World’s Most Dangerous Roads | Best Of - Burundi, Mali, Bolivia & Canada | Free Documentary

foreign [Applause] the racing cyclists of Burundi are not afraid to take risks whoever wants to transport Goods in Burundi does so by bike distances are short Burundi is one of the smallest countries in Africa thank you [Music] it's very dangerous and fatal for the cyclists to hold on to the trucks [Music] Burundi lies in the heart of Africa the main traffic Route winds itself from the Rwandan border down to Tanzania the first section of the route leads from cayonsa to bugurama even though the land is fertile on the Northern Plateau mostly bananas are grown dozens of different types bananas are the staple food in Burundi at the outskirts of cayonsa the biggest city in this region the farmers sell them to middlemen does his bulk buying here he is a professional beer brewer a banana beer brewer banana beer is burundi's national drink is responsible for the transport [Music] farmer pamphlet does not dare to cycle the loaded bike himself and if you're an experienced rider you put your life at risk [Music] first I asked for the price then I buy three tights just three a sweet type of banana a flowery one and one that's less deer Honda honestly the mixture is important here is supposed to be tasty [Music] [Music] I know nothing about Brewing that's why I'm a driver and I'm happy to be able to transport panfield's bananas that's how I struggle along whenever he is not transporting bananas tarsian offers rides on his bicycle taxi thank you [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] is loaded eight clusters onto his bike together they make up for 160 kilos he has to transport them 15 kilometers luckily the first part is downhill [Applause] [Music] [Music] three kilometers from his destination there is a long Ascent now tassian must really pedal tarsian is 22 years old he never went to school riding my bike is all I'm good at I never did anything else I don't even want to accept if I found less tiring work I definitely don't want to be carrying anything on top of my head like the women do it's exhausting the panel yes and carrying things on my head no way after 45 minutes tarsian reaches his destination the banana beer brewers Village Burundi is one of the poorest countries in Africa owning a bike is worth a great deal here but tarsian must already support a wife and two kids in his early twenties how can I save money with a job like this it's just about enough to sustain my family and myself nothing more look I can't even afford new trousers I'm no dreamer this job holds no future whatsoever handful has been brewing banana beer umbubira on the farm next to his house and is in for 15 years now he lets the bananas ripen in a pit for another week the farmer can only process the bananas if they have developed enough sweetness otherwise the fermentation process might not take place properly bananas with a thick skin are especially well suited for producing banana beer his own family and a few workers from the village as his pump filled with the production [Music] the workers use fresh cleaned hay to help them squeeze out the liquid the hay also creates pompheus banana beers special flavor thank you My Life as a beer brewer is a good one really I make good money and I'm able to pay the workers wages I will never be rich of course I mean we can't afford to buy new shoes and things like that but I don't have to go around stealing things the family has enough to eat and we can send the kids to school nobody tells me what to do and I don't need to go chasing after my money I am my own master it's still only banana juice [Applause] to turn it into beer the liquid has to be stored for a few days the brewer's yeast allows for fermentation it takes two days for the beer to be right two bottles of this and everything spins round but right now it's unfermented it doesn't make you tipsy but the beer puffy serves in his Inn does he doesn't know the alcohol percentage he never measured it foreign [Music] drinks only after the work has been done drunk driving much too dangerous when you're on the road of the racing cyclists [Music] here in the north not only bananas are grown but also coffee tea and rice [Music] [Music] the road leading to the banana beer brewers Village continues on leading South to boyombura the capital city of Burundi it's a hundred kilometers and it's up and down the hill the whole wave [Music] oh [Music] foreign the road serves as a transit route between Rwanda and Tanzania Antoine kaburra has been driving it for 10 years with his truck normally he only drives during daytime driving at night would be too risky the roads are all right but much too narrow sometimes not even six meters wide oncoming traffic often poses problems you must always avoid the potholes and these many bends luckily I'm a good driver for a main road it's definitely too narrow Antoine arrives at gitiga the second largest city of Burundi with 45 000 inhabitants Honda works as a reporter for the local radio station humorissa her job is to report on the traffic which primarily means the situation for the cyclists [Music] tell me what are the difficulties for a cyclists the trucks are worse they make life difficult for us I hear this over and over again they complain about the trucks it really is a tough and exhausting job not to mention the bike themes their numbers are increasing it's bad when the bike is gone and don't forget the accidents and injuries situated in the center of the country used to be the capital of the kingdom of Burundi it was also the administrative Center at the turn of the century from the 19th to the 20th century when Burundi was a German Colony today the city is an important traffic Junction [Music] 26 reporters work for radio homorisa Alex is done with a report on the cyclists it's difficult for the cyclists here even though it's just transporting other people but for those who transport bulky guts it's even more difficult but they have no choice their wives and kids need something to eat [Music] another 60 kilometers to boyambura uphill downhill [Music] Antoine kabura could drive faster but he knows what's happening behind him so he doesn't want to risk an accident whoever wants to save time and energy holds on to his truck Antoine finds this really annoying [Music] what they are doing poses a lethal Hazard not only for them but also for us truck drivers I often have to abruptly Dodge due to approaching traffic or because of a pothole the cyclists that are holding on to the Chart can't see it coming they're surprised by it on Crash terrible I often see it in the rear mirror some die I think they should stop it it's prohibited too [Music] thank you [Music] [Applause] [Music] Eric nitzitunga has been transporting bananas from the north to the capital for five years he fixed 14 clusters to his carrier that's about 250 kilos a lot even by burundian standards [Music] I have to tie the bananas to a carrier in such a way that the center of gravity lies in the middle one mistake and I would lose my balance in the curves and crash I also have to make sure that the bananas don't get bruised [Music] even era can't resist the temptation to let himself be pulled up the hill it doesn't always turn out well [Music] some Road sections are unpaved difficult to drive for the truck drivers there are some drummers with their heavy instruments along the road near kishora their destination is a nearby Hill it is considered the cradle of the burundian art of drumming [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] they used to perform before the Kings today they play the drums for whoever pays and to preserve peace just a few years ago Burundi saw the end of a long Civil War foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] is the leader of the kishora master drummers [Music] I became a drummer because my ancestors were drummers my great-grandfather my grandfather my father they all drama for the Kings this tradition must survive [Music] oh [Music] the police have been checking more often on the Burundi Highway lately a welcome opportunity for the street vendors to offer their products for the drivers Security check the horn blinkers and headlights I checked the papers and inspect the vehicles it's all about increasing safety on the road officers also punish cyclists that hold on to trucks whoever gets caught must pay a fine Eric The Courier puts up with that I think the cyclists should really stop holding on to our trucks too many accidents happen because of it it should be banned the police should enforce it or the cyclists could fix a little engine to their bikes for going uphill Edge Eric heard the policeman's whistle just in time to let go [Applause] the Burundi government has almost doubled the amount of traffic policemen over the last years too many accidents occur on the roads in Burundi also due to technical defects but the main problem are the racing cyclists more action should be taken against these cyclists holding on to trucks it's simply too dangerous it is prohibited but they just won't respect us brought to God [Music] [Applause] another 40 kilometers to puyumbura the closer you get to the capital the busier the narrow route becomes [Applause] thank you [Music] [Applause] [Music] the kibera national park with its 400 square kilometers runs along a small Side Road once the splendid Mountain Forest used to be the king's holy hunting grounds [Music] thank you [Music] the badfa live in a small village close to the national park in busikera up until a few years ago the hunters and gatherers lived in the midst of the rainforest in 2007 the government decided to transfer them to the area next to the main road Viola Vimana is 40 years old and has eight kids I was born and raised in the jungle this life is not easy we have to collect wood and have to fetch water from far away that's exhausting but I enjoy the pottery I learned it when I was a kid watching my mom work now I can sustain my family with my partners I'm teaching my kids how to do it too that's why it's going so well for us here [Music] next door the men sit together and carve wood they have lost their traditional hunting grounds since the resettlement but being so close to the main road opens new opportunities for them and their families they can now sell their carvings and pottery to Travelers [Music] [Applause] about 500 people live in busikera more than half of them are children apart from their handicrafts the butvar farmers and breed cattle on the land they were granted by the government [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] the next stage on the Cyclist road leads from bugurama to the capital city already early in the morning the first cyclists are on their way to supply the markets the bokorama cyclists are famous throughout the whole country they transport the heaviest and bulkiest goods and are the fastest Riders [Music] Rama situated at the southern tip of the kibira National Park is a traffic Junction two Federal roads meet here and unify to lead to the