0:00:03 > 0:00:04Whoa, hey!
0:00:04 > 0:00:06DARA LAUGHS
0:00:07 > 0:00:11'My fellow comedian, Ed Byrne, and I are on an epic road trip.'
0:00:11 > 0:00:15We have been in this car for nearly a month.
0:00:15 > 0:00:20'We're travelling 4,000 miles down the longest road in the world -
0:00:20 > 0:00:22'the Pan-American Highway.'
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Wow, look at that!
0:00:24 > 0:00:27'We'll be passing through some of the most spectacular...
0:00:29 > 0:00:32'..and volatile countries on the planet.'
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Look at that over there - over there.
0:00:35 > 0:00:36Oh, my God.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41'Today, this great road is the main artery through the Americas...
0:00:43 > 0:00:45'..but 75 years ago,
0:00:45 > 0:00:47'it was little more than a cart track.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52'Then, three adventurers from Detroit
0:00:52 > 0:00:56'set out to drive all the way from North to South America.'
0:00:56 > 0:01:00It was an expedition to attempt what no-one has ever done.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04'Crossing jungles, fording rivers and conquering mountains,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07'they forged a route for what would eventually become
0:01:07 > 0:01:09'the Pan-American Highway.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12'Using their journal as a guide,
0:01:12 > 0:01:17'we'll follow their path from the USA all the way to Panama.'
0:01:17 > 0:01:19- That's impressive, isn't it? - It's incredibly impressive.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23'This time, we'll be riding with Costa Rican cowboys...'
0:01:23 > 0:01:24Ed, stop showboating.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27Dirty cow protest, is that what it is?
0:01:27 > 0:01:29'..crewing on the Panama Canal...'
0:01:29 > 0:01:30Bingo!
0:01:32 > 0:01:35'..and deep in the jungle, Dara puts his foot in it.'
0:01:35 > 0:01:36Ooh!
0:01:38 > 0:01:42I recommend a dry rot expert to come in and spray this place.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45'We'll discover how this highway
0:01:45 > 0:01:48'has changed the lives of the people who live on its route,
0:01:48 > 0:01:52'on our very own Pan-American road trip of a lifetime.'
0:02:08 > 0:02:10'After nearly three weeks,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13'Ed and I are into the final leg of our epic journey
0:02:13 > 0:02:15'through Central America.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19'And now, we're heading further south, into Costa Rica.'
0:02:19 > 0:02:21This is a wildlife paradise.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26- There are more animals... - Stop introducing me to Costa Rica.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29- I'm sorry... - I can see it! It's all around us.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32- I know, but it's full of animals... - Stop showing me YOUR Costa Rica.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36It's not MY Costa Rica, I've never been in this part of Costa Rica.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40I'm on holiday somewhere, in a different part of the same country.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43- Also, if this doesn't offend you... - Mmm-hmm?
0:02:43 > 0:02:47..it's one of the only countries in the world which has an ironic name.
0:02:47 > 0:02:48This better be ironic.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Do you know what the name means - "Costa Rica"?
0:02:50 > 0:02:53- "Costa" is "coast". - Yeah.- "Rica"...
0:02:53 > 0:02:56- "Rich"?- Yes, they called it "Costa Rica" because they presumed
0:02:56 > 0:02:59it was going to be rich with minerals - and it has nothing.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02It's got no mineral worth at all, I think.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04It's still called "Rich Coast", ironically.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Then again, that's probably no more ironic than the West Indies.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13It is beautiful though, isn't it?
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Armed with the original expedition journal, Adventure South,
0:03:21 > 0:03:23our last chapter in the Pan-American Highway
0:03:23 > 0:03:25takes us through the mountains of Costa Rica
0:03:25 > 0:03:28to Panama and its world-famous canal.
0:03:31 > 0:03:32Finally, we head into
0:03:32 > 0:03:35the mysterious wilderness of the Darien Gap,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38which separates North from South America.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44But first, we're following the Pan-Am along the exact same trail
0:03:44 > 0:03:45blazed by the three adventurers -
0:03:45 > 0:03:49Sullivan Richardson, Ken Van Hee and Arnold Whitaker,
0:03:49 > 0:03:50over 70 years ago.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54When finally we entered Costa Rica,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57our first surprise was to see these trees of yellow golden flowers,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59standing out above the jungles.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Across the hills,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04they appear like huge nuggets of gold in a grey-green setting.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Up close, they're as lovely and as delicate as any flowers we've seen.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11But the flowers soon turned to mud,
0:04:11 > 0:04:15as the intrepid explorers became bogged down in jungle paths.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22They were rescued more than once by local sabaneros,
0:04:22 > 0:04:23Costa Rica's legendary cowboys.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Hi, how are you?
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Modern-day sabanero Gonzalo Sanchez is the owner of the El Cojito Ranch.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38How long have your family been on this farm?
0:04:38 > 0:04:42This farm was bought by my great-grandfather in 1916.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44- 1916?- Yes.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48So your family would have been here when the men we're following...
0:04:48 > 0:04:50- Yes...- ..went through here in the '40s?- Yes.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54And in the past, old farm was a cattle farm,
0:04:54 > 0:04:58but now the cattle business is in a bad situation,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01so we prefer to produce sugar cane.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Right. Sugar cane doesn't need cowboys, does it?
0:05:04 > 0:05:08No, that is a big problem, because the sabanero is going to disappear.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Gonzalo still keeps several hundred head of cattle on the ranch
0:05:13 > 0:05:14and needs to round them up.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23Luckily, two of Ireland's finest horsemen have volunteered to help.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25How do you make it start? Where does the key go?
0:05:25 > 0:05:28- You have to push your legs like this...- Like what?
0:05:28 > 0:05:30I'm looking at your legs. I'm not seeing what it is
0:05:30 > 0:05:33that my legs aren't doing that your legs are doing.
0:05:33 > 0:05:34GONZALO WHISTLES
0:05:35 > 0:05:37Come on, I know you're slow.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Ed, stop showboating.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Back to the rest of the class, come on!
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Oh, yeah. Drop a load on me, I know.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Dirty cow protest, is that what it is?
0:05:50 > 0:05:51COW MOOS
0:05:51 > 0:05:54You're kind of a "stop and smell the roses" kind of horse, aren't you?
0:05:54 > 0:05:56You do things when you want to do them.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58I have literally one gear on this horse.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01You have to be firm with them, that's the thing.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Cattle ranching was first brought to Costa Rica
0:06:06 > 0:06:09by the Spanish, 500 years ago.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Now, the free-spirited sabaneros are revered throughout Costa Rica
0:06:14 > 0:06:17for their horsemanship and cattle-wrangling skills.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21- Vamanos!- Andale!
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Ed seems to have found his inner sabanero.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26I am still looking for mine.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Do you have any openings? Do you think we could get a job here?
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Yes, of course. If you want, I can...
0:06:32 > 0:06:34I think we can separate this out.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36One of us seems to be quite good at this -
0:06:36 > 0:06:39and the other one couldn't get a second speed on his horse.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41COW MOOS
0:06:41 > 0:06:43'But there's one more thing we need to master
0:06:43 > 0:06:45'before we can become true cowboys.'
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Norbert is going to tell you how to use the rope.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56'The sabaneros still rely on their well-honed rope tricks
0:06:56 > 0:06:58'to manage the feisty calves.'
0:06:58 > 0:06:59There, perfect.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10- Do you like the sneaking I'm doing, as well?- Yeah, I can see you.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12He's not going to hear you coming.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16CHEERING
0:07:16 > 0:07:19- Quick, Ed - double it up! - There you go! Come on!
0:07:21 > 0:07:23We've hooked ourselves a big one!
0:07:23 > 0:07:26'Lassoing a tree is relatively easy.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31'But now, it's time for a fast-moving cow.'
