' be impossible in a few weeks at the end of the spawning season the red salmon will be gone from the rivers of Alaska and the Bears will be looking out for another source of food to satisfy their vicious appetites before going into hibernation that's the sign for Lionel to leave he'll have to wait another year before once again he will be able to approach these impressive Predators suddenly a freezing East Wind starts blowing over the catmi like a warning there's no fighting it it's time to go we are only tolerated visitors in the land of the [Music] bear [Music] [Applause] [Music] tala holds a special place in the hearts of American Pilots it is here at the foot of Mount McKinley the highest people in North America that the most important moments in the history of Alaskan Aviation took place he [Music] could I guess wasn't big this Village Remains the dream of many Pilots even today the airplane is still the easiest means of transportation in Alaska and breakfast is at the old cab store bre all through window don't you bother with the door going kitchen Danielle is one of those famous Alaskan Bush pilots who have the reputation of being among the best in the world she can fly in the worst of [Music] conditions I flew up here in my airplane 9 years ago on a quick trip with some friends just decided to go on a long cross country trip and then I landed here and just saw all these airplanes on skis just taking off it was overcast but they were still getting to the mountain never saw McKinley but just knew they were going up someplace and landing on a mountain with skis and just was yeah um I like the town there was good music in town and just I don't know just felt like a cool place I can leave here and go fly up into the mountains go hiking go around a corner run into a Griz isly bear and so you kind of feel like you're not living a protected life it feels alive about 80% of the state doesn't have any roads to it so um airplanes are the normal day-to-day travel uh at one point about 80% of uh the people that lived in Alaska had a pilot's license and about 50% of the people had had um airplanes so some people uh Learn to Fly not because they loved it but because they needed to get to their house or cabin in Winter the extreme cold brings everything to a halt come spring Danielle gets more and more missions she drops climbers off at Mount McKinley's base [Music] camp in summer weather conditions permitting she treats her passengers to a flight over the snowcapped Peaks oh we're flying up to the mountain and up to the McKinley the plane is the local taxi it's the bicycle too it's a bus and sometimes it's even a pickup truck flying from morning to night that's why Danielle left The Boondocks of Colorado to come live [Music] here most people that come here on a cting flight uh generally want to be in a beaver cuz of the old radial engine the you know the you know it's a classic it's like the Harley-Davidson of airplanes for [Music] sure [Music] yeah yeah wo the more I get into the back country the better I feel I felt definitely I don't know more at peace my first year I spent in Alaska I never had a car I went everywhere by an airplane or a mountain bike so and to me that was a Dreamland or still [Music] is [Music] is it's common not to have electricity for maybe two days three days in the winter and when it's 40 below um everything will freeze after one day and that's problem not just for water but for canned food any um anything like that will ruin there's no choice but to adapt to the climate Danielle lives without running water in a converted container she chose this life far from Material constraints precisely because it gives her just what she needs and no more enough to eat to live and above all enough to dream the essentials it's hard to explain but I don't feel alone feel connected to everything that goes around whereas if I'm in a city or more people I feel more lonely the more civilized thing gets the more I feel lost near I don't feel lost some mornings here I awaken and um moose will come walking by one morning night had a a mother moose right outside this window her back is like this high and then the the calves are just walking around little babies in the yard and so you are reminded on how basic it is necessities of [Music] life skis for landing on mountains bog wheels for the tundra Danielle knows how to handle it all in no time three shakes and a few turns of a wrench she changes her plane's landing gear I grew up in Colorado and U my dad my brothers are all car mechanics and airplane mechanics so weekends we out the airport and weekdays we're in the garages I like mechanics I grew up around it so yeah it going good how's it going good ready go RF I am ready awesome let's go check out where we can land today's mission is to drop Carl off near one of the Region's many rivers I'm ready in less than an hour Carl an adventure Hunter will be out in the bush for the alaskans taking the plane to go rafting is like taking the bus to go play tennis yeah even though they stopped making them 40 years ago the beaver Remains the favorite plane of the the Alaskan Bush Pilots they're passed down from one owner to the next like collector's items though it's not extremely fast it can carry a very large load it was designed to land anywhere at relatively low speed it's the perfect bush plane this Beaver it has a history um with some of its accidents it's had but uh probably the most famous is there was a murder that occurred in it uh the owner had had floats and landed in a river where his cabin was and then he uh left the airplane tied up went to his cabin and then the following day or so when he came back to his airplane someone had rigged a a shotgun on the door and he disconnected the airplane from the shore and pushed off and opened up the door and got shot right in the chest from the shotgun so the airplane was drifting down the river and it took took him a while to actually find the [Music] owner Danielle doesn't use Landing strips but just plots of open Land one more improbable than the next she flies over once to check it out and 2 minutes later the plane is on the [Music] [Music] ground cool well have a good trip okay okay thanks St y byebye have a safe flight back yep Carl is going to have to walk a little before getting into the water from now on he's on his own but that's exactly what he came [Music] for if there's a problem he'll have to work it out for himself those who don't follow the rules of the game can end up paying for it with their lives it's been raining for days now on and off and it rained hard last night and the water is still coming up a little bit and then this morning we've had rain and sun and different things but uh you know what they say in Alaska if you don't like the weather wait 5 minutes or move 5 miles that that's Alaska no guarantees it's become uh popular recently pack crafting where we take these rafts of about 2 kilos and we carry them into the Wilderness and find some River to run out in the middle of nowhere and you can take the raft out you can blow it up run a river and then take out at another Point climb Another Mountain go to another River and it just allows you to look in a map in a whole new way in Alaska there's a lot of things that can be dangerous you just really have to pay attention you've got to be prepared in many ways in my life jacket I carry uh waterproof matches I carry a signal mirror I carry energy bars I carry an emergency blanket I carry the bare minimum survival tools to survive in case I just lose my boat or something worse we're [Music] ready most Mountain rivers in Alaska are inaccessible going down them can take several days and everyone knows it's a tough place even in summer the temperature of the water rarely gets above 8° [Music] C [Music] enjoying simple moments like this in a breathtaking landscape that's the lifestyle that many have chosen in Alaska a simple and Serene existence living here is feeling that you found your place we're only 30 km down from the glacier where this water is coming from this is the shaleta river which comes out of uh the many glaciers on the east side of the central Alaska range it's both uh got some clear water from snow melts and the Milky water from the glaciers now every river in Alaska was named by the natives it ends in na shaleta sua toet na and that's how you know it's a river in a Indian name car looks like you're traveling a little light I am traveling L hey you want to join us for lunch that would be great that would be great where you stopping happen oh you know down here just a little ways okay this Canyon's going to open up a little bit that'd be nice to get out these wet clothes for a little bit get some sun on me and all right the unexpected is everywhere we run into Joe another rafting fanatic he looks like a Trapper but he was the tala grade school teacher for more than 30 years these two are old friends hey check it out Bear Tracks the strength of the people living here is that they're at one with their environment when Summer's over you have to get ready for the cold ice and snow and yet Joe and Carl wouldn't give up Alaskan Winters for anything in the world that's when they can really Savor there Alaska well I think there's a lot of emotions involved with being in the wilderness for one you have to be very honest with yourself because if you make mistakes you could easily die out in the wilderness so you have to be careful and you have to resp respect the Wilderness for one thing you really get to appreciate your place in the world we have to live on Nature's terms we can't change nature to live on our terms so we have to accept it and we have to see our part in how we fit in you know there are still wild places where you can disappear I know uh you can still hike out into some wild places and try to make your way and live off the land and it seems odd that uh probably most of North America was settled by human beings coming from Asia walking probably right through this landscape right here but they kept going because they realized that this was not exactly the best place to stop just because of the climate but now you know more and more of us are saying well you know that that place was worthwhile let's come back and see what we can make of ourselves in that space last one [Music] tier [Music] this is the dream of everyone living in Alaska Danielle has just bought a piece of land where she's going to build the Trapper cabin the myth of the pioneer lives on this is for the floor of my cabin the smaller pieces are easier to transport in the air plane um long pieces are difficult I can transport some but then the smaller pieces can go in inside the airplane Danielle has chosen to build her Dreamhouse on an inaccessible Hillside it's a good place it's that's the fun of it is that it is a challenge this young woman has not chosen the easy way out the wind has to be just right in order to land on her little acre of paradise only