capital of burundia bicycle Courier Eric lives near burama the bananas here are cheaper than in the capital today one cluster cost eight thousand burundian francs about four Euros together with his girlfriend Eric lives in a small house right on the road to boyambura they have no children yet they want to wait until Eric has found a less dangerous job foreign [Music] the 200 kilo load literally pushes Eric downhill he quickly reaches speeds of up to 60 to 70 kilometers an hour he can't apply the brakes his tires would burst [Music] foreign [Music] if the roads are wet you're likely are to slip but since he can't apply the brakes he must wait for the next Ascent until then it's brace yourself and hope for the best nobody knows just how many accidents occur and how many cyclists are actually involved there is no such thing as traffic statistics in Burundi often the poor condition of the bikes is responsible yeah the last Ascent up to bulumbura is tough without help no one would manage to move forward and so a new profession emerged the pushing assistant the men earned 10 cent for the 15-minute tour yeah at the end of the long Ascent a little shop offers food and beverages Eric doesn't always have enough money to buy something for himself after this exhausting ascent Lucia the shop assistant knows Eric and puts it on the tab if he can't pay she feels for the cyclists this work takes up a lot of energy you need to be really strong in order to do this especially if you have to push the fully loaded bike uphill often it weighs more than 200 kilos so you need lots of energy that's why I eat mainly carbs for example corn and I drink hot milk every day you know [Music] from here the bulimbura is another 15 kilometers and it's only downhill foreign [Music] [Applause] trusts his steering abilities he doesn't have much Choice he already had quite a few accidents but up to now he only suffered some bruises and bone fractures [Applause] [Music] arrival in bulumbura the cyclists have to push their way through the traffic of this Lively Metropolis the first shop Eric is delivering to lies at the far end of the city [Music] there are many little shops and restaurants along the capitol streets most of them can't afford professional advertising that's why they hire artists like Clovis milamway the 26 year old makes a living of that [Music] it's not bad it's outfit that would amount to the equivalent of 50 to 75 euros the largest city in Burundi it is the economic center of the country around 400 000 people live here it takes a very specific technique to park the bicycle in such a way that it doesn't fall down with the 200 kilo load on it five times a week Eric delivers two banana clusters to the little shop for each cluster he gets 12 000 burundian francs that's six euros two Euro of an income remain come on here in the heavy traffic of the city the challenge for Eric is of a different kind compared to his cross-country ride it's not about steep ascents Downhill Racing or the struggle with truck drivers and the police the difficulty lies in maintaining the balance and being careful not to get hit by other vehicles because then he'd fall [Music] the sioni market is in the northwest of the Capitol 85 out of 100 burundians work in agriculture and they all try to sell their Surplus on the markets since the main Market in the city center burnt down in 2013 the number of Traders and customers at the cioni market has doubled one of the reasons being the government Banning the street trade everyone had to turn to the remaining Marcus [Music] all right is 42 years old she has been working as a market woman for 10 years now when the main Market burnt down she not only lost both of her stands but all her Goods went up in Flames too she had to start again from scratch [Music] is I have four kids and no husband when the market burned down and the hard times began he just ran off he never gave me any money to feed the kids and myself I had to take out a credit loan that helped us a lot and I was able to build up a new stand here Eric delivers bananas to Alice as well today he is running late due to the Rain normally he would get fifteen thousand burundian francs for a cluster of bananas only pay ten thousand today Alice pays Eric five euros per cluster which makes one Euro an hour for Eric to keep foreign with the thousands of cyclists in Burundi there is always something to repair or to patch you'll find bicycle repair shops everywhere in Burundi especially near the markets where most cyclists deliver their goods [Applause] Alexandra tassis has been the boss here for five years most bicycles in his shop come from China and break down easily these bikes are basically like all the others we have to reinforce the carrier with iron bars good tires are important though by Courier Eric also comes here if he has enough money to afford new tires the work is being done fast here and you get some good advice as well almost 100 mechanics work for Alexandra customers live nearby most of them come from far away for example from gatumba or bugurama some are foreigners coming from the Congo to have their bikes repaired here Eric appears unruffled by the fact that he has to spend a portion of his narrow income in order to keep his bike in good shape very important to change tires they were totally worn out if there's rain like today you can easily slip and fall the tires burst more easily too especially when you break I already patched the tube four times it's just too dangerous Eric Cycles back to bugurama on new tires [Music] [Applause] [Music] the Burundi racing cyclists have divided up the district there are those who cycle in from the north and go back in the evening the others serve the southern route okay the Burundi Highway runs along the banks of Lake Tanganyika for 200 kilometers heading south right up to the Tanzanian border thank you [Music] instead of bananas people grow lots of oil poems here they are being transported on bicycles as well a bunch can weigh up to 50 kilos the landscape in the south of Burundi is less hilly than in the north so the bike couriers can travel greater distances up to 100 kilometers per day because if I don't have so much to carry I enjoy myself like today that's fine I'm bringing the fruits to a palm oil factory I then load the filled oil cans and take them to the market where they're sold the job is all right so long as you hold the road well and don't have to worry about crashing in the curves it's then I enjoy the work faustin babasanya's Palm Grove is situated directly on the main road together with his son Patrick he looks for ripe fruits which he can later process in his palm oil factory which is 10 kilometers away Patrick is a gifted climber now even though we are next to the lake the soil is dry and Sandy beautiful which is not good for the Palms they don't grow properly and bear little fruit but we are lucky our soil contains many nutrients in spite of the nearby ladies that's why our palms are so tall and strong and the oil tastes well too only when the fruits have taken on an orange red color are they ripe for harvesting and are easy to pick Patrick transports the crop from his father's palm oil Grove to the oil factory himself they have to be kept there for a few days before they can be processed to oil Patrick much prefers climbing up the trees to carrying the heavy load on his bike [Music] thank you I still go to school and I only do this in my spare time to earn some money later I want to take on a proper job but right now I do both work as a bike Courier and study [Music] Lake Tanganyika is the second largest lake in Africa it shapes the landscape in southern Burundi the riverbank is lined with little fishing villages along the road neon gabo slowly comes to life [Music] at 6am The Men return from fishing they spent the whole night out on the lake today they didn't catch much the waves were too high [Music] for a few years now they are only allowed to fish every second week in order to protect the fish stock has been a fisherman for eight years now I believe the fishing restrictions are a good thing it gives us fishermen a rest and we get to spend more time with our families can breed in those seven days that's a good thing [Music] [Applause] after school Patrick earned some extra money working as a bicycle Courier he doesn't have to sustain a family so he feels less pressure [Music] the bike Courier has arrived at fauston's palm oil factory the production is in full process The Ripe fruits are loosened from the bunches and are cleaned first of all [Music] [Applause] the oil manufacturers meanwhile gotten used to the traffic in the Ado on the adjacent Road falston has been in the palm oil business for three years now thank you guys the oil palm means a lot to us it always gives us oil which we can use for cooking we use the palm fronds as broomsticks the remaining Pips we use to make soap are shampoo the fiber is also a byproduct help to light a fire an oil palm provides everything we humans need about 20 palm oil Farmers have joined in a cooperative and operate the old squeezing machine together everyone can process his own fruit there thousand is checking the production flow the water cools the machine so the oil doesn't go Rancid 20 families make their living from this their existence as well as the economy of the whole country depends on the timely Deliverance of fresh supplies [Music] [Music] [Music] in the heart of West Africa people drive on roads which don't deserve to be called that [Music] they're Dusty dirt tracks which don't appear on any maps that can only be traveled on with great effort and during a few months of the year [Music] risk is a passenger on every trip [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign in the savannah of this West African country there are a few fully developed roads the dirt tracks seem to make erratic lines on the parched Plains most people here don't own a car mini buses pick up some glories commute between the villages on Market Days there is intense activity many Traders and customers are on the road since the dirt tracks are unpredictable then the vehicles are in bad shape each trip becomes an adventure in the past few years has been driving for a transport entrepreneur he's a Focus driver because no one is immune to unwanted surprises of the dusty dirt tracks Abdullah knows many of his passengers in order to keep them happy he talks to them who wants them to feel that they are in safe hands accidents happen all the time here there are so many bends in our roads God has blessed me with luck since I've been working I've not had an accident yet but cars keep tipping over the roads are in bad condition not a month goes by when you don't hear of a car having tipped over the drivers who are not from here they just go too fast abdullah's passengers are Traders and Merchants they travel from Market to Market to sell their goods they only take the minibus in the dry periods when the rains come they travel in boats cars would get bogged down in the modern water then there are a