Deadliest Roads | Nepal | Free Documentary

[Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] Joomla and Western Nepal is a small town perched at an altitude of 2,000 meters it's one of the world's poorest regions 10,000 people live here virtually forgotten by the rest of civilization the only connection to the outside world is the road to tsukete 300 kilometres away at the bottom of the calicut valley it's an awful nightmarish road tillich 19 is a driver his job is to transport anything the valley produces accompanied preferably with a good dose of karma his trusty companion is Muskaan aged just 16 on this road it's best not to travel alone it's crucial to have someone like Muskaan on the trip he's my assistant it's a very tough route and it's not something I'd want to do on my own we're a team for better or for worse [Music] Tillich is driving tasukete to pick up a delivery of rice and sugar a 300 kilometer drive along mountain tracks before leaving he visits his family for the ritual goodbyes he was born in the small white house his family is poor b-joo his mother looks after his five brothers and sisters and Tilak's father Donna is deeply concerned about his boys trip I'm happy he's got a job but I worry about him the whole time Joomla is the poorest region of Nepal so at least he's working to get dookied home and if a little digging I don't really have a choice I need to make money for my family without it we wouldn't have enough to live on the road is so steep and dangerous with the ravines I always worry so much about him every time we hear about an accident we're terrified it might be Tilak who's been hurt one making [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the mothers of those who venture onto the road compare it to an unpitying goddess who demands her share of sacrifices [Music] every week it seems the vehicle plunges over the edge along a road that is dotted with mortal dangers precipices Rock Falls and mud make each journey a lottery the 300 kilometer journey from Joomla to circuit can often take 5 days each kilometer defying death yet it's the only way to ensure supplies can get through [Music] saket is at 600 meters and is the economic lifeline for the entire region the largest market in the hemmed-in valley [Applause] tilak is due at the wholesaler with whom he usually does business [Music] he's been asked to transport 500 kilos of food stuff to Joomla it's a good relationship built on mutual trust I'm sending up rice and sugar to the bazaar in Joomla where I have a shop each bag is filled to the brim and the Jeep is packed overloaded in fact which causes Tilak some concern well due to the harsh road conditions I can take our maybe up to 600 kilos plus there's the extra petrol hey hey what's this this bags got a hole in it it's no good hey hey boss this bag will never make it everything's going to fall out don't worry mate I know the roads bumpy this will be okay you'll see the bridge to Joomla is very dangerous isn't it very there are quite a few fatal accidents but the Army is improving the road and besides we use experienced drivers like Tilak whom we know and we can trust but every trip has its own share of surprises can you give us a lift I'm heading for Joomla is that any good I'll put your stuff in the back the two men are Roth is one of the last nomadic tribes people of Nepal renowned as hunters and gatherers they are held in high respect throughout the country refusing them a lift might bring bad luck [Applause] they're on their way back to the mountains after buying a few supplies in town their presence attracts a crowd [Laughter] do you know Joomla yes we've we've been up there what were you doing though nothing much we're nomads so we're always on the move it's freezing up there is that what you wear or do you have special warm clothes it is cold but we have warmer clothes it will soon be time to leave it's a road Tillich has got to know well over the years he knows every potential risk each corner not something that can be said of his passengers however I worked in India for a year like many other young people from where I'm from when I came back I met with Jeep owners and I trained for the job over two years hoping one day to become a full-time driver it's hard to begin with but I have no complaints about that all the cold all the conditions of the roads you need to persevere to succeed in life that's what I did give out any time sit on the process [Music] this part of the road is easy there it's a track and it's a good Drive if the whole road to Joomla were like this it would take just two days to get there just about all vehicles can still drive here tractors trucks Jeeps even buses three or four buses provide a daily service as far as Kiku Jula 11 hours for the 80 kilometer journey every turn and corner can be dangerous and on board the overcrowded buses the atmosphere is grim with passengers praying to the goddess Shiva for a safe voyage whether they're inside or on top of the bus it's riskier being up here for short but there was no more room inside you just need to make sure you hang on tight I know of at least 12 people that are being killed falling off the top of the bus but despite the danger we're happy [Music] tensing h26 is paid the equivalent of fifteen euros a trip for driving a bus in the valley that's a lot of money that it reflects the dangers of the job in the mornings at home my wife begs me to be extremely careful she's scared she might never see me again I Drive carefully for the passengers sake and my own the slightest error could be fatal I have to be responsible since the lives of all the people behind me are in my hands well I was close any closer and I have smashed into him one of the passengers screams at the camera crew