0:00:02 > 0:00:05All over the world, there are remarkable hotels,
0:00:05 > 0:00:09born of bold vision and daring endeavour.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Oh, my goodness, look at that!
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Whether it's an epic structure housing a sky park
0:00:15 > 0:00:17the length of the Eiffel Tower...
0:00:17 > 0:00:20This is definitely the biggest space I've ever been inside.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25..or a glass box, perched in the cloud forest.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27- Look at that view!- Wow.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31..they're all products of innovation,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33creativity and hard graft.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36The people running these hotels
0:00:36 > 0:00:38strive to create the perfect sanctuary.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43But what does it take to offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences
0:00:43 > 0:00:46in stunning locations?
0:00:46 > 0:00:49To build a hotel in a place like this, everybody thinks I'm crazy!
0:00:50 > 0:00:54In total, we have about 160,000 pieces of uniform.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Oh, my word!
0:00:58 > 0:01:00I'm a restaurant writer, newspaper columnist and critic.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03I have opinions on just about everything.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05What a mad place to build a hotel!
0:01:05 > 0:01:09I feel like Scott of the Antarctic, and it did not end well for him.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13And I'm a chef, who's worked at the top end of the hospitality industry
0:01:13 > 0:01:14for well over 20 years.
0:01:14 > 0:01:19How many opportunities do you get to cook breakfast with elephants and giraffes?
0:01:21 > 0:01:25We'll travel to amazing hotels in every corner of the world.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29To spend time getting to know the people working away behind the scenes.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31When did you last have a full night's sleep?
0:01:31 > 0:01:33- I don't remember.- Really?- Yes.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36What motivates you to work so hard?
0:01:36 > 0:01:40The kids. I would sacrifice everything for them.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Join us as we venture inside...
0:01:46 > 0:01:49..the world's most extraordinary hotels.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59We're on a winding single-track road
0:01:59 > 0:02:01in the South American country of Ecuador...
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Oi, oi, oi!
0:02:03 > 0:02:05..on the way to a private reserve...
0:02:06 > 0:02:09..and a hotel called Mashpi Lodge.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14You can see the mist in the background, and the palms and the huge trees.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Really terribly exciting. Kind of Garden of Eden vibes.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23Ecuador straddles the equator
0:02:23 > 0:02:25on South America's West Coast.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30And the Mashpi Reserve is situated in the Andean foothills,
0:02:30 > 0:02:32three hours' drive from the capital, Quito.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34My goodness, now there's a big gate.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37I feel like we're in Jurassic Park.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40It's like, what are they trying to keep out?!
0:02:40 > 0:02:42LAUGHTER
0:02:46 > 0:02:47I think we're here.
0:02:48 > 0:02:49This is amazing!
0:02:54 > 0:02:55Oh, my life!
0:02:58 > 0:03:00That's a hell of a road. I'd have had a bigger jeep or something.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03- That's a bit of a town car. - That was bumpy, wasn't it?
0:03:03 > 0:03:05- But look at this!- Hey!- Hi.
0:03:05 > 0:03:06- Welcome to Mashpi.- Hi.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09'We're greeted by general manager Marc Berry.'
0:03:09 > 0:03:11What a mad place to build a hotel!
0:03:11 > 0:03:14It is, isn't it? Right in the middle of a cloud.
0:03:19 > 0:03:25Mashpi Lodge is a 10 million hotel, offering understated jungle luxury
0:03:25 > 0:03:29to guests willing to pay up to 1,500 a night.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- Look at that view!- Wow.
0:03:34 > 0:03:35That is amazing.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Opened four years ago, this 22-room eco-hotel
0:03:40 > 0:03:43is an air-conditioned modernist glass bubble,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46with jaw-dropping views from every window.
0:03:48 > 0:03:53It's like a massive treehouse, where 84 staff outnumber guests two-to-one,
0:03:53 > 0:03:57and work around the clock providing five-star food and maintaining
0:03:57 > 0:03:59the minimalist accommodation.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Upstairs, please. The restaurant is downstairs.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06It looks lovely, it looks amazing.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09'Marc Berry ran busy restaurants in Mexico and Quito,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12'before joining Mashpi as operations manager two years ago.'
0:04:13 > 0:04:17We're sustainable, we don't have any kind of pollution,
0:04:17 > 0:04:18we don't have landfills.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20We don't want to leave a mark.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23So we really are making a big effort to respect nature.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28It's a tall order for a hotel in such a remote location.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32Mashpi is an incongruous luxury sanctuary, buried deep in the heart
0:04:32 > 0:04:35of one of the last surviving examples of primary
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Andean cloud forest.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Guests travel here from all over the world,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43for a chance to experience the extraordinary animal and plant life,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46guided by highly-trained naturalists.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50I've never seen anything like this before.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53I was not even absolutely certain until I saw it that it really
0:04:53 > 0:04:55existed, outside of a Warner Brothers set.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57It looks proper Tarzan.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00What I most want to do is get out into it, I think.
0:05:01 > 0:05:02I don't know how I'd ever get back.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08'Giles may be taking in the view, but we are here to work,
0:05:08 > 0:05:10'and I'm already in the bar
0:05:10 > 0:05:12'learning the ropes as part of the welcome team.'
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Ah, it's amazing.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19'Every guest is greeted with a special drink, which today includes
0:05:19 > 0:05:22'sugar syrup, citronella, lime and sparkling water.'
0:05:25 > 0:05:27That is delicious.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31We receive with a big smile, "How are you, sir?"
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Of course, the most important ingredient.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35- Hello, welcome to Mashpi.- Thank you.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39British newlyweds David and Fiona have just arrived for their honeymoon.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42There we go, would you like a welcome drink?
0:05:42 > 0:05:44- I'd love one, thank you. - Personally made by myself for you.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47- Oh, wow!- Excellent. - Congratulations, I hear.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Thank you.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- How was the journey?- Yeah, good. - Not too bad.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53So, this is your room key.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56'I've been told to let the view do the talking.'
0:05:57 > 0:05:58Your room.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08- Wow.- Pretty impressive.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11That is phenomenal.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16You just feel like you're in the jungle.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19- It's kind of all-encompassing, really.- Immersed in it.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Because of all the glass, it's incredible.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25I should leave you two honeymooners to enjoy your room.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Thanks very much.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Have a great honeymoon.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37The owner of Mashpi Lodge is Roque Sevilla.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Formerly the Mayor of Quito,
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Roque made his fortune in insurance and communications.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48But as owner of Mashpi Lodge,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51he's combined business acumen with his deep love of nature.
0:06:52 > 0:06:57The visitors that come here come to see not the hotel, but the forest.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00That's the main objective.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02So, the building should be a beautiful thing,
0:07:02 > 0:07:06but shouldn't compete with the beauty of nature.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09So, I decided to build this shell of glass.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12This bubble of glass,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16that allows you to be in constant contact with the forest.