lot of potholes and the dust is awful now it's just torture but that's the way it is whatever work you do you can't run away from it only when God releases you you can get away from it for about seven months between October and may it's dry then it's High season for transports over land as soon as the first rain comes the region turns into one huge sheet of water [Music] in central Mali in the Massena region the river Niger one of the mightiest rivers in the world floods large areas the dirt tracks disappear only when the water Retreats can the villagers be reached by vehicle again [Music] what is left is sand and dust the dry hot Northeast wind from the Sahara the harmattan brings even more dust in March and April the temperature soars to over 50 degrees it's Misty for weeks on end vehicles have trouble picking their way between broken Earth and washed out forts it takes time for new dirt tracks to be created the heat makes people short-tempered an argument between the carriers who are loading up a truck what's it about probably only the one who is most upset knows for sure his co-workers hope that the racket won't last long they prefer to preserve their strength the work is strenuous countless bags of onions dried fish Millet spices and mangoes need to be loaded onto the lorries they often weigh 30 40 or more kilos there is hardly anything that isn't taken on be it an individual piece or a mass product it's all a question of price space and Goodwill to ensure that the lorries don't tip over the heavy stuff goes at the bottom into the middle if possible siku and Dai knows about the importance of correct loading he and his colleague have been driving the Lorry through the Savannah half their lives although they are not blood related and each is his own boss they feel like brothers togetherness in the bush and the challenges of the job have forged a bond over the years the roots are dangerous at first it seems easy to drive between the bushes and trees but if you go fast accidents are quick to happen especially around Benz traffic has increased there are more mopeds more cars and more donkey carts driven by the villagers if you think I know the way there are no potholes and you drive fast you can easily bump into a cart driver or a moped or you crash into another car next up after the goods are the animals they travel together with their owners to make sure nothing is lost during the trip the load is secured with ropes cords and straps are responsible for the transport they have to make good for any loss or damage passengers are the last to come on board how they get up there is up to them they take their goods on board too so they can always keep an eye on them it takes time for everyone to find their place the people wait in the heat for the departure there are always arguments about who sits where on top of the driver's cab is the most comfortable place hey tell him to fix the water canister the water canister take it off there and fix it here whenever possible drg and siku drive in a convoy that way the drivers can help each other out in the event of an accident or breakdown some latecomers arrive who also want to travel the drivers wait for them they depend on every single customer as long as drg and siku don't arrive too late at the next station no one will complain for now everyone is glad that the trucks are finally moving even if there are initial difficulties passengers are stoic about the fact that the trucks drive too closely to the trees and they get hit by branches if they were going any faster this could cause serious injuries [Music] thank you [Music] the trucks struggle through the savannah-like swaying ships the land is Dusty and dry [Music] strangers would get lost on these Trails as there are no signposts showing which dirt track leads where and when siku knows the region like the back of his hand even so he has to concentrate you have a full load for example and there are people sitting on top of that you have to be careful how you drive because they could be sleepy if they doze off don't hold on and the car tips to one side they could fall off and they could also fall off in bends if you go too fast the passengers who sit on the edge have to make sure the hard spikes of the thorn bushes don't hit them in the face their eyes are smarting and their strength is waning the Heat and the dust make you tired but the people watch out for each other after all they're all not in the same boat but on the same truck if you get on and don't hold on properly you fall off that's why we sit close together you have to hold on to someone else who will hold on to another person if there are too many people that's no good why did I get on the truck because the driver is careful also because the road is not good the driver is responsible for me and he's driving slowly has stopped his minibus for a breaking deer a small village along the dirt track some of the passengers have got off and new ones get on to get to the market it's up to the drivers to make sure they have enough customers there are a lot of minibuses competing and word gets around which car is more comfortable and faster and which vehicle always breaks down careful and responsible driving also matters but above all people who use minibuses as a means of Transport are in a hurry following it's important for Abdullahi to arrive safely the paths themselves are packing a punch and he doesn't want to take additional risks by driving callously it is normal on the bad pass that there are no petrol stations along the way and they take long you need the entire day just for one way you can't go back and forth twice you can only drive one way in one day because the way is so difficult over [Music] through the cracks dust gets into the minibus it gets into everything including the passengers pause there is more dust than air to breathe the temperature rises to almost 60 degrees [Music] your skin dries out there's no Escape grit your teeth and hold on foreign [Music] people have to put up with great hardship all because of the bad roads the drivers also have problems it's slippery everywhere because they refuse to upgrade the roads if the roads were good many mishaps wouldn't happen but this is part of our work as Traders if we didn't have that we wouldn't be traveling here [Music] thank you in places where hardly anyone travels and vehicles rarely break the Savannah's Silence with their noise there is hustle and bustle on Market Days it's Rush Hour on Marley's dirt tracks the roads are full of people and their animals since the dirt tracks are not made for a lot of vehicles dicey situations occur again and again [Music] did you see when he went by us so closely we bent forwards to protect ourselves from the dust that's why we fear the car horse and carts are better we don't like cars they get up to a lot of nonsense we drive very slowly I'm afraid of cars since many buses and trucks started driving on the dirt tracks along with the donkey and horse carts that have been more accidents different speeds don't go together well the horses are spooked because they're not used to having cars speed past them like lightning they are used to a different pace life in the savannah has a more leisurely Rhythm than life in the city for these people a horse and cart is still the most affordable means of transport it doesn't need a petrol station or garage mini buses are a threat to this infrastructure there is competition between us absolutely they don't want us to transport people if everyone can make some money that's good but they want to take all our passengers and we're left with nothing that's the way it is the horse and Donkey carts are still in the majority the horse and card approaches Dion where there's a market day today the passengers on the two trucks have also arrived in Dion jogi after the trip through the Bushland diage is relieved every time the transport goes smoothly although the villages are not far from each other 20 30 or 50 kilometers at the most traveling through the Wasteland is tiring even for season Glory drivers as soon as the lorries arrive they are unloaded the market only lasts for a few hours so Traders and customers want to make full use of them the drivers would like a break but drg and siku have to inspect their lorries they know that some things need repairing [Music] Abdullah has also arrived in Dion jewelry with his minibus he helps the passengers get out happy customers are important to him he hopes that his guests value his helpfulness and friendly Manner and will travel with him again Market is right on the river Niger in the dry season it can only be reached over land since there are no shops in most of the villages people have to go to the markets it's one of the few opportunities to do business and get the necessary supplies [Music] apprentices only fix things they have a knack for usually that's the small stuff screws that have got loose from vibration or the Bonnet that won't close since the lorries are old something always needs fixing when you've been driving for a week you need to check the entire car we were supposed to rest today but if we did it wouldn't be good we need to check the car what happened on the trip where did something get torn off what's come loose we need to maintain it all the time on the last trip there was a problem with the starter dear G suspects that there's an issue with the alternator together with his Apprentice he goes to a garage on the edge of the market to have it checked only larger Villages have mechanics if the edges Lorry breaks down in the bush he's out on his own knows he's Lori's Kinks and glitches very well before he goes out on the dirt track again tomorrow he wants to make sure that his truck is in a good state thank you the market finishes in the early evening people are going home the wind blowing the dust across the Savannah has died down temperatures will cool off overnight but only for a few hours [Music] drj has taken some customers and their goods to a remote Village Before Sunrise he's traveling in the land of the Pearl the tribe of cattle farmers who live as no months all over western Africa the Pearl roamed the Savannah with their cattle always looking for food for their animals except for animals and a few Shepherds the RJ meets no one if his truck breaks down now he will be alone with his Apprentice a Helper and a few passengers there's no mobile reception for getting help it's an eerie emptiness there are no mechanics no garages no spare parts Depots along the way if we break down we need to fix it ourselves sometimes there are Highwaymen that can be scary it's happened to me twice they made people get off the car and had them lie down on the ground they searched their pockets and took off they let everyone go on they didn't kill anyone they didn't even shoot their guns they just shoot the air threaten you take your money and disappear again today Bandits are not the problem trj feels that something is wrong with the truck's chassis [Applause] he calls his Apprentice to check what's wrong [Music] I'll