Peru World's Most Dangerous Roads


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This programme contains some strong language.

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-Five billion kilometres of roads network our planet.

-The drop!

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400 feet, absolutely sheer.

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Instant death then, yeah?

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Yet the desire to communicate and trade means new routes

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are being forged through increasingly challenging terrain.

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-Keep as close as you can there.

-I know, but am I OK with that drop?

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Across Arctic tundra.

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Zero visibility on the pass. We are mid-drift.

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Over mountain passes.

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-Through jungle.

-No! Go, Fogle!

-Go!

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These roads fight a constant battle with nature.

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Let's just calm it down.

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But their very existence is testament to man's ingenuity,

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and driving them requires courage and determination.

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Oh, ge... Woah!

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Adventurer Ben Fogle and comedian Hugh Dennis have teamed up to drive the treacherous route across Peru,

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from the Andes into the very heart of the Amazon.

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On this epic eight-day journey, they will see the beauty and the danger of this extraordinary road.

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They are aiming to get to the geographical centre of Peru.

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As close to that side as you can, now.

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And the road they're taken has some of the most extreme

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driving conditions either of them have ever encountered.

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Careful, careful.

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To make it through, they will need steady hands and nerves of steel

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on one of the world's most dangerous roads.

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Ben and Hugh's journey begins at over 3,000 metres above sea level in the Peruvian Andes.

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So, are you nervous about this at all?

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I'm slightly nervous about it. Can I just check one thing?

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Did you pass your driving test first time?

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I didn't pass my driving test first time.

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-That matter?

-That's fine. How many times did you take it?

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-Seven.

-Seven times? Seven?

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I like to think it makes me a better driver, by the way.

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That's fine, because I've never passed one.

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-Seven times!

-That makes me feel so much better...

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Their route runs for 1,000k across Peru and will take them through

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three very different but challenging types of terrain.

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They have to cross the Andes on one of Peru's highest roads,

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before heading down into the Amazon Rainforest.

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After that, it's 500 kilometres of rough jungle roads to the town of Pozuzo.

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Finally, they will have to make it across the mighty Huancabamba Canyon

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and along miles of mud roads to reach the centre of Peru.

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Here they hope to find Constitucion, a city which in the 1980s was intended to replace Lima

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as Peru's new capital but today doesn't even appear on the map.

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But their adventure begins at the gateway to the Peruvian Andes in the town of Concepcion.

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This is where local people come to start their journey into

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the mountains and the taxi drivers here know this route backwards.

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Ben sees an opportunity to try out his rusty Spanish on them.

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Hola. Mi nombre es Ben.

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Somos en nuestro coche. We're in our car.

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Que bueno, que bueno.

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Digame, que tal es la carratera? How is the road between here and there?

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So he's saying the roads are very dangerous and there's lots of...

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Polvo is dust.

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It comes up and you can't see anything. Are there big drops?

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Ooh! 500 to 1,000 metre drops.

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-Concepcion?

-No, Constitucion.

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The drivers don't seem to know much about the city of Constitucion,

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except that it's somewhere in the jungle.

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So will we be OK?

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He said the biggest danger is other drivers, and he said

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said we have to be very, very careful on all the corners.

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-Plus we have to worry about you.

-And I have to worry about me.

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Gracias, senor. Gracias.

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Hasta luego.

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OK, let's hit the road.

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Armed with local knowledge, they're aiming for a quick getaway.

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But the road has been temporarily closed.

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I find it amazing we're in the middle of nowhere

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-and we've come across the biggest brass-band competition I've ever seen.

-It's amazing, isn't it?

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I don't think I've ever seen a brass-band competition.

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Where have you seen one before?

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Have you ever seen one?

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35 bands from all over Peru will parade through town today before the road re-opens.

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You think this is a cool thing to do, then? If you're a kid?

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Do you think the cool kids are in the brass band?

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Would you think it's all the dweebs?

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-I don't know.

-I think it's cool.

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-Do you?

-Yeah.

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If I was out here, I'd be in a brass band.

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Do you think we'll ever actually get out of this place now?

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Well, there are more coming.

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That lot are my favourite.

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I think they're going to win.

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Shall we head back to the car?

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-Can we get out, do you think?

-I think we should go this way.

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After Conception, the road quickly rises up into the Andes - the second highest mountain range in the world.

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This route over the mountains and into the Amazon was mapped out by

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Franciscan monks almost 500 years ago

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as they searched for indigenous tribes to convert to Christianity.

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We're about 4,500 metres up now, so in Alps terms that's almost the top of Mont Blanc.

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Today, huge herds of llama and alpaca roam this area,

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and avoiding them is going to be the boys' first challenge.

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Here we go.

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-Oh... Woah..

-Excuse us. Excuse us!

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Hey, chaps. That one's getting out of the way.

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This one isn't. Have you seen an alpaca before?

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-Yeah.

-They're pretty cool.

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I've always wanted to be an alpaca farmer.

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Well, you could. You can do that in England, can't you?

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It's not quite the same as here in the Andes though, is it?

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I've been lucky enough to come to Peru a couple of times over the years.

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I came here when I was about 18 and fresh out of school, so this is where I had my learning experience.

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It's where I found myself, as such. So, for me, it's somewhere I really love and I get very excited by still.

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Inspired by his first trip to Peru, Ben took a degree in Latin American

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studies and has since returned to South America many times as a professional adventurer.

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Is that a road?

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Is that thing a road going up there?

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It must be. With the switchbacks... I don't know if that's what we're going up.

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It looks very off-road, doesn't it?

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Bloody hell.

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I've never been to Latin America. I've never been to South America.

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I've been to all the other continents but I've never been here.

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I'm so pleased I'm doing it.

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This is a fantastic journey.

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It's a journey that will take Hugh further off the tourist trail than he's ever been before.

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The town of Comas was established over 2,000 years ago.

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But the first vehicles only appeared here in the 1930s, when road crews

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finally blasted through the mountains surrounding the village.

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It's the last chance before the jungle for drivers to check

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that their tyres are up to scratch with local mechanic, Rui Cardenas.

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Hola.

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-Mi nombre es Ben.

-Gusto, gusto.

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I'm going to say... Is it fair for me to say we don't know much about tyres? Do you?

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Am I being presumptuous there?

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No, it'd be fair to say.

