0:00:04 > 0:00:10BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner has a little-known passion.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12It's beautiful. It's really lovely.
0:00:12 > 0:00:17I've been a keen bird-watcher now for probably more than 20 years.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Whenever I go to somewhere really unusual,
0:00:19 > 0:00:21I'll always bring binoculars.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23This is very geeky, but I have...
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Actually, I've kept a record of how many different species I've seen.
0:00:26 > 0:00:281,358.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33But there's one group of birds that's so far eluded him.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37The ultimate, the Holy Grail of exotic birds,
0:00:37 > 0:00:39has always been birds of paradise.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41I've wanted to see birds of paradise
0:00:41 > 0:00:43since I was eight years old.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46And I want to see them in the wild.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50Almost all birds of paradise are found in Papua New Guinea,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54one of the most spectacular and remote places on Earth.
0:00:55 > 0:01:01But events in 2004 ended Frank's chances of getting there.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03The reason I'm in a wheelchair
0:01:03 > 0:01:07is because we were filming on a BBC trip in Saudi Arabia
0:01:07 > 0:01:10and we got ambushed by terrorists, by Al-Qaeda.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13They were armed with pistols and they surrounded us.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15They shot my cameraman, Simon Cumbers, dead,
0:01:15 > 0:01:20and they put six bullets into me and left me for dead.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24I knew that I was extremely seriously injured.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27I lay in hospital, thinking,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29"This is one of the things I wish I'd done.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31"Go and look for the birds of paradise."
0:01:31 > 0:01:32HE SNAPS HIS FINGERS
0:01:32 > 0:01:34"Why didn't I go to Papua New Guinea?
0:01:34 > 0:01:36"Why didn't I go and see these things
0:01:36 > 0:01:39"when I could trek through the forests?
0:01:39 > 0:01:44"I've missed the chance to see this great..."
0:01:44 > 0:01:45HE SIGHS
0:01:45 > 0:01:48"..pot of gold at the end of the avian rainbow."
0:01:49 > 0:01:53A chance meeting with explorer Benedict Allen five years ago
0:01:53 > 0:01:56gave Frank new hope.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59When he told me his story, I said, "Ah-ha! I'm your man,
0:01:59 > 0:02:01"because I used to live there 30 years ago."
0:02:01 > 0:02:04I settled down with these people called the Niowra
0:02:04 > 0:02:06on the Sepik River.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09We would do anything for each other. We were a family, actually.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17This is a genuine personal mission for both Benedict and me.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19It's something, you know, we've cooked up between us,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23so if it's a disaster, the blame lies with us.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26HE SPEAKS IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE
0:02:26 > 0:02:28It's a three-week expedition
0:02:28 > 0:02:31that will test both men mentally and physically.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34- Today, we're not going anywhere. - Yeah.- At all.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36- There are crocodiles here, Johnny? - Yes!
0:02:36 > 0:02:41It's got swamps, it's got mountains, it's incredibly ethnically diverse.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44It sends a shiver down my spine when I hear that noise.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48It's got everything that you could possibly dream of and dread
0:02:48 > 0:02:50in a tropical environment.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52That is disgusting.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54That's my survival kit.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58- Sharp knife.- Ooh, careful. - Dangerous.- Very dangerous!
0:02:58 > 0:03:01For Benedict, I think he's going to be quite torn
0:03:01 > 0:03:03because it's going to be a reminder to him,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06"Wow, I very nearly lived the rest of my life in that way.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09"Instead of which, I've moved back to Europe
0:03:09 > 0:03:12"and met a lovely wife and raised children."