get off move the prop shaft a bit oh just shake it a bit and check it look at the back twist the prop shaft to and fro in the center check the center what's it like still working if it's still okay that's fine we'll change the ball bearings when we get there do we continue we're off right although his Apprentice didn't find anything the IGA wants to build the safe side he prefers to trust his instincts and experience instead of assuming that the ball bearings of the prop shaft will hold out not two weeks go by without us having to weld something trucks are old we weld something on every trip you set off and something breaks and you need to change the spring thank you [Music] dng and siku drive a legendary French vehicle a belier Laurie even though production stopped over 30 years ago sequel can't think of a better Lorry for the desert and the Savannah this berlier is my fifth one the fifth we never sold any of them we drive them until they break down only when they don't work anymore we'll buy a new one the broken nor is a spare part stocks for this one one of the broken ones is our Pharmacy if anything is missing here we'll take it out of there and put it in here [Music] [Music] [Music] back in town diagio wants to get replacement ball bearings for his prop shaft since there is no supplier for parts like that he checks one of siku's old belly lorries it was left on the edge of a square and his Apprentice check if the ball bearings really are better than the ones in his truck the men are skeptical the RJ prefers to buy new ones tierg would never take his truck to the next bigger town where there is a spare parts Depot he would be gone for days and his losses would be enormous that's why he asks the center ball bearing is no good we checked it and it's unusable when you go to Jenny can you get me one no problem I can bring you one will you make it to Messina we'll make it to Messina when I go to Jenna I'll look for one for you [Music] once a week is cleaning day the Lord is should shine in the Old Glory it's a task for dear Jay's Apprentice we wash the engine so it can recover when there is a lot of dirt on it it gets hot that's why we remove the oil and everything then it won't get so hot and it can also happen that the engine is covered in dirt and then a screw falls off somewhere and you can't even see it because of all the dirt you see nothing the water from the river Niger inspires the men to clean a specially thoroughly and also because the whole process is a refreshment for them oh man that path is a disaster couldn't be any worse you start Before Sunrise and drive until four o'clock in the afternoon if there was a road with tarmac to nenko we'd need no more than two hours yes no more than two hours before the trip can continue a flat tire needs changing are you done let's go it's okay like this put it in if the nuts don't go in easily leave them your pettiness bothers me you always keep a sharp eye on me do your job and let me do mine you're making me nervous here foreign it's late before the lorries can leave for the drivers it's not a problem they can camp anywhere but first they have to take their passengers home [Music] [Music] the advantage of driving at night is that the air cools down besides the lorries can go faster in the beam of their headlights they can make out potholes and ditches more easily [Applause] foreign [Music] camp in the middle of the Savannah with their colleagues they feel at home here and enjoy their trucker lives it's been a long day they're hungry it'll be a quick meal I want the men talk about the vehicles the state of the dirt tracks and the weather during the dry season they are on the road day and night even at the weekend in those seven months they earned the money for the entire year a few hours of sleep and they start again early in the morning it's already getting hot again it hasn't rained in months okay lots of villages in the savannah are far away from the important transport routes for those people it's a blessing to have a lorry come to them once a week this way they can shop at the far away Market siku personally makes sure that every passenger pays up the fair is equivalent to about 50 cents not a lot for the almost hour-long trip but for people who have very little it's a lot of money will take anyone who wants to come along there is no maximum number of people who can find space on the truck to the market without the Lorry siku is proud of the fact that he is indispensable for the inhabitants of the region as far as the roads are concerned my father built himself a reputation in his day then I came along and thank God was able to build up a reputation too my father's car where it didn't go no Market could develop and I'm the same where I can't go no other car can go there won't be a market I've really made my mark foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] the donkey cart means that the market is not far now for most people Market days are the only distraction in the everyday trappedness for people in other places take for granted like shopping and selling the bare necessities becomes a major exertion and fight for survival in Mali Savannah people have to travel for an entire day to get a few tomatoes fruit some noodles the occasional piece of meat and a bar of soap the road means great discomfort for anyone on such a trip around here the road's not good the way people get on the truck and we're standing on our feet from one place to the next it's great agony your legs don't get any relief that's what makes it so hard sets out to cross the Niger at this time of year the river is a mere stream compared with its size after the rainy season in some places then it gets so broad you can't see the other side Abdullahi wants to get the ball bearing for dearji's Lorry in Ginny the town is 150 kilometers away Tunisia is like a border on the other side of the river the vegetation is Lusher and the roads are paved foreign [Music] driving a taxi is no dream job for Abdullahi he does it to feed his family I'm the oldest and have three younger brothers they put all their hopes in me Abdullahi if someone gets ill I step up if someone needs something I step up that's why I came to tenancouver to work I've never seen anyone from the town who goes to work in the village or bush if they see me here driving in the Bushland I'll be poorly off the tarmac roads of the bigger towns tempt people to drive faster so accidents happen a lorry loaded with tons of corn wanted to overtake another truck and spun out of control since there was little traffic at night there wasn't a pileup the drivers were lucky they got off with minor injuries [Music] Abdullahi has reached Jenny with its marvelous clay mosque in the town center right on the main Square he knows of a Trader who stops spare parts for bellier lorries I need a bull bearing what kind of ball bearing one for our belly Lori this is a ball bearing for the center how much is it give me five thousand for it oh Big Brother five thousand is a lot for that times are tough around here I think 5000 is a good price let's not ramble on let's agree on 4000 now oh my dear man give me give it a thousand you know we don't make much money with our old vehicles [Music] [Music] on the other side of the Niger in the Massena region siku and his Lorry arrive at the market passengers have survived the journey pretty shaken but unscathed they have only a few hours to look around and do business before they go back most of them know each other as they regularly take the Lorry to the markets but as they belong to different peoples who live in this area they often don't speak the same language seku is warmly welcomed by The Village Elders they have known him since he was a boy and used to accompany his father here along the Niger there are always markets big cattle markets are rather rare from far away as far as the Sahara and neighboring countries Mauritania and Niger come the cattle Traders often they travel for days and weeks to sell their livestock the chances to do business are good because the Pearl like to buy cattle sheep and goats to restock their herds and flocks and their apprentices and helpers are sitting in the shadow of the lorries waiting for the market to end they're resting before the next trip Community which sticks together for example in the rainy season a car can get stuck then it's easier when several people travel together also when one of them breaks down many people can help out when the car doesn't start you can help each other out and when something else breaks down you get together and fix it together the radiator is leaking on the way back from Janae Abdullah has problems with his minibus the mechanic fixes the leak temporarily if Abdullahi wants to get to the agreed meeting point with drj in time he has to hurry [Music] Abdullahi made it just in time before Dr Jay sets out again yeah I got you this Ah that's it that's exactly it thank you thank you very much thanks for trusting me trj doesn't have time to fit the ball bearing he's running late already he hopes that the prop shaft will last until the next stop but first the passengers need to take their places the engine must be running and none of the passengers must fall off the lorry foreign tracks have no beginning and no end it's a never-ending circulation between the villages along the dirt tracks for many months when the rainy season comes they disappear until they reappear again made by the drivers and their cars oh no it doesn't get boring it's work it's your livelihood so you have to work and everyone has their very own work understood day and night it doesn't get boring it's our work after all and our work is this because we love it however well the drivers know the way it will always be a trip into the unknown thank you foreign [Music] as one of the most dangerous roads of the world la carretera de la muerte the road of death [Music] [Applause] [Music] many people die here [Music] some go looking for adventure [Music] others depend on this road [Music] for all of them it's a risky ride [Music] [Applause] [Music] South America Bolivia starting in xiamas situated in the tropical lowlands the road leads 500 kilometers up to the plateau of the Andes at almost 5 000 meters altitude the destination is the Mega City of La Paz [Music] at the peak of the route La cumbra pass spiritual Healers of Okla pachamama Mother Earth their shamanic powers are supposed to cast out negative harmful energy [Music] the Sheamus sacrifice their offerings to pachamama people are supposed to remember what they are doing to Mother Earth roads carve themselves into the soil like scars [Music] priests beg for forgiveness also for those driving on these roads they want to protect them from accidents and harm [Music] Omar paria has been working as a truck driver for more than 20 years now there is hardly a single Road in Bolivia that he hasn't traveled [Music] the road to La Paz is his Home Route he transports Timber from the jungle his load weighs 25 tons without any incidents the journey takes him three