0:07:34 > 0:07:35DARA LAUGHS
0:07:35 > 0:07:37How eager are you?
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Just go in and put it on his head.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45I don't want to be doing this! I don't want to be doing this!
0:07:45 > 0:07:48I don't want to be doing this!
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Yeah, but you let go of your rope.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52That is a small technical problem.
0:07:52 > 0:07:53Now I need my rope back.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Don't poo on my rope!
0:08:02 > 0:08:04Despite our best efforts,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07the skills of the sabaneros may soon be gone for ever.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Since the late 1980s,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12crops have become more profitable than beef
0:08:12 > 0:08:14and many cattle farms have closed.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20El Cojito is one of the last ranches in the area
0:08:20 > 0:08:23keeping the cowboy traditions alive.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25- So, did you like the experience? - BOTH: Oh, it was fantastic!
0:08:25 > 0:08:28- It was wonderful. - You look like real cowboys.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31You feel like a cowboy, when you're sitting on a horse. It's just...
0:08:31 > 0:08:33It naturally gives you a certain stature.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38Straightens your back, it lends you an air of dignity and...gravitas.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Come on, let's go. Come on.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42No, I mean, this is "let's go". There you go.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51By March 1941,
0:08:51 > 0:08:55the expedition had been on the road for four months.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59With Sullivan as navigator, Ken as cook and Arnold the mechanic,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03they had coaxed their battered Plymouth as far as the River Sapoa -
0:09:03 > 0:09:05an area rich in wildlife.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10This chap's older brother had captured this little anteater
0:09:10 > 0:09:14a day or two before we came along, and now the boy plays with it,
0:09:14 > 0:09:15as your little son or brother
0:09:15 > 0:09:18would play with a pet kitten around the house.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23A year after the expedition passed this way, the US kick-started
0:09:23 > 0:09:27the construction of the Pan-American Highway in Costa Rica,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29with a donation of 40 million.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35'Today, it looks like the engineers are back.'
0:09:37 > 0:09:39Look at this for a road-widening programme.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44"It's currently two lanes, so should we make it three,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47"should we make it four? No, six - let's go straight to six."
0:09:47 > 0:09:49That's right! How many roads are they planning to build?
0:09:49 > 0:09:53Are they trying to build three parallel Pan-American Highways?
0:09:55 > 0:09:57'The expanding highway now cuts through
0:09:57 > 0:10:00'two of Costa Rica's most important national parks.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07'Dara and I have come to the Rescate Las Pumas animal rescue centre,
0:10:07 > 0:10:11'which deals with the devastating consequences of the road
0:10:11 > 0:10:12'on local wildlife.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19'Whilst Dara goes in search of the big cats,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21'I'm meeting Dr Martha Sanchez,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24'to find out about the most vulnerable animals.'
0:10:26 > 0:10:28- Do you want to feed him? - Oh, God, yes!
0:10:30 > 0:10:33- Poco... - Right, just a little squeeze.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35There we go.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38'This three-month-old baby anteater
0:10:38 > 0:10:41'was found by the roadside, two weeks ago.'
0:10:41 > 0:10:45The orphans come here, because their mothers die in the road.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47You can see in one week,
0:10:47 > 0:10:51four or five anteaters die in the street.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55And it's very expensive to take care of these animals.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57No-one's done anything?
0:10:57 > 0:10:59So, the people building the roads don't throw you...
0:10:59 > 0:11:01No, nobody gives money.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10'Costa Rica now depends on its wildlife to generate tourist dollars.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12'Sanctuaries like this one,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15'which rescue a wide range of animals from the Pan-American Highway,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19'are key to protecting not just the country's diversity,
0:11:19 > 0:11:20'but also its income.'
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Will you ever be able to release her back into the wild,
0:11:26 > 0:11:28or does she have to stay here, now?
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Yes, she needs to stay here maybe six, seven months.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33- Six or seven months?- Uh-huh.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37'Whilst the centre rehabilitates many of the animals,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40'some, like the jaguar Rafael, live here permanently.'
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Rafael came three months old.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49He was a baby, the mum was killed.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53'Esther Pomerada is the centre's chief biologist
0:11:53 > 0:11:57'and she's asked me to help prepare Rafa's morning entertainment.'
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- That's cowhide, is it?- Yeah, it's cow - and inside is a coconut.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04'Toys like the cowhide pina colada are designed
0:12:04 > 0:12:07'to stop Rafael getting bored in captivity.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12'He also gets to play with a perfumed log.'
0:12:12 > 0:12:15That's actually... That is genuinely Chanel No 5?
0:12:15 > 0:12:18- Yeah.- What does the perfume make him do?
0:12:18 > 0:12:21Will Rafael nuzzle against it and...?
0:12:22 > 0:12:25- Yes.- Does Rafael have some fun with the log?
0:12:25 > 0:12:28The perfume has pheromones that motivate him
0:12:28 > 0:12:30and you will see the response to that.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32Grab your little tree, my friend.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37- Oh, yes.- He knows.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42- It's not mean to get him all excited like this, is it?- No.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44Oh, he's found a toy.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49What effect do the roads have on jaguars?
0:12:49 > 0:12:53The first effect is that the roads fragmentate
0:12:53 > 0:12:55the habitat of the jaguars,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58because they tried to move to get new territories to hunt,
0:12:58 > 0:13:02because they have the cubs on one side and they need to move,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05so they can be killed on the road.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Time for conservation efforts for this kind of animal
0:13:09 > 0:13:13can be quite critical, aren't they? What's the population in Costa Rica?
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Well, right now we don't have exact numbers,
0:13:16 > 0:13:18but I don't believe that we have more than 200.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21- 200 in the entire country? - In the entire country.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24But if they start getting isolated into small groups...
0:13:24 > 0:13:28They will probably be extinct in a few years.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32This is the largest big cat in America...
0:13:32 > 0:13:35and we could be within one generation of losing jaguars completely?
0:13:35 > 0:13:36Yeah, that's right.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40'It's a sobering thought -
0:13:40 > 0:13:42'these great cats, on the brink of extinction.'
0:13:45 > 0:13:47And what sort of things could they do while building the road,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50to make it more friendly to the animals?
0:13:50 > 0:13:52First, research where the animals are crossing,
0:13:52 > 0:13:56to make underpasses, so the animals can go down,
0:13:56 > 0:14:00or put fences to guide the animals to go to these underpasses.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04And for the arboreal animals, they could build bridges
0:14:04 > 0:14:06that connect from one tree to another tree over...
0:14:06 > 0:14:08- Over the road?- ..over the road.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13He's a noisy little thing. We're trying to do an interview here!
0:14:13 > 0:14:15- Do you mind? - It's not all about you, is it?
0:14:15 > 0:14:17JAGUAR GROWLS MONKEY SHRIEKS
0:14:17 > 0:14:19'There are problems with the road,
0:14:19 > 0:14:23'but 25% of Costa Rica is protected national park.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26'They work hard to protect the wildlife.'
0:14:26 > 0:14:28It's a very... not just verdant place,
0:14:28 > 0:14:30but they're just tripping over life.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33This is a country the size of Ireland
0:14:33 > 0:14:36that has like five different types of big cat.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40Yeah, but I bet they haven't got as many different ways of cooking potatoes as we do.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43No, they don't. They hardly have any potatoes at all, to be honest.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47After nearly five months on the road,
0:14:47 > 0:14:51the expedition finally reached the Costa Rican capital, San Jose,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54in April 1941.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57They'd driven over 5,000 miles south -
0:14:57 > 0:14:59a feat which no-one had ever achieved before.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Sullivan's mission to drum up support
0:15:04 > 0:15:07for the building of the Pan-American Highway
0:15:07 > 0:15:09was becoming front-page news.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15It's only taken us three weeks to get to San Jose
0:15:15 > 0:15:19and by chance, we've arrived on election day, in a country that,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21unlike many we've driven through,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24has a proud, long history of democracy.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28Costa Ricans refer to themselves as "ticos"
0:15:28 > 0:15:30and to find out what makes them tick, Ed and I are meeting
0:15:30 > 0:15:33fellow comedian, Waleska Oporta, in the city's Central Park.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38- Waleska.- Hey, you guys. - Ed, nice to meet you.- How are you?