0:03:12 > 0:03:14So this is going to be huge for him.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18I feel guilty that I've been away all this time.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21I just don't know if they're going to welcome me
0:03:21 > 0:03:25or going to resent that I've been away for three decades.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Frank will look after me, sweetie.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30No, you're looking after Frank.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35- That's true.- It's most dangerous because he can't walk or run away.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37I know. That's true, sweetie.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41The idea of taking anyone in a wheelchair through Papua New Guinea
0:03:41 > 0:03:43is absolutely crazy.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45This is a really central bit of kit.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47It goes at the front of the wheelchair
0:03:47 > 0:03:51and allows me to get over muddy bits in rough tracks.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54But I can see that Frank is a survivor.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57He's not a quitter and he's someone who relishes a challenge.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Bird book. Pretty essential.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03I realise I'm going to have to go through a fair degree
0:04:03 > 0:04:06of discomfort and hardship to get to see them,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09and that'll make it all the more worthwhile.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12You know, this is so much more than just going to see a bird.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16This is, in a way, a form of closure to my injuries.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Frank and Benedict must fly 9,000 miles to Papua New Guinea
0:04:29 > 0:04:31to begin their adventure.
0:04:41 > 0:04:42- Which way?- Where to go?
0:04:44 > 0:04:48Papua New Guinea is one of the least explored countries in the world,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50and Frank and Benedict will be travelling
0:04:50 > 0:04:53into some of its most remote landscape.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57- Oh, look at this.- Yeah.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00- Oh, fantastic.- Yeah.- Look at that. - Look at that forest.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02That's what excites me,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04because that's what we'll be going through.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06I'd love to get in there.
0:05:06 > 0:05:07I can always give you a push.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09- It's not far, is it? - It's quite a drop.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11It won't take you long to get down there!
0:05:11 > 0:05:14- Do you want to have a look through the binos?- Oh, don't mind if I do.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Look at that.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20The route that we're taking is working our way slowly south
0:05:20 > 0:05:23from the northern coastline of Papua New Guinea,
0:05:23 > 0:05:26into the Sepik River Valley.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31We're going to retrace part of the journey that Benedict made.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35We're going to go to the tribe that he lived with 30 years ago.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39It's in the Central Range, where mountains reach over 4,000 metres,
0:05:39 > 0:05:43that many of the birds of paradise can be found.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47It's crisscrossed with swamps and massive rivers
0:05:47 > 0:05:50and impenetrable jungles and mountains and ravines,
0:05:50 > 0:05:52and I've got to get over some of that.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58I have to say, when you think about all the places on the planet
0:05:58 > 0:06:01that I could go to with a wheelchair,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04probably Papua New Guinea is going to be about the most difficult one.
0:06:04 > 0:06:05So, a long day today.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08- Yes, long day. It will take eight hours, nine hours.- Yeah.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11- We will stop on the way.- Yeah.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19The first leg should be the simplest part of the three-week expedition.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24We've only just set off, and already we've got a flat tyre.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26We haven't even reached the canoes yet.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28This is not a good start.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35I'd rather it all blow now,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37so we can sort it out in the early morning,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39so we've got time to catch up.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43We need to get to our first location before dark.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Ah, see, there we go. You see, there he is.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48- That's Frank in action.- Yep.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50It's a pigeon.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52It's the lesser-spotted mattress thrasher.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Ooh! We've got a bit of parrot action.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02So, this is brilliant.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Going uphill's going to be a bit harder, but we'll manage.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08He is a man of missions, Frank.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11It's a joy just to see him head off.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15He seems to be very good at... finding ways to break free.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18- I'll definitely go for a push here.- Yeah.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22OK, the parrot's coming back.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25I'm just incredibly happy to be out here in this environment.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27I'm loving this. This is really brilliant.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31We've had a puncture, you know, carpe diem, seize the day.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Caspar, have you fixed everything?
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Everything is done, but we have another eight hours more to go.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41So... Well...
0:07:41 > 0:07:44- That's adventure. - Yeah, yeah, that's adventure.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55Last time Benedict was here, there was no tarmac, very few vehicles,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57and he was travelling alone.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59It's very, very tantalising.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03We're winding now down into the river valley.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Up there is the river. There is the Sepik.
0:08:08 > 0:08:09Whoa.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13After 30 years, here I am.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19The river is the main way into the swamp communities
0:08:19 > 0:08:20and onto the Central Range.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24What do you think of the Sepik?
0:08:24 > 0:08:26It's much bigger than I thought it was going to be.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29- It's a quiet river, isn't it? - Yeah.- Slinking by.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Oh, you've spotted a bird.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33- It's a buzzard of some sort.- Oh...! - BENEDICT LAUGHS
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Now, that doesn't bode well, does it,
0:08:36 > 0:08:38buzzards circling overhead?
