Deadliest Journeys - Tajikistan - Cold Fever

[Music] [Music] kitty [Music] is [Music] this is the largest city of tajikistan [Music] dushambay the capital looks like a slum with its canvas roofs tajikistan is the poorest country in central asia [Music] the tajiks live a hard life but it doesn't seem to dim their sparkling smile [Music] the bus terminal is a reflection of the country it's in ruins from here truckloads of supplies and goods leave for different regions hello how are you how long have you been here it's been 10 days i've been waiting for a load you'll get something eventually to carry hard being a driver but if it weren't everyone would do this job driving is difficult finding a cargo is a pain in the road even more so but that's life not easy to find a load in winter traders are hesitant trucks can get stuck for weeks because of a landslide or snow it's an old russian truck modern trucks are equipped with computers but this is all we have checks every part of his engine there's no way he wants to break down he's just received a consignment of flowers if he delivers it quickly there'll be another cargo to deliver the trip starts badly he hasn't the means to change his worn tyres a stone tore this tire up in the mountains [Music] water seeps into the rock and then the stones fall from above onto the trucks garrett's truck has patched up from odds and ends new parts are too expensive when the mechanics fail gerard goes to see the experts in making do they recover any bolts any mechanical part and magically adapt it to any vehicle anything that's left the chinese will buy they'll take it back to china they'll melt it and resell it they make iron beams or something out of it as he leaves the rain begins to fall see that weather it's a bad omen for garrett but there's nothing like a little blessing from the guard to ward off the evil eye okay white beard let's pray may god protect you on the road may all the prophets watch over you may all the saints of islam be with you many thanks to you may your road be safe thank you thank you have a good trip will need plenty of luck his destination is bulunku on the other side of the country to get there he must take the premier highway 900 kilometers of winding road on the edge of ravines [Music] with a pass at 4 700 meters above sea level this is the second highest freeway in the world freeway in only a manner of speaking falling rocks landslides river crossings extreme temperatures that freeze the motors engines and men will be severely tested drivers fear the route but it's the only link between the capital dusambe and the pamir region [Music] [Applause] i'll be careful but it's god who decides what happens well we'll get some fuel here is it good a simple tanker a few cans this is a mobile service station the trade is tolerated in tajikistan i'll buy 800 liters of diesel that should get me to karaoke or mugab garrett knows the attendant well so he is sure to get good quality fuel look how pure my diesel is from russia in tajikistan some unscrupulous service stations dilute their diesel with water every day the prices rise and it doesn't go down the next day to do as soon as he leaves to chamber travel begins fog has descended on the mountain it's so thick that garrett can see no more than 10 meters ahead [Music] nothing but fog [Music] boy in this kind of pea soup accidents are frequent some drivers unable to afford new ones do without headlines it's not uncommon to find a vehicle that suddenly emerges from the fog in the mountain any swerve could be unforgiving as the ravine is close by after two hours of driving blind garrett eventually can see through the cloud been driving his truck for 15 years he inherited the job i learned to drive with my father on his truck at the time the road was really very bad it's improved gradually and god willing it will be better soon it's hard to imagine the road could have been worse than this dirt track [Music] the road's too narrow and i have to let him pass because the priority goes to the vehicle driving uphill [Music] [Applause] it's a dangerous crossing a slalom between potholes on the edge of the precipice and days have been shaken in all directions garrett did not choose the life of a driver with all its dangers my father decided the youngest had to study so he went to college in moscow i send him money every month for his studies hopefully he'll find a good job in an office afterwards [Applause] [Music] to keep the highway passable the state carries out occasional maintenance [Music] but it's often a little more than just tinkering like this bridge which the drivers were happy to see being built but then the engineers designed it a little on the short side [Music] garrett is in luck there's not too much water and the truck crosses smoothly but for the cars this car failed to make it stuck the tires slid but there wasn't even much water when sometimes the drivers get stuck for three or four days in the water [Applause] the river is a trap for motorists and children quickly realized there was a little easy money to be made what are you