0:07:16 > 0:07:22So, wherever you are in the hotel, you'll have a glimpse of the forest.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27It's a bold idea,
0:07:27 > 0:07:31but how do the staff manage to keep up appearances in a hotel
0:07:31 > 0:07:35that's surrounded by vegetation, and regularly buried in cloud?
0:07:41 > 0:07:4423-year-old Ana Gabriela Moya is head of housekeeping.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51The hotel is like a cocoon for the guests to feel safe here,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54and they can relax, but also to be part of the forest,
0:07:54 > 0:07:56and see how mysterious it is and how beautiful it is.
0:07:56 > 0:08:01So, they expect to be able to get super dirty outside in the forest,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03but to be able to come back and have luxury.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Like, a mix of those things.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Ana runs a staff of 12, whose battle with the elements is never-ending.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15- Giles!- Hi, Ana.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18'And today, she's got an extra pair of hands - me!'
0:08:18 > 0:08:21First this, you're going to have to wear your name tag.
0:08:21 > 0:08:22Thank you very much.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26'I'm going to help her fight her nemesis - mould.'
0:08:26 > 0:08:28This is the result of the humidity of the forest.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Humidity inside the hotel is, like, our biggest enemy.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Well, that's the forest basically trying to grow in the hotel, isn't it?
0:08:36 > 0:08:38It's like saying, "This is my spot."
0:08:38 > 0:08:41It is, but that would eventually turn into rainforest,
0:08:41 > 0:08:42if it wasn't for you.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Housekeeping.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48A cloud forest is similar to a rainforest,
0:08:48 > 0:08:49but situated high above sea-level.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54So, the rising air cools to create clouds,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57meaning that everything here stays moist.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Great for plants and vegetation, but not so great for hotels.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04So, it's a very hostile environment to keep a room clean, isn't it?
0:09:04 > 0:09:08The humidity is crazy here - it's really crazy.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11And it's like a constant battle, like, it's never stopping.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15We have to paint the rooms continuously,
0:09:15 > 0:09:16maybe every three weeks.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19- You repaint every three weeks? - Just, like, the mouldy parts.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Really?
0:09:21 > 0:09:26Ana wages war on the 90% humidity with a fleet of dehumidifiers that
0:09:26 > 0:09:30liberate a staggering 15 litres of water each and every day.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35To further complicate her job,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Roque insists that every product in the hotel,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42from cleaning products to guest shampoo, is chemical-free.
0:09:43 > 0:09:44Is this good wheeling?
0:09:44 > 0:09:46Really good wheeling, isn't it?
0:09:46 > 0:09:49He's very committed to, like, the environment,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51so we have to use things that are eco-friendly.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53- Biodegradable?- Biodegradable.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56And we have to come up with different ideas,
0:09:56 > 0:09:58like vinegar and baking soda,
0:09:58 > 0:09:59so that makes my job a lot harder.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07And then there's Ecuador's estimated one million different species of insect.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Moths every night get attracted when we turn on the lights.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15So it's, kind of, moth carnage in there.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18I am world-famous for my moth cleaning skills.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22- OK?- This is like a major suicide spot for moths.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Somersault, and... Boom!
0:10:30 > 0:10:32- Thank you very much.- Good job.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38Having experienced first-hand the challenges of running a hotel
0:10:38 > 0:10:42in this environment, I want to meet the man behind the vision.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45So, why on earth would you build a hotel here?
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Why did you want to do that?
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Basically, because I wanted to show other people
0:10:50 > 0:10:52the beauty of this place.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57To help me understand his ambition for Mashpi Lodge,
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Roque has invited me to his observation tower.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06It stands 20 metres high on a ridge above the hotel and the forest
0:11:06 > 0:11:08that he bought 15 years ago.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09Yeah, I don't really like heights.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12I wish you'd bought a lower bit of forest, frankly.
0:11:15 > 0:11:16Right...
0:11:18 > 0:11:20You see, there you can see...
0:11:20 > 0:11:24- Is that it, there? - That's the hotel.- Wow!
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Everybody thinks I'm completely crazy,
0:11:26 > 0:11:30because who cares to build a hotel in a place like this one?
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Tell me, so, you were the Mayor of Quito, you're a businessman.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37What led you to buy a chunk of cloud forest?
0:11:37 > 0:11:41Well, when I bought it, I had no idea of doing a business here,
0:11:41 > 0:11:45a tourist business. It was just a protection of this area.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48This kind of forest is disappearing at an incredible rate,
0:11:48 > 0:11:54and in Ecuador we have only 5% of it still standing.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Roque's 1,200 hectares of tropical forest
0:11:57 > 0:11:59reaches almost as far as I can see,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02but it's just a fraction of the Choco, a once vast forest
0:12:02 > 0:12:05that stretched for thousands of miles through Panama,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Colombia and Ecuador.
0:12:08 > 0:12:13Widespread logging and farming in the Ecuadorian Choco has seen 95% of
0:12:13 > 0:12:15it cut down in the last 50 years.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Roque's land was owned by a logging company,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23but the mountainous terrain slowed them down long enough for him to
0:12:23 > 0:12:24buy it, before it was too late.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Getting down to the nitty-gritty of how much it all cost, first of all,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33buying the forest in the first place - was that expensive?
0:12:33 > 0:12:40It cost exactly the same as a 200 square metre apartment in Quito.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45350,000 to buy 1,200 hectares.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50So, it's probably the cheapest thing I've bought in my life,
0:12:50 > 0:12:52because it's the most valuable thing I have.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59Roque's passion for nature meant that he insisted no large trees or
0:12:59 > 0:13:01plants were disturbed by the build.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05So, the structure was fabricated off-site in large pieces, and trucked in.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10It took two years to build, and cost 10 million.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17That was the place where the logging company had cut the forest,
0:13:17 > 0:13:19for putting the mill.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22- It's on the site of where the mill was...- Exactly.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24..that sawed up the trees that they cut down?
0:13:24 > 0:13:26- Exactly.- That's actually, like, the centre of evil.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29That's the centre of evil, yes!
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Roque didn't just save a forest -
0:13:34 > 0:13:36he preserved some of the most diverse habitat in the world.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42Ecuador is home to around 10% of all plant life on the planet,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46and a phenomenal 1,700 bird species,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49more than twice the amount found in the whole of North America.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Just looking around, all the life
0:13:55 > 0:13:57that you have in this green
0:13:57 > 0:14:00mass of forest, it's amazing.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04There's no other hotel, probably, that has so much life near to it,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06in the world.
0:14:06 > 0:14:11So, I think it's the best idea I've had in my life.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Roque's made it his mission to encourage everyone
0:14:15 > 0:14:19who visits the hotel to see the forest through his eyes.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24What we would like is that when people come here,
0:14:24 > 0:14:28their view of the planet would change,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31that they would consider themselves as part of the whole system,
0:14:31 > 0:14:35and not as the king of the creation.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38That would be the most wonderful thing that could happen.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Roque's desire for guests to engage with nature has led to a wondrous
0:14:49 > 0:14:51invention, deep in the forest.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57I know it's a gondola, that's all I know.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59A gondola in the sense of a ski lift, kind of a thing?