Danielle could have dreamed this one up I need the wind to blow in the right direction or to land um either it needs to be really calm or the wind has to be from the right direction so um it can be small Windows of opportunity to land there her own plane is a 1956 canvas built Piper that looks like something straight out of a cartoon [Music] strip it takes about about 5 minutes to fly there um you cannot drive it takes about 8 hours to hike there maybe 10 and never [Music] hiked I feel alive for sure um usually like an early morning before everybody's awake um when you first take off and feel that airplane leave the ground and it's just the smooth cold air and it just like flying up into a blanket um it's pretty dreamy I want to know how you could beat that it's just amazing feel fortunate that I'm obsessed with something so [Music] fun within a few years Danielle became a reputable Bush pilot she can land almost anywhere something that not many other Pilots are capable of doing her Hill is a long way from being a landing strip with a slope of more than 20° Landing there is a real challenge Danielle's plot of land is unique with a stunning view of Mount McKinley it's worthy of her dream choose this area cuz it looks the over the entire Valley and yeah um um most of the time is down in the forest or in the canopy um so it's nice to have a place to go to where you see over the entire Valley yeah it's a [Music] perch Alaska is the roof of America yeah and then this is the an awesome roof of the Suna Valley Home say home you say home you say home home you say home you say home you say the kingdom of extremes Alaska Land of pioneers in the Gold Rush Carries On and On nourishing our dreams that's why so many men and women on a quest end up here in the end perhaps the true gold of Alaska is [Music] freedom [Music] h [Music] Costa Rica this small Central American country boasts an extraordinarily Rich biodiversity nearly onethird of the land is made up of natural reserves and national parks on the west coast the long Pacific rollers lure Surfers from all over the world we meet Eladio on this vast deserted Beach bordering the Virgin Forest he's chosen to make a new life for himself here between the volcanoes and the Sea Manolo is an old Lonesome Cowboy he lives near the Nicaraguan Border in the region of San Juan one of the most isolated regions of the country then to the south of Costa Rica Where will Plunge Into the Heart of the Jungle in the corcovado the country's largest National Park to meet Claudine a biologist fascinated by this Lush forest and its inhabitants I came here because it makes me happy I'm working for the planet it's a mix of Science and Adventure a blend of science passion mystery and adventure Costa Rica the rich Coast Christopher Columbus gave this name to this land he discovered on his fourth voyage to the new world Costa Rica is the realm of microclimates and a wealth of living species this small Central American country owes its natural riches to its unique Geographic situation for it straddles North and South America and is under the influence of two oceans Crossing Costa Rica gives a speeded up version of the history of the world there is a chain of volcanoes running right through the middle of this small country that contains 4% of the planet's biodiversity Costa Rica is working to achieve a perfect equilibrium between economic development and respect for the environment it is hoping to become the planet's first carbon neutral country by the year 2021 Costa Rica's volcanoes present some of the country's most breathtaking Landscapes these nearly perfect cones are constantly monitored of the 116 volcanoes that dot this land of mountain and Forest five are active and can sometimes be dangerous between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean the chain of volcanoes influences the country's climate and vegetation arid and dry in the East humid and Lush in the west how are you Oscar hey great hey Oscar my friend how's it going hey I'm okay but it's raining not great weather for the ascent let's give it a try okay we can give it a try correct this is the way in to the ring con de la here nature rules Ron DEA is one of Costa Rica's most imposing volcanoes this morning Eladio one of the local guides is accompanying Oscar and El adte one of the country's foremost volcanologists the three of them are setting out to climb the mountain right up to the crater I really like coming into the forest I enjoy it here because it's cool I'm usually in the dry forest in the sun here it's cool and it rains a lot there are tall trees and it's green I feel a lot of energy I feel good it recharges my batteries and gives a boost to my morale [Music] due to the influence of the cloud banks that drift across the country from east to west rinon DEA has a number of facets the Virgin Forest is home to Lush vegetation and a wide variety of wildlife land of pumas and Jaguars this jungle is also the realm of hundreds of species of birds and invisible snakes the ring cone's most recent eruption of steam and Ash was in 1997 the ground Bears the traces of 20,000 years of volcanic activity this Cascade of magma Boulders covered with vegetation is the only way up to the summit by The North Face two months ago an American came hiking up here he got up to the summit of the volcano and as of yet they still haven't found him they don't know if the crater swallowed him up or if he got caught in a Mudslide they looked for him by helicopter American Specialists came the top guides were out searching for him people like Oscar here a lot of rescue workers came even the Red Cross came with dogs but there's no trace of him he disappeared he disappeared because he wasn't wary enough of the volcano ringcon DEA we can't see the summit that's 400 met higher up for it's shrouded in clouds as it is most of the time Eladio Oscar and elaser no very well that they have about one chance in four of the Ring con's crater being visible in this landscape that looks like the mouth of hell they can only hope that elaser the volcanologist will be able to carry out his observations there are ferales all along the path to the summit the volcano emits gas from this hole it's mostly water vapor 96 97% water how hot is it 70° C it's mainly rain water and when it falls it trickles down and hits a hot spot then it evaporates here we're in direct contact with the heart of the Earth in elas a is measuring the heat inside the Earth I coming up here making the effort to observe and enjoy the beauty of nature this spot is so charged with energy just knowing you're so close to this giant to such an ancient volcano it's a long climb it will take 5 hours hours since they've left the forest the wind has started to blow and the temperature has dropped about 10° [Music] C [Music] the rinon de laa volcano is almost 2,000 M High the chilly wind is blowing at 100 km per hour the crater remains hidden in the clouds but no matter every time Eladio reaches the summit he feels the same exhilaration these are such special moments in life moments when you grab the sky in your hands and you seize the immensity of the universe and the beauty of Nature and to experience that with my old friend Oscar it's fantastic isn't that right [Music] [Music] Oscar these volcanos lie on a vast chain of mountains that runs all the way up South and North America from the southern tip of Chile all the way up into Alaska between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean Costa Rica is situated at the intersection of four tectonic plates it's a zone of sliding and grinding where volcanic eruptions and earthquakes take place regularly around the volcanoes nature is thriving and that's why Eladio has chosen to live here at the base of the volcano many Boiling Springs act as barometers of the Ring cone's activity these bubbling cauldrons are made by rainwater that percolates down into the magma Chambers where the water and mud are heated as in a gigantic boiler Costa Rica his volcanoes are all closely monitored the samples that Alias a is carefully Gathering will be analyzed in his volcanic and seismic observation laboratory in San Jose the capital this spot is off limits to hikers if you put your foot in there you'll get a second degree burn right away it can even strip the skin off you have to be very alert and wary here in this part of the volcano it's very beautiful all the colors and all this activity the internal dynamics of the planet that emerge at the surface here I think that I was born with two hearts one for the national parks the other for the volcanoes and times the two hearts beat is one because a lot of national parks are also volcanoes it's a double Joy the volcanoes are the pride and joy of the Costa Ricans and they're used to living with the threat of an eruption this is why elaser comes regularly to take the Pulse of these living mountains [Music] it's 5:00 a.m. and in his home halfway between the Sea and the volcano Eladio is ready for action it's time for him to head for the Pacific and hit the waves today I'm going surfing and this is going to give me the energy I need today is a special day I think there'll be good waves I hope there's a swell coming from Hawaii in California that comes in at benua you get Great Waves when it's like that breakfast is important a good Pinto will keep you going all day Costa Rica along with Australia is the only place on Earth where there are dry tropical forests like this one it's a paradise for all sorts of reptiles iguanas boa constrictors it's also home to these arboreal acrobats the white-faced capucin monkeys for me life is the forest I found my reason for living here that's why I get goosebumps when I'm driving I find it so moving entering into a sanctuary the spot is incredibly beautiful this place plays a very very important part in my life I've never been abandoned by your [Music] eyes at least an hour and a half bucking along this rough track through the forest to cover only about 10 km Eladio is still eager to go surfing you have have to earn the pleasure of riding the waves at the end of the trail we discover these wild deserted expanses on the Pacific coast here on the northwest coast of Costa Rica is the pñ bruha beach with its famous witch's rock as soon as the surf is up Eladio heads for this Beach surfing is his second religion paaa is a paradise or at least it is for [Music] AO one day I realized that I was at the end of my rope I was burned out I was an alcoholic my life was a mess I was tormented I was unhappy I had a job and I had money but I wasn't happy one day I decided to come here to recover to get back in touch with myself a force drew me here I had known about this spot for 35 years I remember the first time I came here I felt a very strong attraction now I'm free and happy I sore like a bird I'm an animal among all the other animals of the forest a few years ago after a motorcycle accident Eladio realized that he had reached