selling blackberry juice it's two and a half euros a large bottle a small one's one euro 50. what [Applause] they lend a hand to drivers in difficulty you need help [Applause] but good will is not enough and salvation will have to wait for a large suv is about to embark on one of the most dangerous parts of the trip when the soviets kept up the road there were a few accidents they had everything planned at this point the rock becomes brittle when it rains and to prevent landslides the russians had built these walls today they're falling apart when it rains the mountain just collapses onto the road [Music] one might even hit the truck garrett is on alert ready to break at the slightest tremor all along the road there are dozens of carcasses you see that truck it was hit by a rock that fell off the mountain [Music] garrett remains tense for this long stretch and here an accident was only narrowly avoided the rocks hit nobody but they have blocked motorists for the past 12 hours drivers take too many risks only aircraft could get through here i take this road off and when i passed last week the rocks were already blocking it to help them out are two old soviet era bulldozers [Applause] caterpillar tracks will break on the it wasn't easy to move the two large stones that were there there's no problem with my machine it works great assuming it will start it requires inventiveness and patience [Applause] all those at the bottom well they all came there are people waiting to get through young and old we have to work day and night the road is full of potholes but the tajiks don't complain too much [Music] especially when they look across the pange river which marks the border with afghanistan [Applause] my grandfather told me that the russians took 100 days to build our road look at the poor afghans 70 years later and they still have nothing our road is really bad but in afghanistan [Music] and afghanistan emerged in the late 19th century when the russians and the british shared this part of central asia but the two countries have not at all evolved in the same way culturally but they became afghans and we became soviets are covered from head to toe there's just a hole for the eyes after 15 hours the road is finally opened but there's no rest for the driver i need to give him right away [Music] he's forced to reverse for almost 50 meters alongside the precipice are there any other vehicles behind you no no it's good this is not a good place to stop a rock will hit us on our heads and we'll be swept away by the river gerard has been delayed and it will be difficult to make up time his truck is slowed by numerous herds of cows returning to their barns for the winter and on this portion of the road he cannot pick up speed it's lined with mines identified by the skull and crossbones and the red painted stones a legacy of the civil war that followed the departure of the russians the slightest deviation and the mines could explode [Music] the traffic is light but each time he crosses another truck garrett is worried ah bastard he snagged my truck [Music] to make up a few hours and despite the risks garrett drives through the night [Music] further on a dozen vehicles have been trapped by nightfall like gayrat they were delayed by the rockfalls for them the danger is even greater as it's difficult for drivers to locate a passage in the dark that avoids the potholes everyone is reluctant to start not wanting to end up like the suv the vehicle may not be stuck but it won't go much further some drivers take things in hand and try to make a way through the bravest go forward there is plenty of danger the drivers fear being carried away by the current but that night there'll be no accidents after three days and 700 kilometers gerait reaches the end of the first stage of his journey this is my village we've made it see that was the first car to arrive here in the province of badakhshan that was during the time of the russians we'll rest a little here and prepare the truck garrett lives with his two brothers and his parents well that's my house his salary of 200 euros is shared with his brothers to support the whole family hello my son okay how'd it go 15 people together to protect him from the evil eye his mother blesses him with a pinch of flour all the homeowner our ancestors used to do that when they returned from traveling is my wife my daughter my other daughter and a niece [Music] hello hello how about a little kiss the meal is ready this is our local stew the lamb stew is the traditional dish the national dish is my speciality they're carrots there's oil there's rice and to make it tastier his mother reveals her secret ingredient and then i add two cloves of garlic garrett's wife nilofer is a teacher but she stopped working to care for their children your daughter was asking the whole time where you were and i told her you'd come back soon sometimes it goes for a month or 10 days or 20 days before when i was alone it was hard but now with the children it's it's fine hopes that she will break the family tradition in which the men all become drivers