0:15:38 > 0:15:41- Excellent choice of place to meet, by the way.- I know, right?
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- It's a dense use of park.- Exactly.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46The last few countries we've been through, like Guatemala
0:15:46 > 0:15:48El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua...
0:15:48 > 0:15:51We've kind of characterised them as being mainly volcanoes
0:15:51 > 0:15:54and civil strife. That's kind of a lot of what's going on.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57- Costa Rica is completely different to those.- I think so.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00- It's not on the same level of civil war as...- We don't have any.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02We haven't had an army since 1948,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05so we're very pacifistic.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07All the money that was supposed to be invested in that
0:16:07 > 0:16:10has been invested in education, mostly.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12Because you have a 98% literacy rate - the highest in the area.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Yes, we do.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16You're like a strange oasis, to a certain extent,
0:16:16 > 0:16:18within this part of the world.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22Exactly, we're a unique kind, within our neighbours, I would say.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24That sounds super arrogant, but...
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Yeah, do they regard you as a bit smug and arrogant?
0:16:26 > 0:16:30We have a good relationship with Panamanians, because Panamanians,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32we think of as a party people -
0:16:32 > 0:16:35good, neighbourly and they have money.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37- So it's all good!- OK.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40But Nicaraguans fight. They've had wars, so...
0:16:40 > 0:16:45So we don't like confrontation, or the chance of getting beat up.
0:16:45 > 0:16:46I think I might be part Costa Rican.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48LAUGHTER
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Tell me about the relationship that ticos have with the United States.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Well, before, we used to admire them like gods
0:16:54 > 0:16:56and going to the States was a sign of status.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01But as time went on, I guess we kind of fell out of love with them
0:17:01 > 0:17:04and right now, we're a little bit disenchanted, I would say.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09The development of transport links, like the Pan-American Highway,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12coupled with cheap labour costs and tax breaks
0:17:12 > 0:17:15have seen a flood of US companies arriving in Costa Rica
0:17:15 > 0:17:16over recent years.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21We see all these big companies and they promise a million jobs
0:17:21 > 0:17:24and then only 500 people get hired.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Now, we want to actually ask for our rights.
0:17:26 > 0:17:27If you're going to come into our country,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30we want your companies to pay the taxes that they should pay
0:17:30 > 0:17:32and not just be here because
0:17:32 > 0:17:35you're friends with a certain person in power.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37You're a small, highly educated,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40traditionally-valued country
0:17:40 > 0:17:43that has a lot of multinational American corporations coming here,
0:17:43 > 0:17:44exploiting the tax laws.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46- Yes.- You're Ireland, basically.
0:17:46 > 0:17:47LAUGHTER
0:17:47 > 0:17:49You're Ireland, with some more sunshine
0:17:49 > 0:17:52and tiny, cute furry animals...
0:17:52 > 0:17:54- SOME more sunshine? - There's significantly...
0:17:54 > 0:17:57If we could take the heat, we'd move here in the morning.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59LAUGHTER
0:17:59 > 0:18:02'There's one more thing I wanted to ask Waleska -
0:18:02 > 0:18:03'what's the craic in Costa Rica?'
0:18:05 > 0:18:09"Craic" is a very Irish phrase, meaning "fun", or "good feeling".
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Is there a particular phrase in Costa Rica
0:18:11 > 0:18:14- that you have for that kind of...? - Yes, definitely - "pura vida".
0:18:14 > 0:18:16- Pura vida?- What does it literally translate as?
0:18:16 > 0:18:18- Pure life.- Pure life?
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Which actually means nothing to us at all!
0:18:21 > 0:18:22It's like, "Yeah, man - pure life!"
0:18:22 > 0:18:25So it summarises a lot of good feelings, I would say.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Pura vida, indeed.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Of all the countries we've driven through so far,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34this is definitely one of our favourites -
0:18:34 > 0:18:35and it's not just us.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40According to the wonderfully-named Happy Planet Index,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44Costa Rica now generates 90% of its electricity
0:18:44 > 0:18:46from renewable sources
0:18:46 > 0:18:50and is officially the happiest country in the world.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53MUSIC: Mr Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra
0:18:56 > 0:18:59# Sun is shining in the sky
0:18:59 > 0:19:02# There ain't a cloud in sight
0:19:02 > 0:19:04# It's stopped raining
0:19:04 > 0:19:07# Everybody's in a play and don't you know
0:19:07 > 0:19:10# It's a beautiful new day
0:19:10 > 0:19:12# Hey hey hey
0:19:12 > 0:19:15# Hey, you with the pretty face
0:19:15 > 0:19:18# Welcome to the human race
0:19:18 > 0:19:20# A celebration
0:19:20 > 0:19:22# Mr Blue Sky's up there waiting
0:19:22 > 0:19:24# And today
0:19:24 > 0:19:26# Is the day we've waited for
0:19:26 > 0:19:29# Oh-oh!
0:19:29 > 0:19:32# Mr Blue Sky Please tell us why... #
0:19:32 > 0:19:35We're making good time, but south of San Jose,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38the original expedition quickly ground to a halt.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Across the southern section of Costa Rica,
0:19:43 > 0:19:45we find it utterly impossible to travel by car.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50We estimate that it would take us four months, with 150 men,
0:19:50 > 0:19:52to get our car through
0:19:52 > 0:19:54and then, it's only a fair chance we'd succeed,
0:19:54 > 0:19:56because the rains have started.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00In their way stood the Cerro de la Muerte -
0:20:00 > 0:20:02the Mountain of Death -
0:20:02 > 0:20:05which regularly claimed the lives of those who tried to cross it on foot.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09No motor vehicle had ever made it over the top.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15And so, for the first time since they had left Detroit,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18the expedition was forced to take the Plymouth off the road
0:20:18 > 0:20:20and transport it south by train.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26But a year later, with the Second World War raging,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29a road link from the USA to the Panama Canal
0:20:29 > 0:20:32was becoming a matter of national security.
0:20:34 > 0:20:35In July 1942,
0:20:35 > 0:20:39US military engineers arrived to blast a route for the Pan-Am Highway
0:20:39 > 0:20:41through this notorious mountain.
0:20:49 > 0:20:50Where are we, Ed?
0:20:52 > 0:20:55I don't want you to get upset. I don't want you to get worried.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59We are on La Passa de la Muerta...
0:20:59 > 0:21:01DARA GASPS
0:21:03 > 0:21:05..the Pass of Death.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06Dun-dun-dunnn!
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Did the Costa Rican tourist board ever consider
0:21:12 > 0:21:14changing the name of the road?
0:21:14 > 0:21:16"Why aren't more people coming...
0:21:16 > 0:21:17"to the Pass of Death?"
0:21:18 > 0:21:22"I must call my friend - he's on holiday in Cape Fear.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25"I'll just ask him what he reckons we're doing wrong."
0:21:27 > 0:21:31But it turns out this section of road lives up to its fearsome reputation.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35- Watch out.- Oh, hello...
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Somebody just left a red triangle in the road.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Well, there must be an erotic movie...
0:21:40 > 0:21:42- Oh, because there's a crash. - Oh, my God, there's a crash.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Doesn't look like anybody's injured, but they've...
0:21:48 > 0:21:52- It's obviously mashed it up pretty bad.- Oh, dear. That's written off.