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HE SPEAKS SPANISH

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I'm just saying what happens if there's a hole and we don't have spare inner tubes or anything.

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Wow, you're thatching the inside of a tyre.

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So he's saying the best thing is to use leaves and things.

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This would be, in my opinion, the very best use for rhubarb.

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So he's saying we can actually put our clothes in here as well.

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-Your jacket.

-Use your clothes!

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He's saying we can borrow his.

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We don't need to stuff you in there at this stage.

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They're so resourceful out here, aren't they? I suppose that's what you have to do.

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You have to just make do with what you have.

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Y cuantos? Mucha mucha?

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Until it's pretty solid.

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Do you think that'd pass the MOT in England?

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It makes you wonder why they bother to fill them with air.

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Roughly what he was saying there are that no foreigners are crazy enough to come on this road.

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At the end of their lesson the day is nearly over,

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the next stage of the road is too dangerous to drive in the dark.

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So they have to spend the night in Comas.

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Their roadside hotel doubles up as a restaurant

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to feed and house the people who drive this route every day.

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Today, there is only one dish on the menu.

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I don't mind eating the dish of the day when I'm in England and you know roughly what you're going to get.

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Buenas noches. Que tal?

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Gracias.

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Have a look at the head area.

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That's a guinea pig.

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That's a guinea pig.

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Teeth, ribs...

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Is that its heart?

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Qui qui I think is what they call it.

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If nobody told you what that was, I think you'd just think that was chicken.

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It's fairly obvious what it is.

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The only clue it's missing is that it's not in a hutch.

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We're joking about eating guinea pig but this is kind of what they eat out here.

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I always feel sensitive about not wanting to laugh at other people's cultures and what they eat.

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-No, no that's absolutely fine.

-They keep them in their bedrooms.

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Like the long rooms they sleep in, the guinea pigs, maybe up to 60, sleep under the bed

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and multipurpose, like a heater, they move around all night

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and the heat they make goes up through the bed, keeps them warm

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-and then they eat them for breakfast.

-I had guinea pigs when I was

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a child, and as I remember, they ate each other.

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Ben and Hugh have completed the first stage of their journey,

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but the tarmac road they've enjoyed so far ends abruptly in Comas.

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Now they have to drive 150 kilometres over the Andes

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on an unpaved mountain road, and then down to the jungle town of Satipo.

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The single-track Comas road reaches heights of over 4,500 metres.

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Its hairpin bends and sheer drops combine to

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make it one of the most challenging drives anywhere in South America.

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Look.

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That must be our road.

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-That is our road.

-That is unbelievable.

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This is fantastic. How do you build a road like that?

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It's just extraordinary.

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Wow. It's quite a steep drop just here.

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Yep, I saw that.

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I was aware of that.

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The Comas road was carved out of the mountainside by huge gangs of manual labourers throughout the 1940s.

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Its engineers followed the track charted by the missionaries centuries earlier.

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With drops of over 1,000 metres to the valley below,

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even the smallest miscalculation can lead to disaster.

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Do you see the landslide there?

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Don't be looking at it too much, because this is also here.

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Look, down there is the bottom of the valley and also the end of your life.

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Look at the road going up.

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And to survive on the Comas road, it also pays to keep an eye on the rear-view mirror.

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OK, we've got a bus behind us.

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I would not want to be in a bus. Would you?

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Well, the thing is about a bus is that you're in the hands of some driver you know nothing about.

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Oh, that's like us!

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Exactly.

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He's also going faster than you.

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HORN SOUNDS

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He honked at me!

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With 1,000-foot drop, or whatever that is, next to me.

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Do we let him pass us?

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-Keep going for a bit.

-Shall we?

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Yeah. Bloody hell.

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We'll just let him go here.

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Go on, then.

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This might be one of his stops.

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That's fine.

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-Do you think we copped out there?

-No.

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Most fatal accidents here involve other vehicles.

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Roadside shrines mark the most dangerous corners,

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where drivers and their passengers have gone over the edge.

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So, I reckon those shrines are there because

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they'll just have misjudged that bend, won't they?

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Wow.

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How far down do you reckon that is?

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-Well, we're level with 1,000 feet... 12,000 feet?

-Far enough.

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It's a bit scary actually.

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You really do need to keep your eyes on the road and you don't think about that.

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Well, I'm assuming that's what's happened here.

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A car has misjudged that bend.

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Slightly sobering, isn't it?

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Not really a pleasant thought.

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The threat of landslides is an ever-present danger

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on the Comas road.

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Hundreds of cubic tonnes of loose rock can

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sweep down from the mountainside, destroying everything in its path.

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Maintenance teams fight a constant battle to keep the road open,

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and there is always a team in action somewhere on the road.

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OK, so they've opened this road for 20 minutes for us.

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She's saying we've got to go.

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She said always go very carefully.

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Did you get that?

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-Yep.

-Look. Careful, careful.

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Can I get past that?

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-It still coming down?

-It's still coming down.

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Bloody hell. There's stuff coming off.

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It's actually coming down quite fast now.

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The mountainside above the car is unstable, but despite assurances,

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the road ahead is now blocked.

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We have to wait here for a sec. It's crazy, isn't it?

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They just said they'd opened the road and there's a bulldozer.

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There's a phenomenal digger loading up a lorry.

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I think we do just pass.

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-Did you smile?

-He nodded.

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He nodded as if to say, "Go at your own peril."

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This road crew is part of a major five-year project to resurface the Comas road.

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It's a vital link that connects the isolated mountain communities to market towns in the jungle,

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and all 150 kilometres of the route need to be scraped and compressed before re-surfacing can begin.

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Gracias.

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Oh, here's a traffic jam.

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They look very jolly about working at 3,500 m,

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quarrying earth on a road about six or seven feet wide with an enormous digger.

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Woah, look at that.

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All the dust coming off.

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That really looked like part of that hill was going fall...

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while we were under it.

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After six hours on the Comas road they reach its highest point - 4,589 metres above sea level.

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Drivers often suffer exhaustion and blurred vision here.

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At this altitude, people sometimes take oxygen.

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What, just because of the altitude?

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-Yeah. How you feeling?

-Slightly drowsy.

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-You got any symptoms?

-No, I'm fine.

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I've had a slight headache for a while,

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but I think that's just being with you.

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-Thanks.