my son says he'll become a driver like his father but i no i don't want him to become a driver he can do any job but not a driver when he's home garrett never really has time to rest he must tend to the livestock a few cows and sheep that improve the quality of life for the whole family to start with i only had one sheep and that's her daughter and those are her children and when they're bigger we'll crop them and make socks from their wool it's time to celebrate in garrett's neighborhood his neighbor is getting married the sisters and cousins of the bride announce the event in the street [Music] young situa age 28 has been primping herself since early morning this is the happiest day of my life and also the most important and god willing i will be happy this is the first time i'm getting married and i hope the last congratulations comes to give her best wishes to her granddaughter as dinner by the heart of life and for your honor to all amen amen tablecloths towels beauty products the guests provide the bride's trusso everything [Music] the women are free the locals practice a tolerant version of islam [Music] i've known my future husband for six years i'm free to choose who i want they can't force me to marry anyone [Music] [Applause] the groom has hired the most beautiful car in town for the occasion [Applause] already divorced he's marrying for the second time today an accepted practice in tajikistan [Music] the imam officiates at the ceremony as a representative of the spiritual leader i declare you bound in holy matrimony congratulations hidden under a layer of seven veils a lucky number the bride leaves her parents house and moves into that of her husband during the night a heavy snow has fallen be careful have a good trip after two days with his family gerard is back on the road have a good trip have a good trip with no problems see you soon daddy see you soon [Music] [Applause] bye dad there are approximately 200 kilometers to go to reach bulan cool surpass at an altitude of 4 300 meters snow storms and an invisible and formidable enemy the cold in the mountains temperatures often drop to minus 40 degrees a big problem for garrett since diesel freezes at minus 20 degrees to prevent his tank from turning into ice he knows a small it's an explosive cocktail this is airplane fuel i mix my fuel so that it doesn't freeze contraband kerosene purchased under the counter i bought it from someone who works at the airport in these mountains the road is not too bad but when gerard reaches 2000 meters the old engine starts to labor motors making a funny noise like room room and this height there's little oxygen so it's hard for the truck beyond 3000 meters the temperature drops dangerously precautions are necessary even with kerosene in the tank nothing beats a good blanket to protect the pipes from freezing [Applause] a broken down engine at minus 40 degrees means certain death for the driver we are 15 kilometers before the kotezak pass there we go a bit of chewing tobacco to give himself courage at this altitude we're on the roof of the world this is the highest point on our journey the pass at an altitude of 4 300 meters is often closed because of snow forcing drivers to wait for days in the cold [Music] here the border with china is close by all these trucks are chinese they're going to korog after years of communism tajikistan now has a market economy neighboring china is therefore taking the opportunity to flood the country with its raw materials such as fuel to get to tajikistan the chinese have to come across the pass but when it's closed due to bad weather the entire region suffers and for several days there hasn't been a drop of petrol for miles around hey how is it going oh fine it's that we don't have no fuel can you spare some no sorry oh well have a good trip thank you the men will wait three days before being refueled the villagers where gerard is going are in the coldest areas of tajikistan people live mainly by raising yaks how can they live here there's nothing there's no trees there's no water when garrett reaches the first village it's too late to unload his flower the people are busy gathering their herds of yaks not to keep them warm but to protect them from another danger i've rounded up 13 yaks but three are missing they'll sleep outside but it's dangerous because of wolves yaks don't mind the cold i've brought them here because of the wolves tonight garrett will sleep in his truck it's minus 20 degrees tonight i'll sleep for an hour or two then wake up to start the engine garrett wants to start the engine four or five times during the night to prevent it from freezing otherwise i'll be stuck here till spring two hours later geyrat wakes up as planned the padlock stuck the truck begins to freeze [Applause] i want to check the diesel's not frozen [Applause] no that's that's fine [Applause] it's eight in the morning and the village of bulum cool is slowly waking up still asleep at school the day begins with cold duty you will draw a square on your notebook and calculate its perimeter 45 degrees the children are