0:21:54 > 0:21:55You die on this road,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59it's a shorter trip to heaven than it would be otherwise.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05After failing to get over the Mountain of Death,
0:22:05 > 0:22:07the original expedition struggled on
0:22:07 > 0:22:10towards the uncharted jungles of southern Costa Rica...
0:22:11 > 0:22:15..hacking a trail along dirt tracks and across rivers.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21When the Pan-American Highway system is finally completed,
0:22:21 > 0:22:23there will of course be a paved road.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Then there will be bridges over these rivers.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27But just now, there are no bridges
0:22:27 > 0:22:29and we get across them as best we can.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39We seem to be off the road, unless you're going to convince me
0:22:39 > 0:22:42- this is the Pan-American Highway. - This is not the Pan-American Highway.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45- So what do we do?- I thought we'd just take a little bit of a detour,
0:22:45 > 0:22:49to get a bit more of a flavour of what the three damn fools did.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51What, we're going swimming?
0:22:51 > 0:22:53No...
0:22:53 > 0:22:55You're kidding me. Really?
0:22:55 > 0:22:58- Does this actually link up to anything in particular?- Er...
0:22:58 > 0:22:59It links up to another road,
0:22:59 > 0:23:01which eventually will lead us back to the highway.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04We've taken somewhat of a detour, I have to admit.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06I'm going to go to the leisure deck.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Are you going to try one of the buffets?
0:23:08 > 0:23:11- I think I'm going to go and hit the slot machines.- Oh, fantastic.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13I like this operation.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15It's just that guy and that engine.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17- That's it? That's all that's moving us?- Yeah.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22The Pan-American Highway in Costa Rica
0:23:22 > 0:23:24wasn't completed until the early 1960s
0:23:24 > 0:23:26and in many places,
0:23:26 > 0:23:29you still have to travel as Sullivan, Ken and Arnold did
0:23:29 > 0:23:31over 70 years ago.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37Back then, the dirt tracks finally petered out into impenetrable forest.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40The three adventurers were forced to admit defeat
0:23:40 > 0:23:43and sail the Plymouth around the coast to Panama.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Very good, well done, well done.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Careful, careful, careful!
0:23:52 > 0:23:56I know you had to put some oomph into it...just in case.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58- Very good, top work. - Thank you. Lovely.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02- Let's find the highway again, shall we?- It'll be along here, somewhere.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Do you have more of these plans?
0:24:04 > 0:24:06I feel we've got a sense of them now.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08Actually, no. Tonight, we're staying in a hut.
0:24:08 > 0:24:09LAUGHTER
0:24:11 > 0:24:14- Only joking, only joking. - Keep your eye on the road.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17- Have you got the tickles? Have you got the tickles?- Stop it!
0:24:17 > 0:24:19You actually revved up the car by accident,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22- while trying to tickle me... - Tickle-tickle!- Stop it!
0:24:22 > 0:24:24It's less dangerous, tickling you while I am driving,
0:24:24 > 0:24:26than tickling you while you're driving.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Oh, well, then! You should go ahead - fill your boots!
0:24:35 > 0:24:37While the Pan-American Highway now carves through
0:24:37 > 0:24:39the dense Costa Rican rainforest,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43it's still a long drive to the border with Panama -
0:24:43 > 0:24:44the last one we'll cross on our trip.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Ed, what would you say your hopes and dreams and fears are
0:24:48 > 0:24:50for the border?
0:24:50 > 0:24:54My hope is that we'll get through in a couple of hours.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56- Current record is two hours. - Yep.- Two hours...
0:24:56 > 0:24:58And we can maybe repeat that.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08Things are looking good here at the Paso Canoas border post
0:25:08 > 0:25:12and it's definitely less busy than the others we've crossed.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18- Got your passport?- Got it. - Got the money?
0:25:18 > 0:25:21This is always the easy bit, anyway.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27First, we just need to pay our 7 Costa Rican departure tax.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29- I pay this guy - do we pay here? - Oh, is it this one?
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Or maybe you pay there...?
0:25:35 > 0:25:37Where to? Which window?
0:25:37 > 0:25:38I go to two?
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Hola. Panama.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44I have to pay seven dollars?
0:25:44 > 0:25:46I thought I'd pay that here, no?
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Did you not just pay the taxes?
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Fine, no problem at all, I have to pay, I have to go to another window.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56You couldn't have told me? You couldn't have told me?
0:25:56 > 0:26:01So, window four sent me to window two and window two sent me...
0:26:01 > 0:26:02to here? Hola.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Did you find it? Is this it?
0:26:07 > 0:26:09I think this might be it.
0:26:09 > 0:26:10Pay the departure tax?
0:26:13 > 0:26:16- Just through there. - We have the money, but we're...
0:26:17 > 0:26:20OK, slide it in and put it in.
0:26:20 > 0:26:21'Just days before we arrive,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24'Costa Rica automated their border payment system...'
0:26:24 > 0:26:27The arrow is saying that it goes in that direction.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29'..and it's already broken.'
0:26:31 > 0:26:33No.
0:26:33 > 0:26:34Jesus wept.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39Let's go back to the gate.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41OK, that machine...
0:26:41 > 0:26:42That machine doesn't work.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44So what can we do?
0:26:48 > 0:26:50I have to wait till 8 o'clock in the morning
0:26:50 > 0:26:52to give you 7 to get into Panama?
0:26:53 > 0:26:55- Why?- Because your machine is not working?
0:26:55 > 0:26:56Because your machine won't work -
0:26:56 > 0:26:59and there's no-one in there who can take the money off us?
0:27:01 > 0:27:04That's madness, that's absolutely madness.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07'And right now, Costa Rica has slipped down a notch
0:27:07 > 0:27:09'in our personal Happy Planet Index.'
0:27:10 > 0:27:13Wow, we have a winner.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Yeah, it'll be...
0:27:15 > 0:27:1813 hours minimum, it's going to take us to cross this border.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22Before we can even leave Costa Rica and start trying to get into Panama.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24I would like to officially retract
0:27:24 > 0:27:26every nice thing I've said about Costa Rica.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Costa Rica...can bite me.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32I like... I like the slogan - I like the slogan.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35"Costa Rica - we'll never let you leave."
0:27:35 > 0:27:37Pura vida, my friend, pura vida.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50'A night in a local motel later
0:27:50 > 0:27:54'and we're back to pay our departure tax to a real-life person,
0:27:54 > 0:27:56'but unfortunately, so is everyone else.'
0:27:58 > 0:28:02So, do you think potential travellers watching this in Britain
0:28:02 > 0:28:05will be thinking, "Oh, there's some good queuing going on."
0:28:05 > 0:28:09- That'll be quite the taste of home. - Yeah.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11Even if the queue's not moving,
0:28:11 > 0:28:13if you go from being at the end of the queue
0:28:13 > 0:28:14to being in the middle of the queue,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17just by virtue of the people who have joined it behind you,
0:28:17 > 0:28:19it still makes you feel better.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22'And after another two hours,
0:28:22 > 0:28:24'we finally got permission to leave Costa Rica.'
0:28:26 > 0:28:27It's a very small sum,
0:28:27 > 0:28:30given that we had to spend a night in a hotel for it.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33That is a hard-won stamp right there - a hard-won stamp.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37'And now, we just have to wait four hours to get into Panama.'
0:28:39 > 0:28:42PANPIPE MUSIC PLAYS
0:28:43 > 0:28:46'At least there's some local talent to help us pass the time...
0:28:48 > 0:28:50'..until Ed makes a show of us again.'
0:29:00 > 0:29:02You were caught twerking there.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07'Eventually, I manage to drag him back to the car
0:29:07 > 0:29:09'and we're out of here.'
0:29:09 > 0:29:13Are we leaving? Are we finally leaving?
0:29:13 > 0:29:15And it is now, unbelievably...