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Yes, in the middle of this rainforest.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05This is Roque's latest project,
0:15:05 > 0:15:07a jungle cable car called the Dragonfly.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14Gondola baskets float for almost a mile
0:15:14 > 0:15:16through the reserve's treetops,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19at heights of up to 200 metres from the ground.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Some experts suggest that it's up here that around 70% of life in
0:15:22 > 0:15:26the forest is found, and this gives guests a unique opportunity
0:15:26 > 0:15:28to catch a glimpse of it.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31That looks kind of exciting. That looks like Jurassic Park, doesn't it?
0:15:31 > 0:15:33I feel like we're going to get in this gondola,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36and a huge bird is just going to come and take us out.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41- A pterodactyl? - Pterodactyl, there you go.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44'Today, we'll be helping operations manager Marc
0:15:44 > 0:15:46'carry out vital safety checks.'
0:15:47 > 0:15:50It has to be very smooth, it has to be very safe,
0:15:50 > 0:15:52it has to be very comfortable.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55And to do that right in the middle of nowhere
0:15:55 > 0:15:57is a real, real challenge.
0:15:57 > 0:15:58Oh, my word!
0:15:59 > 0:16:00Yeah!
0:16:02 > 0:16:04This is so cool.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10I could stay out here all day.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13I wish my daughter was here with me - she'd love it.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17If Roque thought it was tough to build the hotel without impacting
0:16:17 > 0:16:19the environment, it was nothing
0:16:19 > 0:16:22compared to constructing a mile-long jungle ski lift.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31He had to find a way to put this system somewhere in the middle of
0:16:31 > 0:16:34the Mashpi Reserve, without having to cut down trees.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40This extraordinary feat of engineering took four years
0:16:40 > 0:16:44and 3 million to complete, employing a crew of 20 and using
0:16:44 > 0:16:46over 1,000 tonnes of concrete.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Whoo! Can you imagine just going...zip down there?
0:16:55 > 0:16:57I mean, it's a beautiful, amazing thing -
0:16:57 > 0:16:59it's just really terrifying.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02I mean, really terrifying. If you have any sort of imagination,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04I don't see how you can think about anything except
0:17:04 > 0:17:07the twang of the cable snapping, and the whole thing plummeting down,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10smashing through the trees, and the twigs and the branches,
0:17:10 > 0:17:11and bam, hitting the deck.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14And then waking up with your limbs all broken,
0:17:14 > 0:17:15with a panther eating you.
0:17:18 > 0:17:19That's probably not going to happen,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23but there does have to be a rescue procedure in case of power failure.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27And there is - it's called a rope.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31The thing is that you never know what can happen -
0:17:31 > 0:17:32better to be safe than sorry.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34MONICA GASPS
0:17:34 > 0:17:35That's high!
0:17:35 > 0:17:39'Staff members take turns to test the escape drill, but, today,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42'that dubious honour has fallen to one of us.'
0:17:44 > 0:17:46It looks like quite a long way down.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Certainly, if you fell out of this thing, you would die.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51I am just too scared, so I'm not going to do it.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55I reckon I'm being quite brave by staying up here.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59With Giles bravely opting to keep my seat warm...
0:18:00 > 0:18:04..it's my turn to take one for the team.
0:18:04 > 0:18:05Well done, well done.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Whoa-ho!
0:18:09 > 0:18:12- Don't...- Don't look down. - Don't look down.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14- Slowly sit back.- Sit back?!
0:18:14 > 0:18:16- Trust your equipment.- OK.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Whoo! Woohoo!
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Whoa! Don't do that!
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Woohoo! This is so cool!
0:18:36 > 0:18:39This feels awesome, just sitting in a swing, really.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41It's the letting go. It's the letting go.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Giles, did we bring any champagne with us?
0:18:49 > 0:18:51'This isn't just thrill-seeking -
0:18:51 > 0:18:53'it's a drill that has to be tested regularly.'
0:18:53 > 0:18:57Woohoo! That's so awesome.
0:18:57 > 0:18:58Shall we do it again?!
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Argh! Wet foot.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08After doing that and managing to get myself down here in one piece,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11the system is really safe.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13How was that, then, Mon, are you all right?
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Yeah, I am. I made it down in one piece!
0:19:16 > 0:19:17Would you do it again?
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Yeah, I would do it again.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Come on, then!
0:19:21 > 0:19:22LAUGHTER
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Have you got a pub up here, mate?
0:19:29 > 0:19:30Mwah!
0:19:32 > 0:19:35You really do get a sense of how huge it is and how dense the forest
0:19:35 > 0:19:39is when you're right in the middle of it.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41It's an amazing experience.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51Mashpi Lodge's remote location is a big part of its charm,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55but running a five-star eco-hotel in such a wild environment
0:19:55 > 0:19:57comes with unique logistical issues.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01In keeping with Roque's zero-impact policy,
0:20:01 > 0:20:05the access road hasn't been modernised since the logging company
0:20:05 > 0:20:06established it 40 years ago.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Landslides are a weekly occurrence and threaten to
0:20:13 > 0:20:16derail guest transfers unless they're cleared quickly.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Today, I'm joining operations manager Marc to find out
0:20:23 > 0:20:26how to run a hotel in the middle of nowhere.
0:20:26 > 0:20:31It is a challenge, and, if it was easy, it would be boring.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34This is one kitchen that really needs their walk-in fridge,
0:20:34 > 0:20:38as the bulk of their weekly supplies arrive in a single delivery.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43It's not like living in the city, you're missing something,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46you can get something delivered in maybe a few minutes.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50So you've got to be on top of things, plan everything ahead.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56When the lodge is full, the kitchen feeds 44 guests, plus 60 staff
0:20:56 > 0:20:57three meals a day.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58That's 300 plates of food.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05I'm delighted to see that a special request I made for Giles has arrived -
0:21:05 > 0:21:09a local delicacy that is only found in this part of the world.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Here in Ecuador they eat guinea pig,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16and Giles is just about to discover how that tastes.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23The cloud forest may steal the show here,
0:21:23 > 0:21:26but Roque has made sure the food doesn't disappoint either.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Head chef Oswaldo and his team
0:21:29 > 0:21:32lay on a comprehensive breakfast and lunch buffet,
0:21:32 > 0:21:36switching to an Ecuadorian-influenced a la carte in the evening.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43Today, I'm working with Oswaldo to prepare lunch -
0:21:43 > 0:21:44guinea pig.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52'Guinea pig, or cuy, isn't a permanent fixture on the menu here...'
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Do you want me to take that out?