-Yeah.

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So, somewhere down there is the jungle.

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That gives me the feeling of enormous power.

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Does it you? Does it make you feel sort of...

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Yeah. It's pretty amazing we're above the clouds.

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So from now on, we're heading down into the jungle, and then in the jungle

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we've got to find Constitucion. Which was built in the '80s?

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The government said they would relocate the capital city

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to the geographical centre of Peru, the middle point, which happens to be in the middle of the jungle.

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They did it in Brazil. They moved the capital city to a man-made one, Brasilia.

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I think most capital cities are man-made. I don't want to pick you up on that point.

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Artificially located, let's change my wording.

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But there's a long way to go before they get off the Comas road,

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and the descent is particularly dangerous at this time of day.

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I can't see anything at all. Can you see anything?

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I'll walk.

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Can you see anything?

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Yeah, I can see... Yeah. I've got a little bit of the road here.

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-Shall I walk up the other side?

-I think I'm OK for now. I'll tell you if I...

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I've never had sun quite so strong straight into the face.

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If we have another run of sheer slope, then you can get out.

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Good visibility is essential here, as there are still more obstacles to overcome on the road.

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-Moo.

-Excuse us.

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Excuse us.

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-That one's getting out the way.

-This one isn't.

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-Shall I go and herd them?

-HORN BEEPS

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What you've done there is, you've put another one in the way.

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You've honked, and now the one that wasn't in the way is in the way.

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Get out.. Right, OK. Hang on...

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That's it. There's a gap.

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Thank you, thank you very much.

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Easy! We're like pros.

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The Anchor butter commercials led me to believe that cows could talk,

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-but they didn't seem to understand anything.

-Not really.

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After a day's drive above the clouds,

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the boys must now drop back through them to get to the Amazon basin.

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It does give the illusion of driving into thin air, doesn't it?

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Driving in the air... I could sing that for you.

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-TO TUNE OF "THE SNOWMAN":

-# We're driving in the air... #

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No!

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At dusk, visibility drops to a few metres,

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but after 12 hours on the road,

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they make it down to Satipo, and a bed for the night.

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Ben and Hugh have made it to the Amazon basin

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and must now head further into the rainforest towards the centre of Peru

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on their search for the city of Constitucion.

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But first, they need to negotiate the road to Pichanaki,

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where temperatures can reach 40 degrees by midday.

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Agh-yyah!

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I just wanted to wake you up.

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I've been bitten by sand flies, actually.

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I've got them all over my face.

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-They don't actually itch so much.

-They don't itch at all, as far as I can see. Are they nasty?

-Well,

0:22:220:22:28

probably shouldn't tell you this now, but they do carry this rather nasty disease

0:22:280:22:32

that, out here, they call "uta", and back in England is called Leishmaniasis.

0:22:320:22:38

I don't want to know.

0:22:380:22:40

You'll be fine, Hugh.

0:22:400:22:42

The Peruvian Amazon covers nearly a million square kilometres.

0:22:490:22:53

Over the last century, there has been a vast increase in the number of roads into the area,

0:22:530:22:58

built to harvest the enormous natural wealth of the jungle.

0:22:580:23:03

The road from Satipo to Pichanaki was originally created by loggers 60 years ago

0:23:030:23:08

but is now used primarily by the coffee farmers who live alongside it.

0:23:080:23:13

Liliana Palomino manages her family's farm, one of the oldest in this area.

0:23:130:23:18

Her father arrived here from the highlands in the early 1950s, looking for land.

0:23:180:23:23

TRANSLATION:

0:23:230:23:25

So, she's saying that her father came from Comas, where we've come from,

0:23:300:23:34

-but there was no big highway like we just came on.

-VAST highway!

0:23:340:23:38

It was small tracks. A lot of it was river, because this was virgin rainforest.

0:23:380:23:42

Liliana's farm contains over 2,000 coffee plants which need to be picked by hand,

0:23:420:23:48

and it can be risky work.

0:23:480:23:50

Oh, OK!

0:23:590:24:01

So, what kind of snakes do you have?

0:24:010:24:04

This is becoming quite a long list!

0:24:110:24:13

I think "shushupe" is bushmaster.

0:24:140:24:16

-Bushmasters are nasty, aren't they?

-Yep.

0:24:160:24:19

What she's basically said is, the quality of the roads is integral to their way of living,

0:24:410:24:46

because coffee, here, is life.

0:24:460:24:48

So, hopefully no bushmasters on our way back. Do you want to lead?

0:24:490:24:53

Was that bad?

0:24:530:24:55

-BEN LAUGHS

-Quite bad, yeah.

-Sorry.

0:24:550:24:57

That ruins my Indiana Jones credibility there.

0:24:570:25:00

Not that I ever had any!

0:25:000:25:01

The unpaved Pichanaki road is the only way for locals to get to market,

0:25:060:25:11

and there are frequent accidents on this route.

0:25:110:25:13

Look at this child.

0:25:170:25:19

-There are four people on there.

-There's four people on that bike,

0:25:190:25:23

and that child has just got a... like a...shawl wrapped around it, holding it on.

0:25:230:25:28

-Gracias.

-Gracias.

0:25:320:25:33

Do you say "gracias" because you were expecting four back?

0:25:330:25:36

Yeah, I was expecting each one to... Check this out!

0:25:360:25:40

-There is a man.

-In the boot!

-Oh, no, a woman.

-Fantastic.

0:25:420:25:46

-That's very funny.

-What they've done...

0:25:460:25:48

It's an old lady, they've put in the back of the car!

0:25:480:25:53

They've put Grandma in the boot!

0:25:530:25:56

-Shall we take over this truck as well?

-Yeah.

0:25:560:25:58

-The only good thing you can say about that is that she wasn't strapped to a roof rack.

-True!

0:26:000:26:05

After a dusty five-hour drive, they reach Pichanaki,

0:26:100:26:14

a busy town where coffee and citrus fruits and are brought to market.

0:26:140:26:19

-Not quite sure what this truck's doing.

-It's turning left, I think, by the indicator.

0:26:190:26:24

Oh... I've been in the jungle for so long, I'm almost getting urban shock.

0:26:240:26:29

This road was built in the 1960s to encourage migration from the highlands,

0:26:290:26:35

and it's now one of the busiest in the Peruvian jungle.