blaming them for distracting the driver stop interviewing him you don't know how dangerous this road is let him concentrate on the road otherwise we've all had it they are damn near the mayor I'm on top [Music] tilak has been on the road for six hours small restaurants have sprung up in villages along the way to cater for the travelers you must be tired no it's fine we'll stop and get a bite to eat in about an hour what about your passengers I'm glad to have met them I asked them a lot of questions but they don't talk much see they live in the jungle out there it's a different world they can't understand white people like us live in houses or wear these clothes we'll go to school that sort of thing Tilak asks them to share his meal but the Rafa's aren't convinced by what's in his plate Summit's dal is good rice and lentil juice is not something they are familiar with these jungle men eat plants and monkey meat who's there yeah it's better if you mix it with a lentil juice I'm not so keen on vegetables like these you should eat vegetables they're good for you okay I'll try some get some fish too it's fresh right out of the river so what do you think is it good yeah I like it see look I'm eating your fish it's not what you eat back home is it fish and lentils all Nepalese dream of owning a big house yet you live in the jungles let me tell you this my friend you can keep your houses we we will keep our forests [Music] [Music] all sorts of characters walk this route this is reg s he's just 15 [Music] we've been walking for a week now and it's another two days March to where we live we were in India but working on a building site building a stadium carrying earth and rocks working with crowbars spades and all of that it works finished now so now we're going home think I'm good here are you kidding [Music] why didn't you take the bus none of them stop them anyway there's no room it's always like that on this road it's not even room on top so we have to walk [Applause] [Music] the road has now turned into a muddy track churned up by the overloaded bus getting stuck in the mud happens all too often and Tillich's Jeep is now blocking the road [Applause] [Applause] everyone pitches in to help the bus driver shouting his suggestions he doesn't want to have to wait hours behind the Jeep he has to get unstuck otherwise we'll be here all night I can't get past his Jeep the roads not wide enough there's always been a problem just one vehicle can block traffic in both directions [Applause] [Music] [Music] night has fallen making driving even more perilous Tillich has been driving for hours and his passengers have no idea where they are they're looking for a cabin on the roadside a landmark one of the roughest finally spots stop the car so stop the car we can get off here [Music] can you sure this is it yes yeah I recognize this place it's definitely here okay my friends don't forget your things yeah well your stick look over there there's a fire that must be where the tribe is the fire oh yeah I see the light the Rafa's are grateful for the lift [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] see this is one of the great things about my job I'll always remember meeting them goodbye my friends goodbye it will likely take the two men several hours to make their way down the ravine towards the campfire Tilikum mas can continue on to kyoka Chula the bus depot is the last outpost before the climb up to Joomla in the mountains it's as far as the buses can go after this there's only wilderness rogers the young hiker and his companions have also reached the depot exhausted after their interminable March and it's not over yet we'll be off again at dawn it's about no six or seven hour climb to my village it's quite a climb so I'll be happy when I get to the my village nobody knows I'm coming home I've been away for six months there no telephones there so there was no way of letting them know seated at one of the villagers small Inns tilaka and mas can relax after 10 hours on the road hey kid come and sit with us let's chat for a while have you ever met Rosie what Rafi it's a roughy there are tribe of savages that live in the forests well I've had two of them in my Jeep all day I even shared my food with them that evening the travelers tales fascinates the girls their stories capture their imagination risking their lives to earn a good living 40 euros a month as a small fortune in the valley tea luck decides to treat everyone to a chicken dinner young man get your strength back the rights in India isn't as good as here is it I prefer our kind of rice to the basmati they have there [Music] [Music] brijesh snatches a few hours sleep on his blanket which he simply spread on the ground [Music] Tilikum mas can spend the night in the Jeep it's best not to leave vehicles unattended at nighttime I always sleep in the car it's safer besides I can't risk something being stolen boss would kill me I tried a guy like you got a sponsor but this animals with no guardian feel better than that ninja [Music] [Music] [Music] looming over Rajesh and his friends the mighty Himalayas at these altitudes small villages and livestock dot the mountainsides subsistence farming are we there two hours to go yonder Gonzalo so where is your house exactly that way way up the mountainside Rajesh was born here his mother do-deca brings up his seven brothers and sisters his father works the fields nearby the family scrapes by on the few meager crops [Music] the return of regice doesn't seem to make much of an impact it's almost as if he'd never been away at all I'm happy my son is back I didn't want him to leave but there's nothing here I'd asked him not to leave his old mother but he didn't listen I had no choice in any case I've got no future here