0:21:54 > 0:21:58'..but it is widely eaten in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.'
0:21:58 > 0:22:01I'm so sorry, it's squeaking!
0:22:01 > 0:22:03- Sale?- Sal.- Sal.
0:22:04 > 0:22:10So really rubbing the salt and the garlic into the guinea pig.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12That just sounds so wrong.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16'Achiote is the saffron of South America.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19'Mixed with cooking oil, it adds perfume and colour.'
0:22:19 > 0:22:22It's just a little bit bitter. It's fragrant.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25And now we have a fluorescent orange guinea pig.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28And in the oven we go.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31One nation's pet, another's traditional lunch.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Will I try it? Yes, I will.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37Will I put it on the menu back at home?
0:22:37 > 0:22:39No, I won't.
0:22:41 > 0:22:47The structure of this hotel is dominated by one thing - glass.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Roque designed it this way
0:22:49 > 0:22:52to keep guests connected to the forest at all times.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54The daunting task of keeping it all clean
0:22:54 > 0:22:56falls to maintenance man Fabian.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02He works his way around each pane every three weeks,
0:23:02 > 0:23:05but, today, Ana's nominated me to help.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07They're not technically windows, are they?
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Because they're just walls made of glass.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11I think of a window as a little thing in a wall.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15- You've got a hotel made entirely of glass.- A lot of glass, that's true.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Ana tells me Fabian will only answer to the name Nino,
0:23:18 > 0:23:19which in Spanish means "boy".
0:23:22 > 0:23:25'As Nino is famously a man of few words...'
0:23:25 > 0:23:26Fabian.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30'..I'm not sure how he feels about me trying my hand at his job.'
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Nice wobbly ladder you've got here, Nino.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39That's great.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Nice view from up here, though.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48How many metres of glass are there in this building?
0:23:48 > 0:23:51We have around 1,000 square metres of glass inside the hotel.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55In some ways you might say it's a project of sheer madness to build
0:23:55 > 0:23:59a giant glass box in the jungle and then try and keep it clean all day.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01I mean, that's slightly mental, isn't it?
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Do you ever get the sense that you're fighting the jungle?
0:24:04 > 0:24:06The jungle wants you to be dirty, doesn't it?
0:24:06 > 0:24:10That's the thing about jungles, they're dirty, wet, bacteria, life,
0:24:10 > 0:24:12everything grows out of this dirt.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14You must know deep down that you're going to lose.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16- 1,000 years from now...- Yeah.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19..the jungle is going to have eaten this place and everything in it.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22That's why we have to keep all the details and the constant cleaning
0:24:22 > 0:24:25all the time. We cannot even stop for a week -
0:24:25 > 0:24:26we have to do it all the time.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Do you wake up in the night screaming at the thought?
0:24:29 > 0:24:32No, I don't. I'm not that obsessed with cleaning.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34- Yes, you are.- I'm not.- You are!
0:24:36 > 0:24:39It's actually rather satisfying, that is the thing.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41What does Nino think? Is this all right?
0:24:41 > 0:24:43ANA SPEAKS IN SPANISH
0:24:43 > 0:24:44Si?
0:24:45 > 0:24:47'Hats off to Nino.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49'This is a tiring job, and anyone who can spend
0:24:49 > 0:24:52'45 solitary hours a week doing it deserves a medal.'
0:24:53 > 0:24:55Oh, terra firma.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58How about that? Top job, eh? Nino's out of a job.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02That's actually quite good fun for me to climb up there
0:25:02 > 0:25:05and there's a satisfaction in cleaning a couple of panes,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08but there's 1,000 square metres of glass here, and poor old Nino,
0:25:08 > 0:25:10his entire life, day after day after day,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13hour after hour after hour is keeping this clean.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20What do you suppose "served with smoked moron pepper gelais" is?
0:25:20 > 0:25:24- Do you know what a moron is?- Moron? Well... You're here.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30I hope Giles has worked up an appetite for his special lunch -
0:25:30 > 0:25:32guinea pig a la Mashpi.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38Sir, traditional plato Ecuador. Cuy.
0:25:38 > 0:25:39Oh, cool.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43So, I took the liberty of ordering you something special.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Did you save the skin, because I did want to make a pair of gloves?
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Cuy. Very good.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51- Gracias.- Otro cuy.- Ah!
0:25:51 > 0:25:53- What are you having?- The same.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Why does yours look like that?
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- Is yours the traditional way? - No, yours is the traditional way.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00I thought you'd enjoy it better that way.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03This recipe has been handed down by the Incas...
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Because they didn't want it any more.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Can I offer you the head? Because you don't seem to have got one.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12- No.- What I really need is a steak knife.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Do you have a guinea pig knife? Is that a...?
0:26:16 > 0:26:18It's quite difficult to cut.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24- Mmm. It's delicious.- Is it?
0:26:24 > 0:26:26It's got a lot more fat than I thought it would have had.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28I assume it's farmed guinea pig, isn't it?
0:26:28 > 0:26:32'In South America, the guinea pig was around long before the cow,
0:26:32 > 0:26:36'and still carries a certain status for special occasions.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39You look at a meal like this, don't you? And you say that we,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41in Europe, have become quite separated from
0:26:41 > 0:26:44the reality of the food we eat, and you thank heaven for it.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46LAUGHTER
0:26:46 > 0:26:49I'm trying to think of this as a rat, because then if I eat it,
0:26:49 > 0:26:51even if I don't enjoy it, at least there's one less in the world.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54I mean, to be honest, as a restaurant critic for the last 20 years,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57how many rats I've eaten without knowing it, I don't know.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00'Our waitress, Miriam, has even got a local tip for using those
0:27:00 > 0:27:01'little guinea pig claws.'
0:27:01 > 0:27:04SHE SPEAKS IN SPANISH
0:27:04 > 0:27:06To clean your teeth with.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09- I see that.- Does it work?
0:27:09 > 0:27:10Oh, you missed a spot.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Normally you'd look in there.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19The usual, non-rodent cooking here is so good,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22it would be easy to put on weight.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27But, thankfully, there's an army of nature guides on hand
0:27:27 > 0:27:31to help guests walk it off round the reserve's nine miles of trails.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34It's a very beautiful flower - it's known as Gesneriaceae.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38Let me take maybe one of these little things out of here.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40And just magic comes, right?
0:27:41 > 0:27:44So, what do you see now? A hummingbird.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46- Oh, yes.- Oh! - THEY LAUGH
0:27:49 > 0:27:55But Roque wanted to do more with the forest than just preserve it,
0:27:55 > 0:27:59so he allocated hotel money to pay an unusual employee,
0:27:59 > 0:28:01resident biologist Carlos Morochz.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07When I started here, they hired me for four months.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10After four months, imagine being here eight years -
0:28:10 > 0:28:13I never imagined here being eight years.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17Carlos began with an audit of the forest to see how much wildlife had
0:28:17 > 0:28:21survived years of hunting and logging.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Three years ago, everything was just cut down,
0:28:23 > 0:28:26logging companies everywhere.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Now it has stopped, it's just amazing -
0:28:29 > 0:28:32you want to be here for the rest of your life.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35Every day is understanding something new or finding something new,
0:28:35 > 0:28:39and we are getting amazing results of our research.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42And we are trying to share this information to the world, to science
0:28:42 > 0:28:45and to people in general.