0:08:38 > 0:08:40The challenge for me, I think,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43is going to be getting onto one of these little tiny boats.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47We do need a lot of equipment.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51We've to get ourselves and Frank, of course,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53through all this terrain.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55We can't do it on our own.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59As well as a support team and an expedition medic for Frank...
0:09:01 > 0:09:05..Felix has been employed to assist Frank throughout the journey.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Felix, you're fit and strong, you'll be able to get me on the boat?
0:09:09 > 0:09:10- Yeah.- Good.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12I don't want him to get injury again.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17I must make him safe, look after him proper.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20He must feel like, "I'm with my family."
0:09:20 > 0:09:22So, Felix, what we need to do... OK?
0:09:22 > 0:09:26You plus three others, so four people, OK?
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Two at the front, two here at the back,
0:09:29 > 0:09:33and you lift me up and put me in the chair in the middle.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36What am I afraid of? Being tipped out of the chair.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38Up!
0:09:42 > 0:09:44'My bones are more brittle than normal people
0:09:44 > 0:09:45'cos I'm not walking on them.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47'You know, I've got to make sure I don't smash anything up.'
0:09:47 > 0:09:50- Well done.- Strong. - And then just walk it back.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Fantastic.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57But, you know, these are risks worth taking to see birds of paradise.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Have faith. Brilliant!
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Well done. Very good, excellent.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06- You're in.- Good stuff, thank you.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13- Oh, look at this. Isn't this brilliant?- Yeah.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22We're getting quite wet here, but that's all right.
0:10:22 > 0:10:23It's a dry wet.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33There's not enough daylight to reach Benedict's former home of Kandengi,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37so the group will overnight in the village of Yenijimangua.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Benedict's been here before.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42There we are, Frank. There's your accommodation for the night.
0:10:46 > 0:10:47It hasn't changed.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52These buildings seem like the very buildings I saw 30 years ago.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55And every house is raised off the ground.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59That's partly to stop flooding, but also because of the belief
0:10:59 > 0:11:01that spirits inhabit the water and they'll get to you,
0:11:01 > 0:11:03so you've got to be raised above the water.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11- Oh, this is nice, look.- Oh!
0:11:11 > 0:11:13We're going through a sort of... a kind of mud arch here.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15- Welcome.- Thank you.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- This is welcome. - Oh, that's beautiful.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Oh, I'm loving this.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31This is brilliant. Felix, well done, thank you.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Very good. Excellent.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Let's entertain the troops.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Raagh! Raaaaagh!
0:11:39 > 0:11:42- Hello! - WOMAN:- Hello!
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Oh, this is just brilliant.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48The reception we've had has been amazing.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52They've prepared this beautiful wooden hut for us.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55They've carried me up the steps with no fuss at all.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58And this really feels like a kind of journey upriver.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01I mean, for Benedict, this is huge. But for me, it's exciting, too.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03There's such a mystique about this place,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06and it's a real honour to be amongst these people.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Did you make all of this?
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- Yes.- You made all of this to make us welcome?- Yes.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16- Thank you so much. Tenkyu tru. Tru tru.- Yeah.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18They speak a local language here,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20but also, there's the pidgin English thing.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23If I want to say, "My name is Frank" - "Name belong me Frank."
0:12:23 > 0:12:26FRANK SPEAKS PIDGIN ENGLISH
0:12:26 > 0:12:29..Be here. Very happy to be here.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30I'm overwhelmed here.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33They've given up their house so that we can sleep,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36and there's this wonderful kind of dusk, smoky thing.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Yes, the mosquitos are just starting to appear.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41There are dugout canoes still going up and down the river,
0:12:41 > 0:12:42and it's just lovely.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44One by one, people have been coming up here
0:12:44 > 0:12:47just to sort of shake my hand, so this is lovely.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50I've got a hot coffee, I've got my binoculars,
0:12:50 > 0:12:52the birds are going up and down the river
0:12:52 > 0:12:54and there's that lovely village early evening feel.