and whatever my mother might say I'm sure I'll be going back to India the abusive owner Forenza as a consolation for his long absence Rajesh has brought presents in his case which is carried all the way from India he unwraps the surprise gifts a blouse thank you my son mine not just rags now these are trousers and there are some shirts and these are some shoes for them for the little one that's wonderful we had so few clothes what's this he ever it's a pullover there must be for your father see I was able to buy these because I worked and made many sacrifices I worked on the building site from morning till night breaking rocks dug up the ground made cement and it was worth it the happiness I feel today makes up for all that back-breaking work Tilak and moss can have been on the road again for several hours the climb is becoming steeper [Music] dr. Tolley the road is narrower now it's barely room for oncoming traffic it's stressful accidents can easily happen here loss can now has his work cut out for him [Music] hey what's that guy doing right now are we gonna do Tillich will try and squeeze past but it proves far too risky hey I'm stuck there's a rock in the way I can't get by reverse gone reverse infact reversing is the only possibility and there's an unwritten rule the smaller vehicle always makes way for the larger one but this is unlikely to happen again as beyond this point there are few drivers that will risk the road the odd chief will tractor for anything bigger it's far too dangerous and this is when mas can proves essential I'm not exactly keen about the sort of work really but I have to make a living somehow my job is to remove the rocks with my bare hands ice while I dust all day long my hobby is eat sleep but that's just the way it is at one day I want to be like Tilak become a driver 11:00 at night 1500 meters up and despite the cold they have to press on [Music] [Applause] [Music] I quite like driving at night daytime is scary you can see the cliffs the ravines at nighttime it's less nerve-wracking [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] yeah get rid of that one over there the other day I broke down just here we mustn't touch the tank come on hang on tight mate Moscow and put one over there as well okay that that's fine [Applause] [Music] [Music] check the petrol tank hasn't been damaged yeah don't worry I'm checking everything it's all okay yeah it's all good you're sure nothing's broken no no nothing everything's fine [Music] [Applause] you see without help it would be impossible especially at nighttime I have to stay behind the wheel and he has to move the rocks [Music] [Music] a short distance further up the road and there's an unexpected Jam a truck has got stuck and it's blocking traffic attempts to move it have all failed the tractor is making one more effort to move the truck the tow rope breaks Tilikum another jeep driver step in to help what are you trying to do here I'm trying to widen the road using these rocks we have to get through well we can't stay here I hope this works I don't know but I do know we can't spend the night here it takes an hour to place the rocks and then the first Jeep tries to get past go on go on go ahead mas gonna put another rock there okay try it now it's Tilak's turn next but he's nervous the makeshift road hardly inspires confidence should be alright but it's not exactly reassuring [Applause] [Applause] [Music] Tilikum Muskaan drive on for two hours until they reach man MA where they will spend the night 5,000 people live in man ma in this village at 2,000 metres altitude there's no running water and no electricity an odd-looking procession makes its way along the main street on the stretcher is rasma six months earlier she and her mother were on their way to market when the tractor they were riding careered into a ravine her mother was killed and Rasmus seriously injured we left our village at daybreak we've been walking for five hours it's very painful it hurts so much where where did the accident happen yeah just back there a bit further that way there are no ambulances in manma rasma is going to a hospital set up by mid Sun Sun frontier five years ago it's the only clinic in the region in an area where the population has been virtually abandoned to its fate it's always busy and the queue for treatment is a long one only one doctor works here Rene 31 year old Dutch woman can you turn that he can breathe normally by turns a general practitioner a surgeon or a gynecologist she helps the numerous patients as best she can and then they go up yeah hello how are you today well the wounds look good yeah so that looks so nice but the pain she will have she will that will remain yeah so it takes a long time this was a very severe injury and I think she was very lucky that she survived yeah the road is taking a lot of life yeah yeah yes yes we see a lot of accidents happening and usually it's tractors that roll over roll from the from the hill and like 200 meters down and then you have big crowds of people who are injured and died on the spot and well in five months that I'm here now I've seen I think like 10 cases with many people injured so it is a problem yes I'm so unhappy I Dam that road that caused me all this pain and and killed my mother it's two different feelings you I see the the bad side of it and we also see the good side of it that we can send the people away if they need more care than we can give the road is a good access to more health and health care and they call it the highway but I don't know if that's the right way for it [Music] as for telecom Moscone they're still on the mountain motorway the scenery is unchanging and so are the challenges the rocks and the dust driving skills need to be finely honed to get