0:28:50 > 0:28:55Tonight, Carlos has asked us to help out on a research trip into the jungle...
0:28:55 > 0:28:57in the dark.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00I'm told that I need a head torch.
0:29:00 > 0:29:01Look at that, it comes on.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04So you put that on, I don't know whether this is...
0:29:04 > 0:29:08I didn't think anybody apart from a coal miner or a gynaecologist
0:29:08 > 0:29:09would need one of these.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11EERIE MUSIC PLAYS
0:29:19 > 0:29:22Everything changes at night.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25There are more mammals that usually come out at night, too.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28Tonight, we're hunting Carlos' latest discovery,
0:29:28 > 0:29:31a brand-new species of frog.
0:29:34 > 0:29:35This is the lagoon -
0:29:35 > 0:29:38this is the place that we're going to find the Mashpi frog.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40But a close cousin captures our attention.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44Amazing, this is a type of tree frog, here.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46This is called the Inbabura tree frog.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50- Inbabura?- They're very charismatic.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52Oh, look at that.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54Hey, baby.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57Ah!
0:29:57 > 0:29:59I don't mind. That's all right.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02Oh, that is so cool. It's love at first sight.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10When he arrived here eight years ago, Carlos spent months living
0:30:10 > 0:30:14in a tent while he explored every inch of the reserve.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17Many of the nights, you just work for two or three hours,
0:30:17 > 0:30:19work in the dark,
0:30:19 > 0:30:23and you keep seeing stuff, and then you just start understanding
0:30:23 > 0:30:25how the ecosystem works.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29It's a connection with nature that I think all humans
0:30:29 > 0:30:32need and have, actually.
0:30:32 > 0:30:33Absolutely.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37It's a connection that Giles is struggling to make.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40Argh! Look!
0:30:40 > 0:30:44There's a BLEEP butterfly the size of a cat flying around!
0:30:44 > 0:30:47Carlos, what brings you to this part of the world?
0:30:47 > 0:30:51- What brings me?- Yeah. - Yeah, I'm not afraid of anything.
0:30:51 > 0:30:52I'm freaked out by the jungle,
0:30:52 > 0:30:55so I'm just having a bit of a moment, here.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57Mon's a chef, she's different.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03The insect in question is just a harmless owl butterfly.
0:31:05 > 0:31:06Yeah, all right, fine.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11I've got a light on my head, which means the moths just want to mate
0:31:11 > 0:31:14with my eyes, and, you know...
0:31:14 > 0:31:16Argh! Horrible.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19I'd rather there were gorillas and tigers, frankly,
0:31:19 > 0:31:21than all these revolting giant insects.
0:31:23 > 0:31:25'But then I spot a pair of tiny eyes in the darkness.'
0:31:27 > 0:31:28Yes, just behind that leaf.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32- What is it?- Yeah!- Is that it?
0:31:32 > 0:31:37- I found the Mashpi?- Yeah, you find a Mashpi.- Really?- Yeah.- Ha-ha!
0:31:37 > 0:31:39Is it definitely the Mashpi?
0:31:39 > 0:31:41- Because this could be the giant frog.- It's definitely the Mashpi.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44Can I see? That's quite exciting, actually.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47I just found the Mashpi frog. I'm very, very good at this.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51I'm like a Crocodile Dundee, except with weenie amphibians.
0:31:51 > 0:31:56It's every biologist's dream to describe a new species to science,
0:31:56 > 0:31:59but the Mashpi frog also helps validate Carlos' staff job.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03If it wasn't for the Mashpi preservation,
0:32:03 > 0:32:04if it was not for this project,
0:32:04 > 0:32:07if it was not for the hotel, almost, you wouldn't have the frog?
0:32:07 > 0:32:08Exactly.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12Oh, God. Carlos, your work here is done.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14You've converted me, that's for sure.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22Carlos's enthusiasm has spurred me on
0:32:22 > 0:32:24to find out about his other projects,
0:32:24 > 0:32:27so he's agreed to introduce me to some of the locals.
0:32:27 > 0:32:32I'm very proud of these local people that have been working for us
0:32:32 > 0:32:34in the last six years.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37They're the ambassadors, right now, of our conservation efforts.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Look how beautiful it is.
0:32:49 > 0:32:54Six years ago, Carlos persuaded Roque to fund a life centre,
0:32:54 > 0:32:59enabling the detailed study of the 35 butterfly species
0:32:59 > 0:33:00native to Mashpi...
0:33:02 > 0:33:05..and paying the salary of four local people.
0:33:07 > 0:33:08Ola, Nixon.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12'Nixon Napa is Carlos's right-hand man.'
0:33:20 > 0:33:22Oh!
0:33:22 > 0:33:25I'm going to call you Mr Coren.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33Look how gorgeous that is - that's what you're going to turn into.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38'Previously, Nixon was a farmer.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41'Before Carlos hired him, he viewed caterpillars as a pest.'
0:33:53 > 0:33:55Look how beautiful it is.
0:33:55 > 0:33:56That's so beautiful.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00While Monica is chasing butterflies,
0:34:00 > 0:34:02I'm heading out to meet Nixon's brother.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11Jose Napa is a man who knows Mashpi Reserve better than anyone,
0:34:11 > 0:34:13having spent years logging and hunting in it.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19He was the only inhabitant of this area.
0:34:19 > 0:34:24When I first met him, he had his machete, of course,
0:34:24 > 0:34:28with him all the time, and people in the vicinity said,
0:34:28 > 0:34:31"Be careful of Jose Napa, he's a dangerous fellow."
0:34:31 > 0:34:36But he knows very well the area, he had been hunting all around,
0:34:36 > 0:34:40so we wanted to know what we had bought.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46Instead of chasing Jose away, Roque hired him on the spot
0:34:46 > 0:34:50and, 15 years on, he's a senior guide responsible for the upkeep of the trails.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58Jose is also leader of a small local community called Mashpi village,
0:34:58 > 0:34:59home to other staff members too.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04Today, we're clearing some fallen trees from the path
0:35:04 > 0:35:07leading to the village, which is three miles from the lodge.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14Watching Jose at work is a stark reminder of what could have been.
0:35:15 > 0:35:21That's a man who could deforest an entire jungle with a Swiss army knife.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26Did it make you sad to cut down the trees?