days it's still his dry season at the end of October so the road is quite Dusty [Music] in a few weeks it'll start raining the road will be drowned in Mada morass and there is hardly any kind of movement possible but for now the drivers are fighting the stifling Heat and the dusty air Omar is driving quite fast he's using the opportunity to make kilometers his co-driver hardly knows the road he wants to learn about his pitfalls from Uma [Music] there are dangers everywhere you must not make mistakes the truck could break down there is a lot to be sorry about when you're on the road anything can happen the truck is stuck the wheels are spinning [Music] it's deep really deep put it in there in there I have to see for myself Jaime is looking for holes in the ground and fills them up with stones put these leaves underneath the Palm leaves Supply the necessary grip all right only Omar's skill and the full force of the engine can help to get the vehicle out [Music] it rained in the morning the road is Muddy the rain has made it worse Wheels on the shaft have sunk in that's why the truck wouldn't move it was as if someone pulled the brakes Omar has to be especially careful with River courses if water penetrated the engine it would destroy it the trip would be over before it even started [Music] only few roads that are passable for trucks lead through this sheer endless jungle the humidity of the tropical rainforest evaporates in Misty clouds from the thicket [Music] the truck feels its way through the wall of fog only a few meters of visibility [Applause] [Music] collision with an approaching vehicle would be fatal I mean always [Music] you have to pay attention you could get lost we're losing a lot of time we have to drive slow we can't see a thing lies on the banks of the Rio beanie on the inflows of the Amazon River [Music] trucks are waiting to cross the river here [Music] the ferry consists of a simple wooden pontoon the pontenero instructs the truck drivers The Crossing takes half an hour and only two trucks can go on at a time and guanier areas is responsible for bringing trucks and people to the other side safely he's been shipping the real beanie for many years now he also knows when operations should come to a halt it wood and junk in everything that destroys the engines of the boats as soon as the ferry lands on the banks must Anchor It tightly iron chains will make sure the Pontoon doesn't break loose when the trucks embark the ramp consists of only two logs they have to carry the weight of many tons it takes expertise and good judgment to position them properly by now Uma has arrived at the ferry now it's all about steering the truck across the ramp we'll have to be very careful soon when the truck drives onto the Pontoon it has to be driven slowly very slowly [Music] if he doesn't do it right there'll be an accident and that's bad for all of us then we have a problem want us to learn to drive onto the Pontoon you always have to shift to the so-called crama gear that's the right combination of braking and driving so as not to push the Pontoon away Omar and the pontinero have known each other for many years during the ferry ride they start chatting a truck has slipped from the Pontoon just this morning it was tedious work to pull it back out [Music] always make the same mistake it's slippery that's exactly what happened the log you drive on moves just a tiny bit there's a small margin with the gears it's horrible it's worse when the rear wheel spins in the other direction that's how it slips that's the problem [Music] [Music] just around the corner from where the trucks are crossing the Rio baby fishermen are hunting for the biggest freshwater fish of the world [Music] Antonio Lee Machi and Alfonso carbajal are focusing on the tasty giant catfish where do we throw our net where here [Music] because the dry period lasts longer the real beanie carries less water one of the reasons why the fishermen catch less but soon the fisherman's luck is on their side a nice surubi the water level should be higher but it's low because this year it's been so dry unlike last year once you've thrown in the net you'd have caught four or five up to ten fish it's still too dry foreign [Music] has long left the river behind his path leads him across gravel roads from the lowlands to higher regions the road is winding from the humid tropical lowlands to the dry High plateau of the Andes the road is mostly unpaved and it leads through the breathtaking Landscapes of the jungus [Music] all right the drivers have to overcome deep valleys and vast Canyons on their way it's left-hand driving on the jungus road the ascending Vehicles should not stop otherwise they'd get stuck [Music] Uma has to fully concentrate his truck just about fits between the cliff and the canyon [Music] one driving mistake would be enough to make him fall into the canyon the brim of the road is unpaved no guard reels at all and what happens if Omar faces an approaching vehicle backward driving is too dangerous there are only few passing places between hope and fear look out and off you go [Music] it's a very dangerous spot many people have died here it goes down 150 meters we wouldn't live to tell the tale we have to be very careful [Music] the truck meanders through the canyon the road was rested from the rock using Dynamite [Music] along the road there are countless Road works it's being broadened wherever you look the construction vehicles scratch meter after meter from the soil it's all about the trucks reaching their destinations faster and safer even though rich and natural resources Bolivia still is one of the poorest countries in Latin America the expansion of the road networks and an improved infrastructure is supposed to help change that [Music] of the roadworks whole sections of the road are being blocked for many hours during the day as soon as the road is clear a true car rally begins [Music] [Applause] [Music] everyone tries to make up for the time lost that's when many Lethal accidents occur [Music] whoever doesn't own a car and has to cover long distances must rely on buses they are comfortable but not less dangerous many a bus driver risks the passengers lives with overtaking maneuvers [Music] there are people who are afraid they come from kajumba from Santa Cruz people who don't know how to drive or come here for the first time they're afraid but not me I enjoy this we pray to God to God donation my family is worried if someone from my family travels I also worry until they've returned home safely Fascination and fear are closely related for most passengers they enjoy the unique view of the spectacular Canyons but often they are only centimeters away from the abyss [Music] it goes down a hundred meters or more for whoever suffers from fear of heights this tour will become a nightmare even without an accident [Music] it's so hot let's go Jaime let's have lunch what's for lunch Donna it's so hot Jaime what are we having a full course menu I'm starving and I need a drink something refreshing we have juice and sparkling water um they are having the usual Regional dish with a soup as a starter Oman Jaime have an appointment with Jaime's brother he's got a special mission for them the two are meant to bring monchito a little monkey to a friend in La Paz the monkey's coming along it's not the first time he's going there I don't think he's gonna like it I hope he doesn't freeze to death but he has to help us if the truck breaks down or else we run him over okay we'll take him along [Music] but monchito likes the trip in um can finally relax for a bit but the ease of life is a truck driver doesn't last for long [Music] I mean I think we have a flat tire [Music] one of the overused tires has peeled itself when it was stuck in the mud obviously the rubber mantle was destroyed by the spinning foreign damn the piece got torn off no rubber left you can even see the thread the piece is missing we need to change the tire [Music] the nearest garage isn't far off Omar has the tire changed in the village of cincuentaidos [Music] the repair works are time consuming but Uma has allowed for minor incidents he uses the opportunity to relax a few coca leaves have their part in it they keep them awake and happy oh I'm taking precautions otherwise this might later cost us two to three hours now I only lose half an hour that's much better but I don't stress myself out I even have some coca leaves to calm me down and to rest since the trip will be tiring [Music] the farmers in the jungus Harvest the coca leaves just like tea or tomatoes are harvested elsewhere Albertina mamani and her husband Valerio are two of the thousands of legal cocaleros the Coca Farmers don't regard coca as the basis for cocaine but as a holy plant which already the Incas knew and which has a therapeutic effect sometimes we are hungry and the leaves of the Coca help us get over we'll hold out till lunchtime almost everyone here in the youngest just Coca we didn't have the money to send our kids to school we didn't go either there was no money okay used to be so cheap a pound for one boliviano nowadays we get 30 35 or even 40 bolivianos per pound the value of the coca leaves at Albertina dries and prepares for transport has increased considerably in Bolivia over the past few years the growing of Coca is supported from highest ranking political officials president Abel Morales an ex-cola farmer himself propagates coca as an economic commodity of the same value as coffee and other fruit he wants coca to be internationally recognized and not demonized as a drug Albertina and Valerio make relatively good money with the Coca plant about 2500 Euros a year they bring the sacks to La Paz where the coca leaves from the region are especially appreciated [Music] thank you [Music] Omar and Jaime have found a place to sleep by the roadside [Music] we need to get some sleep we have to get up early tomorrow to continue on when we arrive we still have to unload the logs see you tomorrow I'll dream of angels foreign [Music] o a high plateau in Western Bolivia is bordering on the youngest llamas are grazing on the meager fields [Music] there are only few paths leading through this area a thousand years ago the Incas used to live here on the antiplano today it's easiest to visit their paths and cult sites on a motocross bike [Music] Fernando Gordon is following the Old Paths accompanied by his friend Mauricio Del solar they both share the passion for nature culture and motorbikes you know this is part of the old Inca rooms this whole area they set off from here yes they walked across these mountains and found gold over there it's not the first time that Mauricio and Fernando explored the area they are familiar here none of the two would set off on a trip like this on his own that would be too risky heavy rainfall over there but we still have to go across here let's search for a different route we go there and then we'll turn off there I hope it doesn't rain as much over there yes look there are clouds over there and the wind is blowing them