0:29:15 > 0:29:17- Half past two.- ..half past two.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20Well, I think we're somewhere in the region of 20 hours,
0:29:20 > 0:29:22trying to get through there.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24Out of the way, out of the way, out of the way -
0:29:24 > 0:29:27I'm impatient to get going and see Panama!
0:29:28 > 0:29:32MUSIC: Panama by Van Halen
0:29:43 > 0:29:45# Panama! #
0:29:47 > 0:29:50But Ed's dancing has angered the rain gods.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58Hello. Wow, it's bucketing down here.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03There isn't, like there's not a... Did you see that?
0:30:03 > 0:30:06I saw it, I can see the lightning - I have eyes and it's right there.
0:30:06 > 0:30:07I'm excited by lightning!
0:30:07 > 0:30:09What really rubs it in...
0:30:09 > 0:30:12about the pain and suffering of that almost 20-hour border crossing...
0:30:12 > 0:30:14Yeah?
0:30:14 > 0:30:21..is the first line of chapter 29 of the book Adventure South is...
0:30:21 > 0:30:24"Our entry into Panama was simple."
0:30:26 > 0:30:28In Panama, the original expedition
0:30:28 > 0:30:32were guests of the all-powerful US-owned United Fruit Company -
0:30:32 > 0:30:35keen supporters of the need for a Pan-American Highway
0:30:35 > 0:30:39and the largest producer of bananas in the world.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41We decide to go out into the plantation,
0:30:41 > 0:30:45to see what a banana split looks like in its natural habitat.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48The tree is cut about 15 feet above the ground
0:30:48 > 0:30:51with this long-handled knife, while one fellow waits underneath
0:30:51 > 0:30:53to catch the stem of fruit on his shoulder.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56With a single knife jab, it is cut free of the tree.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01Marketed as a health food for children in the US,
0:31:01 > 0:31:04demand for bananas boomed in the 1930s.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08United Fruits soon controlled a huge empire of farms
0:31:08 > 0:31:10across Central America.
0:31:11 > 0:31:16In this one plantation, there are 26,000 acres of producing trees,
0:31:16 > 0:31:18furnishing some six million stems of fruit per year
0:31:18 > 0:31:20for American breakfast tables.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23Down here, I bought a whole stem of fruit the size of this one
0:31:23 > 0:31:25for 26 cents.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28The United Fruit and other banana companies
0:31:28 > 0:31:32were so economically powerful in countries like Panama,
0:31:32 > 0:31:35they gave rise to the damning phrase, "Banana Republic".
0:31:37 > 0:31:39And whilst they often built roads and schools,
0:31:39 > 0:31:43they weren't always the best of employers.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45The United Fruit Company just took the piss.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48They were paying their workers in tokens
0:31:48 > 0:31:49that they could only use at shops
0:31:49 > 0:31:52also owned by the United Fruit Company.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54So there's no money bleeding into the economy at all? OK.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56Yeah, so there's no trickle down.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58They were using insecticides and pesticides
0:31:58 > 0:32:00that were making the banana growers sick,
0:32:00 > 0:32:02making the banana growers infertile.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06And the Chiquita banana lady
0:32:06 > 0:32:09was like the smiling face of a hideous company.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12# I am Chiquita Banana and I've come to say
0:32:12 > 0:32:14# Bananas have to ripen in a certain way
0:32:14 > 0:32:18# And when they're flecked with brown and have a golden hue
0:32:18 > 0:32:21# Bananas taste the best and are the best for you
0:32:21 > 0:32:23# You can put them in a salad... #
0:32:23 > 0:32:25It's like having Gunny the Squirrel
0:32:25 > 0:32:28representing the arms manufacturers -
0:32:28 > 0:32:32"Hey, kids, don't point it at your foot!"
0:32:32 > 0:32:35"Didn't you used to be the Cadbury's Caramel bunny?"
0:32:35 > 0:32:37"Yes, but I do fags now."
0:32:38 > 0:32:40# Si, si, si, si. #
0:32:44 > 0:32:46But in the 1990s,
0:32:46 > 0:32:48a worldwide slump in the price of bananas
0:32:48 > 0:32:52forced most of the plantations on Panama's Pacific coast to close.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59The few bananas still produced here are sold on the roadside,
0:32:59 > 0:33:01to hungry travellers like us.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06How many do we want?
0:33:06 > 0:33:07Take those, then.
0:33:09 > 0:33:10Gracias, senor.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15Three bananas for like...50 cents.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17- That's not a bad deal. - That's good...
0:33:17 > 0:33:20No wonder there's no money in growing them any more!
0:33:23 > 0:33:27From the Costa Rican border, it's an eight-hour drive to Panama City.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30The expedition arrived here in the spring of '41
0:33:30 > 0:33:34to find a thriving capital of 125,000 people...
0:33:35 > 0:33:37..and it still appears to be thriving today.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44Would you look at that city? That is... Isn't it bizarre?
0:33:44 > 0:33:47It is, it's like Dubai or Chicago, or something, yeah.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50That is like no city we have passed through on this entire journey...
0:33:50 > 0:33:53- Since Mexico.- ..since Mexico - but even Mexico was...
0:33:53 > 0:33:57That looks so shiny and new and gleaming.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59- Where do they get the money from? - I don't know.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04Maybe it's because Panama City sits next to the Panama Canal -
0:34:04 > 0:34:06the world's busiest trade route
0:34:06 > 0:34:10and one of the largest man-made waterways ever constructed.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12Amazing.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14They've just gone, "There's a continent in the way.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19"Let's just bore a hole right through it."
0:34:19 > 0:34:21Ah, it's impressive, isn't it?
0:34:21 > 0:34:22It's incredibly impressive.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26I actually didn't know what to expect, in terms of it
0:34:26 > 0:34:29being impressive, like, because it's a canal.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31This extraordinary channel
0:34:31 > 0:34:33cuts through Panama at its narrowest point,
0:34:33 > 0:34:36connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean
0:34:36 > 0:34:41and saving shipping a perilous 5,000 mile journey around Cape Horn.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47Excavation began under the French in the 1880s,
0:34:47 > 0:34:48but ended in disaster,
0:34:48 > 0:34:51with the deaths of over 22,000 workers.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56In 1904, the US took over what had become
0:34:56 > 0:34:59the most challenging engineering project in history
0:34:59 > 0:35:01and after a decade more digging,
0:35:01 > 0:35:04the canal finally opened for business in 1914.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09On the centenary of that opening,
0:35:09 > 0:35:14we've joined Captain Adrian Estrada aboard a canal authority tug boat.
0:35:14 > 0:35:15OK, come with me.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19- Thank you very much for letting us... - TOOT TOOT
0:35:19 > 0:35:21Thank you very much for letting us sail on your boat
0:35:21 > 0:35:23and have a little pleasure trip down the...
0:35:23 > 0:35:25Yes, yes, it's great.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29Well, sadly, I'm not a tourist guide, so let's get to work.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31- Are we working our passage? - Do you really trust us?- Yes, yes.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34Do you really trust us not to drive the boat into a wall?
0:35:34 > 0:35:35Yeah, you look strong - and you too.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37Do these feel like working hands to you?
0:35:37 > 0:35:40- He's soft.- I don't know, but we're going to find out.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47Over 30 large ships a day use the Panama Canal
0:35:47 > 0:35:51and are guided through its massive locks by powerful tug boats.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56As it enters the lock, the tug must be securely tied to the lock wall,
0:35:56 > 0:35:59to stop it from smashing into the huge cargo ship
0:35:59 > 0:36:00as the lock fills up.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05Timing is critical,
0:36:05 > 0:36:09which is why they don't usually give the job to two cack-handed Irishmen.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13There is personnel on the locks.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16- They're going to throw us a messenger line...- OK.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20..so we secure this line and then follow to the wall.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23When they throw down the messenger rope,
0:36:23 > 0:36:25how quickly must this be done?