0:35:38 > 0:35:42Jose was initially deeply suspicious of Roque, but his trust was won
0:35:42 > 0:35:45when his new boss visited the forest with an orchid expert.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32Winding our way through the forest towards Mashpi village,
0:36:32 > 0:36:35I'm beginning to understand what all the fuss is about,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38and things are about to get even more jungle-tastic.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43- That's a laugh - that's an actual vine.- Yes.
0:36:43 > 0:36:44Hold that and then...
0:36:45 > 0:36:47Really? So it's OK?
0:36:47 > 0:36:49Safe? I'm not going to die?
0:36:49 > 0:36:51Yes.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53MAKES TARZAN CALL
0:36:54 > 0:36:57That sounded more like fear, didn't it, than Tarzan?
0:36:58 > 0:37:00Yes!
0:37:00 > 0:37:02MAKES TARZAN CALL
0:37:02 > 0:37:05The only thing is those lions are going to come running, and the gorillas.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07That's proper jungle living, that is.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10Maybe I should swing from that one, onto another one
0:37:10 > 0:37:12and then another one and then another one.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14Eventually arriving, with a bit of luck, at a pub.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23But after two hours walking, the trees start to thin...
0:37:24 > 0:37:26..and we're running out of cloud forest.
0:37:28 > 0:37:29God, it just ends, doesn't it?
0:37:31 > 0:37:32That's it.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37Wow!
0:37:39 > 0:37:42That's the jungle which was supposed to go on forever all the way
0:37:42 > 0:37:44to the sea, and there it just stops,
0:37:44 > 0:37:45and you walk out like it was a park.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50Leaving the reserve, we're confronted with a reason for
0:37:50 > 0:37:53deforestation the world over -
0:37:53 > 0:37:54agriculture.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59Here, it's palm hearts, an increasingly popular vegetable
0:37:59 > 0:38:00that tastes a bit like artichoke
0:38:00 > 0:38:03and yields around 200 a year per square metre.
0:38:07 > 0:38:12And this all used to be forest and was all cut down so you could grow this?
0:38:20 > 0:38:23As we arrive on the outskirts of Mashpi village,
0:38:23 > 0:38:25Jose invites me to see his pride and joy.
0:38:32 > 0:38:33Amazing.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42What an amazing place - what an incredible array of orchids.
0:38:42 > 0:38:43I was just thinking,
0:38:43 > 0:38:46I wonder how they keep the conditions right for these orchids.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48And then I realised these are the conditions of the orchids.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50And every greenhouse you ever go to in the world,
0:38:50 > 0:38:53anything you go to in Kew Gardens, what they're trying to do is
0:38:53 > 0:38:55replicate this cloud forest environment,
0:38:55 > 0:38:57to keep the orchids happy.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00My wife keeps orchids, or pet sticks as I tend to think of them,
0:39:00 > 0:39:03because they just die immediately if you don't look after them,
0:39:03 > 0:39:06and you couldn't kill an orchid if you tried here.
0:39:15 > 0:39:20In the last five years, Jose has found 200 of the 4,600 different
0:39:20 > 0:39:22species of orchid in Ecuador.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28And we're adding another to his collection from our walk down today.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31So you're going to plant the orchid bulb in the wood?
0:39:36 > 0:39:37That's so clever.
0:39:43 > 0:39:44Yes, Jose was offered a job.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46Yes, he was offered an easier way of life than he had before.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49But it was seeing the orchids and realising there was something
0:39:49 > 0:39:52beautiful and different that he hadn't understood about the forest,
0:39:52 > 0:39:55that could be the way the future worked for him, that changed his mind.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59So the orchids, effectively, have helped to save this bit of cloud forest.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05Jose was the first of many locals with no formal hospitality
0:40:05 > 0:40:08experience whom Roque hired at the hotel as part of his mission
0:40:08 > 0:40:12to bring alternative employment to this former logging community.
0:40:12 > 0:40:13Oh, really?
0:40:15 > 0:40:19The basic principle was that the people who are in the area
0:40:19 > 0:40:21would benefit from the project.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23So here in this hotel,
0:40:23 > 0:40:2770% of the people who work here come from the area.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34The other 30% are hospitality professionals from Quito.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38They live on site for 20 days a month, and share the staff house
0:40:38 > 0:40:41with local employees overnighting between shifts.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44Oh, sorry, that's rubbish! What am I doing?
0:40:44 > 0:40:46There we go again.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51'So I realise family must be far away from here.'
0:40:51 > 0:40:53What's it like staying with everyone here?
0:40:53 > 0:40:55Well, people here become your second family.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58So these are the ones you spend more time with.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00This is not for everybody.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03We've had people that haven't even stayed for 24 hours.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05For the ones that are married, it's hard, like,
0:41:05 > 0:41:07knowing that you haven't seen your children.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09I can imagine that. That, for me, would be tough.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11- It's tough.- I would find that tough.
0:41:16 > 0:41:2036-year-old Miriam is a hard-working waitress who never stops smiling.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27But I know that her job means regular overnights away from her family.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50As a working mum myself, I want to find out how Miriam manages,
0:41:50 > 0:41:52so I'm visiting her at home
0:41:52 > 0:41:54on the outskirts of the village of La Delicia.
0:41:56 > 0:41:57Monica!
0:42:00 > 0:42:03'What she didn't tell me is that along with her husband
0:42:03 > 0:42:05'she's got four children,
0:42:05 > 0:42:07'and the youngest, Gabrielle, is just a year old.'
0:42:10 > 0:42:12- Cheers!- Cheers!
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Miriam's house is surrounded by fields of sugar cane,
0:42:16 > 0:42:18which is brewed into a local pick-me-up.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23Oh, it's lovely! But very sweet.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26- Natural.- Yeah, very natural. - Natural.- That's delicious.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33- Chilli. Oh, that's good.- Very good.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36- Limona?- Limon. Si, limon.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38Look at your view!
0:42:40 > 0:42:43How did I miss that?! Oh, my word!
0:42:44 > 0:42:45- Beautiful.- Yes.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50This four-hectare sugar cane plantation is owned
0:42:50 > 0:42:52by Miriam's husband's family.
0:42:53 > 0:42:57In exchange for living here, they maintain it and harvest the crop.
0:43:01 > 0:43:02Today, I'm helping out.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17Oh! I like that.
0:43:19 > 0:43:20That is not easy.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26OK. One down...
0:43:27 > 0:43:28..three and a half hectares to go!
0:43:30 > 0:43:35Miriam and her husband need to harvest 200 kilos of cane every week,
0:43:35 > 0:43:39so any time she's not working at the lodge, she gets stuck in down here.
0:43:40 > 0:43:41Are you kidding me right now, Miriam?
0:43:43 > 0:43:45- You finish working and you come and do this?- OK.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51So, Miriam, having the job at the hotel,
0:43:51 > 0:43:54has it made a big difference financially for you and the family?