through safely it's really narrow here it's okay there's so few vehicles now still I'm not sure what would happen if one were coming the other way [Music] get up look there all sorts of new buildings now before there were hardly any [Music] houses are springing up almost overnight in the middle of nowhere their owners hoping to make a profitable living [Music] my house is way up there on top of that hill but I'm setting up shop here by the roadside this is where the future is I'm building a small hotel and restaurant we villagers realize there's money to be made on this road early this will help and soon once I'm settled I'll get my family to come here as well above a part of me I just move eradicated [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] with their parents busy constructing hotels the children to look forward to life on the road when I'm big I want to be a driver I know it's dangerous scares me but the road will be much better by the time I grow up is disconnected basic Apache Longbow here Happy's Raja - Ola [Applause] [Music] Tillich continues his journey to Joomla Road is becoming more and more treacherous [Music] after sharp bend two jeeps are at a standstill under a blanket in one of the vehicles is a man who is obviously in a bad way what happened there was an accident truck went off the road into the ravine I'm taking one of the injured to hospital the Treiber tried to avoid a rock in the road when we went off the edge three people were killed and five others injured we're you hurt my right leg is broken and the other Jeep is one of the Dead go easy it's the assistant was he from youngster from circuit was he working on the road a long time just six months the rest of the injured have been taken to Joomla this man is being taken to the hospital in manma it's a five-hour journey with a broken leg on an untrustworthy Road [Music] don't do the Lego I feel sorry for the younger sister everyone that works on this road is like a brother I'm sure he wanted to be a driver you know this road is unforgiving but fortunately for all of us who use it it is going to be improved [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] yeah I think this is where the accident happened oh really yeah I'm sure you'll see Hey look [Music] look the tires aren't even damaged the exhaust is okay to design the tanks or twisted the motor looks alright let the poor assistant died for a lousy miserable salary hermès body was stuck in inside the wreck yeah I know he was saying his head was completely crushed they must have rolled over several times his head must have been out of the window and so he must have broken his neck I think the drivers still inside too clinging on to the steering wheel to the very end this road is just disgusting [Music] you know do you ever think about dying on this road well death doesn't scare me but I know it could happen anytime God it'll add ammonia tomorrow morning we all have to die one day one way or another more into it aside if you're scared of dying this is no job for you oh my I need to feel a lot same goes for me I gave up studying to take this job and I'll become a driver no matter what I'm often scared and I think about getting killed of course but it's all part of the world [Music] it's the final day of the trip break check and a chassis inspection later you have to be a mechanic as well otherwise you will never make it as a driver muskan okay that's it as for the rest well that's up to God fix most things if it's not too complicated but if it's something important that breaks there's nothing I can do just have to wait for a spare part to reach you there's generally about the keeping everything's fine nothing's moved sacks haven't broken the cargoes in one piece [Music] this is the most dangerous part of the road this is the Tamara cliffs it's a nightmare for all us drivers there's no way you can drive this at night it's far too dangerous it's a notorious stretch rockfalls are common and deadly there's no warning and no protection [Applause] but work is underway that will change all of that the Nepalese army reinforced by local workers is improving the stretch of the road the method is basic that seems to work a stick of dynamite in each hole along this part it's almost impossible to drive it's narrow very risky there's not enough space for two vehicles at the same time there many accidents the only way to widen the road and make it safer by blowing up the cliffs if we left it to the civilians this would take years I need to get by before they start blowing things up but given the condition of the road it might not be possible after the explosion I'll really be stuck there'll be all sorts of rubble everywhere and then we move the stuff some of the stones well we might get through I've got no choice bas cam make sure the tank doesn't scrape anything if it looks as if it might let me know straight away I'm not sure we can do this hey guys can you help can you fill up those holes for me I'm trying to get through here [Music] [Applause] the jeep just makes it Tillich stops the vehicle a short distance further on there's no way he's going to miss the explosion the fuses have been lit and the army has just a few seconds to get out of the way they've got a dangerous job to nightly no kidding see how those stones flew all over the place the worst part of the journey is over Tillich will be home in less than four hours here we are this is the motorway my friend now we can relax no more stress there are no more fear of dying nothing like it was back there I could even drive my eyes closed here [Music] the very next day silicon Moscone will return to circuit to pick up another consignment of goods that's life for those condemned to the road [Music] [Music] you [Music] you