in this direction we have to hurry the roads are very dangerous and there's no help in sight if something happened it would take us hours to find help that's very dangerous because something could happen at any time to have a motorcycle accident would be a bad idea that's why a helmet protective clothing and a well-oiled bike are essential [Music] [Applause] [Music] the higher up the bikers get the thinner the air gets they ride their bikes even above 5000 meters of altitude there is an icy wind coming from the mountains [Music] and on top of the wind and the cold there are wild llamas as additional obstacles [Music] [Music] we come across new things every day and that's what I love about this country to still find new things things we can share foreign driving my motorbike here amidst the Llama Trails I feel the energy of this place [Music] Omar valiantly continues his roller coaster ride [Music] [Music] at a clear Road section he sees sacks and bags at the roadside his assumption quickly becomes horrible certainty what happened Jaime I'm so sorry whatever happened here has someone seen anything did this happen last night has someone died were there two people is the driver dead the driver's alive they're saying the co-driver is dead I'm sorry what happened because he had to let an approaching car pass and he came too close to the edge the road broke off you have to be so careful with that one has to drive carefully and stay awake if you're tired it's better to stop and rest some drivers are very tired but they drive on and fall asleep that's when this sort of thing happens it was a driver's mistake you can make mistakes on this road but this wasn't if the road breaks off and you just try to let someone pass who's to blame that foreign [Music] or a common occurrence on the mountain roads in yogas Omar has lost friends and colleagues too the fact that nothing has happened to him yet is surely due to his caution but also to do with luck his truck is Omar's home for many weeks and months of the year all the more welcome are the short breaks in which he can refresh himself tie up the monkey over there so you get some fresh air complains about being left on his own for a little while a short break outside the driver's cabin will do him good too for Omar and Jaime the Crystal Clear Mountain Water is better than any shower or bath in a hotel room they get to wash themselves for the first time in one and a half days and they wash thoroughly foreign now I'm ready to go back on the road it feels as if I washed off kilos of dust that's great isn't it ah [Music] Omar leads the life of a trucker and as you would expect from a captain of the roads he is a different girl in every town [Music] you get to know new people you attractive women if you're on the road headed not only in this country but also in others juices I have two wives first one I have two children and one with the second one there are some difficult moments I've only got one pair of hands you know [Music] to meet his second wife Veronica [Music] don't listen he only sees her a couple of weeks she knows about the situation she's in yeah I am jealous I've traveled with him and seen many things beautiful women talking to him they come smile at him and talk to him yes I'm very jealous [Music] at All Hallows people commemorate the dead at the cemetery of koduiko the family has come to put down flowers at the graves and to commemorate the Dead [Music] Umar also uses the shortstop over to decorate Veronica's father's grave and pray together with Veronica and their son um we are in touch with the souls and I always pray not only here but also if I'm on the road so they'll accompany us and keep an eye on us [Music] All Hallows is a very jolly celebration in Bolivia even marching bands play at the gravesides the tomb slab serves as a table so if in fact the deceased actually want to join the celebration food and a table are provided for figurines made of bread sweets fruit and alcohol are available too children and adults go from grave to grave and pray for those whose names are being called out by the relatives they in return are rewarded with the gifts on the graves [Music] for Omar it goes without saying that he too visits the graves of strangers and prays for them that's the customers the celebration goes on until Nightfall but Omar has to get a move on the passage that brought about the roads by name road to death is still to come [Music] 65 kilometers across almost all Bolivian climate zones it surmounts three thousand meters of altitude [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] within a short time the weather changes rain clouds appear from the depth and turn the often only three meter wide Road into a dangerous track [Music] [Applause] [Music] little rivlets turn into torrents water is coming from everywhere the riot turns into a skidding slide I'm not afraid but I don't trust the road in this rain the road is wet and sudden you can break off at any moment it could be Rock fall there's another car approaches it may well get too narrow we won't be able to pass each other [Music] up until a few years ago the road was seen as the most dangerous in the world each month cars would fall down there would be many deaths and injuries for a few years now there is a bypass but still Omar takes the charactera de la muerte because it is shorter and saves gasoline and time welcome to the road of death my friends I like the section best it takes about two hours to drive it you should be extra careful there are huge rocks and potholes 90 of the accidents occur in the curves so slow down when you get there foreign what truck drivers consider to be work is pure love of Adventure for the mountain bikers many agencies have discovered the carretera de la muerte as a tourist attraction [Music] [Applause] with guides to accompany the tourists they sell the ride into the depths of the mountains as a special experience [Music] the road to death is considered to be one of the main tourist attractions in Bolivia it leads downhill all the way even so the cyclists must concentrate hard as to not let the tour end in a free fall a few photos are being taken for the family album or rather the online friends across the globe it's been one of my dreams ever since I came to Bolivia to ride the youngest Road in the beginning I didn't dare but was full of adrenaline and so I just do it now it's great fun the cake you get out of writing down once you realize you could fall down 1500 meters is incredible this feeling when you're rotting close to the edge it's like flying it's impossible to explain thank you [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Omar has almost made it he must never lose his concentration or get careless the road is unpredictable to the very end the weather is improved but the roads surface still is sodden and spongy [Applause] [Music] then finally Omar leaves the dirt road and reaches the final section of his route from here onwards the last kilometers to La Paz are paved the first thing I do is to thank God for bearing my life I beg him to grant us a safe passage to help us stay concentrated I have no accidents and make no mistakes the Royal cordilleras accompany Omar to the peak of his journey [Music] Omar makes a short stop at La cumbra pass in 4650 meters of altitude [Music] foreign cold he commemorates the dead whose lives this road has claimed he thanks pachamama Mother Earth for sparing him so far and prays for mercy and his family's well-being [Music] La Paz the Journey's destination it's the highest Mega city of the world its houses are built at an altitude between 3 200 and 4100 meters [Music] Omar has to go to the opposite part of the city his client is already waiting for the logs there in the meantime Jaime is taking monchito to his brother's girlfriend where he is eagerly expected [Music] after having mastered all the adversities that the road to death holds one last challenge is awaiting him driving through the city is the most exhausting part of the trip there are many small cars the streets are narrow cabs just stop wherever they want minivans too that makes me angry [Music] the ride ends in Alto outside the city Gates this is where the lumber yard is Omar has fulfilled his duty he delivered the logs safely and on time foreign [Music] I have to see where I can find a new load and then drive back but it feels like a victory to me I did it [Music] thank you foreign Manitoba Canada temperatures go down to below minus 50 Celsius one of the most inhospitable regions of the Earth as soon as the swamps and marshes are frozen the ice Road season begins it's the only period of time in which the inhabitants of these isolated areas can be supplied with Goods it's a short period of time everything that people need for the course of the whole year must be brought there within two to three months the problem is no one knows for exactly how long the Deep Frozen swamps and lakes will be passable for the 40-ton trucks every single trip to the north is a risky ride hot roads the Canadian ice roads [Music] thank you we're gonna we're gonna offer a little bit of tobacco to the uh to the the smudge here we're going to put some of that tobacco in in our pipe we're offering this pipe as a way of our acknowledging that you're gonna you're gonna have a safe trip all right I want you to um just uh Scott Campbell's ancestors belong to the First Nation the country's native people what else did you feel that you need he's proud to be one of them say out loud for those things that you that you want on this journey and then after that you you and I will smoke that pipe come on you got lots of hair anyway yeah ahead of Scott lies a dangerous trip for which he wants to prepare himself spiritually I pray to my family mom that they are kept safe when I'm on my long journey going back home safe Scott and chief Calvin conjure up the Mystic White Buffalo Woman a powerful being and Patron of the North American natives [Music] [Music] God has promised a friend to transport an urgently needed snowmobile across the ice roads up north with the snowmobile on the back of his truck he sets off on a long lonely trip The White Buffalo Woman is supposed to accompany and watch over him spirituality is connected to traditions and customs and to family I find that every religion or race has their own beliefs native people tend to be very spiritual very tied to the land and to me in my heart if you don't know where you come from it's sometimes hard to find direction in life and find out where you're going [Music] his journey begins in the heart of Canada not far from the border to the USA Winnipeg the capital of the province of Manitoba from here the route leads almost 1300 kilometers further north to a little Community called God's Lake last warnings on the way into Wilderness in wintertime God's Lake like many other Villages can only be supplied via the ice roads [Music] the transportation of goods is a tough business most transports are organized by the state and are contracted out amongst the road haulers it's