0:44:09 > 0:44:13'While Miriam's new career is providing financial stability,
0:44:13 > 0:44:17'her husband now juggles his workload in the sugar cane plantation with
0:44:17 > 0:44:20'single-handedly looking after the kids when Miriam's at the lodge.
0:44:21 > 0:44:26'It's an unusual set-up for a man in this part of the world.'
0:44:26 > 0:44:28How do you feel, being the one to stay home now
0:44:28 > 0:44:29and raise the children?
0:44:39 > 0:44:42So, Miriam, it must be hard for you now to work in the hotel
0:44:42 > 0:44:44and having to leave the family?
0:45:30 > 0:45:32Everything you're doing is for your family.
0:45:32 > 0:45:36I come from a family where I hardly saw my mother,
0:45:36 > 0:45:40because she had to work to provide for myself and my siblings,
0:45:40 > 0:45:45and I'm sure as hell that your girls and your little boy will grow up
0:45:45 > 0:45:47better adults for what you're sacrificing now.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56What Miriam's doing is she's breaking boundaries here,
0:45:56 > 0:46:01to be a woman that is leaving family life and the babies to go in search
0:46:01 > 0:46:05of a career, to better their way of life
0:46:05 > 0:46:07and to provide a future for her babies.
0:46:07 > 0:46:11She wants them to see that they too can achieve more.
0:46:11 > 0:46:12Any parent can relate to that.
0:46:18 > 0:46:22It's amazing to see the impact of the hotel on one family,
0:46:22 > 0:46:26but what about the hundreds of other people who can no longer log or hunt
0:46:26 > 0:46:28in the cloud forest?
0:46:32 > 0:46:36I do wonder how the local people in the community really do feel about the hotel.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38Is there a bit of resentment of the tourists
0:46:38 > 0:46:40that just come here for the hotel?
0:46:40 > 0:46:43All the towns and villages were presumably once logging towns,
0:46:43 > 0:46:46so there's a sort of slight sadness, like when you have a thing that used
0:46:46 > 0:46:49to be a mining village, there's people now with nothing to do.
0:46:49 > 0:46:51I guess there are people in what used to be logging villages with
0:46:51 > 0:46:53nothing to do, and I suppose
0:46:53 > 0:46:55if they get sequestered into the tourism business,
0:46:55 > 0:46:57that's better than logging?
0:46:59 > 0:47:02Roque believes that tourism may be the answer,
0:47:02 > 0:47:04even for those not employed by the lodge.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10It has taken some time, so that people begin to understand
0:47:10 > 0:47:15that what we're doing is developing a touristic business,
0:47:15 > 0:47:19and they're beginning to see that it is a good idea.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21So we hope that they copy us,
0:47:21 > 0:47:25and that they learn how to do it in the best way possible.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29So we hope to have a lot of competition by people
0:47:29 > 0:47:31who have worked with us!
0:47:31 > 0:47:32That would be very good.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37Three miles from the lodge, in Mashpi,
0:47:37 > 0:47:40village chief Jose has been applying everything he's learned at work
0:47:40 > 0:47:42to his own community.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49Under his stewardship, they've transformed their picturesque
0:47:49 > 0:47:52stretch of river into a family-friendly picnic spot,
0:47:52 > 0:47:55hoping to entice weekend tourists from Quito,
0:47:55 > 0:47:57and it seems to be catching on.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16Today, they're having a procession to mark the opening
0:48:16 > 0:48:17of another community milestone.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22FIREWORK BANGS
0:48:28 > 0:48:31As more than 80% of Ecuadorians are Roman Catholic,
0:48:31 > 0:48:35an official place of worship will help put Mashpi on the map,
0:48:35 > 0:48:39inaugurated today by a Polish missionary and his giant Alsatian.
0:48:45 > 0:48:46Just like any city needs a cathedral,
0:48:46 > 0:48:51a village needs an outdoor place of worship and a shrine to the Virgin.
0:48:51 > 0:48:53It's got slightly more dogs and chickens in it than you'd be used to
0:48:53 > 0:48:57back home, but it has a very lovely, special feeling.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02Jose's nephew, Manolo, is benefiting from his well-paid job
0:49:02 > 0:49:04as an English-speaking guide up at the hotel.
0:49:06 > 0:49:08- Oh, wow! - This here is my little cabin.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10It's beautiful.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13'He wants to show me the house he's built for his family.'
0:49:14 > 0:49:16- Open-plan living.- Yes.
0:49:16 > 0:49:18- Very nice.- Yes.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20And so, are there enough jobs at Mashpi?
0:49:20 > 0:49:23I mean, if, supposing all the men in the village...
0:49:23 > 0:49:25There aren't enough jobs, are there?
0:49:25 > 0:49:28No, no, no. Here, it's very difficult to get a job.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31That's why we're trying to have tourism in the place.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35In that way, we can make more jobs for the community.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40'He may now be one of the most prosperous people in town,
0:49:40 > 0:49:44'but Manolo still likes to provide for his family the old-fashioned way.'
0:49:47 > 0:49:50- We're going fishing, then, are we? - Yeah! Yes, we go for fishing.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52Using a line, but not using a rod?
0:49:52 > 0:49:54Yeah. It's much better.
0:49:54 > 0:49:58- You put a piece of cheese on the end of a string and put the other end in your pocket?- Yeah.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00- And this definitely works? - Yeah, put it in your pocket.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02This is a strange way of fishing.
0:50:02 > 0:50:03You've been fishing here all your life, have you?
0:50:03 > 0:50:05- Yes.- What kind of cheese do you use for this?
0:50:05 > 0:50:07- Normal cheese.- Normal cheese, OK.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11Oops, that didn't work! Give me one more go.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15Because it's not the most obvious way to fish, but I love it.
0:50:15 > 0:50:16I love it.
0:50:19 > 0:50:20- Good, good.- OK, my son, there we go.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22- Well done, well done. - Is that good?- OK, wait.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25- OK.- When they pull, you have to...
0:50:25 > 0:50:26Now, now!
0:50:26 > 0:50:28- Oh, no, no.- Oh, for heaven's sake!
0:50:28 > 0:50:29LAUGHTER
0:50:29 > 0:50:32When you were a kid and you used to fish here, did it look the same?
0:50:32 > 0:50:36No. Years ago, we had more, bigger fish in these waters,
0:50:36 > 0:50:38so now you can see just little ones.
0:50:38 > 0:50:40Why are there not big fish now?
0:50:40 > 0:50:42Too many people. They're always fishing.
0:50:43 > 0:50:47No, no, no, no. You got it, you got it. You got it!
0:50:47 > 0:50:49OK! That's a biggie.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52Ow! I got the... Got the thing. There we go.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55So is there any downside to the tourism?
0:50:55 > 0:50:58- You had a good childhood here.- Yeah.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00If you have lots and lots of tourists coming,
0:51:00 > 0:51:03do you think your children will have the same childhood?
0:51:03 > 0:51:07No, no. If we have a lot of visitors in this place, I think...