a point where he had to turn his life around or lose it so he said goodbye to the city and its dissipation the alcohol and cocaine in 2000 eladia wanted to get clean he left San Jose the capital and came to live here in a bungalow near the beach and he lived alone there for 5 years I love surfing alone in this paradise there's no one around to hassle you surfing is something you just can't explain it's a great way to recharge your batteries after a good day of Surfing I come home and I feel happy I feel totally at [Music] peace so eladia was born into his new life on this beach it's an existence reduced to the very Essentials the sky the Sea and the [Music] [Music] surf this spot is good for you for everyone young and old alike this place is Magic like a piece of heaven that fell to Earth this spot is blessed by the gods it's a place that helps you evolve spiritually it's like a clinic for the mind and the soul surfing has made Eladio a free man at peace with himself these wide open Vistas have allowed him to bounce back that's the magic and force of this spot somewhere on the Pacific coast of Costa [Music] [Music] Rica on the other side of the chain of volcanoes that makes up the spine of the country lies a vast territory that most Costa Ricans know nothing about the region of San Juan is a land with no roads leading in this is a land of thick humid mist a warm sticky Mist that influences the character of the people who work the land of the San Juan [Music] region [Music] this is where Manolo lives he's Foreman of a ranch of more than 700 hectares with as many head of cattle in these humid tropical latitudes time relaxes the men have to put up with the torper and they take on an easygoing lifestyle this is where I grew up my life is here my life is cattle raising the city just wasn't for me living here is the most wonderful thing in the world I have my daily routine every day I get up at 5:00 a.m. and I go to bed at 6:00 in the evening I don't even have a television hey [Music] look when I'm on foot I can't do a thing with them but on Horseback I get right into the middle of the herd the cows can get aggressive with you when never on foot except in the coral because there we can take a stick to defend ourselves but here I'm always on Horseback and any one of these cows can come after [Music] you the spirit of the Far West and cowboys hovers over manolo's Ranch [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] I know them as if they were human and they know me pretty well are like that some are bad tempered and they're only plaed with me they know me but otherwise with a stranger well they can get nasty you could get yourself tossed right over that [Music] [Applause] [Music] fence [Music] it's hard work roping all these [Music] calves Manolo has been living here far out in the country near the Nicaraguan border for 30 years the farm he manages belongs to a rich family in the capital Manalo is the foreman he's in charge of everything he is in fact the boss to live here one has to be able to put up with extreme isolation Manolo has no running water or electricity in his house and the nearest Village is more than half an hour away by rough track so getting sick is a very bad idea but Manolo swears that the only thing he ever catches here is a hangover once in a [Music] while manolo's Farm has a particularity it's the last Farm in Costa Rica the last piece of property before the Nicaraguan jungle from the boundary here back to The Farmhouse there are 700 hectar and on the other side there you have Nicaragua this little plaque marks the boundary between Costa Rica and Nicaragua and this border has only been open for the last 20 years before then there was the war you couldn't cross this whole area was mined and the Nicaragua Army had camps here you couldn't get across you'd get arrested nobody would go there we'd like all that to disappear someday so we could come and go freely as we please without any problems without any passports completely [Music] free monolo dreams of a World Without Borders a Utopia perhaps and yet 60 years ago Costa Rica made the decision to disband its Army in order to improve its health and education systems it's the only country on Earth to have laid down its arms the Rio San Juan is a legendary River it's a natural Frontier between the two countries and flows from Lake Nicaragua to the Caribbean Sea in the 18th century it was a hideout for Caribbean pirates then in the 19th century during the California Gold Rush the gold was shipped through here from San Francisco to New York it was a safer route than the Far West and above all it was shorter than the rout through the straight of mellan on the southern tip of Chile a few years later they were even considering making this River a canal to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans the canal was eventually dug in [Music] Panama and here's how Manolo lands in this out of theway spot of El Castillo in Nicaragua it's as simple as that for Mano El Castillo is the big city it's his Sunday outing I love to come here I come once a month I do my shopping I stay over a day or two then I head home we're back in Costa Rica there are very few roads in this isolated region the rivers are the best way to get around and to go from one country to another Manolo doesn't need a passport when he leaves his Ranch here everybody knows this local character who never pretends to be what he's not [Music] 33 years old and still rolling if only manalo's car could speak at the end of the road is bandas it's the closest Village to manolo's Ranch the only place where he can have a little human contact bandas the pool the grocer the Main Street the school and the bar Manalo comes to town at least once a week just to break the monotony of his [Music] isolation the bar is steeped in Melancholy but it's the only place to get a cold beer time to head back to the ranch Manalo always manages to find someone to help him start his ancient jalap my eyes are still good the windshield wipers don't work anymore but so what I just stick my head out the [Music] [Music] window [Music] so this has been manalo's life for 62 years his love for the Earth for the animals for the sentimental ballads his grandmother would sing a simple existence that flows along peacefully from day [Music] [Applause] [Music] today in the south of Costa Rica is the Osa Peninsula a piece of the world that juts into the Pacific Ocean known for its Rich biodiversity this territory is home to the largest rainforest in Central America it's a veritable biological Corridor protected by the coroval the country's largest national park the Osa Peninsula is the wildest region of Costa Rica [Music] Claudine Sierra is a biologist and works for the University of Costa Rica she was born in Argentina about 10 years ago Enchanted by these tracts of wilderness she decided to settle here in Costa Rica Claudine could have spent her life in a laboratory but she prefers the challenge of the field she has lived in Europe knocked around India and South America and was a professional dancer travel and encounters have nourished her life for quite a while [Music] now I feel right at home here it's the best spot in the world I came here because it makes me happy I'm working for the planet it's a mix of Science and Adventure a blend of science passion mystery and Adventure there are lots of rivers like this one here full of waterfalls and flowing into the Pacific Ocean further Downstream there are Prospectors because there's a lot of gold in these [Music] Rivers about 30 years ago the Osa Peninsula was seized by Gold Fever Prospectors flocked here by the thousands a tumultuous time the Prospectors in their camps were operating completely outside the law then in the late 1980s the Costa Rican government decided to crack down and they destroyed all the prospector's camps inside the national [Music] park the Osa Peninsula and the corcovado national park are vital lungs for the planet Claudine is working so that these exceptionally Rich spaces don't vanish from the face of the Earth my missions in the park consist more in working with the people than with the plants and animals in order to protect the wildlife my work with the community with the local population and with the Rangers is aimed at improving the protection of the reserve while respecting the local inhabit I'm not doing a kind of police work it's a question of changing the mentality of the different communities Claudine has focused her university studies on the indigenous communities so that they may continue to live in their environment while preserving nature her numerous missions in the forest lead her to work with people living far removed from the modern world and in the forest a few kilometers from the edge of the covad national park there are a few groups of gold prospectors still camping in this jungle the rivers feed the dreams of those that life has short changed for these wretched of the Earth the forest is also a last chance it's hard work we start at 5: in the morning and finish at 5: in the afternoon we often Come Away empty-handed no gold sometimes we get lucky but it's still hard we spend the whole day moving rocks the gold is stuck in the mud and the stone we have to wash them really well so that the gold drops into the sand then you can get it out it's gold dust the gold we find here in the Osa Peninsula is a National Treasure so they got it right when they named it Costa Rica it really is a rich Coast for me gold is simply marvelous I've already found nuggets weighing 20 21 and even 50 grams we were working in another spot and there we just kept finding chunks this big but I can't tell you where it is reality or fantasy prospector's Tales are still the stuff of Legends up to 8 meters of rain can fall here between September and December these Prospectors living in the heart of the rainforest are not completely illegal they are tolerated the river where they're working runs only a few kilometers from the corcovado national park 45,000 hects of jungle and mountain that the Costa Rican authorities are trying to preserve from man's rapacious appetite in 1975 only a part of the Osa Peninsula was classified ecological Sanctuary Claudine knows that there's a lot more work to be done before everybody here becomes aware that gold is not the only Treasure of this wilderness his territory Puerto gimenez is the former El Dorado of the Costa Rican gold Hunters this quiet little town has become the unavoidable stopover for travelers in search of Adventure it's the gateway to the National Park Claudine is going to spend a few days in the Virgin Forest at Serena the post of the forest rangers it would take several days on foot to get to Serena on the Pacific coast so the easiest way to get there is by plane and the only plane in the region belongs to Alvaro he's the only one to fly over coval [Music] [Music] p [Music] you almost this is Serena's air strip a tiny clearing hacked out of