0:36:25 > 0:36:27Very quickly.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31'The rope securing the tug requires a simple knot called a "bowline",
0:36:31 > 0:36:34'which even the novice sailor should be able to master.'
0:36:35 > 0:36:37- Through the hole... - Rabbit goes through the hole.- Yeah.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39- Behind the...- Behind the tree.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41- ..and back to the... - Back in the hole.- Back to the hole.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45OK, let's practise that 300 or 400 more times, shall we?
0:36:45 > 0:36:47Up the bottom of this.
0:36:47 > 0:36:48- No, no, no, no.- What?
0:36:48 > 0:36:50- You have changed this.- No!
0:36:50 > 0:36:52You literally change this from time to time.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54- You are the worst knot teacher I have ever had.- Yes!
0:36:56 > 0:36:58Do it like Ghost - like he's making a pot.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01Right, OK... No, seriously - direct my hands, right? OK, there we go.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04- You're a big guy. - Yeah, sorry, I'll crouch.
0:37:04 > 0:37:06# Oh
0:37:06 > 0:37:09# My darling
0:37:09 > 0:37:12- # I've hungered for your touch... # - But wait, wait...
0:37:12 > 0:37:14This actually isn't helping at all.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17# Time goes by... #
0:37:17 > 0:37:20- Back in, through this, like this? - Yes.
0:37:20 > 0:37:21Bingo! Oh, wait...
0:37:23 > 0:37:26'As Dara struggles with his knots,
0:37:26 > 0:37:29'we are fast approaching the Miraflores Lock,
0:37:29 > 0:37:33'which our huge cargo ship, the Ikan Sagai, is already entering.'
0:37:39 > 0:37:42This distance, people chip at the walls.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44Yeah, it is, that is tight.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46- Really tight, right?- Yeah.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49Getting nervous, actually. Wow, that's incredibly tight.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55Looks really simple, but it's really dangerous, what we've got to do.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01- Here we go.- Are you ready? No joke.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04- No, I'm not, I'm really nervous. - Don't joke.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09'Dara needs to tie the knot within the next minute,
0:38:09 > 0:38:11'or as the lock fills,
0:38:11 > 0:38:15'the turbulent water could crush us against the 60,000 tonne cargo ship.'
0:38:17 > 0:38:20- Pressure, pressure gate. - Shut up! Jesus, come on.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24'Luckily, I'm here, to offer vocal support.'
0:38:25 > 0:38:27We're all depending on you.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30All souls aboard this vessel are depending on you.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37There you go, there you go.
0:38:37 > 0:38:39Here we go, take it away, take it away.
0:38:39 > 0:38:40APPLAUSE
0:38:40 > 0:38:42It was a thinner rope.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44It was a much thinner rope - that was a string.
0:38:44 > 0:38:45Look at that go! Oh, my God!
0:38:48 > 0:38:50This is really nerv... I'm really nervous.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52- I mean, part of me does want that... - To break?
0:38:52 > 0:38:55..not to just slip out and the rope to just drop, literally.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59We're in, we're in, we're in, we're in, we're in! Lovely!
0:38:59 > 0:39:01'Dara's feat of tying a piece of string to a rope
0:39:01 > 0:39:03'has not gone unnoticed.'
0:39:03 > 0:39:06Yes! My rope, people - my rope!
0:39:07 > 0:39:09'Now Dara has secured our tug,
0:39:09 > 0:39:12'the locks can fill with water,
0:39:12 > 0:39:14'raising us and our cargo ship
0:39:14 > 0:39:17'up onto the next stage of the 48-mile canal.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20'We have to get a move on too,
0:39:20 > 0:39:23'as there's a queue of ships waiting to take our place.'
0:39:24 > 0:39:26It's really all about feeding this, isn't it?
0:39:26 > 0:39:28I mean, the Pan-American Highway is really just
0:39:28 > 0:39:31a tributary of the Panama Canal, really.
0:39:31 > 0:39:32Yeah, absolutely.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36The heart of Pan-Americanism, my friend.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40That's incredible, isn't it?
0:39:40 > 0:39:44'Over 10% of all US shipping passes through the Panama Canal
0:39:44 > 0:39:47'and it remains as crucial to US interests now
0:39:47 > 0:39:51'as it was when the original expedition arrived here.'
0:39:51 > 0:39:53You can see why Sully got so excited by this.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Just sitting there with the typewriter clacking away,
0:39:56 > 0:40:00describing the water bubbling up and the men on the side.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02"Lazily throwing ropes" is the phrase he used,
0:40:02 > 0:40:04which I think is a little unfair.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06You know, rope people like me -
0:40:06 > 0:40:09we've been sullied with that brush for years.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12For Sullivan, Ken and Arnold,
0:40:12 > 0:40:15reaching the Panama Canal marked a huge milestone
0:40:15 > 0:40:17in their Adventure South.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21It has been five months since we left home,
0:40:21 > 0:40:23so we decide to celebrate it in proper fashion.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25With a world famous ditch as a backdrop,
0:40:25 > 0:40:30Kenneth goes down, dips up a can full of water, brings it back
0:40:30 > 0:40:32and with boisterous shouts of laughter,
0:40:32 > 0:40:34we douse it over the car -
0:40:34 > 0:40:36the first automobile ever
0:40:36 > 0:40:39to cover so much of Mexico and Central America on the ground.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42Here you go.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44Thank you for many fine hours.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47Make it to the end of our journey, that's all we ask.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50'Not content to let me christen the car,
0:40:50 > 0:40:53'Ed insists on having a go as well,
0:40:53 > 0:40:56'but as ever, he cannot resist taking things a little too far.'
0:40:56 > 0:40:59- Euch.- Well, I hope you get some sort of...
0:41:01 > 0:41:03..parasitic disease, Ed.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07That is an old floor cleaner bottle...
0:41:07 > 0:41:08Off, off, off!
0:41:09 > 0:41:11I'm not having any part of this.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17Sadly, this is where we must part company
0:41:17 > 0:41:19with Sullivan, Ken and Arnold.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22Having reached the canal,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25the three adventurers could go no further overland.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28Their way was blocked by the much-feared Darien Gap -
0:41:28 > 0:41:32the remote wilderness that separates North and South America.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35They were forced to sail around the coast to Colombia
0:41:35 > 0:41:37to continue their journey south.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40But our plan is to follow the modern Pan-Am Highway
0:41:40 > 0:41:42as far as we can go.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48So we venture forth, Ed - the last bit.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50- To the Darien Gap!- Yeah.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52- To the Gap... BOTH:- Del Muerte!
0:41:58 > 0:42:02We're heading for Yaviza - the last town on the map.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04It's a long drive, but at least to keep us company,
0:42:04 > 0:42:07we've got Joe Cuba and his orchestra.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10MUSIC: Bang Bang by Joe Cuba
0:42:28 > 0:42:32'By now, the Pan-Am Highway has become a single carriageway
0:42:32 > 0:42:34'and the large trucks that use it
0:42:34 > 0:42:38'aren't too bothered about which side of the road they drive on.'
0:42:38 > 0:42:41- Really, you're going for it, are you? - Yeah.- Yeah? He's going for it.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44Oh, you are pulling out. Oh, let's all stop, then wait for you to go and do your thing.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47Great, let's...
0:42:47 > 0:42:49Yeah, no, no, you just do whatever you want.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53I couldn't help noticing...
0:42:53 > 0:42:56that the trucks which come so close to ploughing into us and killing us
0:42:56 > 0:42:58seem to have logs on the back.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02I guess if you're part of an industry
0:43:02 > 0:43:06that's completely destroying an ancient way of life,
0:43:06 > 0:43:10you're not going to be the most courteous driver in the world, are you?