0:26:350:26:38

Lots of these little motor taxi things.

0:26:380:26:41

-These three-wheel drive things? There seems to be quite a lot.

-There are thousands of them.

0:26:410:26:46

When the road arrived in Pichanaki, it was a village of 300 people

0:26:480:26:51

and the surrounding area was populated by indigenous tribes.

0:26:510:26:56

Today, those tribes have been pushed out by an influx of over 60,000 settlers.

0:26:560:27:01

Ben and Hugh stay the night here before heading further into the rainforest

0:27:030:27:08

and the centre of Peru.

0:27:080:27:10

To get there, they first have to drive the mountain jungle road to Pozuzo,

0:27:110:27:16

which runs alongside the dangerous Pichanaki River.

0:27:160:27:20

I bet in the winter, when it's rainy season,

0:27:200:27:23

this must just fill up.

0:27:230:27:26

The Pichanaki, a powerful tributary of the Amazon,

0:27:260:27:30

can rise four metres above its current level.

0:27:300:27:33

Whole sections of this road are regularly washed away,

0:27:330:27:37

and it's been the scene of several fatal accidents.

0:27:370:27:40

See this bit here? That looks like it's been blasted, or something.

0:27:400:27:44

-It's got these lines in it.

-Scrape marks.

-So what are they?

0:27:440:27:49

Maintenance teams are fighting a desperate battle

0:27:490:27:52

to move the road away from the collapsing riverbank and keep it open to traffic.

0:27:520:27:57

It does look they're laying something up there, doesn't it?

0:27:570:28:02

-They're uncoiling something.

-They're sticking things in tubes. This bloke here,

0:28:020:28:06

I think they've put a tube in and he's got a stick

0:28:060:28:11

and he's ramming...charge, I guess.

0:28:110:28:14

If they are going to blow that up, we're going to have an extraordinary...

0:28:140:28:18

-Long wait?

-..seating view.

0:28:180:28:20

That's the difference between us. I'm really excited, you're worried about the traffic jam!

0:28:200:28:25

Unfortunately for Ben, chief engineer Harold Abad

0:28:250:28:29

wants all vehicles to clear the road before blasting begins.

0:28:290:28:33

-Hi, I'm Hugh.

-Hi, Harold. I'm Ben. You speak English?

-More or less.

0:28:330:28:38

-How do you clear that rock? Drill a hole?

-Yeah.

-Put dynamite in?

0:28:380:28:43

Yeah, we have a hole maybe three metres...

0:28:430:28:46

-put some TNT...and explosions.

-And that's what they're doing now?

0:28:460:28:51

Yeah.

0:28:510:28:52

-You're working with dynamite and landslides, that must be very dangerous work?

-Yeah,

0:28:520:28:58

because here, it's not exactly strong, this part.

0:28:580:29:02

For example, yesterday, we were working

0:29:020:29:07

and we have, coming down, very, very big rocks,

0:29:070:29:11

and the last year, we have one people die for that reason.

0:29:110:29:16

-Hit by a rock?

-Yeah, he died, he pass away.

0:29:160:29:20

-So the most dangerous time for us to be on this road would be when they blow it up?

-Uh-huh.

0:29:200:29:25

-So we need to get out of the way?

-Uh-huh.

0:29:250:29:28

-We'll get going.

-OK. See you.

-Bye.

-Bye. See you.

0:29:280:29:31

The car's been stuck in traffic for two hours now,

0:29:320:29:35

and there's still another 30km of roadworks to get through.

0:29:350:29:41

They honked.

0:29:410:29:42

HORN BEEPS

0:29:420:29:44

That's a good honk, I've noticed they do that here.

0:29:440:29:47

You've become like my wife, you lean across.

0:29:470:29:50

-Was that encroaching on your personal space?

-Yeah.

0:29:500:29:53

-Am I becoming too over-familiar?

-Yes, hmm.

0:29:530:29:56

I've always been most concerned about other drivers -

0:29:560:29:58

and I don't necessarily mean Hugh - but I'll get back to that in a second.

0:29:580:30:02

Whoa! Try not to... SCRAPING

0:30:020:30:04

-I won't bottom out the car.

-No, no.

-I mean, how could I have avoided that?

0:30:040:30:08

Hugh and I have been in a car for a few days now, and I'm feeling confident,

0:30:080:30:12

but the terrain has changed, so it's one thing feeling confident up in the mountains,

0:30:120:30:17

it's different in the jungle.

0:30:170:30:18

Don't go more to the right now. That truck is close enough as it is.

0:30:180:30:23

Ben does this thing whereby he says thank you to people...

0:30:240:30:28

who obviously can't hear him, who are miles away.

0:30:280:30:31

I think if you had gone more to the right... Gracias!

0:30:310:30:35

Hmm. If I'd gone more to the right?

0:30:350:30:38

Rather than just going... he will actually go, "Thank you!"

0:30:380:30:41

-Are we going to be stuck behind this truck for the whole way?

-You want me to overtake?

0:30:410:30:46

-Well...

-He wants me to overtake.

-Yeah, he does. Go, go, go, go, go.

0:30:460:30:50

I was just chatting.

0:30:500:30:51

Gracias.

0:30:510:30:53

-Go.

-Hey, look, now.

-Now you've got yourself in a right pickle. What are you going to do?

0:30:530:30:59

-I'm going to avoid the lorry and I'm going to avoid the minibus.

-Weren't you just cutting him up?

0:30:590:31:04

-The minibus. Look.

-Well done.

0:31:040:31:06

Ben and Hugh have now reached the Huancabamba canyon and the dirt track which runs alongside it.

0:31:180:31:24

It's a notoriously unstable road

0:31:240:31:27

with drops of over 300 metres into the river below.

0:31:270:31:31

-I think this is the bumpiest section we've been on.

-Yes.

0:31:320:31:36

-Is it possible to get whiplash at 15 miles an hour?

-I think so.

0:31:400:31:43

Steady...

0:31:470:31:48

This is the highest point of the canyon,

0:31:530:31:56

and oncoming traffic is a real danger.

0:31:560:31:59

In 2009, two tourists veered off the road here

0:31:590:32:02

and plunged to their deaths in the valley below.

0:32:020:32:05

BOTH: Ohhh-ohhh!

0:32:100:32:12

Stop here? He wants us to go over here.