the Jungle Claudine did warn Us in the final moments before we land Everyone Falls silent in the [Music] cockpit alesandro is the head of the Rangers station the park rangers are the guardians of corcovado and these two know each other well they traced 80 kilometers of Trail in the forest together to encourage ecotourism but alesandro has other problems right now he's tracking poachers and illegal Prospectors okay where are the patrols right now there's one down in the lower part of the park near the Lagoon another in the ringcon and another here near the ranger station PS around here there are three patrols you think it's enough no there are only six Rangers in each Patrol Alexandro grew up in the jungle he knows it like the back of his hand before he became a park ranger he also was a gold prospector I was 7 years old I made friends here they told me there's gold in that mountain so I started looking for gold with him now alesandro has chosen his side he's with the Defenders of nature don't you feel a little bit like a cop now with respect to your old friends yes I have problems with them sometimes they tell me you used to be a prospector you know what we're like you've betrayed us I tell them that it's time to stop looking for gold I talk with them try to convince them and in the end some of them do follow my advice but others continue this morning alesandro has visitors a group of tourists with their guide have just landed only a few motorboats come here to Serena when the Pacific swell allows it coroval is a paradise of vegetation in the midst of this Lush Greenery the ranger station provides accommodations for Travelers eager to experience the Primeval Forest these visitors mostly young Backpackers from all over the world can Lodge here for a few days this setup brings in some money for the station and that helps the employees protecting the national [Music] park we feel like we're on an island here there's no direct means of communication with our families if there's a problem or an emergency our families call the office in Puerto and they get word to us if we had the telephone or Internet that would put our minds more at [Music] ease [Music] [Music] the forest is an ideal setting to find oneself Claudine was a top level modern dancer now practicing yoga allows her to achieve a harmony with with the universe that surrounds [Music] her yoga gives you a particular feeling depending on whether you're doing it indoors or Outdoors it's an encounter with yourself however when you do yoga in a place with very high vibrations as they say high frequencies like in a forest it's as if there were no interference you're completely with yourself and that gives you very special feelings Claudine spent a lot of time traveling around the planet she wanted to see the most beautiful things the Earth had to offer after finishing her studies in biology she embarked on a career of professional dancer but her love of nature caught up with her and Claudine accepted a miss from the Costa Rican government to study the ecosystem of Koko Island a deserted Paradise Lost in the Pacific Ocean she stayed there for8 [Music] years giving of oneself and accepting to become one with nature this is what Claudine has learned from her profession and her experience a certain idea of Harmony between man and his environment Claudine is going to spend the night on the beach in a few hours she'll be meeting an expert on sea turtles this having a job that allows me to always be in contact with nature is in fact an excuse it brings back feelings from my childhood when I was little we used to play in a big Garden that for me was a magical and mysterious Forest this is an isolated and wild spot where the animals roam around freely so they Thrive at night you can hear Jaguars they keep their distance if you're really lucky you may catch sight of a puma there are snakes monkeys there's more Wildlife than hum it's more the animals world than the humans five different species of sea turtle have been coming to lay their eggs here on the beaches of Costa Rica for millions of years this animal straight out of prehistoric times and capable of Crossing oceans benefits from the protection of scientists Claudine is going to patrol the beaches of corcovado to observe the sea turtles along with Eric he works for a sea turtle protection program tonight they're looking for a specific rare endangered species the loggerhead turtle Eric wants to attach a Tracker to one but they don't find any this time however they do see some more common turtles that came up on the beach to lay their eggs on this moonless night this nest with its eggs nearly ready to hatch was recently raided the eggs have to incubate for 55 days here the eggs are 50 or 51 days old when they're close to hatching like these they give off a very strong odor the raccoons in the forest smell that so so one came by here he dug them up ate his fill and went off leaving the nest uncovered so tomorrow morning the birds would come and have a feed Claudine and Eric move the eggs a few dozen meters away in a few days they'll hatch and the lucky ones will make it to the Open Sea only one turtle in a thousand reaches adulthood I'm proud it's important to work for a worthy cause like sea turtles which are very vulnerable animals they can be eaten by other animals and I'm happy to serve this cause which is very important for all of us here nearly onethird of Costa Rica is protected territory it is the only country to have reconciled Economic Development and respect for the environment so the corcovado National Park is a very special place my message is one of Hope and of warning if we don't change our ways corcovado could cease to exist if we change our habits just a little we could protect the planet a little better without corcovado and places like it our future seems very Bleak but corcovado does [Music] exist [Music] [Music] micro need one of the least known regions of our planet inaccessible Islands scattered far and wide in the Pacific and forgotten by the rest of the world in ponpe Augustine is the solitary Sentinel of a cursed City thousands of years old Nan madol pazan a tribal chief he counts his fortune not in gold ingots but in stone the island of Yap has an exchange system unlike any other on Earth Bruce an inveterate traveler has dedicated his life to the most isolated Islands thanks to him remote Villages are being connected with the rest of the world this area in the Pacific the most remote areas on Earth I think that these areas here are the most undiscovered and the most little known the vast areas I think we know more about the moon than we do about this deep ocean waters off of Micronesia see you in minutes Flex of land scattered across a blue background Micronesia 2,000 Little Worlds surrounded by the vast ocean and just as many distinct cultures each with its own language history and beliefs the one thing they have in common is the feeling that the Pacific Ocean is their only link with the rest of the [Music] [Music] universe getting to know these lands with their oral culture means allowing oneself to be lulled by the tals of the elders as we fly over ponpe we skim the surface of the Island's [Music] mystery according to the legend 16 men and women landed on this island after a long Meandering Voyage at Sea in a Great Canoe the 16 voyagers prayed and prayed and the more they prayed the more it rained the tears falling from Heaven gave birth to the islands Rivers waterfalls forests and animals that's the miracle of ponpe its name ponpe means Island born from prayer hidden away in the jungle behind a curtain of clouds lies the ruins of a city dating back almost 3,000 years we have to approach it with an open mind accepting its Enigma for we know almost nothing about this city it's a testimony to a vanished civilization that of the soders the dynasty reigning here at the time and if you look up here there was something over here built from before on this island on this island on this island but the ocean washed it out that's that's one of the reasons I've been doing this is you know we're studying the erosion you know we trying to protect and preserve n metal for future generation and I can see erosion right there yeah right there on the erosion is uh because it's a closer to the breakers that's right that's right wow and there's a school of fish out here D oh wow I fishing tomorrow okay wow look at that my goodness there she is always amazing Augustine is extremely moved as he flies over this strange City built on the water so beautiful he's state conservator of the site and has dedicated his whole life to it he is above all the keeper of an enigma [Music] non madal means the spaces between a reference to the canals that circulate among the hundred or so artificial eyelets these spaces give free reign to the imagination and dreams well this will go down as one of the best stps in uh in my lifetime that's for sure yeah from the sky nonmodal is even more mysterious its architecture gives us an idea of how amazingly skillful the builders were you see the trees and the rocks and it's like they were placed there together along time ago the mangroves and the Rocks they make a Unity you know there's a composition there you know it's amazing the symmetry of all the buildings you know how was it possible you know for the architect to build you know and the design they're so you can see what the straight lines the canals everything down there you know I mean it's amazing I mean to me I'm thinking they must have had a plane a long time ago and some the engineer was up in the sky and then looking down and then directing everybody because everything is in place I mean it's just perfect from up [Music] here and beneath the surface of the ocean the mystery thickens certain Legends suggest that nonan madal is the entryway to an even more magnificent City lying at the bottom of the sea Jimmy has been looking for proof of its existence for years he proceeds with caution and respect for the Ancients the strangeness of the spot is not at all reassuring just the opposite [Music] it takes courage to explore the bowels of this Sunken City diving here means defying the deep-seated beliefs of the [Music] Islanders we don't know who constructed n how the builders Managed IT and in particular how they transported the stones but the spirits are there that's for sure but one mustn't talk about them the spirits don't like that they could punish us in any case there's magic involved maybe that's the answer [Music] what curses protected the city what could instill such fear in the local inhabitants that for centuries they refused to go near it that long vanished Dynasty still has a strong hold on the living like a clinging veiled Shadow even today very few dare profane the sacred territory of Nan madal they all fear the cruel vengance of the [Music] spirits [Music] [Music] I think it adds to the mystery of nanad you know all this jungle you know it's covering