0:12:56 > 0:12:57I'm happy.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Frank's settling in, but that's not the case for Benedict.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Tomorrow, he must face the Niowra people
0:13:06 > 0:13:09who he abandoned 30 years ago.
0:13:09 > 0:13:14The idea was simply to come to New Guinea, meet up with my old mates,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17and they would help me through the swamps, through the trees,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20up into the mountains, and we'd find birds of paradise.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Job done, nice and simple.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24I'm a jungle man, I've lived for years in rainforests,
0:13:24 > 0:13:26I know how to survive.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29I thought I could get Frank up there easily.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33But it's not as simple as that, it turns out,
0:13:33 > 0:13:37because New Guinea is the place that made me, I suppose, the person I am.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Yeah, very profound memories here,
0:13:39 > 0:13:41and I've disturbed them now coming back.
0:13:43 > 0:13:44Here it all is.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51When Benedict was last in Papua New Guinea, this man, Johnny Gawi,
0:13:51 > 0:13:55adopted him as a son, creating a lifelong bond.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59But to become a son of the village,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Benedict had to go through an initiation so secret
0:14:02 > 0:14:04that these photographs have been altered
0:14:04 > 0:14:07to protect the Niowra people's sensitivities.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11I was still a boy, really.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14I was 23, 24, I think.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17No-one in the entire world, except these people,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20had seen what that ceremony involved,
0:14:20 > 0:14:21and certainly no-one had gone through it
0:14:21 > 0:14:23and I was going to be the first.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26It was a total nightmare.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31Maybe that time in Kandengi did do damage.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35Maybe I've spent a life trying to unpick it all.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40I'd expected Benedict to be jumping round
0:14:40 > 0:14:42like a catfish on a hook, excited here.
0:14:42 > 0:14:43In a way he is, but also,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46I think it's quite emotional for him coming back here
0:14:46 > 0:14:48and I can totally understand that.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52So he has retired to sort of gather his own thoughts.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59I left so many friends behind in Kandengi village.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03Johnny, my adopted father. Martin, my best friend.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07I promised Martin to give him this watch. I've got it here.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10I never fulfilled that promise, and I'm hoping...
0:15:10 > 0:15:15I'm hoping, hoping it'll go well and they'll invite me in
0:15:15 > 0:15:17and they'll take to Frank
0:15:17 > 0:15:20and they'll help us on our way through the swamps,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23through the forests, up into the mountains.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26But I don't know what's going to happen.
0:15:26 > 0:15:27I don't know how I'm going to react.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30I don't know, really, how they're going to receive me.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32I'm not sure I'll get much sleep tonight.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56Some people look really good with a few days' stubble.
0:15:56 > 0:15:57I'm not one of them.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06- Good morning. - Ooh, Caspar, good morning.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10- Ah, yes.- Mm.- I remember it.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12BENEDICT SAYS A WORD, CASPAR REPEATS
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Are those mine?!
0:16:15 > 0:16:17Them belong me.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Thank you! Oh, well, someone's got to give them a go.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Mm.
0:16:37 > 0:16:38Johnny Gawi.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
0:16:41 > 0:16:42He will come...
0:16:42 > 0:16:45Come here?!
0:16:45 > 0:16:46Today?
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Ohh!
0:16:50 > 0:16:53Caspar! Oh! That is something. That's lovely news.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55And a surprise, actually.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00The Niowra say "ai-ee", which sort of means "see you around".
0:17:00 > 0:17:03There's no word for "goodbye".
0:17:03 > 0:17:06They don't say goodbye, cos no-one ever leaves, and I left.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08Thank goodness he's still alive.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11- Is he quite a bit older than you? - Only ten years or so.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14- But it has to be said... - In local terms.- Yeah.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18I realise I left them, I left this relationship...
0:17:19 > 0:17:22..open. There's unfinished business.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25I can't wait to see how they're going to receive you.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Yeah, we shall see what happens next.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29Along the Sepik River,
0:17:29 > 0:17:33the role of an adoptive father is taken extremely seriously.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36I don't care about anything at the moment, I just want to see him.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39Johnny Gawi.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41It's thanks to Johnny's patronage
0:17:41 > 0:17:45that Benedict could be accepted as one of the Niowra people.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47There's a green canoe.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51I'm scared I won't recognise him. It's a terr...!