0:32:230:32:27

-Does he want us to go over here?

-I don't know.

0:32:270:32:30

It's a single-track road and the trucks aren't giving way.

0:32:300:32:35

Shall I go into there?

0:32:380:32:40

-Oh, blimey.

-How close am I?

0:32:450:32:49

Is that enough room?

0:32:490:32:51

Look at this drop here.

0:32:570:32:58

He was fairly insistent, wasn't he?

0:33:060:33:09

He didn't want us to go there. That was like, "You're going there, mate."

0:33:090:33:13

I thought that was quite slick.

0:33:270:33:28

Do you think they could tell we weren't from around here?

0:33:300:33:32

-What's that?

-Wilkommen.

0:33:370:33:41

Wilkommen in... What does that say?

0:33:410:33:43

Pozuzo.

0:33:430:33:46

-Einzigen Osterriechisch Deutschen kolonie der welt.

-Can you translate that?

0:33:460:33:52

Welcome to Pozuzo - the only Austrian, German colony...

0:33:520:33:58

-in the world. 1859.

-This is weird.

0:33:580:34:01

This is weird.

0:34:080:34:10

It looks like we have arrived in an Austrian village.

0:34:100:34:15

This is so un-Peruvian.

0:34:150:34:19

It's like a ski resort, isn't it?

0:34:190:34:21

A ski resort in the jungle.

0:34:210:34:24

It's incredibly neat as well, isn't it?

0:34:240:34:27

This is a bit freaky, it's a bit like a toy town, isn't it?

0:34:270:34:31

He looks German - that man looked German.

0:34:330:34:36

-Where?

-There. Look how tall he is!

0:34:360:34:39

There is a very, very great danger of me starting to indulge in national stereotyping.

0:34:390:34:47

How on earth did a place like this get here?

0:34:470:34:51

That's what I don't understand.

0:34:510:34:53

Pozuzo is still inhabited by the descendants of the

0:34:550:34:58

European settlers, who arrived here in the mid 19th century.

0:34:580:35:02

Like local resident Jose Castrada.

0:35:020:35:05

We can't help but notice there is an enormous ship in the middle of the square -

0:35:050:35:09

in the middle of the jungle here. What on earth is this here?

0:35:090:35:11

The story began

0:35:110:35:14

in 1850. The Government here in Peru pursued the idea of colonising the central jungle.

0:35:140:35:21

334 people board in Antwerp - a part of them were Austrians and a part of them were Germans.

0:35:210:35:28

So, can you tell us a bit about the boat journey and how long it took?

0:35:280:35:31

It took about four months to come here from Antwerp.

0:35:310:35:35

It was a guano ship - they ration the water, they ration the food and everything.

0:35:350:35:40

-I think six people died there.

-So, pretty miserable existence on board.

0:35:400:35:43

Of course.

0:35:430:35:45

They landed here in Peru and they hiked more than two years to come here.

0:35:450:35:50

It took them two years to get from the coast...?

0:35:500:35:53

Yeah, from the coast here.

0:35:530:35:54

Only 180 came here to Pozuzo.

0:35:540:35:57

So, what happened to

0:35:570:36:00

that missing 150 or so?

0:36:000:36:02

Lots of them gave up and lots of them died on the way.

0:36:020:36:05

Died from disease?

0:36:050:36:07

From disease, from hunger, cold and so on.

0:36:070:36:12

So, what were they expecting when they got here?

0:36:120:36:13

Did they think there would be buildings and roads, what were they promised?

0:36:130:36:18

No, they was expecting to have land and to have a road connection to the capital.

0:36:180:36:24

-Which they didn't?

-They didn't.

0:36:240:36:26

So when did the road finally arrive?

0:36:260:36:28

Well, after 100 years of isolation, in 1975,

0:36:280:36:34

the road arrived here in Pozuzo for the first time.

0:36:340:36:38

And with the road came also the new things - new materials, new communications.

0:36:380:36:43

-And wealth?

-And wealth also.

0:36:430:36:46

-Jose, thank you very much.

-Thank you.

0:36:460:36:50

-Auf Wiedersehn.

-Auf Wiedersehn.

0:36:500:36:52

Pozuzo has thrived since the arrival of the road

0:36:530:36:56

but it remains proud of its European roots and still receives financial support from Germany and Austria.

0:36:560:37:03

The next stage of the journey to find the city of Constitucion, runs from Pozuzo across the fearsome

0:37:060:37:11

Huancabamba Canyon, to the town of Codo.

0:37:110:37:14

But first they need to change their vehicle, as the road ahead can't be driven in an ordinary 4x4.

0:37:160:37:23

This garage rents pick-up trucks with higher ground clearance

0:37:240:37:28

to cope with the most challenging jungle tracks.

0:37:280:37:30

-So this must be our car.

-I think so, Hola, senor.

0:37:300:37:34

THEY SPEAK SPANISH

0:37:340:37:38

So he said, this is the car we wanted for the route.

0:37:430:37:46

-Let's have a look around.

-Why do you kick that?

0:37:480:37:50

It's what everyone does. I've seen them. You kick it and it makes it look good.

0:37:500:37:54

-You have no idea what it's for though.

-I'm going to check the back.

0:37:540:37:56

This is great, one of us can ride up in the top here.

0:37:560:38:00

That's fine by me, I'll drive you stay up there.

0:38:000:38:04

Do you think it'll be bouncy?

0:38:040:38:05

Oooh!

0:38:050:38:08

The road out of Pozuzo is crossed by several streams, which cascade into

0:38:090:38:12

the river below, making the road-surface unpredictable and prone to collapse.

0:38:120:38:18

Well, the locals say that this is one of

0:38:200:38:23

the hardest parts that's coming up.

0:38:230:38:27

I'm actually, for the first time, feeling a little bit nervous.

0:38:270:38:30

Look at this!

0:38:330:38:36

Where does the road go?

0:38:360:38:38

Where is the road?

0:38:390:38:41

I think the road used to go there.

0:38:430:38:46

-Across there?

-That must be the road there.

0:38:460:38:49

Sorry, you couldn't really see it, could you?

0:38:490:38:52

You keep your eyes on the road,

0:38:520:38:54

or one the track or on the mud, whatever we call it.

0:38:540:38:57

I do think you should be careful at this bit here.

