Deadliest Journeys - Ethiopia

[Music] [Music] me [Music] [Music] [Music] this landscape looks straight out of a gimmicky science fiction film a fiendish beauty masking one of the most inhospitable places on the planet sulfurous fumes an acid river this is the danakil desert in ethiopia here all signs of life have disappeared or [Music] almost [Music] hunger is the only motivation for these men who brave the open road in unbearable heat because there is a hidden treasure that lies in the danukil desert white gold [Music] oh the salt workers earned two euros per day barely enough to survive some days the temperature reaches up to 50 degrees in the shade the only problem being there is no shade everybody calls down before beginning the three-day expedition home they will lead around 100 camels on the journey it's much slower than a truck but much more reliable and above all much safer ethiopian roads are amongst the most dangerous in the world the infrastructure is often dated and worn and the car and truck drivers have a golden rule that sends shivers down your spine [Music] whatever the mode of transport ethiopians risk their lives these antique 404s barely have a functioning set of brakes and the trains are no more secure built in 1917 this is the oldest railway in africa and inevitably there are frequent accidents this local train has a few surprises in store for its passengers in the middle of the desert ethiopia is said to be the birthplace of humanity in its forests man took his first steps and today these forests are still home to savage and dangerous creatures [Applause] [Music] comes to life twice a week from five o'clock in the morning each time the atmosphere is tense nobody knows if there will be enough space in the carriages there is no electricity inside the train victor the driver checks that all is as it should be with the engine using a flashlight [Music] foreign [Music] so everything isn't quite as disorganized as it might seem there is a certain method to their [Music] madness [Music] the train sets off on its journey only half an hour behind schedule an achievement it takes on average 10 hours on the local train to cross the 310 kilometers to the little town of guleli [Music] in these carriages it's an every man for themselves attitude [Applause] more agile passengers tend to stay outside of the carriages and the most daring of them play a dangerous game right now [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] the daredevils play with their lives an absurd game but that is their choice the passengers themselves are not demanding the train has no form of security the carriages do not even have an emergency stop lever so one has to keep one's wits about one a return ticket cost six euros but some people are entitled to travel for free like this fifteen-year-old teenager abeda [Music] [Music] um [Music] is abidar misses school twice a week to ride the train but she's not just a regular traveller abhidhar is a cat seller almost all ethiopians chew on these little bitter tasting leaves cat is a drug that helps people to stay awake the plant is prohibited in france competition is tough for abeda today there are many cat sellers in the carriage [Music] at each stop the traders spring into [Music] action the smell of fritters and spices fills the air [Music] disputes are inevitable apparently these people don't quite agree about prices waits in the window for her customers she doesn't want to give up her all precious seat the money pays for her education and whenever there is some left over the teenager gives it to her parents the local train is a lifeline sustaining thousands of families who live alongside its tracks [Music] some success [Music] with the heat of the midday sun the iron carriage becomes a red-hot prison cell inside the passengers slowly bake it's almost 40 degrees even with its windows and doors the airflow is not sufficient to lower the temperature inside the carriages [Music] a torturous heat but a preferable one when compared to traveling in the original wooden carriages from 1917 the windows are high up the air doesn't circulate [Music] [Music] and there is more trouble to come for the 300 passengers [Music] the train moves at 30 kilometers per hour on average the old 1980s alstom engine does what she can but the three million kilometers of mileage are beginning to catch up with her [Music] victor is sure that the motor sounds unhealthy even for a diesel engine this smoke is not normal something it until it's become you haven't the chance no your child is not good you have too much [Music] [Applause] [Music] the passengers know all too well that repairing the train could take days some decide to continue on foot [Music] if the train sets off again it will catch them up [Music] as for victor he gets back to the mechanics the passengers turn to prayer but each to his own god for some allah and for others reggae [Music] yes [Music] oh it's impossible to alert the train manager back at the station mobile phones don't work in the desert [Music] maybe he will send the rescue services once he realizes that the train has not returned [Music] ethiopia seems like one immense desert it's no coincidence that the country is known as the roof of africa highlands covered with forest rise up in the centre of the country up here rainfall is abundant and water is not a problem however elsewhere in the country it's another matter altogether 22 percent of the population do not have access to drinking water [Music] is a carrier of this precious liquid every day he travels to and from this spring filling up these containers to sell them in his village [Music] by some miracles stands the way even more so as natanel makes this journey 10 times each day in total he transports almost a ton of water [Music] the five kilometer downhill stretch is busy with trucks children have started making their own versions of nationals trolley and their sliding technique will make you shiver at 60 years old each container is beginning to weigh double for natanel but he has no other choice if he wants to be able to eat every day further south lies the kafir region and perched at 1714 metres altitude the large town of bonga this morning salomon the truck driver has not quite woken up yet we can't say that he's the best judge of distance [Music] [Applause] only a few crates of beer freight is not at the core of his job in this part of the country public transport is almost non-existent so heavy trucks such as salmons are much coveted even if ticket prices are extortionate two euros 50 per trip a fortune for these farmers who earn just one euro per day foreign they will travel 60 kilometers in almost 10 hours a seemingly endless journey some passengers will stand throughout whilst others precariously balance [Music] the luckiest passengers are seated on the truck floor preferable because at the slight push of the brakes the standing passengers fly all over the cabin but according to salomon there is nothing to fear he has a second to none driving technique to avoid these kind of incidents [Music] foreign [Applause] 10 kilometers on this side is not looking good some of the passengers push whilst others must continue on foot [Applause] um [Music] oh out of 36 000 kilometers of roads in ethiopia only 6 000 kilometers are tarmacked [Music] foreign [Music] the hours go by and salomon is beginning to get tired he chews on some cat the plant stops him from sleeping but it has another side effect hindering his reflexes and in this mud the consequences of this could quickly turn dramatic foreign [Music] foreign [Music] here they have reached their destination according to salomon 10 hours of travelling without an issue is relatively rare in ethiopia whilst the roads are difficult and extremely dangerous they carry 90 percent of the goods shipped within the country and for good reason [Music] the ethiopian railway network is in absolute shambles and not a day passes without a technical problem [Music] the train between deradawa and gulilli is still broken down in the middle of the desert the 300 passengers have been waiting under the blazing sun for four hours now [Music] [Laughter] but something is about to come to their aid victor the driver and his two assistants they try to make repairs with the available equipment they've worked for four hours with their tools the passengers who got off the train to walk are their main hope have they been able to sound the alarm at the train station and will they send a new train but still there's no one to be seen the tracks stay silent this funny device is used for track inspections but this is not what will come to the train's rescue it is far too light to be able to tow a multi-ton train the only hope is the diradawa train station yet the place seems abandoned [Music] the station is a relic from france's presence in the country virtually nothing has changed since its construction in 1917 [Music] these men do what they can to keep the old machinery alive here is the emergency rescue train she is in no better state than the one stuck out in the desert all of these spare parts were taken from written off trains the mechanics must be extremely resourceful because there are no new parts being produced here nothing is thrown away foreign this replacement is definitely not ready to come to the rescue of the train stuck in the desert to get moving again victor the driver will demonstrate some ingenuity this is a balloon it's covering the just to fight this one be that as it may there is something in this desert [Music] wood with this piece of wood victor hopes to keep the trains turbo in place [Music] and a miracle occurs [Music] um but this lucky makeshift repair may not last very long for now it seems to be one problem after the other victor is worried about the state of the tracks [Music] is ahead of the train who keeps an eye out for any bent or detached tracks [Music] victor slows the train down from 30 to 20 kilometers an hour and things are going better [Music] these fallen over carriages show the negligence of previous drivers [Music] sometimes when people came down [Music] the journey still holds many a surprise for them the construction of this railway line in 1907 marks the start of the french cooperation the french language entered ethiopian schools in 1960 during this period france also helped the country to draw up its own civil code these are not the only hand prints they left on the country one of them lives on in the city of ararat the peugeot 404 isn't so terrible in terms of pollution the car dates back to the 60s 70s but it is very robust [Laughter] foreign [Music] there are now hundreds of them driving around the streets of the city of harrah the majority of these old cars are used as taxis the car bodies creak and the brakes are worn out but the solid car still runs well [Music] i [Music] salomon charges just 10 somethings per journey if he asked for more very few people would be able to pay taxes remain the most popular mode of transport [Music] his taxi is the best dating agency in town [Music] foreign the secret of the 404's rejuvenation lies here in a remote section of the town [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] [Applause] in the same way as the train spare parts are ever more rare in a few years time 404s will have disappeared from the streets of harare there was a time when it wasn't safe to hang around the streets of the city at night [Music] the danger didn't come from suspicious people but something much worse to this day in the town's outskirts the night is filled with fear danger is always lying low in the dark [Music] only mulogetta and his children can control this force that so terrifies the locals [Music] uh [Music] hello they are the only ones to be accepted by the creatures of the night [Music] hyenas [Music] [Music] [Music] since the 19th century a pact has existed between the hyenas and the residents of harar the residents allow the scavengers to invade the city at night to feast on their waste and litter so that they stop attacking their flocks [Music] today the hyenas no longer serve as garbage men but the city continues to feed them just like his father malugetta has brought them food every night for the past 26 years there is complete trust hank oh there are now about 30 hyenas surrounding them sometimes makes a little money selling these babies on to zoos [Music] the engine repair with a piece of wood seems to be holding up but for how long the train gently pushes on at 20 kilometers per hour and there is 20 kilometers left of the journey this means one more hour to go in the suffocating heat [Music] the passengers protect themselves from the sun's rays as much as they can [Music] young vendor has sold all of her cat but she's worried about her vegetables and the girls problems do not end there the motor suddenly shows a great sign of fatigue shuddering and stopping as if struck down by the heat [Music] seeing the extent of the damage this time the mechanics do not even take out their tools [Music] but the passengers do set off a group of 300 travellers decide to finish their journey on foot victor the driver suffers the ship captain's materials the fate oh just stay here how long for how many days victor doesn't know there's no waiting limit to get to their destination the town of the train castaways have another 20 kilometers to walk one thing is for sure certain merchandise will not arrive very fresh unless they use the camels that are taunting them along the way they would be very useful indeed [Music] certain passengers have a special technique to capture these beasts but after some reflection they let them go here they don't joke around with the region's camel thieves some passengers will take more than 10 hours to reach their destination others exhausted wait for the emergency train on the side of the tracks it didn't arrive until the next morning [Music] 500 kilometers away the salt slaves are also preparing to get on the road [Music] their journey is trying but contrary to the train passengers they will not have anything to carry on their backs [Music] [Music] [Music] from this furnace a legend is born the legend that the sun makes its way across the sky thanks to a chariot drawn by horses of fire one of these horses itiop gave his name to ethiopia [Music] who knows there could be truth in this legend with the immense heat that radiates over the country you

Channel: Best Documentary

Views: 165,992

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

Id: WCiUVrWORII

Length: 51min 23sec (3083 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 24 2020