0:43:10 > 0:43:13'50 years ago, there were no roads here at all,
0:43:13 > 0:43:15'but the building of the Pan-Am has led to
0:43:15 > 0:43:18'widespread and unregulated logging,
0:43:18 > 0:43:21'which has cleared vast areas of primary rainforest.'
0:43:23 > 0:43:24Jesus, look at this.
0:43:25 > 0:43:27It's been completely denuded.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29Yeah, I mean, that would all have been jungle.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37Wow, that is amazing, how destructive that work is.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43The deforestation here has been felt most acutely
0:43:43 > 0:43:47by the indigenous communities of the Darien, like the Wounaan tribe.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51Before we reach the end of the road,
0:43:51 > 0:43:54we're stopping to visit one of their villages.
0:43:55 > 0:43:56It's only accessible by river -
0:43:56 > 0:43:59and local guide Michel Puech is taking us there.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09Hi. Yes, I am Michel. How are you?
0:44:09 > 0:44:10- Michel, comment ca va?- Hi.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12It's a pleasure, yeah, pleasure thing,
0:44:12 > 0:44:14mucho gusto for the first time in a month.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16I am ready. We go to the village?
0:44:16 > 0:44:17- Yes, please.- That'd be great.
0:44:17 > 0:44:20It's a little village, the name is La Playita.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23- La Playita?- Yeah. - Absolutely, great.- Shall we go?
0:44:23 > 0:44:24- Fabulous, lovely.- Let's go.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26Be nice to be on a boat, for a change.
0:44:34 > 0:44:35Before the road came,
0:44:35 > 0:44:38these rivers were the only way to travel through the Darien
0:44:38 > 0:44:41and the Wounaan have used them for hundreds of years
0:44:41 > 0:44:43to move freely between Panama and Colombia.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51There's often been talk of extending the highway through the Darien Gap
0:44:51 > 0:44:53to connect Central and South America.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57It will inevitably bring more loggers
0:44:57 > 0:45:00and Ed and I want to find out what this means for the Wounaan.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07We couldn't have got here by road, could we not?
0:45:07 > 0:45:09- No, no, no, only by boat. - There's no road.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12Michel, I can't help noticing your strong French accent.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14- You're not a local. - I'm born in France.
0:45:14 > 0:45:15How long have you been here, then?
0:45:15 > 0:45:17- 40 years.- DARA AND ED:- 40 years?
0:45:17 > 0:45:21I know these people this many, many years, so...
0:45:21 > 0:45:22They are like a friend, no?
0:45:22 > 0:45:24And you see all the family here.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30'Francisco, a young fisherman,
0:45:30 > 0:45:32'has agreed to talk to us about the impact of the road.'
0:45:56 > 0:45:58Are you not worried that that's what's going to happen?
0:45:58 > 0:46:00They're going to take all the trees away?
0:46:07 > 0:46:10The plight of indigenous people all over, really, isn't it?
0:46:10 > 0:46:12He say, little - too little, is...
0:46:12 > 0:46:14- Just shrinking it down. - Narrow, narrow, yes.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18Presumably, as well, if the road builds through the Darien,
0:46:18 > 0:46:20there'll be a border post
0:46:20 > 0:46:23- between Panama and Colombia...- Yes.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26..which there hasn't been, till now. They move up and down these rivers
0:46:26 > 0:46:28between the two countries very, very freely.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31Are they worried that if the road comes through,
0:46:31 > 0:46:33their life will change in that way as well?
0:46:46 > 0:46:50So, for him, he prefer the road through the Darien,
0:46:50 > 0:46:52because it's more easy for him to go to see his family.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55- Fine, fair enough.- Yeah.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58So it's a mixed message, to a huge extent.
0:47:18 > 0:47:22So they can see the good points and the bad points, both?
0:47:22 > 0:47:23- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26He has every right to the same facilities and things -
0:47:26 > 0:47:30we can't expect them not to want ambulances arriving,
0:47:30 > 0:47:34or schooling, or cheap gasoline, or market for their fish.
0:47:34 > 0:47:35Viva El Pan-Americanismo.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37Yes, exactly, yeah!
0:47:38 > 0:47:40'Before we leave the village,
0:47:40 > 0:47:43'we've been invited to have ceremonial Wounaan tattoos,
0:47:43 > 0:47:46'made out of the grated fruit of the jaguar plant.
0:47:48 > 0:47:52'The body painting takes place in a traditional Wounaan hut,
0:47:52 > 0:47:55'which has clearly seen better days.'
0:47:55 > 0:47:57- CRASH - Oh, God! Ooh!
0:47:57 > 0:48:00That's not a particularly strong beam.
0:48:00 > 0:48:01Wow, that was dramatic.
0:48:01 > 0:48:04- Might have to spread your weight a little bit. - I will, actually, yeah.
0:48:04 > 0:48:08But actually, to be fair to me, that is, that's really...
0:48:08 > 0:48:11That's not the strongest beam you ever had in the world, OK?
0:48:11 > 0:48:14- That is...- I'm going to sit here on this slightly more...
0:48:14 > 0:48:18- Look at that, that's how strong that is.- ..more recently replaced beam.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20- Mind yourself, there.- Yeah.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24Do you know, I recommend a dry rot expert
0:48:24 > 0:48:26to come in and spray this place,
0:48:26 > 0:48:29because frankly, it's riddled.
0:48:29 > 0:48:30Something very small,
0:48:30 > 0:48:34to mark my almost falling through the floor of the house.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37Can you get a small one? Is it possible to just to...
0:48:37 > 0:48:38Poquito?
0:48:38 > 0:48:40Si, OK, grand.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43'The jaguar tattoos are temporary,
0:48:43 > 0:48:46'with the pigment fading after about ten days -
0:48:46 > 0:48:48'or at least, that's what these women have told us.'
0:48:49 > 0:48:52This is to signify your rank
0:48:52 > 0:48:54as the village galoot.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00- Oh, that's fantastic. - That is, that's nice.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02That's lovely, yeah.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04I am fearsome, now.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08'While Dara's opted for the macho bicep design,
0:49:08 > 0:49:10'I'm going the whole hog and having my back done.'
0:49:12 > 0:49:14I have been a bit foolish to myself, haven't I,
0:49:14 > 0:49:17in that I've got myself a tattoo in the one place that I can't see it?
0:49:19 > 0:49:22- Doesn't hurt, neither. - No, it doesn't hurt enough.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25I suppose it does though, when you put your foot through the floorboards.
0:49:25 > 0:49:29Yeah, I suppose in that regard, this has been the most painful tattoo I could have ever got.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32That's coming up very well.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34That really is... I'm very proud of that.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38It's actually looking quite Celtic on you.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41When you're this pasty, everything looks Celtic.
0:49:41 > 0:49:45- Yeah. Muchas gracias.- Gracias. - Muchas gracias. You're very kind.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48I'd get that floor sorted out.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51You know, it's just getting a bit of dry rot.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53God knows you've enough trees around here, right?
0:49:53 > 0:49:54Now, listen -
0:49:54 > 0:49:56I will have an estimate here by the end of the week.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59We'll get the whole job done in four, four to six days, tops.
0:49:59 > 0:50:01Will you be in on Monday, between nine and three?
0:50:01 > 0:50:04There you are, we can be there. Right, don't laugh at me!
0:50:06 > 0:50:08I know, she said, couple of cowboys.
0:50:08 > 0:50:10LAUGHTER
0:50:10 > 0:50:12Thank you very much, pet. Thank you very, very much, pet.
0:50:12 > 0:50:14You're a killer, but you're a delight.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17Graaar! CHILDREN LAUGH
0:50:19 > 0:50:22They fear me. They fear me now.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25To be honest, the children always find you a bit strange.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28CHILDREN GIGGLE
0:50:28 > 0:50:30Turn round, it looks great.
0:50:30 > 0:50:32It looks fantastic, it looks as if you could just
0:50:32 > 0:50:35put your hands between the two and pick you up and carry you off.