0:39:010:39:04

Because it's straight on?

0:39:040:39:06

Well, because I can see there are marks

0:39:060:39:08

that go straight on and it looks like someone's done that already.

0:39:080:39:11

-There are, aren't there?

-This is where people skid off.

0:39:110:39:13

Those tyre tracks go right over the edge.

0:39:130:39:16

There's not a car over there, is there?

0:39:160:39:19

Oh, Lord!

0:39:200:39:22

This is mad.

0:39:230:39:26

This is not a road.

0:39:280:39:31

Ben and Hugh are still 350 kilometres away from the centre

0:39:390:39:43

of Peru and the site chosen for the new capital of Constitucion.

0:39:430:39:46

Do you think we'll find this place?

0:39:460:39:49

I find it a bit worrying that it's not on our map

0:39:510:39:55

that we were looking at but other people have heard of it.

0:39:550:39:56

-Some people have heard of it.

-It was only built in the 1980s.

0:39:560:39:59

Well, we don't even know how much of it was built.

0:39:590:40:03

And the further we go, the more ridiculous I think this idea of a new capital is.

0:40:040:40:09

They now have to cross the river to reach the town of Codo.

0:40:100:40:15

A brand new two-lane bridge is under construction but unfortunately it doesn't open for another few weeks.

0:40:150:40:21

They will have to use the old bridge, which is currently being prepared for demolition.

0:40:210:40:27

Oh, bloody hell.

0:40:270:40:29

-No way!

-Look at that!

0:40:290:40:33

Oh, my God!

0:40:360:40:37

As they approach the bridge, Hugh is worried about the brakes.

0:40:390:40:44

How does that feel?

0:40:440:40:46

Should be all right, as long as I can stop it.

0:40:460:40:48

-Well, that's the thing, can you? Do you want to try here.

-Oh, I can now.

0:40:480:40:51

You can? Definitely stop?

0:40:510:40:53

We're going... I'm serious though we will go straight over that edge.

0:40:530:40:56

Look at this tight...

0:40:560:40:58

You've got to somehow turn here.

0:40:580:40:59

You're going to have to do a zillion point turn.

0:40:590:41:02

I'm not in any gear.

0:41:070:41:09

Push the clutch.

0:41:090:41:11

That's low so that should be back into high, so can you get a gear now?

0:41:110:41:14

-Are you into reverse?

-I don't want reverse, I want to go forward.

0:41:140:41:17

You should be able to now, OK.

0:41:170:41:19

OK, OK, that's probably close.

0:41:220:41:24

-Do you want me to actually get out and point you over here?

-Yeah.

0:41:300:41:33

Hola, senor.

0:41:350:41:37

Pull her round this way.

0:41:390:41:41

THEY SPEAK SPANISH

0:41:440:41:45

He said it's safe.

0:41:450:41:48

Turning, turning more.

0:41:480:41:49

You've got lots of room here, Hugh, lots more room.

0:41:490:41:54

Yeah, but none here.

0:41:540:41:56

I've got to go back, I can't do that. I've got to go back.

0:41:560:42:00

The pick-up is pressing against one of the pillars holding the bridge up.

0:42:000:42:03

And now the engineer is concerned.

0:42:030:42:06

HE SPEAKS SPANISH

0:42:060:42:08

Whoa!

0:42:110:42:12

You OK?

0:42:140:42:15

I've got to go back.

0:42:210:42:23

Turn the wheels around, turn the wheels more,

0:42:260:42:27

turn them more, turn the wheels more.

0:42:270:42:29

Yeah, yeah, that's good.

0:42:290:42:31

ENGINE REVS

0:42:310:42:34

Start turning, turning more. Full on.

0:42:400:42:43

Now turn the wheels over to this side here.

0:42:430:42:47

OK.

0:42:500:42:51

THEY SPEAK SPANISH

0:42:530:42:55

OK.

0:42:560:42:57

We're not even across the bridge yet and that's the most terrifying bit of it.

0:43:050:43:09

This is unbelievable. We're not off it yet.

0:43:090:43:13

How am I doing on that side?

0:43:130:43:14

You've got lots of room.

0:43:140:43:16

-When you say loads of room...

-Lots.

-Gordon Bennett!

0:43:160:43:21

Look at it bouncing. Can you feel it?

0:43:210:43:23

Yeah, don't worry, I'm going very slowly now.

0:43:230:43:26

-Woo hoo!

-I'm going to jump.

0:43:300:43:31

-Have a look, that is unbelievable.

-I'm gonna get out and have a look at that.

0:43:350:43:38

Yeah, that was a terrifying bridge to go across.

0:43:450:43:47

When he was turning his wheels, they were going into the wire and actually hanging over the bridge.

0:43:470:43:54

-How much did you sweat?

-Quite a lot.

0:43:540:43:57

-Do you want to feel that?

-Not really.

0:43:570:43:59

I was steering, Ben was guiding, so the fact I hit the pillar is at least 40% his fault.

0:43:590:44:06

So, no truck can get across there, can it?

0:44:060:44:09

We have seen two trucks today.

0:44:090:44:10

They can't have come across that, can they?

0:44:100:44:13

It was "bien danado",

0:44:140:44:17

which means well damaged, as one of the workmen said as we drove past afterwards.

0:44:170:44:21

I kept that secret from Hugh. I think he was a bit...

0:44:210:44:24

I think he felt a bit dented himself.

0:44:240:44:26

-Shall we carry on?

-Yeah, let's.

0:44:260:44:29

I thought I was going to have a heart attack earlier. Can you drive?

0:44:290:44:31

Can I drive?

0:44:310:44:33

It's taken an hour to clear the bridge and they have to drive

0:44:390:44:42

the rest of the road in the dark before reaching Codo, where they can plan the route ahead.

0:44:420:44:47

This last bit.

0:44:490:44:51

We were in the Canyon of the Huancas, did you know that?

0:44:510:44:55

And now we go up here and then somewhere in here...

0:44:550:45:00

is Constitucion...

0:45:000:45:02

and what's rather alarming about it is there is no road

0:45:020:45:06

-or road marks.

-And, more notably, no mention of the lost city.

0:45:060:45:12

And we've got to find it. Well, that should be easy.

0:45:120:45:17

Ben and Hugh have now reached the final stage of their journey.