here because before you know nobody was allowed here except if you came here to pay tribute to the Chiefs or the sou LS so in a way this jungle is covering it's like a it keeps its secrets to [Music] [Music] itself Augustine and Jimmy are both obsessed by these secrets too many unanswered [Music] [Laughter] [Music] questions thousands of years ago we had people living here and you know walking in their footsteps now you know it's it gives me a sense of right knowing that you know they were capable of this uh amazing architecture and also I mean not only the architecture but you can imagine how many years and how many people it took to build this amazing place what I think what it required then was you know a ruler who was really strong to command all the people and you know the many years for them to build so I think at that time maybe Bon Bay was centralized it was Unified under one [Music] ruler the stones are Basalt carefully fit together in these amazing constructions that doggedly continue to resist the ravages of [Music] time [Music] [Music] beneath the surface huge blocks lie scattered around the foot of the massive walls you can almost hear the hushed murmur of their tail noded by by his desire to understand Jimmy tirelessly studies these columns that seem to be pointing in a direction he searching for some glimmer of Truth here where the undertoe is eating away at the stone the bassal comes from the other side of ponpe many kilometers away quarrying the Stone from the mountain side carving it into columns transporting then fitting them together tons and tons of rock were moved with Stone Age tools contemplating this colossal work you catch yourself believing in Magic well for for us Locos it's really impressive to imagine how huge uh blocks of rock like this can be built on top of each other especially we know before we don't have any Machinery to build this so locals believe that it was by Magic that that they were able to put these locks on top of each other you can imagine how huge this I mean this may weigh probably tons you know tons so might the with is they used nature the natural elements to build Nas so I think when the when the tide was high that's when they lifted the Rocks that's my theory Augustine a solitary Sentinel watches over the site yet he is a powerless witness as it slowly disapp appears eroded by the ocean Nan madel's days are numbered the walls over the years they've crumbled down you know because of time you know and the ocean climate change and everything and that's what we're trying to protect you know we want to see how we can preserve this so so people can come and enjoy it and see what it was like before the walls still thrust up proudly towards the sky like a final Challenge and tell the tale of the soders a nation of inspired Builders caught by some fatal surprise a barbarian Invasion an unknown plague the outside walls form an arrow pointing towards where and along the walls we found few of the rocks that falling down from the main walls that's where those species of frck that we found today we bring it for the example of maybe it's bar of of the rocks or SC up from the main rocks it's the kind of rock Augustine and Jimmy often discuss their different theories like all the inhabitants of the island the mystery of Nan madal is part of their life one of the pillars is about 8 or 10 ft long and the other one is 15 or 16 ft long under water and what I hear from the locals they believe that maybe it's a gateway to the underwater cities there are many theories you know but like the Lost Continent but those are Western theories you know as far as we're concerned you know we have a city here called Nadol and there's possibly an underwater city that we don't know like you mentioned you know there's a lot of rocks underneath the water so P local it's a gateway to some underwater city but maybe being part of the mystery nobody has founded nobody leaves Nan Madel without falling under the spell of the lost city symbol of an Empire that collapsed suddenly why only their City [Music] [Applause] [Music] remains a few Square km of land lost in the immensity of the ocean Yap lives forgotten by the rest of the world like everywhere else in Micronesia the extreme isolation has led the inhabitants to invent a system of values and exchange found nowhere else in the [Music] world [Music] gliding through the transparent Waters of the Lagoon we encounter the mythical manter Rays guardians of a facet of this Island's singular [Music] history [Music] at the bottom of the ocean lies a veritable treasure this disc of stone with a hole in the center relates an extraordinary Tale the adventure of intrepid [Music] Navigators radi everyone on Yap knows this story for it has been handed down since the dawn of time from generation to generation like in the family of pazan pazan is the headman of the village of toru the one who transmits the Lord of the ancestors on Yap nothing is like anywhere else and no [Music] matter Pan's family is highly respected on the island and today is a special day he wants to share the secrets of his ancestors with his son so for this ritual we'll have to go over to the other side of the island we'll be taking a path that long ago Pan's own father once showed him this Stone disc recognizable by its form is the first step on the path Pan's son has to learn its history for that is what makes it so valuable this comes from the the high Chiefs of this Village and uh they they asked the people to to work on the stone path and so when the completion uh when the road was completed then the Chiefs came in and and say thank you to people and this is one of the stone money they give to my family for that's exactly what they are these Stone discs are the equivalent of of our gold [Music] ingots there are some 6,000 of them on Yap they're used to buy land to build a house to buy a boat they are also given to the fiance by her Suitor as a dowy these stones are the basis of all major transactions even though the dollar is the currency for everyday purchases it's it's one of the biggest that I have and uh that's one and the second one is uh uh uh because it is it is gone into competition between the Chiefs so it has a a story to tell bazan's Authority derives mainly from his ancestral lineage but it's also based on his Heritage his family owns 21 Stones an impressive number thanks to them his children will be able to assume a respectable position in this island Society let's see it's more like an insurance you feel safe that you have them um you feel secure in in some sense that you have uh this uh uh Stone money and you feel able to to to participate in the in the traditional events competitions um whatever dancing things like this because you you feel secure that you can participate into into those uh bigger bigger events that would happen in the app on the scale of the vast Pacific Yap seems tucked away in a corner of the map a far off world that lives completely closed in on [Music] [Music] itself identity is uh is something very popular now uh everywhere uh if I go somewhere I say and from y up then people will say oh the land of stone money so it is a very very abuse [Music] identity the enormous discs encapsulate the history of of Yap they can weigh up to 15 Tons to move them the Islanders roll them but the lighter Stones can be carried by just two [Music] [Music] men [Music] be the island is far from anywhere so they have to be resourceful with what they have at hand it's one of the Prime rules of life here the Outrigger canoes are necessary for survival these craft date back to the dawn of History these great Navigators have been using these boats for centuries to escape their isolation no need for a seant or Compass the sailors of Yap read the Stars it doesn't cost Fuel and and it's a it's you travel on a canoe is very very good it's very quiet no engine no no fuel uh spent uh the materials and everything is from Up [Music] [Music] [Music] in the heart of turu Pan's Village the stone discs as precious as they are line the path like a series of landmarks in the islander's [Music] memory these roads are nothing less than open air B thanks we have a very big one also let let's go over and see it's a very big Stone money this is the biggest one that we have uh in the beginning it came from palao people from this Village went to palao and uh participate in the in the carving and the and then uh bring it to this Village and now we have have it [Music] here here there's no gold no precious gems no pearls just these gigantic discs of aragonite quarried by raw Manpower from a far off Island palao about 250 nautical miles from Yap it takes days and days at Sea to cover such a distance in order to create a system of exchange centuries ago the Yap Islanders set out in search of something that didn't exist on their Island they came back from palao with these stones and since there was nothing like them on Yap they were precious a system of exchange was born the value uh comes from the hard the hardship of obtaining a stor money first of all you have to learn navigation and then uh obtain the knowledge of building a Cano and then you build those Cano and then you have people that trust the navigator that can participate on the sailing then sail to Pala which is very hard in those days it's it's done in uh with uh navigating with the Stars wait help sometimes for hundreds of years they risk their life lives sailing the Pacific these trips were veritable initiatory voyages pazan also made this trip to honor the memory and courage of his ancestors uh they were good sailers and also uh very good people with big heart to go and do something that generations and generations until us this at this moment we're still very proud of what they've done long time ago those Navigators had to face many dangers storms high seas typhoons and there was always the danger of Simply disappearing into the infinite blue expanse The Navigators were equipped with no more than the wisdom of their ancestors handed down from generation to generation at times in the history of Y we don't just lose the stor we lose everything even the crew and The Navigators everybody we don't know where they're gone we lost them all these vessels seem ridiculously frail to undertake such an adventure which is the very Cornerstone of the Yap identity on board these canoes it's the cohesion of their society that is at [Music] [Music] stake so we have a very poor economy very small economy and uh abandoning the tradition and culture of Y is uh it be a life uh uh you cannot survive uh the custom and the tradition provide provides those opportunity where I can associate with people I can get I can get fish I can get tarot um I can take a ride like this so without those tradition I and Customs for me I won't make [Music] it I grew up here this is an island um I like Island lives um it's something that uh it's more than that I like and I love because it's something that I