0:50:35 > 0:50:36That's what it looks like.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39- Probably could, couldn't you?- Yeah, it, it looks like you're...
0:50:39 > 0:50:41wearing a rucksack on your front...
0:50:41 > 0:50:43or a BabyBjorn -
0:50:43 > 0:50:45it looks like you're carrying a child in a pouch!
0:50:50 > 0:50:55While it's very tempting to try and protect tribal life from change,
0:50:55 > 0:50:58the Pan-American Highway is already having an impact
0:50:58 > 0:51:01on indigenous communities like the Wounaan,
0:51:01 > 0:51:04whose way of life will inevitably be transformed.
0:51:10 > 0:51:14'We're back on the road, heading deeper into the Darien Gap.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17'It's an area the expedition never visited,
0:51:17 > 0:51:19'as they travelled on to South America by boat.'
0:51:21 > 0:51:24- Ed, the last part of our journey. - This is it.
0:51:24 > 0:51:29The last 30, 40 miles of a nearly 4,000 mile journey.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32Of course,
0:51:32 > 0:51:36Sully and Ken and Arnold didn't get to come this far.
0:51:36 > 0:51:40Well, hang on - I charge different rates for breaking my own trail
0:51:40 > 0:51:43than I do for following the journey of a 1941 adventurer.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46- Really? I just give a flat trail rate...- Oh, no.
0:51:46 > 0:51:48You know, whether I'm breaking or following.
0:51:48 > 0:51:49No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51No, you know, you've got to look into that.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56'In less than an hour, we should reach our final destination -
0:51:56 > 0:52:00'Yaviza, which sits at the end of the highway in Panama.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04'That's if we can get past the potholes.'
0:52:04 > 0:52:06Oh!
0:52:06 > 0:52:07Oh, Jesus...
0:52:07 > 0:52:09We're all right, we're all right.
0:52:09 > 0:52:12You're so busy avoiding the little ones, you drove us into a big one.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19'This stretch of the Pan-Am Highway was only built in 2009
0:52:19 > 0:52:23'and it could already do with a bit of resurfacing.'
0:52:23 > 0:52:26Hang on, a big-big-big-big... Whoa!
0:52:27 > 0:52:28See that? I got right between them.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35'With the end in sight, Ed turns all profound.'
0:52:37 > 0:52:39How would you sum up the road, Dara?
0:52:39 > 0:52:40- How do you...- It's difficult to know.
0:52:40 > 0:52:44I mean, I've struggled with how best to express it.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46In a way, the road...
0:52:46 > 0:52:47is like love.
0:52:49 > 0:52:50How is the road like love?
0:52:50 > 0:52:52In that, you know...
0:52:52 > 0:52:54people need it,
0:52:54 > 0:52:58but it can also bring much misery and disease.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04I think the road is like a jaguar.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07Elusive, hidden...
0:53:08 > 0:53:10..but deadly.
0:53:10 > 0:53:12No, it's not like that at all.
0:53:12 > 0:53:14No, it's not. I found it quite easy to find.
0:53:14 > 0:53:15- Yes.- It's on a map.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20In many ways, the road is like this conversation...
0:53:20 > 0:53:21Yes.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24..it will just eventually peter out.
0:53:26 > 0:53:30- There better be a big sign saying, "The End".- End!
0:53:42 > 0:53:45This is Yaviza -
0:53:45 > 0:53:46and it's no longer a highway, is it?
0:53:46 > 0:53:48No, it's very much...
0:53:48 > 0:53:51a cement path, right now.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53Yeah. This could be the end of it.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00That's it.
0:54:04 > 0:54:06That's a nice smooth end, there.
0:54:06 > 0:54:08Came off the end of the road.
0:54:09 > 0:54:12I mean, I wasn't expecting bunting...
0:54:13 > 0:54:19..or there to be some huge, bronze map with an arrow in it and stuff...
0:54:19 > 0:54:21but it just kind of peters out.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25'The Pan-American Highway begins again
0:54:25 > 0:54:27'about 100 miles away in Colombia,
0:54:27 > 0:54:30'but for North and Central America - and for us -
0:54:30 > 0:54:32'it ends here,
0:54:32 > 0:54:34'in this small, dusty jungle town,
0:54:34 > 0:54:36'in the middle of the Darien Gap.'
0:54:38 > 0:54:42That was fun, but the ending was sort of unsatisfying.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44I don't know, I think there's some sort of poetry
0:54:44 > 0:54:46in the fact that it just sort of stops.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49I don't know, I think I want there to be a skeleton, just like...
0:54:49 > 0:54:52lying and pointing back the other way, like,
0:54:52 > 0:54:53"You can go no further."
0:54:53 > 0:54:55Do you know what I wanted?
0:54:55 > 0:54:57One old man, sitting here and as we turn away, we go...
0:55:00 > 0:55:01"Sullivan?"
0:55:03 > 0:55:05Now that, my friend, would be an ending.
0:55:05 > 0:55:06"How did you find me here?"
0:55:09 > 0:55:11- I'm picking the music, OK? - All right.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15Nothing too high-energy or dancey, please.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20After almost four weeks of driving
0:55:20 > 0:55:23from Arizona through Central America,
0:55:23 > 0:55:25we've reached the end of the road.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29But for Sullivan, Ken and Arnold,
0:55:29 > 0:55:34Panama wasn't even the halfway point of their Adventure South.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36After sailing from the Panama Canal,
0:55:36 > 0:55:38they picked up the trail again in Colombia,
0:55:38 > 0:55:40forging a route through South America...
0:55:42 > 0:55:45..and four months later, they reached its southernmost tip -
0:55:45 > 0:55:47Cape Horn.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50Their extraordinary journey took almost a year to complete
0:55:50 > 0:55:51and helped to inspire
0:55:51 > 0:55:55the building of the 48,000-mile Pan-American Highway.
0:55:58 > 0:56:00You've done this without roads?
0:56:00 > 0:56:03That's insane - what were they thinking?
0:56:03 > 0:56:06But, undying admiration for what they did -
0:56:06 > 0:56:08and how they did it, with that car.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12I think they did it with the noblest of intentions,
0:56:12 > 0:56:15when they came down here, first blazing the trail.
0:56:15 > 0:56:16They wanted the road built,
0:56:16 > 0:56:21because they believed in the idea of making all of America more unified.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25And what was a hugely ambitious idea back then
0:56:25 > 0:56:28can easily be taken for granted today -
0:56:28 > 0:56:30the nations of two great continents,
0:56:30 > 0:56:33connected by the longest road in the world.
0:56:33 > 0:56:36The bit that absolutely blows my mind about this is,
0:56:36 > 0:56:40we have done this epic journey of ours...
0:56:40 > 0:56:42and then if you pan out,
0:56:42 > 0:56:45we are just the smallest section of a road
0:56:45 > 0:56:49that goes from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52We haven't even scratched the surface of this road.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55Oh, God!
0:57:02 > 0:57:05The interesting thing about this journey, Dara,
0:57:05 > 0:57:08is that it's not just been merely us travelling from one place to another.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11In a way, it's been an emotional journey.
0:57:11 > 0:57:15But more than that, it's also been...an actual journey.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18But it's also been...
0:57:18 > 0:57:20a journey of discovery.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24But also, we've literally just gone from one place
0:57:24 > 0:57:25to another place.
0:57:25 > 0:57:27WE are in the same place.
0:57:27 > 0:57:28- No, we're...- We - you and I.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31Right, look, we're going to pull up and I'll step out
0:57:31 > 0:57:33and I'll show you it's a different place.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35On my phone, I've got pictures of the place we started the journey.
0:57:35 > 0:57:39OK, but in a way, we'll end up in the same place we began. Yes?
0:57:39 > 0:57:40- BOTH:- Yes.