Extreme Climate Special The Scorching Silk Road Ken Ogata Traveling along
the Silk Road Railway Land Bridge Narration and Script Adaptation by
Rodger Parsons July, 199 1 Here we are... Wow... Wow. February, 1997 Turfan
Xinjiang UygurAutonomous Region Ken Ogata You said that the sheep was
100 Yuan (about 1 5 dollars) No, it's 1 20 Yuan. This is the best canola oil! ls anybody sick? This snake works for
different illnesses. Turfan raisins from the local harvest,
approx. 10 cents. Huo Yan Mountain Urmuqi
Xinjiang UygurAutonomous Region l'd like to buy this. What are you doing? l am the station manager and l didn't
give you permission to film here. Are you still filming?
Stop! Stop! You do not have permission
to get on this train! Today has been the coldest day
since we've been in China... ...yet l'm drenched in sweat. Turfan, Urmuqi, Alashankou Alashankou l've seen a fence on the border
of these countries many times. Kazakhstan: Chinese Border Druzhba
(Kazakhstan) Do you know anyone who has Yuens? That was a reasonable rate. Rail width in China is 1 435mm
in Kazakhstan it's 1 524mm Wow... This would have been
unbearable in the summertime. The Scorching Silk Road l've been shaken around. Tossed from side to side. l kicked off my blanket
and slept 1 2 hours. Urmuqi, Druzhba, Almati Almati
(Kazakhastan) Warm pirogues for sale! Would you like hot tea and food? How much would 380 be? A little over five dollars. A five dollar watch? Can you set the date? lt won't break, will it? Gokturk Sculptures Lake lssyk-Kul
(Kyrgyzstan) The Scorching Silk Road Look at all these human bones! Oh, this is definitely human. This skull is frozen to the ground.
lt won't budge. Scythian Golden Armor
(Kazakhastan Museum of Archaeology) The strong members are shepherds,
the weak members farm. lt's been a long time! You must be surprised
by the sudden visit! No, this is wonderful!
We consider guests to be gods! How old are you? Mr. Urukari (7 3) You're still vibrant! He says he still has
a lot of life left in him. He's got a strong, loud voice. Right now, he's fasting. He said, ''You are not Muslim,
so please eat and drink.'' lt's a beautiful place. Come in the summertime. Even though they were fasting, they still
served us homemade bread. He says you can sleep in his yurt. He'll prepare for your visit. He also has sheep. He has sheep and meat... lf you come, he will slaughter a
young horse. He'll prepare a feast. Almati, Lake lssyk-Kul, Tashkent Tashkent
(Uzbekistan) Tashkent, Samarkand Samarkand
(Uzbekistan) The burial vault, Shahi Zinda Five pillars of lslam Witnessing, Prayer, Charity,
Fasting and the Pilgrimage to Mecca The Scorching Silk Road Gallyaaral
(Uzbekistan) l feel like l'm in jail. Fafhard ( 1 7) l hope you become a good teacher . He says thank you. He has a stern look on his face,
but his handshake was firm. l enjoyed that. Thank you. Thank you. Registan Central Square
Samarkand July, 1997 Lake lssyk-Kul
(Kyrgyzstan) Mr. Urukari Maybe it's better to live a simple life. lt's important to live with nature. l'm taking a photo! Okay! Bukhara
(Uzbekistan) Get this in for me! This, too! There's more room! The train's moving!
lt's dangerous! Get off! Are those cherries? What is this? Carrots. How much can you sell this for? 1 kg is worth 33 sum. How many kg are in here? 1 kg goes for about 30 cents. About 60 kg. 60 kg. This is heavy! What is it? How much? lt's yogurt. lt's good. How much? l hope l don't get sick. ls it good? Yes, it is. Take my kid! Get the luggage in first! Where's my kid? Back off, back off. l won't take anyone who doesn't pay! That's it! l said l would pay!
Why don't you take it? See? l will pay you!
So let me get a ride! You! Get off! What? l paid! Don't be so cruel because l can't pay! You must have a mother around my age.
l'm sure! Bukhara, Charjou Charjou
(Turkmenistan) The Scorching Silk Road Ashkabad
(Turkmenistan) lt's like l'm in the rain. l can't see. He says it's Okay. lt's Okay? l'm the one wearing it. He says that the temperature in the hat
stays at 35°C when it's 50°C outside Want to buy it? No. Did you buy them all? lt's cheap. He bought a lot of them. How much for everything? He says he bought a female
with a calf for 400 dollars. He bought the camels for the milk...
400 dollars for a female camel and her calf. They drink the milk when it's hot. lt's used like medicine. The camel milk, right? How much for this? Camel's Milk 1 cup 2 cents The Akhal-Teke Horse Blood-Sweating Horses l can't believe it. Well... lt's 60°C. Hot wind is blowing. 60°C. This is the first time
l've felt wind this hot. l thought l was going to go crazy . Nap during the scorching heat
of the Silk Road. Ashkabad Station The Scorching Silk Road Narration and Script Adaptation by
Rodger Parsons lranian side
Serakhs Mashhad
(lran) Turfan, Serakhs, Ashkabad,
Mashhad, Tehran lf this heat continues like this, well... l think l'm going crazy. Well, okay, l'm not going that crazy. Everything l've eaten has been good.
l'm thankful for that. Tehran lsfahan See, these designs were simplified... Well, l'm from Japan. ...and they traveled to Japan.