grew up with it's a part of me and I'm a part of it [Music] Yap an exceptional Island because they had nothing the inhabitants became Intrepid Navigators driven to strike out for New Horizons and to bring back their precious stone discs since that time things have remained unchanged or almost seen from the outside Yap still has nothing much to offer the islander's fortune is not counted in dollars it is priceless as valuable as the memories it embodies thus the people of Yap has forged their Destiny their [Music] identity the ocean might have condemned these Islanders to wander endlessly without roots but the situation is just the opposite the Pacific is their last ramp part it allows this culture to flourish in total [Music] [Applause] freedom good morning Micronesia it's Saturday in the Western Pacific July 18th we're all getting ready for our big Liberation day party let me check to see if there's any anyia buaka forava Manu Le to right m bonejour k for the cook Island Kora Bruce's voice casts a wide net all the way to the farflung limits of mic every day at 9:00 a.m. sharp this radio buff broadcasts a bulletin intended for the most remote Islands okay there's no medical emergencies or priority traffic I copy you Yap let's take a look at your weather we understand you want to go out and look for some turtles today on West value Yap weather for today variable winds 5 to 10 knots becoming Southwest afternoon here we're at the University of Guam a territory administrated by the United States Bruce is not just a voice he's also a link between all the islands a providential man a clever handyman who over the years has single-handedly set up a Communications Network covering one of the vastest regions on Earth he's the one they call when there's an emergency the ship was about four or five days late hope everything worked out if there's anything you need you know where to find me over yeah going to ask you could ECT me to when Bruce landed in Guam more than 20 years ago the outer Islands were completely isolated and this tireless traveler discovered a situation he couldn't have even imagined so this is my territory so I have to go in small boats and canoes to get to these to support the uh 90 or so outer islands all through this area that have dispensaries schools and no communication no power except for solar that we put in and of course no airst strip no links to the outer world except through me so we have power we have communication we have tools the network that Bruce set up has been growing little by little he regularly makes expeditions to install new transmitter receivers now he's heading out to the far off [Music] archipelagos miwa good morning you ready to rock and roll yes I am are you good to see you good to see see again got enough fuel yes I all right all right all right let me just uh prepare this one quick and you can get off do you want to sit in the back or you want to sit in the front so meanwhile how's the weather well it's going to be nice and clear there's no much turbance or anything like that so no typhoon no typhoon [Music] yet what a beautiful today yes it's nice C for the ocean [Music] too like another world when we go to the outer Islands that's right leaving Guam means leaving a world of buildings infrastructure Comfort the ocean is the Last Frontier an insurmountable obstacle for many [Music] migrans I think the Pacific this area in the Pacific the most remote areas on Earth I think that these areas here are the most undiscovered and the most little known the vast areas I think we know more about the moon than we do about this uh deep ocean waters off of Micronesia right now uh it's rainy season so the rains can come in any time they cover the air strip then uh the small plane cannot land or take off so then I have to take a canoe to another place place and try to find another boat times the boat is the only way to get back it might take you two or three more weeks and you [Music] plan [Music] it's a it's the kind of life that you have to learn to be very patient you have to be patient with the people you have to be patient with nature uh it makes you see the other side of yourself when you live in the uh big Village or the small City where you get all wrapped up in your daytoday and out here time has a lot different me the time we have out here uh we don't we just do things when we can when the weather is good when the surf is not too big to bring the canoe in uh when the rains aren't too [Music] bad all right miwa thank you very much have a safe slide home I'll give you a call on a r all right you rock woman hopefully I'll see you soon otherwise I'll be on canoe okay ah yeah I'm an old man from here on Bruce has to count on himself he'll have no more communication with the outside until he arrives at his destination and he relishes every minute of this time cut off from the rest of the [Music] world each one of his Expeditions takes him to new territories Bruce is perhaps one of the last explorers here for example only one or two boats a year call in at these remote Islands to buy the cpra [Music] Harvest oh I'm like s the CLA when I come I bring them stuff and I help them fix it and I give them training yes over the years what I've done is I've learned I need to train the local people if I don't train the local people I am very old Som day I will not be able to come back here and I need the young men and the young ladies of the village to know how to fix the antennas fix the solar systems and maintain the communication Network in these far-flung archipelagos the heat is suffocating the humidity oppressive with all his voyages Bruce has come to appreciate these sudden storms and showers everyone is glad to have them fresh water is precious for it nourishes the forests and means survival for man Bruce melts into the vegetation when you're working out here it you feel like you're really doing something not just pushing paper around or worried about the politics working about making money you we don't worry about making money cuz there is no money out here it's only fishing coconuts we trade for tarot everybody is very peaceful in this region of the Pacific one of the rainiest in the world the rainstorms are always just passing in Micronesia we say if you don't like the weather just wait 1 hour you will have different weather yes this is where you can really get in touch with your soul little bit of rain pretty soon we'll be back and be in the ocean and I can wash off and I I'm very happy when I can cleanse my soul and help the people in the outer islands and I don't have to go to the office every day [Music] [Music] [Music] no my know [Music] m m [Music] m [Music] [Music] m [Music] m [Music] with the evening a blanket of Silence Falls there are no roads here no means of transportation no electricity no telephone no government even just the traditional Chiefs in each Village whose authority is handed down from generation to generation as one person I can feel at the end of the day that that I've done quite a bit for them so I feel like I can really make a difference making a difference is very important to me I have a very short life I need to help as many people as I can life has changed fast for these outer Islanders so I want them to stay here and try to preserve some of the culture preserve some of this life there's no place like like this in on the whole earth no place where they still do Celestial navigation they watch the Stars they watch The Wind and The Rains so they move around in their canoes for many years with no instruments the only place on Earth where they still practice traditional seaf fairing traditional navigation Voyage after Voyage Bruce has had to face the Jungle the mountains but once in a while he gets easy Trails as well here the village is a two-day walk away Bruce is familiar with the route he has already been there to meet the villagers and talk about the possibility of setting up a transmitter receiver there there the villagers were notified of his arrival by the captain of a boat stopping here with a load of material for the long awaited antenna T hey chief how you doing brother we've been waiting for you for quite some time welcome to you li oh thanks I have your uh gifts H thank you very much Mr best oh my go how are you verita I have gifts for you too thank you oh chick chick chick thank you very much Mr best all I tell you what we're doing the custom in these Villages is to offer a token of Welcome today Bruce has Beetle nuts wrapped in Pepper leaves from ponpe the men of the village sprinkle them with powdered coral and chew them like tobacco you are fine and we'll be expecting you for quite some sometimes how's Papa ma uh Papa ma is uh is okay but uh he getting Prett old not getting around too much anymore with his diabetes that's correct he's still teaching the children how to Celestial navigate uh he's trying uh to do that but uh otherwise uh his health is uh not too good yeah I know we're all getting old actually Mike and I are close to the same age so when I first came out to Micronesia he was a teacher on the over here across Lagoon and he came to uh for a while he actually came to Guam to learn and now he has come back and took the knowledge he learned on Guam and he's helping his people in the outer Islands a lot of the Chiefs uh they're allowed to leave when they're young because they uh go out and they learn worldly things uh but they are expected to come back when they get older and that's when they leave lead so they're they're not leading in a vacuum they're leading with some knowledge about what's going on in the world there you go get your foot right in there don't let that thing kick back up you're in keep your foot on that keep your weight on it here we go game mate there is no phone at all this is the only Ways and Means of uh communicating with the outside world uh through the single side band radio and we need the antenna I mean Power by the solar system um we don't have power on the island it is really means life in this area it's a lot of thing the generous son of the Pacific will help connect people got the power we got the solar we got the uh power cables everything's ready let's see if we can get a hold of Guam let see if this baby cranks up got the right mode upper side band Guam Guam how do you copy over come on baby the copy yes all right we have uh been waiting for many years uh to have some communication I me Bruce is a a very helpful uh person to uh to us okay we're going to be waiting for the next uh next can finally get his news and weather in the morning now every morning so he knows what's going on in the rest of the world this is his window to the global [Music] village the village is now quietly turning over a new page of its history who knows perhaps someday there'll be a legend about Bruce the man who traveled over sea rivers and mountains to offer his help to the people of [Music] Micronesia here time and space give the measure of life this