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Surely I will. But it's one of those scary moments.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59One of those special moments that you know you want to keep special.
0:18:04 > 0:18:05Ohh!
0:18:08 > 0:18:10BENEDICT EXCLAIMS JOYFULLY
0:18:12 > 0:18:15- I can't believe it. 30 years.- Yeah.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Christmas.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20I can't believe you're here.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22You're here, you're here. I'm here, I'm here!
0:18:24 > 0:18:25Yeah!
0:18:27 > 0:18:29I'm so excited, you know?
0:18:29 > 0:18:31I can't believe it.
0:18:31 > 0:18:32You're really here.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35- It's so good. You're looking well. - Yeah, OK.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39I was trying to imagine what the village is like now,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42whether it's got...electricity...
0:18:42 > 0:18:44- The village is getting bigger. - Is it?- Yeah.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46Frank, I want you to meet someone very special.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48- Hello.- Johnny.
0:18:48 > 0:18:49Name belong me Frank.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52- Frank.- Hello, Johnny. You were his father.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54- Yes.- Wow!
0:18:54 > 0:18:55I was his father.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58- Was he a good boy? - Yes. He's a good boy.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00- I was a good boy.- I heard he... - He respect me.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04I'm so happy that somebody who was so close to Benedict,
0:19:04 > 0:19:08who was there sheltering him, that you're here.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10- This is a happy day. - It's very happy.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14Johnny, you know, there is another hope that we have,
0:19:14 > 0:19:15to try and find birds of paradise.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19- Yeah.- Yeah. That's what we're going to try and do.- Yeah.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22- I'll be with you on this journey. - Yeah?- Great.
0:19:22 > 0:19:23- Are you serious?- Yes.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25- You'll come with us? - What, up to the highlands?
0:19:25 > 0:19:28- I'm serious. I'll come with you. - Oh, fantastic!- Will you really?
0:19:28 > 0:19:31- Oh, Johnny, brilliant.- That would mean a lot to me if you did that.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Johnny, you're a marvellous man.
0:19:34 > 0:19:35- Thanks.- It's great to meet you. - Yes, yes.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39It's a big gesture from Johnny.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42The Niowra rarely move beyond their tribal boundaries.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45It is fiercely hot, isn't it?
0:19:45 > 0:19:50Benedict's real father was an adventurer in his own way.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52My dad was a hero. He was a test pilot.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Amazing, amazing man.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57He was very quiet and humble, but did these extraordinary things.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00I think, as a little boy, I thought, "I want to be like my dad."
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Johnny, you tell me if you see a crocodile, OK?
0:20:02 > 0:20:03I'll tell you.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08Not only was my dad taking risks, but he was away a lot,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11and so he was absent for a lot of my childhood.
0:20:11 > 0:20:16Perhaps I was looking for a father, and Johnny was that father.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20- Is this Niowra territory here? - Niowra.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23All of this. All of this.
0:20:23 > 0:20:29Johnny took me in, made me welcome in his home with his family,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31and looked after me.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35It is opening up into a big lake.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37- Is this Chambri Lake? - Yes, it would be.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Ah! Beautiful.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Now they've hit Chambri Lake,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51one of the largest lakes in Papua New Guinea,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54the home of the birds of paradise can be seen on the horizon.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00Those are the highlands, where we should see birds of paradise.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02The distant one that's covered in cloud?
0:21:02 > 0:21:04That's where we're heading, yeah?
0:21:04 > 0:21:06I'll be quite happy to be up in the hills, actually.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08I'm a mountain person, myself.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11He says, knowing full well I'm going to have to be pushed, pulled,
0:21:11 > 0:21:13carried and generally shoved around to get up those hills.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15But I think it'll be great.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22At night there are crocodiles here, Johnny?
0:21:22 > 0:21:24- Yes!- Where do they...?