Even now we use... As you can see... ...these patterns. The complex patterns that you've created
were simplified as they traveled east. l had no idea that the patterns
traveled all the way to Japan. The Scorching Silk Road Tower of Silence
Yazd, lran Zoroastrian lt's so hot everyday. l've lost so many things
on this trip along the way. Now, even my hat's gone. Funeral Area l might not be able to climb this. Zoroastrian Village
Mobarakeh l'm going in. 1 2 Years old. 1 2 years old? What do you do every day?
Mehrumashi Amman ( 1 2) l read, study, swim
and play basketball. This is interesting. There's a green garden on that plot. lt looks like they have a tiller . Tonight's a full moon. lt looks like l'm in a different dimension. What is this? When it's hot, wave it like this... l'm sorry. lt's for cleaning. Yeah, it's really dusty.
You use it like this, right? Do you know about Japan? l know that it's a name of a country,
but that's about it. People's voices sound
like music to my ears. Arles Hottadhi ( 16) The white handprints are
the symbol of a sacred site. Yazd, Tehran, lsfahan Big Ararat / Small Ararat The Scorching Silk Road He says he's going to ask. Let's go. Daut Pirati ( 11 ) Are you off from school? Mandatory schooling ends at 5th grade,
so he's done. He's finished with school. What do you do every day? He takes care of the livestock. What's in your bag? He has bread. Bread? He can't go back home until it's dark.
So, it's his meal until then. That's my village. He says that's his home. Kabakoy Village
(Turkey) Does she go to school? Daut's sister, Hatitia (8) They don't have any teachers. Kids start school when they're 7,
but 8 year olds can't go, either. No teachers? Hatitia can't go to school.
So she only speaks Kurdish. A teacher came to school, but
he left without saying anything. How do they study? They don't study anymore.
Daut's older brother, Mendes( 1 3) They need to know how to
read and write as an adult. They said it's important, but... Since they have no teachers,
they have to wait. They said one's coming in the winter. They say that they can see the border
and that the lranian army is there. That's lran? lranian Military Facility He says that he's interested in Japan
and he would like to visit. Well, l'm very interested in the Kurds. The Kurds want their own country,
their own independence, right? They say that they're Turkish,
and they're okay like this. They say that they'll be punished
for saying things like that. Oh l see. l get it. What do you want to be when you grow
up? He says that once he's done with work,
he'd like to go back to school. l'd like to be a doctor. That's great! What is that? lt's cheese. Cheese. Well, Daut... This is something
l had the hotel prepare for me. Would you like some? He says thank you. This is for you... Uh, can l have some of your food? How is it? He says it's good. This bread is tough. ln my village, the spring water is so clear
and plentiful... (Kurdish folk song) The Scorching Silk Road Ankara Castle
(Turkey) Can you see at all? He was born blind. He's been blind since he was born! How much? 300,000 Turkish Lira. 10 Lemons
300,000 Turkish Lira (about $3) 300,000? Here's 250,000 and 50,000... Here is 50,000. Okay, here is 300,000. l can tell how much
a bill is worth by feel. He puts different bills
in different pockets. lt's heavy! Really heavy! Ankara Station June, 1997
Nagano Prefecture, Japan Ueda Silkworm Breeding Committee This is the Japanese male.
This is the Chinese female. Chinese Shougetsu / Japanese Shunrei Shunrei-Shougetsu Bursa
(Turkey) Koza Han
(House of the Silk Trade) Bas Relief based on a silk string Akchalar Village The Scorching Silk Road Ankara, Bursa, lstanbul You never know where
you could get hurt. Bandages for sale! At the department store, an extension cord
will cost you 300,000 liras. l will sell this extension cord with
3 outlets for 250,000 liras! You're Japanese?
Sorry, but these weren't made in Japan. First come, first served.
Quantity's limited! lstanbul
Haydarpasa Train Station on the Asian side l can smell the ocean! l feel like all l've been doing is wandering
around deserts, plains and mountains. The ocean! lt's raining in lstanbul! This is the first time it's rained
during my entire trip. What a blessing. Shintaro Katsu told me that my acting
in Japanese dramas was good enough... ...so l didn't need to do
any Western stuff. l told him l wanted to do
something different. ''There is no need for that.'' That's what he told me. l left Japan and walked around,
riding on trains. Maybe this is the ''something
different'' that l wanted to do. Sometimes, the small paths in the
garden seem a lot more interesting... ...than the big main streets. l've never crossed so many borders
between winter and summer before. l spent 90% of my time crossing borders. l hear that in the 21 st century ,
a train will connect Beijing to lstanbul. Each country has their own situation. Rail widths are different
between countries. l don't think it's going to be easy
to connect Beijing to lstanbul and... ...lstanbul to Europe. Sometimes, it's -30°C. Sometimes, it's 60°C. l really learned that human beings
can be resilient, graceful, and tough. They live in impoverished
conditions on barren lands. However, a young man with a gleam in
his eye dreaming about becoming a
doctor... ...taught me that humans have hope
but need to also have courage to dream. l met a lot of people. Many people supported me along the way . The Silk Road has touched me deeply,
and has given me great joy. lt was a great journey . lstanbul
Sirkeci Station, European side
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuczpXPzsDU&list=PL903FZ5cNRa0ukEs1pEIhkXZSlQVeeRvT
I really liked this guy's look at the Silk Road through the lense of the street food available. I recommend giving it a look!
Ha ha! WTF this is the most burned-out bad-trip of a show I've ever seen!