was the story of these Islanders living on the edge of immensity this was the story of these bits of land scattered here and there in the largest ocean on earth the Pacific [Music] Morocco this Kingdom forged from Arab European and African cultures offers us the Exotic magic of the Orient right next door to Europe it's hard to resist as the country's enchanting light works its magic on you and the people we're going to meet are all reflections of that warm glow Abdullah who lives in the region of talin will initiate us into the secrets of saffron the origins of this age-old spice are still steeped in mystery it's said to have many virtues and it's worth its weight in gold Red Gold Julie is a nurse she lives in a valley of the high Atlas 5 hours of hard driving from the nearest Village this young French woman grapples with the harsh environment in order to care for the most remote communities Ali and Lao guides in the Sahara are old hands at crossing the desert following the traces of the mythical desert Caravans they are carrying on the tradition of the merchants that once traveled the south of Morocco what I like most about the desert are the long Crossings when you walk for weeks on end you get a feeling of accomplishment at the end a feeling that you haven't wasted your [Music] time the rugged range of Jebel SWA is a stunning link between the high Atlas and the Sahara a land where you don't expect to find any trace of Life a voyage that only begins there where the Trail [Music] Ends long ago people settled on these lunar plateaus to protect their goods from the pillaging tribes of the [Music] Sahara the Villages blend in with the ochre landscape as if they were trying to camouflage themselves and their soil has become the Cradle of a heavensent [Music] spice they say that saffron was brought here in the 9th century by a tribe traveling from Arabia to Andalusia now 600 years after being driven out of the Iberian Peninsula their descendants have settled in this similar landscape [Music] [Music] our great grandparents were already growing sa it's part of us we've been growing it for ages we've all grown up with it we've always grown it here in talin in other places they're just starting to grow it [Music] sa is an honored guest in our village here a guest who arrives only in October life in tisi a village of small Growers follows the rhythm of saffron for Abdullah and his family this delicate plant is their whole life it flowers for only 15 days a year but from the picking all the way to the selling it demands painstaking work everything about this crop has to be done by [Music] [Music] hand [Music] we get up at 5: in the morning we do our prayers then we have breakfast and we set out around 5:30 we get to our saffron fields at day break and we have to finish our work before the Sun is up completely it's 400 m from the village to the plateau where the saffron fields are located the Steep Trail often runs right alongside a sheer drop one has to belong to this land so as not to go astray it's a rough road but people are used to it they have no choice the road isn't paved there are only Trails here it's a 45-minute walk uphill all the way it's a very narrow Trail a really tough climb [Music] call the trail is washed out in spots because of the rain we repair it every time but it keeps getting damaged there's a storm and that's it just this year we've repaired it three times caught by the first rays of the Sun as they climb these Intrepid saffron Growers run a Race Against Time every day during the Harvest even if we have to get up early it's okay we're happy because we're eager to see all the That Grew during the night we can't wait to get out and pick our treasure if our field is flourishing we're happy when the flower opens and is exposed to the Sun the filaments scatter and they're lost here you see in the morning the flower is closed and that's why we come so early every morning the plateau abounds with new flowers that contain the precious strands an ephemeral miracle and the villagers are quite grateful for this Boon this is a very good year and we hope it'll be just as good for the money we have rich soil here saffron grows well thanks to the cool climate there's a lot of humidity and that makes for a very good saffron so far from the bustling cities this is how life goes on for these berbers who are perfectly in harmony with the seasons of [Music] nature the Harvest follows the rhythm of the Sun and they have to stop picking as soon as the plateau starts to get warm during the saffron season every minute of work counts and the whole family pitches in and helps even s AB D's daughter she attends school but after class she has to help her [Music] parents [Music] [Music] for spee [Music] speee [Music] saffron is vital to us because it's our only resource that in a few animals we raise but saffron is our number one source of income it's gold it's gold thanks be to God even when you get good saffron the price doesn't amount to much compared to the work we Growers put into it your eyes get tired your hands your legs when you stay seated like this four or five hours at a stretch afterwards you can't walk you can't move you can't go out it's really strenuous you work night in day during the saffron Harvest Right up till the end and the work has to be done right away you can't put things off it has a very short lifespan if you let it go for two days it's lost it's just one month's work a year but it's the equivalent of four after a month of intense activity Abdullah is ready to set out on a long road trip okay here I go may God protect us pray for me and Amed what should I bring back for you now calm down now I have to go can you what do you want clothes and what else H shoes shoes God willing I'll bring you back a pair of shoes now come kiss my hand what should I bring back for you bring back clothes for her too okay mama I'm going take care of the children I won't be gone long God willing may God protect TCH [Music] to this small saffron grower from tgee will sell his Red Gold not just in the local cooperatives and sus he'll go well beyond the region of Sira from Village to Village wherever his encounters may lead him Abdullah takes us along on the second phase of his work when he is is a door-to-door Salesman you know it's hard I have to make these long trips but I love this life you're free in this kind of work you work for yourself from your own home and you're not afraid of anyone [Music] get how long will you be gone this time oh I'll be away a month month and a half it depends I'm going to wazat Raa rashidia gulad that's my saffron in all those towns people by my saff mainly in August when you have all the weddings and celebrations you know we already knew that saffron has certain powers and now it's been proven so people are using it more and more now we know that it's really good for you the saffron harvested in the Autumn is sold at different times throughout the year it keeps for a long time and even improves with age so when Abdullah needs money he simply takes to the road let's have a look it's pure sephron of course it is top quality it comes from my Village my saffron comes straight from my Fields I don't buy it in the soup okay I'll take five G look at it just take a whiff great it's good homegrown good even though it's this use it's light and dry nothing more delicate than the scales the scales have to be precise will you see they're accurate good that'll do it yes that's perfect that smells good you're right plus it has medicinal properties it's good for colds and teas it's good for what ails you yes it's good for everything it's even good for death oh that I didn't know the rising demand for this spice has driven up the prices and at the same time raised abdullah's hopes of improving his family's standard of living by selling my saffron I can buy clothes for the children some sugar tea and flour that's how it is with saffron saffron is [Music] money [Music] take a look it's a beautiful color how much is it 5 a gram I'll take four grams I used to sell it for two three four a gram but the price has gone way up that's expensive no it's not expensive if you know what goes into it it's not a lot this is good saffron I use it a lot I put it in my tea to give it an aroma in thein the couscous I use it for my children I make an herbal tea with it when they're [Music] sick live in a city it's never even crossed my mind this is where my children are growing up this is our life we have to grow saffron and apples that's how it is it's the Earth that feeds [Music] us at the end of this Voyage the simple freedom of these men of the earth is a natural gift that feeds its Stone dreams in the silence and immensity of the high plateaus of [Music] [Applause] silwa the Tessa this Valley in the high Atlas Mountains was for a long time unexplored even at the beginning of the 20th century it was not known that this remote Valley was inhabited it seems as if the modern world had stopped on the threshold of these deep [Music] Gorges Julie 24 is a nurse she left her life in the city of Leon in France to spend a year in Morocco along with hadijah her interpreter she takes care of the people of the region a minibus has set out during the night on the Valley's single track to come get the two women and take them to the site of their next consultation we work together she teaches me about everyday life here this headscarf is part of that so she's my guide she's my interpreter and my guide they cover a vast area Julie and Khadijah work in 14 Villages deep within the valley getting there is already an adventure in itself this track is very long it stops in magz from there on there's no more road so you feel like we're in a completely isolated corner of the planet it really far away from everything and then we wonder how's it possible that there are people actually living way out here we think my God it's almost [Music] unnatural [Music] Muhammad has also come a long way to be taken care of he's a farmer and lives in ishak Ken about 20 km away it's a difficult trip so he put it off as long as he possibly could now he has to do it [Music] it took him four hours on mu bike to get here how long has he had had these stomach pains it's been a month now here you have the everyday gestes that would take 5 minutes in France but here they take a lot longer because there are the constraints we don't have all the equipment there's no electricity no doubt about it it's a different way of life a different Rhythm not much comes into this Valley only a few of the local drivers are willing to tackle these rough roads they are the only link between the first town and the inhabitants of the tesaut [Music] valley this dispensary was opened in 2002 by a French Association tasador nurses come here to work for a year they provide basic Medical Care and take part in public health programs we take care of the children all the vaccinations and the Pediatric problems that might come