0:51:07 > 0:51:10I think one day this is going to change.
0:51:10 > 0:51:15But for the kids, it's going to be a good change, because, you know,
0:51:15 > 0:51:18better school, high school.
0:51:18 > 0:51:23I hope one day we have better jobs in this area.
0:51:23 > 0:51:28The people, they stay here, they don't have to migrate
0:51:28 > 0:51:30if we have a lot of visitors here.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36In some parts of the world, where tourism is just opening up,
0:51:36 > 0:51:40you do get a sense of, if not anger, then certainly regret and loss
0:51:40 > 0:51:43from the locals of the passing of a way of life which is being
0:51:43 > 0:51:44sucked out by visitors.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46I don't think that's the case here.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49I think what was going to be lost was already lost, the rainforest,
0:51:49 > 0:51:50the cloud forest.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53Big agriculture and the loggers had already done the harm, and indeed,
0:51:53 > 0:51:57the local people, they were in a fairly dark place before the advent
0:51:57 > 0:51:59of the lodge at Mashpi, and tourism generally.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02And I think for them, the future really is much brighter
0:52:02 > 0:52:04than it could possibly have been without it, and I think
0:52:04 > 0:52:07it truly is a symbiotic and happy relationship.
0:52:10 > 0:52:14Before we leave, Mashpi's resident biologist, Carlos Morochz,
0:52:14 > 0:52:19wants to show me one of his most promising research projects -
0:52:19 > 0:52:23a series of camera traps around the reserve that capture
0:52:23 > 0:52:25the forest's nocturnal activity.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27This one here, see?
0:52:27 > 0:52:29They work with an infrared sensor,
0:52:29 > 0:52:31so they sense the heat and the movement of the animal.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34- Yeah.- Before on the site,
0:52:34 > 0:52:38we used to have just mostly rodents at the beginning for the first year,
0:52:38 > 0:52:41and now we've been getting interesting, interesting results.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43Oh, come on, let's do it!
0:52:48 > 0:52:50OK? Armadillo. Right there.
0:52:50 > 0:52:51- And it's in the shot!- Yeah.
0:52:51 > 0:52:53- Oh, look at it!- Look at it.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56- That's a nice picture.- Oh, wow!
0:52:56 > 0:52:58You have all the...
0:52:58 > 0:53:00Wow, look! That's an agouti.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03- Agouti?- Agouti. It's a rodent. - It's a big rat.
0:53:03 > 0:53:05Twice the size of a guinea pig.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07- That is amazing.- It's very nice.
0:53:08 > 0:53:09'Under Roque's protection,
0:53:09 > 0:53:12'there's been a huge increase in smaller mammals that were previously
0:53:12 > 0:53:16'hunted for food, but there's been some bigger surprises too.'
0:53:17 > 0:53:23I will show you something very interesting that we saw last year.
0:53:25 > 0:53:26Oh, look at that!
0:53:26 > 0:53:28- We have a puma.- Beauty!
0:53:30 > 0:53:31OK?
0:53:31 > 0:53:35'Wild puma have been pushed to the brink of extinction here in Ecuador,
0:53:35 > 0:53:39'so to see these individuals thriving alongside the lodge
0:53:39 > 0:53:40'is a real success.'
0:53:42 > 0:53:43Look at this video.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46- It's got a baby!- One cub.
0:53:46 > 0:53:48- Two.- Two cubs.- Three!- Three cubs.
0:53:48 > 0:53:49Oh, my word!
0:53:49 > 0:53:53- Oh, that is so neat.- So, this is something very, very rare.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55It tells you also that the forest is in good shape.
0:53:57 > 0:54:01The sighting of species thought extinct provides yet more proof of
0:54:01 > 0:54:03the success of Roque's vision.
0:54:04 > 0:54:12We have found, for instance, birds that haven't been seen since 1936,
0:54:12 > 0:54:15and that happened just six months ago.
0:54:15 > 0:54:19That gives us a lot of hope that we can recover
0:54:19 > 0:54:22many, many forms of life, and that's the good news.
0:54:24 > 0:54:25All along, Roque has known that
0:54:25 > 0:54:31the long-term survival of the cloud forest lies with the local people,
0:54:31 > 0:54:34so, today, he's making the journey to Mashpi village
0:54:34 > 0:54:37to visit his old friend Jose Napa.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39He's keen to see how the community are progressing
0:54:39 > 0:54:41with their transformation of this former logging town
0:54:41 > 0:54:43to a tourist destination.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57Roque has brought along his wife, Pilar.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15Jose has helped transform the communal areas of the village
0:55:15 > 0:55:16since Roque's last visit,
0:55:16 > 0:55:19but there's one place he's been cultivating all alone.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39We can see the whole collection of orchids here,
0:55:39 > 0:55:43and that is an incredible work of Jose.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46He's not only the leader of this village,
0:55:46 > 0:55:49he's also now a botanist guide.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52It's a complete transformation.
0:56:18 > 0:56:22Through his involvement of the local people, Roque has empowered them to
0:56:22 > 0:56:25take the future of the cloud forest into their own hands.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29And with Mashpi Lodge on the verge of making a profit,
0:56:29 > 0:56:33he's even offering them a chance to take a share of the financial
0:56:33 > 0:56:35rewards from the hotel they've helped make a success.
0:56:37 > 0:56:42The objective is that the people who live in the area will be our partners.
0:56:42 > 0:56:47I feel I'm very lucky to have had the opportunity to develop this.
0:56:47 > 0:56:51The help of the people has been invaluable,
0:56:51 > 0:56:52and they're part of it now.
0:56:58 > 0:57:01A place like this could never be arrived at by committee.
0:57:02 > 0:57:03It's just... It's too crazy.
0:57:03 > 0:57:10It requires one person with a very rooted feeling about his country and
0:57:10 > 0:57:12the land, and a lot of money.
0:57:12 > 0:57:16He feels it offers great hope for the ecological future of places like
0:57:16 > 0:57:21this, and it may do, but it also does offer you the slightly scary
0:57:21 > 0:57:25vision that none of this is going to be repeated anywhere unless
0:57:25 > 0:57:29there are lots of Roques, and I slightly wonder whether there are.
0:57:35 > 0:57:36Look at that one!
0:57:38 > 0:57:42The colours are stunning when they get in the light, aren't they?
0:57:42 > 0:57:44Don't you think Mashpi Lodge has basically,
0:57:44 > 0:57:48in terms of the wild-versus-comfort balance,
0:57:48 > 0:57:50- don't you think they've nailed it? - Absolutely.
0:57:50 > 0:57:56Five-star luxury, yet, also, the huge emphasis on getting out of
0:57:56 > 0:58:00the hotel and seeing the real reason it's there,
0:58:00 > 0:58:03and that's to preserve this -
0:58:03 > 0:58:05this little bit of paradise that we have left.