just as covered up in class as they are outside in these remote villages there are few luxuries but the government is ensuring that each student has a textbook at least tajikistan has a higher literacy rate than europe today it's minus 20 degrees it's almost summer for these people that's not too cold it's only minus 20. when it's minus 50 that's cold we're used to anything above that garrett has slept well maybe too well he failed to wake up every two hours superficially start it up every two hours last night and it's really frozen solid armed with a blow torch garrett attacks the ice it's painstaking work and he has to be careful not to burn the electric cables [Music] some men come by and give him a hand and when one begins to heat up the tank no one seems the slightest bit concerned no it's not dangerous it's okay everyone is playing with fire just a few centimeters from the fuel up here there appear to be no rules heated the diesel so it should speed up the process now [Music] once heated through the scalding diesel fuel is injected directly into the engine after two hours of effort now let's see if it starts only god knows if it'll work ah now it's the battery the only car in working order is requisition i'm attaching the cables comes back to life with the engine running garrett unloads the flower can someone help me up here he keeps about 15 bags that are for some untouched a tiny hamlet at the end of the road another 20 kilometers away but before leaving the men warn him it's almost impossible to pass the road it's blocked you'll get stuck okay thanks bye [Applause] the snow has transformed this small slope into an almost insurmountable obstacle i can't do it it's just too slippery there's too much snow the six wheel drive makes no difference [Applause] will three shovelfuls of stone do the trick [Applause] garrett manages to get out but only by a few meters without chains it can't be done it's sliding around too much [Music] the truck appears to have regained traction [Music] but at a price and garrett is forced to push his old engine to the limit [Music] he feels it might snap at any moment no it won't work if it breaks there's not going to be anyone that's going to come and get us out of the middle of nowhere we're going to carefully turn around the engine is his livelihood he prefers to give up in these distant lands solidarity is key a man in trouble can always find a solution there was too much snow and ice i couldn't get through can you take the flower yourselves yes i'll take care of it i'll go out there with my horses don't be too late please no problem okay good thanks garrett heads back to dushanbe the capital hoping not to get stuck too long on the way and hoping to find a new cargo [Music] early the next morning dunaya sets off with two companions come on [Music] we have to get there before night time it doesn't do to travel in the mountains without weapons i need my gun because they're wolves on the road they can attack the donkeys and sometimes even men goodbye wife [Applause] leading the way the little party leaves will the animals be more effective than a six-wheel drive truck [Applause] well for now the donkeys want to go their own way come on don't lag behind you guys it's late days are short the convoy has to arrive before dark they can't sleep outdoors in these extreme temperatures don't stay behind it's hard you sink into the snow we need to go forward [Music] [Music] over there very few of these farmers have gone beyond their own region they know virtually nothing of the outside world their knowledge is different like the art of reciting poetry to give themselves courage [Music] when i was seven i was like a flower in a field now that i'm 14. and to learn to be transformed as long as the days continue their parade [Music] come on guys we're almost there just another kilometer around that hill and we'll be there before dark come on let's go after hours in the snow the team are at the end of their tether exhausted hello how are you my sister fine thanks unload the donkeys it's enough to see this family through part of the winter the flower is used to make the daily bread which forms the basis of all meals in tajikistan one doesn't receive guests without serving what they call antifreeze it's poor quality alcohol and it's wreaking havoc in these remote villages here's your vodka where's it from it looks good a toast eh hey this antifreeze has reached down to my toes that was good and a few drinks later there's none left no antifreeze it's finished hey my sister we're going now goodbye rahim my brother [Music] without their loads the return journey will be faster so long as the men don't zigzag too much more than one villager has died in the snow because of alcohol [Music] so [Music] my you

Channel: Best Documentary

Views: 49,355

Keywords: documentary, roads, National Geographic, waterways, travel, Deadliest Journeys, most dangerous roads, Tajikistan, adneture, deadliest roads, truck, winter, montain

Id: dKWsXsQNWFg

Length: 49min 6sec (2946 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 23 2021