up digestive infections ear nose and throat general medicine and there's the Family Planning programs and a lot of pregnancy care and emergency care that happens L and we're also a presence for them we've realized that the commitment and values are much more important here than the acts themselves so just being here with them reassures them it means a lot to [Music] them [Music] time is quite elastic here so you let yourself go with it because you don't have a choice It's the Rhythm here and you learn to live with it there's no way to be stressed because that's just how it is you learn to make do with what you have the most important thing in tesaut is the Wadi this stream of the same name it not only irrigates the crops but it also serves as a means of transportation it's a beautiful Valley but it's hard living here in the winter especially when it snows but in the spring the water from the melting snow is very useful sometimes the river overflows and that damages the crops but we accept that because here like everywhere else in the world water is essential and we respect water and all living things the TS out is a magnificent region it has a lot of water we lead very simple lives but the people here are happy I don't like towns too much too much noise hustle and bustle cars everywhere it's not for me if they would improve the roads here that would really make our lives [Music] better we go along with Julie and hadijah on the path to tastin 10 km down from the dispensary where they have have to do some vaccinations most of the time the two women make the trip on foot conditions permitting we can't really make long-term projects because we never know what's going to happen if we'll be able to make it back if the road will be blocked if it's going to rain if the river is going to flood so we have to live in the present moment and that gives you a serenity [Music] their culture is very strong their family ties as well the family is very important they like living here they don't want to leave and from my experience I can say yes these people like it here in their Valley and they want to stay [Music] life is hard here the people the women have to work in the fields it's hard and yet there's a certain aura about them and they're always ready to laugh you want to feel sorry for them because we couldn't imag imagine living our whole life here but in fact the people are very happy [Music] here [Music] I adapted to life here pretty quickly I think that later when I go back it will be difficult to adjust and yet I know full well that I'm a foreigner here that I'm just here for a certain time to give what I can live as fully as I can here but that this is not my home so it's good that it all has a beginning and an [Music] end Julie has surely found here the essence of what Drew her to this profession an authentic bond with these men and women whose everyday life is so different from [Music] ours [Music] [Applause] [Music] now we head south towards even wider [Music] Horizons towards a land where the Voyager loses himself in both space and time a harsh land where the buffeting winds sculpt the landscape and the pitiless Sun beats down on man and beasts here we're on the outskirts of the Sahara halfway between the plains of tailet and the dra Valley this region is the home of a myth the myth of the great [Music] Caravans Laden with gold salt and other riches they would ply The Roots between Morocco Niger Sudan and morania the Caravans made the fortunes of men and cities and thus created vital links between these countries and now what remains of them is a romantic image that lingers in our memories and that of these two sons of the desert Ali and Leo are guides in the Sahara they are old hands at long Crossings with their camels one and a half months sometimes two completely on their own cut off from the outside world the two men have been traveling for several days now they're taking their Caravan over an old trail that leads to timbuk to we're going to explore a trail that we've never taken before with the help of God Lo o and I have been desert guides for about 20 years we have experience and we set out looking for new routs we're trying to find Wells if if we can find water we'll be able to open this new route to [Music] tourists the Caravans used to transport dates barley there were no cars was done by camel in the old days days they would carry a little gold and money that they would hide it was all carried by Caravan they also carried salt right and salt [Music] too they'd carried Han they used to carry a lot of H now there are no more Caravans that's all finished no Compass no GPS they make their way to the draw Valley by reading the signs of the Earth for several centuries The Columns of camels furrowed these fields of stone but the traces of their passage are beginning to [Music] fade we'll be right back we're going to try to find the trail keep an eye on the camels they made this pile of stones back in the old days they're all over the nidar region all the way to and even down to the south of Morocco we're on the right track it's the trail that leads to draw Valley this is a very old trail these piles of stones these cans are about 2,000 years old they marked the trail to tantan S and even into morania [Music] for foreign spee spee I like the city from time to time but it's in the desert where I really feel alive I feel part of a hole I really feel my soul I'm at one with nature and I feel close to God I feel a presence in this vast Wilderness in the Starry Sky the moon out here my thoughts become focused on life's Essentials the family and especially my children I feel it peace the desert it calms the soul in the [Music] mind after more than 10 days of traveling our supply of water is almost finished it's vital for both the men and the animals to find a well Wells used to dot the length of the Caravan route every 20 to 30 km but some have dried up and others have been forgotten they can go 15 days without water and now it's only been a week when water is available and they drink as much as they want they can hold out for 15 days and they'll drink about 40 L of water now [Music] what I like most about the desert are the long Crossings when you walk for weeks on end you get a feeling of accomplishment at the end a feeling that you haven't wasted your [Music] time these important commercial rots once gave rise to flourishing cities in the middle of the desert that golden age is now passed but some cities like Tam grout are still a stopover for these modern-day Caravans Ali and Lao take us to a traditional Caravan saride to meet Baba ragil guardian of the past we've come a long way with our Caravan from uman and we'd like to spend the night here in Tam come in come in welcome he is a descendant of a caravaner he's also the living memory of this city Tom Groot is home to a treasure a library of thousands of books collected thanks to one man a theologian named Muhammad Ben Nasser he used the Caravans to import a store of knowledge here and make this city a center of learning for Scholars of the time it was around 1,000 something viir that is the 17th century for Europe Muhammad bin nasar taught theology the Quran and the Sciences in tamut to more than 1,400 students he brought books on philosophy grammar medicine astrology B Turkish and Arabic our library's oldest book dates back to the year 483 of the Aira 1063 of your calendar it comes from and Andalusia these Works were written by Scholars from all different countries and C mammed Ben NASA wanted all these books to be available to everyone not only the elite they used to say may God make our country a land of religion of culture and a Haven of Peace for the poor and for the [Music] needy [Music] for [Music] Ali and Lao know that to open the trail once they get past Tam grout the Caravan is going to have to face a formidable obstacle these high Cliffs the trail exists animals used to take it frequently but alien in Lao don't know exactly where it is hi there are you from around here yes I am do you know the trails around here yes we'd like to go to te and toled I think that we're on the right path but we're not sure maybe you could show us which way it is please sure I can help you out muadi the Nomad agrees to join the Expedition he goes off to leave his motorcycle at his encampment and will hook up with the Caravan a bit further along the [Applause] way [Applause] when you set out your goal is to arrive at your destination whatever the cost it gets pretty tricky sometimes but we've decided to revive the trails of our ancestors in spite of the Heat and the difficulties I won't give up otherwise that would be the end of everything a whole world would disappear we have to resist in order to preserve Our Heritage this is our history and we have to keep it alive for our children in future Generations God willing [Music] Mi did you know the people that used to live here yes it was the Baloo family that used to live here they didn't have any blankets they' just cover up with a bit of ragged cloth and they'd eat a bit of brand bread she'd take shelter up there that's where they'd keep the dramar and a little further up is where he would stay off by himself and eat on his own look a jackal did this did you see Catch The Jackal they bury a trap here and then when the Jackal digs it he gets caught hey M which Trail do we take the one on the right [Music] [Music] spee [Music] [Music] Ali please go check with him I'm telling you it's okay no is going to check it out with you we're not going any further until we see what the trail looks like go all the way to the end to check you can make it through other Caravans have come through before us with their donkeys and dromedaries here we're coming into a really tricky passage miadi knows the trail well he says if we don't take it we'll have to make a long detour all the way around we'll have to tighten up the loads each one leads his drama and will trust in God but still it's extremely Rocky for foreign foreign spe [Music] speee up [Music] anyone the hard thing in the desert is having the responsibility of the Caravan when you're reopening a poorly marked Trail when there's a storm bad weather sandstorms and when you're at the head of the Caravan leading people and animals it's not easy you really have to back each other up in all situations we may know the region very well but even so we always have to be very alert sometimes it's hard but I wouldn't change my life for anything in the [Music] world for for forign Fore speech [Music] [Music] fore take to the road make the journey strike out to discover new lands new hopes and everything else will be granted to you the long story of the Caravans continues in this boundless landscape heading towards New Horizons [Music] h [Music]

Channel: Free Documentary

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Id: jyjslTxCQ5U

Length: 205min 26sec (12326 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 31 2023