0:45:190:45:23

Constitucion reportedly lies at the geographical centre of Peru.

0:45:230:45:27

To get there, they must leave the river valley,

0:45:270:45:30

then drive across swampland into the heart of the jungle.

0:45:300:45:34

But the canyon has one final terrifying climb to negotiate.

0:45:370:45:42

It's too early in the morning for this.

0:45:430:45:46

This is so narrow. Can I say, I can't see where the drop is there?

0:45:490:45:54

-Keep as close to that side as you can.

-Am I OK with that drop?

0:45:540:45:56

Oh, my God, I feel like I'm actually hanging over the side.

0:46:000:46:04

The pick-up is trapped between a sheer rock-face and the fast-flowing Huancabamba river.

0:46:050:46:12

Right, get over there now. Get over there.

0:46:120:46:14

There's another bit.

0:46:140:46:17

Close to that side as you can now.

0:46:180:46:20

Bugger me.

0:46:200:46:23

-Tell me how far.

-Just stay as close as you can to that wall.

0:46:230:46:27

Don't worry about this side but if you keep as close as you can...

0:46:290:46:31

-I can't see that side.

-Get over there, get over there, get over there.

0:46:310:46:34

This is ridiculous.

0:46:360:46:39

If I hit the rock, I'll bounce back in.

0:46:390:46:42

Well, don't hit the rock then.

0:46:420:46:44

They have finally cleared the river valley and are close to the centre of Peru.

0:46:550:47:01

This section of the road was only built a few years ago but already

0:47:010:47:04

has had a huge impact on the local environment.

0:47:040:47:07

Illegal tree felling has cleared vast areas of rainforest

0:47:070:47:12

and cattle farming ensures that the jungle cannot grow back.

0:47:120:47:16

On the map, we are in the middle

0:47:240:47:27

of the jungle, do you remember looking at that?

0:47:270:47:29

There was no roads - nothing around.

0:47:290:47:31

So this should be thick, primary jungle.

0:47:310:47:36

And look around us.

0:47:360:47:38

I guess this road mostly is just used to take wood, isn't it?

0:47:410:47:43

Take logs. See these trees here - the big ones.

0:47:430:47:47

It looks to me as though they're the ones that have been left.

0:47:470:47:52

They've cleared massive areas of trees, haven't they?

0:47:520:47:55

The further these roads encroach into the rainforest,

0:47:550:47:59

the more the natural resources they're going to be exploiting.

0:47:590:48:02

This could be one of the first landscapes that becomes extinct.

0:48:020:48:06

The end of Ben and Hugh's journey is now only 75 kilometres away.

0:48:090:48:15

But this final stage of the road was only completed two years ago and doesn't even appear on the map.

0:48:150:48:21

It's known to locals simply as the Mud Road.

0:48:210:48:25

This is a good road, isn't it?

0:48:250:48:27

OK, so now we want to go into this one over here -

0:48:360:48:40

so out to the right.

0:48:410:48:43

I'm stuck.

0:48:430:48:45

Now into first and if you pull it around to the right a little bit...

0:48:540:48:58

They have only gone three kilometres but they are already stuck.

0:49:010:49:05

It's spinning, spinning.

0:49:070:49:09

What you want to do, Hugh, you've got some drier stuff up here, yeah, exactly.

0:49:090:49:14

Nice, slow tread...

0:49:140:49:16

We're going to go back into that hole. I've got to go back.

0:49:160:49:19

If the pick-up can't get through the mud, they are trouble.

0:49:220:49:26

There are no rescue services in the middle of the jungle.

0:49:260:49:30

If you turn the wheels right...

0:49:300:49:33

I don't know if you can get enough traction.

0:49:340:49:37

It's going to send me back into that hole.

0:49:370:49:39

Agh, so nearly.

0:49:450:49:48

What we want to do is try and get traction up pointing into the jungle - that way.

0:49:480:49:53

It's what we want to try and do. There's a bit of a slope, yeah. Nice slow traction, yeah.

0:49:530:49:57

Go, go, go, go, go...

0:50:000:50:02

Keep going, keep going!

0:50:020:50:04

-Yes!

-Now where?

0:50:050:50:07

Into here. Straight on there. Yep.

0:50:070:50:10

Into this bit.

0:50:100:50:11

Don't smile yet.

0:50:210:50:22

We've still got another 50 miles.

0:50:250:50:26

Of this! I know.

0:50:260:50:28

Other vehicles are few and far between on the Mud Road.

0:50:290:50:33

This one belongs to Jose Caballero - a local mayor and the official responsible for roads in this area.

0:50:330:50:39

So who built this road?

0:50:390:50:41

He built it.

0:50:420:50:44

I'm saying, for us,

0:50:530:50:55

it's a little bit difficult.

0:50:550:50:58

-What he's saying is, in their winter, this is impassable.

-At the moment this is good?

0:51:020:51:07

-This is a great road.

-What happens if we get stuck?

0:51:110:51:14

The key is to go with another vehicle and make sure they've got ropes to pull one out.

0:51:210:51:26

No mobile reception or anything here.

0:51:290:51:31

Would you like to come with us?

0:51:310:51:33

I said it's a joke.

0:51:330:51:35

I think he was taking you seriously, although we are being serious, aren't we, in a kind of way?

0:51:350:51:41

Ben has taken over for the final section of the Mud Road, which they hope leads to Constitucion.

0:51:430:51:50

Even experienced local drivers get bogged down here.

0:51:500:51:53

Cross over to this side, do you think?

0:51:540:51:56

Yeah, and that side seems to be used.

0:51:560:51:59

As long as it doesn't take us into that tree.

0:51:590:52:01

I could add to your dent.

0:52:010:52:03

-WE made that dent!

-I have to agree.

0:52:060:52:09

Whoa, fucking hell!

0:52:110:52:13

Pardon me, viewers.

0:52:130:52:15

The last kilometre of this road is completely submerged

0:52:180:52:21

but the boys are finally getting the hang of mud driving.

0:52:210:52:25

It's coming in through the window.

0:52:250:52:28

-What are you doing?

-I'm just following the tracks.

0:52:290:52:31

Oh, that's fantastic. Every time you think it's over, it's not over.

0:52:310:52:35

It's not over till the fat woman sings. Bloody hell!

0:52:350:52:38

Beautiful!

0:52:400:52:42

-Go, go, go.

