Deadliest Journeys - Afghanistan: The Wakhan Passage

[Applause] [Music] hey [Music] yes [Music] so [Music] uh deep in the hindu kush mountains in afghanistan the sound of moving horses barely breaks the silence [Music] the temperature is nearly minus 15 degrees this year winter has come earlier than expected [Music] the early winter is a problem for this elderly merchant and his driver at any moment heavy snowfall could block the only road through the valley keeping the men trapped with their goods for several months [Music] crazy [Music] [Music] foreign [Applause] until now [ __ ] has successfully crossed the zones controlled by the taliban without any problems so he's not going to let a donkey stop him from finishing his journey [Applause] [Music] [Applause] unfortunately [ __ ] has another problem his old truck is just as stubborn as the donkey the vehicle's mileage has exceeded a million kilometers foreign this year took a chance and hired a young driver foreign afghanistan that joseph is described the country has been worn torn for decades the wakang corridor where [ __ ] is driving has miraculously been spared no taliban or foreign soldier has ever come here [Applause] foreign [Music] the wakang corridor is a mountainous region situated in the far northeast of afghanistan a 350 kilometer track runs through it [Music] is [Music] if these few daring men did not risk taking this route the villagers would miss out on the most basic of resources such as flour or salt without these goods the inhabitants of the wakan corridor would not be able to survive the harsh winter with its temperatures that often go below minus 30 degrees [Music] no honeymoon [Music] foreign [Music] m [Music] this caravan of yaks is trapped by the great pamia mountains [Music] [Music] [Music] the normal roads leading to the village of nishtv are blocked with snow [Music] this family of wacky have been wandering in the snow for 20 days in search of a new route [Music] no it's great the wacky make a living by raising sheep and yaks each transhumans is a new adventure [Applause] [Applause] the group finally reached the entrance of the corridor they are still very far from their [Music] village [Music] [Applause] [Music] in these isolated regions you have to be patient both on the road and in business foreign [Applause] foreign [Music] foreign bartering is commonplace foreign [Applause] [Music] in the 13th century marco polo crossed the wakang corridor by taking the silk road that runs towards china nothing seems to have changed since his [Music] journey [Music] so [Music] source directly from the mines in the mountains at the other end of the country 300 kilos of ore are loaded into the back of the truck the carriers are too proud to ask for anything but [ __ ] still makes a small gesture nightfall is fast approaching [ __ ] and his driver are invited to stay in the home of the village leader the villagers offer him a place to stay the women of the village have prepared the meal and the men are in charge of serving it the menu rarely changes in the wakan corridor rice and potatoes are the base of each meal [Music] [Music] [Music] the night was incredibly icy the wind stayed at -15 degrees due to its poor quality the diesel fuel has frozen and the truck does not want to start [Applause] foreign [Music] [Music] higher in the mountain a thick layer of snow has already covered the road it may be too late to pass through [Music] me foreign foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Applause] double [Applause] [Music] faced with the cold the fear of an accident and a young driver the relationship between the two men starts to fall apart just like the road is foreign [Applause] is [ __ ] is teaching his young driver to be cautious a bad analysis of the potential dangers and they could fall into the [Applause] ravine [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] uh tomorrow [Applause] [Music] [Applause] at an altitude of 3500 meters even the smallest movements tire [ __ ] out the elderly man is still out of breath hmm the caravan of yaks continues its journey as though condemned to a perpetual march after 20 days in the snow their warm clothes no longer protect them against the cold both men and women are exhausted [Music] the caravan arrives at its only stop the village of sharat for the first time in 20 days they will have a warm place to sleep the group of shepherds all pile into this small house foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] a sheep's been killed in honor of their arrival [Music] foreign foreign [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [ __ ] does not only sell his merchandise he also hopes to exchange it for some [Applause] [Music] livestock oh foreign foreign foreign but the negotiations are far from finished [ __ ] takes the salesman to his truck to try to show him something that could make him change his mind foreign foreign foreign foreign [Music] foreign [Applause] so [Applause] with this flower and this block of salt hakim the cow farmer and his children will have enough to make it through the winter until the arrival of the next supply truck in spring [Music] in the wakan making a living is tough children help their parents at the farm from a very early age their only real moment of freedom is found at school there are not many schools in the valley they are often built at a crossroads to nearby villages the distance forces the children to walk for more than an hour each day to get there but none of them complain especially not the girls [Music] is foreign the children only have four hours of classes each day [Applause] [Music] [Music] him [Music] oh the old truck often has trouble getting out of ruts today help comes easy some shepherds come to [ __ ] and nakib's rescue tries to lift the wheel in order to slide some rocks underneath it but even the jack is at the end of its tether and cannot lift the machine up foreign [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] having spent so many years travelling these roads [ __ ] begins to struggle more each time every journey is a challenge he uses this particular trip as an opportunity to stop at the only health clinic in the corridors me doctor [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] there is still a day's worth of travel before they reach the end of the corridor but this part of the trip is the most dangerous [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] foreign like any good salesman [ __ ] is going to try to make a profit from this necessary stop the truck has stopped near a village i don't know foreign haji's not always been a tradesman in his youth he fought against the soviet union under the leadership of the most respected military leader in afghanistan [Music] oh [Music] [Music] mm-hmm [Applause] [Music] after 10 days of travelling [ __ ] and nakib finally reached the end of the corridor the last of the flower is sold in a few minutes [Music] [Music] my [Music] foreign [Music] that's it will take [ __ ] and nakib another week to get home [Music] in the meantime the caravan of yaks has also reached its destination the village of norshank in the middle of the corridor as is tradition the travelers are welcomed with a pinch of flour then a moderated current of islam because of this the women can mix with the men and are allowed to speak freely without having to cover their faces their way of life is far removed from the radical doctrines of the taliban jesus [Music] in six months come spring the wacky families will journey once again to the prairies of the great palmer [Music] um [Music] you

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Keywords: documentary, roads, National Geographic, waterways, travel, Deadliest Journeys, most dangerous roads, free documentary, dicing with death, ADVENTURE, DISCOVERY, Deadliest Roads

Id: l-Ha_ormWDU

Length: 50min 14sec (3014 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 28 2021