a question of money and speed both Mana material are extremely under stress [Music] every truck that manages to return safely is put to the acid test before being sent out back into the cold you Rowland earned his money already at the age of 15 as a construction worker building the ice roads after 30 years in the business his colleagues call him polar bear [Music] I mean people used to get up there and the truck could break down and if your truck broke down in 15 minutes you didn't get it going you were stranded there I've had guys freeze to death freeze their feet freeze their hands and you can't go you can't leave your truck because of the wild animals you eaten by polar bears wolves so you have to stay with the truck and that's how people freeze to death I mean that 60 blow up there that's uh it's not a nice place to be with no heat Vlad pescott arrived in Canada as a young man with 42 dollars in his pocket today he owns a freight forwarding business as soon as the first snow falls he sits on the driver's seat of his 40-ton truck again it's just my baby you know I sleep uh truck I eat truck I breed truck I mean if something happens to my truck uh it's devastating it get can cost me my life so everything's got to be tipped up that's why I'm checking every single bolt every single out from Bumper to Bumper everything's got to be tipped up if it's not it can break down up there president actually I wanted to be a pilot but my father he drove the truck his own life so I knew when I was young that that's gonna be my future too I was always interested in the truck and I I got diesel underneath my fingerprints when I was really young and I guess you know once you get a little bit of diesel in your blood it's really hard to get rid of it as soon as the road Patrol releases the ice roads the Ice Truckers are on the road every tour means cash [Music] okay when I first started it it was uh real adventurous and a paid good and of course you know I raised my whole family driving the ice roads everything so I just kept doing now I'm just passionate about it I can't wait to do it every year I can't wait for the ice to come in and I get up there and I get to drive them I wait for it every year I love the ice roads it gets in your blood you just keep doing it the loneliness of the northern hemisphere begins just a few kilometers outside the city of Winnipeg only very rarely do you meet people here Jim niedemeyer is one of them he grew up here in the summer he works as a farmer and grows rice up here in Northern Canada [Music] during The Long Winter months he works as an artist he used to manufacture mainly furniture by now he sees more in wood than simply building material what you're going to do in the wood the wood has to have some kind of spirit in it that you have to see it you don't know how it's going to turn out you start up the saw and you just see what happens [Music] you'll see it pretty quick you'll know that you could see something in there you know it just there's a beagles and it's just you know the chainsaw is just removing wood that's all it's doing but missing is underneath it and it's a tool just for removing that wood and exposing that carving along the ice Road people know Jim niedamaya truckers regard his sculptures as symbols of their home country to me it's got to be part of Manitoba you know it's just uh showing the creatures that are running out in the forest here I try to bring them back to life in wood that's my goal is to bring them to life in the meantime Scott has reached the first frozen lakes the smooth surface is a Temptation for speeding 100 kilometers an hour like on a highway it makes you worry sometimes because as you're going across you can hear the ice cracking it actually sounds like thunder underneath your vehicle but as long as you stay in the middle and you're safe and you do the right speed everything's all good where Scott is driving right now is a lake in the summer the ice roads exist only in winter time the through route to Northern Manitoba lasts for a few weeks only and no one knows for exactly how long cheer in Manitoba alone more than 2 000 kilometers of ice roads are built through the Wilderness but even in these Arctic temperatures you can't rely on the Great Rivers freezing over only permanent Bridges can help in The Villages of Northern Manitoba live mostly members of the First Nation the indigenous inhabitants of Canada the state's way of treating them is a dark chapter of Canadian history Canadian government is just recently started to deal with with some of these things that went on decades ago but the after effects of the cultural genocide for its assimilation or are seen not only in the big cities but some of the small communities reservations throughout Manitoba when you take a person and you rip out their culture and their traditions and you force them to do some someone else's that is totally alien to them they lose who they are they lose they lose their identity [Music] the people living in the reservations are completely dependent upon state aid and upon the transportation of goods on the ice roads but visits old friends and relatives on each of his tours to the north he has met up with Lee Cod to go ice fishing Lee is a Pine Creek Indian and like Scott fights for the remembrance of past injustices what they did is uh when your kid was five years old they would come here take all the kids all the children and it and then they'll take them and take them to uh residential schools and then then did either Catholic Presbyterian I don't know uh some kind of denomination Christian uh and it turned them out to uh be christianized them and believe in something that they were that they weren't you couldn't speak our language and you weren't allowed to talk to your family members your siblings and there was a lot of crying [Applause] Lee is trying to make the First Nation members more aware of their traditional way of life it starts with very practical things you would never have gloves like this who would have like leather myths you know that hides Caribou hide as a fiber has a hole in it that for a good insulation that runs around the territory here Lee wants to connect traditional ways of life with Modern Life For example an ice drill can actually be quite helpful if the ice is thicker than a meter this balance between the past and Modern Age is not at all easy for many First Nation members ice fishing used to be an ordinary part of self-sufficient life for the people up North today it's more or less a way to pass the time [Music] many First Nation members have drug and alcohol problems Lee himself had a hard time too now he helps young people and is engaged in revitalizing the traditions of the ancestors it has helped him to get over his own problems as well no bites I think all the fish are in school yeah meanwhile you and Vlad are still heading up North [Music] oh I know that guy well I just passed you I'm going up north going to centuries uh how's the road right they're not too bad once you get up to about 220 there before you hit more on Hill you're gonna have to slap your chains on it's pretty slick up there so basically the same old same away it's never any warmer than -25. like last year we had eight weeks of minus 60 below I never got there wasn't one day that was below -40. so I mean you get up there metal brakes at minus 40. breaks right in half and then you're screwed you're you're not getting out of there seeing but make sure you got a sleeping bag that's good for minus 40. so I mean you always get you've got to be prepared Scott has relatives living alongside the ice Road he wants to stay the night with them but he isn't going to make it before Darkness sets in the rare Trail marks on the frozen lakes are hard to find they're just simple branches at irregular intervals and then this snowfall begins Scott can only hope it's not one of those Infamous snow storms a blizzard would destroy all Trail marks for good and the snow masses would make it impossible to continue driving a whiteout is lurking the white wall which races across the open landscape as a snowstorm The Inferno of storm and snow makes all orientation impossible best thing to do in a whiteout if your losses just stay where you are a lot of times people will spend hours and hours just walking in circles to the point of exhaustion and then just that's it fortunately the storm weakens so Scott can drive on he wants to make up for lost time that's when it happens in a short moment of distraction he starts to slide and gets stuck but he's fortunate in his bad luck Scott is already within radio distance of the next Village help arrives after a few minutes [Music] Scott's truck is badly stuck in the snow the second vehicle can't get any grip on the icy track finally the men try to alternately push and pull Scott's truck out of the deep snow [Music] foreign and since everyone knows each other out here a place to sleep is easy to find Vlad and you have almost reached their destination for the day 800 kilometers north of Winnipeg they crossed the Nelson River on the concrete Dam of a hydroelectric power plant [Music] worldwide Canada is one of the major producers of hydropowered electricity this is how the province of Manitoba produces more than 90 percent of its energy [Music] the truckers drive across the last Lake of the day in walking pace standing still would be potentially lethal because of dangerous cracks in the ice that might occur top speed five kilometers an hour there is air between the ice and the water surface the weight of the passing truck presses the ice down a bit it freezes underneath so the cracks are patched foreign [Music] s every single crossing of the ice remains a risky business Vlad and you arrive late at their place for the night along the ice Road they have everything they need for the night inside their trucks well I think we did pretty fair she's pretty decent time getting up here today shorts yeah I'm good I got my coloring book all done so the soccer down for the night what time are you getting up tomorrow morning but you need all the beauty sleep you can get a long time ago there is no return for you I said I'm too ugly to be on TV just show me the money alrighty man I'll see you in six thanks all right good night man the second leg stretches from Norway house to God's Lake almost 300 kilometers across snow ice and dangerously hilly Terrain [Music] the next day in the summer you'd find swamps and lakes impenetrable moorlands neither boat nor truck could pass here [Music] the roads across snow and ice can only be built in winter time and if it's cold enough one of the things they do if they find out the ice isn't thick enough is they'll send crews out here um with big drills that they pull behind a vehicle and they'll drill a hole in the ice and as the auger spins through the ice and gets into the water it'll pull water up it's called flooding the ice so they can actually add inches to the top of the ice to make it thick and safe enough the ice must be at least 1.2 meters thick in order for