Channel: Free Documentary

Views: 11,285,583

Rating: 4.7195463 out of 5

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, most dangerous roads, most dangerous journeys, worlds most dangerous roads, worlds most dangerous journeys, deadliest roads, deadliest roads in the world, deadliest roads nepal, dangerous road in nepal, dangerous nepal, dicing with death, dicing with death nepal, deadliest journeys nepal, deadliest journeys

Id: 3QWatKc-8JE

Length: 51min 22sec (3082 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 10 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/[deleted]]

This is probably right that taxes on vehicles are imposed for the development of road infrastructure but is it really happening that Nepali are not sure.

But, we could think a new way to criticize government on this matter. If we could collect the facts how much revenue is generated by those taxes and how much worth of road infrastructure is being developed then I guess we could pressurize government on real development of road infrastructure.

What we Nepali really should start focus on is how our taxes are benefitting us and our society. Questioning everything and everyone: government, local bodies, authorities.

[u/vikky_108]

A huge majority in this sub are from cities and urban areas. Most of us living abroad. We can discuss and argue with each other, but we don't truly represent Nepal. The narrative we set here are detached from ground realities.

[u/[deleted]]

[removed]

[u/alij225]

2 wrongs don't make a right.

The reason why our infrastructures are below par is simple: We're not spending the money we already have!! Every year, only 50% of our budget gets spent.

Pahila bhako paisa utilize garun na...ani budget badhaune kura garna milchha!! yo para ma US jattikai budget bhayeni ghanta gardainan chor harule..

[u/badtemperedpeanut]

I totally agree to your point, we do need better roads and a better healthcare system. My question to you is, how would one go about achieving that? Our infrastructure is poor, this is not just because of the government (well partly it is), we simply do not have money. We have to buy most of the raw materials from the foreign countries, that requires dollars, which we do not have much.

Think about it this way, electric vehicles are without any doubt a catalyst for change, something new, something to get excited about. This goes a long way to improve a country's economy. Electric vehicles are the perfect thing for us in that respect, they encourage us to use our home produced resources (hydro electricity) instead of imported oil.

I think the explosion of the mobile phones is one of the really good analogy about how adoption of a new technology can change the landscape of a country. Think how much people in Nepal have benefited from mobile phones. Before mobile phones, getting a phone was a huge hassle, forget the internet. You'd have to wait in a queue for months to get access to a phone line! Mobile phone democratized the access to phone and the internet for Nepali people and people have benefited immensely and the GDP of the country has also benefited form it.

To sustain electric vehicles we will need to build an infrastructure to support it, i.e larger production of hydropower, creation of charging points across the country etc. This will have a net positive effect in the country, more roads will be built, more jobs will be created. Electric vehicles will also create "digital mobility" ecosystem that will create a lot of jobs and expertise in IT sector.

As the economy of the country improves, the infrastructure will also develop. We have a great opportunity to quickly solve multitude of problems in a single shot, properly use our hydropower resources, decrease the reliance of petroleum imports and reduce the pollution. While the road forward is treacherous and full of hurdles, it is the road forward and not backward. With this single move the government has done a huge damage to the country. They could easily have managed the existing concerns, i.e people not paying their fair share in buying luxurious cars, by creating a more pragmatic tiered approach (i.e only tax vehicles above certain price range or type of vehicles).

I think it is truly unfortunate that our entry into a new exciting world has been brought to halt (I hope temporarily) by some short sighted people who either do not understand the true scope of what they are dealing with or have chosen to turn a blind eye.

[u/sauryanshu1055]

Totally should sort priority. But can focus on a bigger and a lowe issue at the same time right?

[u/[deleted]]

Why does it have to be one way or the other?

[u/[deleted]]

Damn not only roads. Go see the documentary of our railways system! All 150 employees of Nepal railways in Janakpur were surviving with the last crappy engine but it also got removed by government saying new ones will come in a year. But it has been 6 years and still train service isn't started. And Indian railways is saying they'll employ their own citizens since we don't have experience lol!

[u/AdamStalin]

No. Quit this emotional drama. Progression in one area doesn’t require regression in another. The vision is to make sure when people’s purchasing power increase and start buying cars we make sure its electric/renewable.