-Go, Fogle!

0:52:420:52:46

Go, go!

0:52:460:52:48

Well done, mate. That was fantastic.

0:52:480:52:51

Yes!

0:52:510:52:52

They have arrived in a small dirt town that emerged in the 1980s to house and feed

0:52:590:53:04

construction crews who came to build the city of Constitucion.

0:53:040:53:09

To discover what happened to the dream of a new Peruvian capital,

0:53:110:53:16

Ben and Hugh have come to a local government office...

0:53:160:53:18

Ah, David!

0:53:180:53:20

..Where David Zevallos is a guide and historian.

0:53:210:53:23

This is our ex-president, Fernando Belaunde Terry.

0:53:230:53:27

He was a very important man for us and he decided to build Constitucion city in the middle of the jungle.

0:53:270:53:33

And how big was it going to be?

0:53:330:53:35

It was going to be a big city. It was going to be the capital of Peru.

0:53:350:53:40

Here you can see the plans here.

0:53:400:53:42

Here we have the civic centre, the commercial centre,

0:53:420:53:44

-houses that he wanted to build like this for our citizens.

-Look at that!

0:53:440:53:48

That is a massive project, isn't it?

0:53:480:53:50

Look at the size of that road! That looks like a triple-lane highway.

0:53:500:53:54

So, why did he choose here as the location for the new capital?

0:53:540:53:58

He thought it was a strategic place.

0:53:580:54:00

-A strategic place?

-A strategic place.

0:54:000:54:03

Yeah, it was the centre of the jungle.

0:54:030:54:05

It was important but it was nothing at the end, because we couldn't finish that.

0:54:050:54:10

So what went wrong?

0:54:100:54:12

Well, there was a lot of corruption.

0:54:120:54:14

There was a lot of people robbing money.

0:54:140:54:16

-Are you disappointed that this never got off the ground?

-Yes, of course.

0:54:160:54:20

As a Peruvian citizen, I am disappointed for that because a lot of people would be living there.

0:54:200:54:29

And now it's just forgotten in the middle of the jungle.

0:54:290:54:32

But you can see it at the end of the road.

0:54:320:54:35

We can see where this was going to be?

0:54:350:54:37

Yes, it was going to be at the end of the road.

0:54:370:54:39

Thanks very much. Muchos gracias.

0:54:390:54:42

You're welcome.

0:54:420:54:44

The site chosen for the new capital lies three kilometres away,

0:54:450:54:50

at the exact geographical centre of Peru.

0:54:500:54:53

President Belaunde Terry's grand vision was for a huge road through the jungle, leading to the new city.

0:54:530:55:01

Thousands of indigenous people were moved from their land in preparation.

0:55:010:55:05

But, today, little but the road remains.

0:55:050:55:08

So, this would have all been part of it, I guess, wouldn't it?

0:55:110:55:14

This road we're on now would have all been part of those plans, isn't it?

0:55:140:55:18

So this might be - literally - the end of the road.

0:55:200:55:24

It's not often you actually find that point.

0:55:240:55:28

So this is effectively what's left

0:55:290:55:32

of the city of Constitucion.

0:55:320:55:33

The new city was abandoned after only a few houses were built,

0:55:370:55:41

but it is now inhabited by members of the Ashaninka people - the largest indigenous tribe in Peru.

0:55:410:55:49

The community is led by 72-year-old Alicia Arellano.

0:55:490:55:53

BEN SPEAKS SPANISH

0:55:530:55:55

Alicia.

0:56:000:56:02

Hugh.

0:56:020:56:03

So she's been here for 23 years.

0:56:080:56:11

So that's President Belaunde created these buildings they moved into.

0:56:140:56:19

So they had to clean it all. They had to pull back the jungle again.

0:56:250:56:30

So she is from the jungle.

0:56:320:56:35

Her people are from the jungle.

0:56:350:56:36

So it's kind of they claimed it back almost, haven't they?

0:56:360:56:39

-Gracias.

-Gracias.

0:56:390:56:42

There is a community - a proper community here.

0:56:480:56:50

And all these buildings are now used by the tribes that were forced off the land to build the city,

0:56:500:56:56

so they've reclaimed it, which is rather satisfying in a way...

0:56:560:57:00

not for President Belaunde but I find that really rather satisfying.

0:57:000:57:04

I think this journey - this road we've been on - has taken so many twists and turns in every sense.

0:57:040:57:10

It actually doesn't surprise me that the ending has been just as

0:57:100:57:13

strange as everything we've found along the way.

0:57:130:57:16

Ben and Hugh have reached the end of their journey and can now head for home.

0:57:230:57:27

Over the last eight days, they have driven right across Peru,

0:57:270:57:31

on one of the world's most dangerous roads, and survived to tell the tale.

0:57:310:57:37

We were able to travel from the Andes, deep into the rainforest.

0:57:370:57:40

I don't think you'll find a road with quite such variety anywhere in the world.

0:57:400:57:44

It's an incredibly impressive enterprise, actually.

0:57:440:57:47

One, the fact they've got it in the first place, which is almost a miracle, I think.

0:57:470:57:51

And, secondly, the fact they are constantly clearing it and making sure people can get through.

0:57:510:57:57

It's a huge trust experience to take the wheel and be in charge of quite a precious cargo, really.

0:57:570:58:04

There was the odd kind of, "Steer left, steer left, or you're going to kill us!"

0:58:090:58:14

But I think that's fair enough.

0:58:140:58:16

I think all of those stressful moments, happy moments...

0:58:160:58:19

that's what creates the journey, isn't it? It's what

0:58:190:58:22

bonds you together.

0:58:220:58:24

When I hit the dashboard, Mr Fogle...

0:58:240:58:28

I'd like you to do an emergency stop.

0:58:280:58:31

Why are you driving?

0:58:350:58:37

-Don't you think I should be driving?

-I didn't crash into a bridge.

0:58:370:58:39

I didn't hit a cow, did I?

0:58:390:58:42

Yours is too bumpy, your driving.

0:58:420:58:44

You don't seem able to cope with bends.

0:58:440:58:46

You got stuck in the mud!

0:58:460:58:47

You got stuck in the mud!

0:58:470:58:49

We both got stuck in the mud.

0:58:490:58:51

Mind the motor, taxi!

0:58:510:58:53

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