the 18-wheeler to cross the ice safely [Music] Vlad and you start their journey early too if all goes well they'll make the last 300 kilometers to God's Lake before Darkness sets in they are a well rehearsed team and have gone through a lot together on a trip you know I feel much more confident who is a great partner to be on this roads you know every single trip something happens I know I can rely on that guy behind me because he knows a lot well me and Vlad we're business partners and good friends like best friends so we get along real good and when we travel together there ain't nothing we can't pull off I mean we know we ain't gonna get stuck in the bush anywhere and we know we're going to get anything that needs to be done so b m travel real well together we know each other pretty fair it's the beginning of March the roads are still in good shape considering the time of year it may get warmer any day then the roads will turn into impassable swamps Vlad and you are in a hurry they want to drive as many truckloads as possible up North this season come on boys the ice roads have only existed for the last 50 years there used to be no vehicles up here in the north it was the time of the Sledge dogs for Dwayne kabbalock a construction engineer along the ice Road the dogs are just a hobby his dogs are Alaskan Malamutes famous for their strength and endurance they can manage up to 100 kilometers without taking a rest up in the north well basically uh it moved around from place to place wherever the food was and they brought their families and all their belongings with them and that's what they use the dogs for and your dogs back then were basically your home pets treated well just like family and in the summer months when they were low on food your dogs are basically let loose and they fend on their own that's why the dogs still have a bit of uh prey instinct to them compared to most dogs [Applause] the dogs are not only persevering and tough they are also capable of defending the freight and their owner against polar bears [Music] Duane practices with his dogs almost every day along the ice roads he hopes next year they will be ready for their first race [Music] Vlad and you must stop in spite of all the hurry it's Safety First [Applause] there is one kind of accident on the ice roads the truckers are especially afraid of a jackknife that's what it's called when the heavy trailer in the truck twist and wedge together this must be prevented by all means in front of us and you're gonna need some odd attraction because it's really hilly I mean loaded Trails like that I don't want that I don't want to end up in the Day Tour upside down so uh putting up chains so I can basically make those holes up there or if I don't have any chains best best case scenario is I just get stuck until somebody pulls me up worst case scenario I started sliding backwards check knife and basically ended up in a ditch Truck Trailer Load you know we're talking about three hundred thousand dollars in Damages so I don't want to end up like that that's why I'm putting all those chains [Music] [Music] the ride through the hilly terrain is an act of balance [Music] if you drive too slowly you lose the momentum and risk sliding backwards [Music] but if you go too fast you end up in the ditch and block the road What's blocking the road to talk to the trailer everything trucks [Applause] one of Vlad and used colleagues has landed in the ditch and must attach the truck now to clear the way without the weight of the trailer the truck is hardly able to maneuver anymore there's not much Vlad and you can do here but help is on its way inch by inch the fully loaded trucks work their way past the damaged truck foreign it's only later they learned that their colleague had to wait for two days before heavy machinery helped him out of his misery anything you learn on a highway throw it out the window I mean basically you can't hit your brakes on the ice you've got Hills up there and everything you hit the brakes your load is going by you you're gonna hit the brakes you got to use your trailer brakes no no tractor brakes at all and you got to have a big set of nuts Vlad and you wanna make up for lost time and speed up but a lack of attention for just a single moment is enough to cause Danger on these roots it looks like I went too fast and I got into the ditch I might need to pull oh yeah I see you now a piece of ice was sufficient to derail vlad's truck and once a truck starts sliding there's hardly any stopping it Doug just put her in gear in the yeah let's try slow if you can then just start bumping it yeah okay [Music] A Towing maneuver with 500 horsepower they got off lightly though just a slight damage to the bumper [Applause] you just touched her in there sideways that'll be good let's rock and roll often enough the two have experienced that they couldn't continue their Journey they had to hold out for days in their trucks until help arrived from Winnipeg many a driver has gone crazy in the loneliness of the North last year a colleague had to be saved by a helicopter it's truly a dangerous job but thirty thousand people in Manitoba depend on the transportation of goods on the ice roads [Music] for the last part of the trip to God's Lake the trucks need snow chains Scott and his light pickup truck are almost there [Music] foreign [Music] the snowmobile on the back is still undamaged [Applause] [Music] The Village Gods lake with its 2000 inhabitants lies at the shore of the lake in summertime one of the best fishing grounds in Canada here a highlight is awaiting the drivers after a long trip healy's Lodge it's the only comfortable lodging in an area of many hundreds of kilometers not only the breakfast is legendary the homely sitting room is a reminder of great hunting and fishing Adventures for decades owner Goldie Healy has been making sure the Travelers feel at home here yeah the road is better this year than most years because we haven't had any melt because it's pretty cold because the road's nice and tight and it's minus 51 this morning so yeah everything's frozen pretty good so made for some good going yes but I'm gonna let you have your coffee at Goldie's practical information as well as tales of the truckers greatest Deeds are exchanged yeah I'll be right back go before Scott delivers his Freight to a place a few kilometers outside the village he uses the opportunity to go out on the lake his old friend Brian who still goes fishing in the traditional way even in winter time has to bring his Nets in and has asked God for help the Nets between two ice holes a few days ago foreign if you're doing it the old way with the picks and the Chisel you got to dig a three foot wide hole probably you know three four feet of ice and that's a lot of work but you do what you got to do in the north so basic supplies for the locals comes via the ice roads but a diverse diet especially one containing Fresh Vitamins can only be achieved by hunting and fishing Brian fishes mostly for his own needs he sells the Surplus fish in the village oh it's a nice one only a few moments after they come out of the water the fish are already deep Frozen ready to be taken home an exceptionally yummy dish if fried in the pan I used to do a lot of hunting and fishing with some of my family and that and to be back out in the community of God's Lake now to to help some of my friends now it felt really good you know doing things the way they used to do things and and knowing that whatever I put into my day with them was going to help his family out so it was good it was worth it I really enjoyed it Vlad and you are still at work but they too have almost arrived at God's Lake a few kilometers from their destination the last great crossing of the lake is waiting for them [Music] a safety distance of 500 meters and walking pace are obligatory because when you come onto the ice it deflects the ice and makes a wave on the air so all the time you're going across that ice you're actually deflected and you've got a big wave pushing in front of you so now he's got a wave in front of him and I gotta wave in front of me you don't want my wave to catch up to him because the wave will hit his back tires break the ice out and he'll sink steady and slow respect the ice at all times go slow going on no slow coming off and keep your spacing between the trucks if you're not only gonna like kill yourself you're gonna kill somebody else and you don't respect you even after 30 years the men still hold a great respect for the ice it's their life insurance on the ice roads after two days of driving Vlad and you do not want to lose more time as soon as they are within radio range they try to reach their contacts in God's Lake the health unit is at the back and the admin is at the front uh you're going to main office that's that's the first load they're gonna hollowed you and Hell On from Health authorities meet you at the van office and drive you over to the complex okay so is somebody going to Marshall us from the corner up here they're taking care of it unloading is manual labor it takes time especially if you arrive at the wrong time today they are lucky the helpers arrive quickly and they make good progress while 40 tons of load are stored box after box the driver's thoughts are already one step ahead I mean the whole season you know it's like roller coaster it's like uh uh long lasting Marathon you know you load and you start thinking about the the trip uh when you get there you start talking about uh unloading when you unload you start thinking about how you're gonna get back and when you get back you're thinking about the next load because that's the name of the game you got to get all these modes up here before the ice melts and you've seen it today it got down to only minus six that's too warm for these roads if that happens for a whole week we're finished already the biggest thing I'm looking forward to is getting my paperwork signed and getting back for my next trip Scott too has arrived at his destination hey bud it's me Scott I just made it in here oh it was good it was good it was a long trip but uh I got here and I got the sled on the back everything's all fixed up [Music] [Applause] really thought he might have some drones no it was a good trip I'll uh I'll see you shortly but it was I'm glad it's over it's almost 30 hours on the road and roads are pretty decent but uh it's only half over now I gotta unload this and turn around and then I gotta head back [Music] in delivering the snowmobile Scott has completed his mission just like you and Vlad he will now head back as soon as possible back across Canada's ice roads for as long as the ice still carries [Music] [Music]

Channel: Free Documentary

Views: 538,077

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 journeys, most dangerous roads Burundi, deadliest roads Burundi, dangerous Burundi, deadliest journeys Burundi, hot roads, Burundi, Mali, Bolivia, Canada

Id: -e7WThdKQ3A

Length: 170min 45sec (10245 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 04 2023