0:21:24 > 0:21:26There's many crocodiles.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28But by day, where are they?
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Now, they are under there.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Narrow channels through the swamp lead on to Kandengi,
0:21:34 > 0:21:38the isolated village that Benedict once called home.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42I'm a stranger now. I don't know what's going to happen.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46It will be very strange and disorientating to be back there.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52DISTANT CHANTING AND DRUMMING
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Oh, wow.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Oh, wow!
0:21:56 > 0:21:58What a sight. What a welcome.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00- Amazing.- To see such a thing!
0:22:00 > 0:22:02I did not expect this.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Benedict's old village is celebrating the return
0:22:11 > 0:22:13of a lost family member.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Just fantastic, this.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24This is the most amazing sight.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38These are Benedict's Niowra brothers.
0:22:38 > 0:22:4030 years ago, as young men,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43they undertook a brutal initiation ceremony together,
0:22:43 > 0:22:45bonding them for life.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51BENEDICT SPEAKS IN OTHER LANGUAGE
0:22:51 > 0:22:56These are people I went through everything with.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58There could not be any greater honour.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00I am going home, as it were, with them.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03This is very moving.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07It is such a privilege to share in this return.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09I am blown away. I really am.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11What can I say?
0:23:13 > 0:23:16BENEDICT SPEAKS THEIR LANGUAGE
0:23:16 > 0:23:18- Big fellow man.- I love you.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21Welcome back home to see
0:23:21 > 0:23:23your father and mother, your brothers and sisters.
0:23:31 > 0:23:36Benedict is the only outsider ever known to have joined the Niowra.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42The whole village are welcoming him back with full honours.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45SINGING
0:24:04 > 0:24:07It sends a shiver down my spine when I hear that noise,
0:24:07 > 0:24:10and to see this place, this sacred house.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14This is the crocodile dance,
0:24:14 > 0:24:18and now my fellow initiates are honouring me by conjuring up
0:24:18 > 0:24:22that time when we were all made into men together.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Incredible. My heart is like this...
0:24:50 > 0:24:51Look out for your head.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- Did you know I would get a welcome like this?- No.
0:24:59 > 0:25:00Yeah.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Yes, I thought that I'd be lucky to get a welcome at all.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11My fellow initiates surrounding me, escorting me.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Wow.
0:25:13 > 0:25:14What a day.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16This is a day I will never see again.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19And perhaps no-one will ever see again.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Name belong me Frank. Me amamas.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Amamas to be here.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28How many times in my life am I going to see anything like this?
0:25:28 > 0:25:30You know, this is incredible.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32I am in a wheelchair.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36This is an insight into a world which I could not imagine when I was
0:25:36 > 0:25:39lying in hospital that I would ever get to see.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Robin, good to meet you.
0:25:43 > 0:25:49It absolutely blew my mind, seeing the reception that Benedict got.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51They just opened up and welcomed him back.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54THEY TALK AND LAUGH
0:25:54 > 0:25:57You know, he came close to living with these remote people,
0:25:57 > 0:25:59but he turned his back on that.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00He is quite conflicted, I think.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05What a day. What a day...
0:26:05 > 0:26:09These people are actually, after 30 years,
0:26:09 > 0:26:13extending their arms, as it were, to me.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Welcoming me back to a home.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20They have been waiting for me all this time.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24And I'm trying to think why I left these people.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37It's only a few days into the three-week expedition,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40and Frank is already feeling the effects.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43I hardly slept last night.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47One of the joys of being shot through the centre of the body
0:26:47 > 0:26:50is that I have still got nerve endings jangled around,
0:26:50 > 0:26:54and so I had this terrible pain in the middle of the night that went on
0:26:54 > 0:26:56all night. About every 60 seconds,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59it felt like someone was taking a hammer and gone bang, like that,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02to the inside of my knee, here.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06I had to dig my nails in to my legs
0:27:06 > 0:27:10to kind of distract from the pain of that.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14- When we take you up and down these steps...- Oh, it's fine.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17- You're not in pain then?- No, not at all. No, it's absolutely fine.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20I'm good with this, honestly, it's fine.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24The expedition was due to leave this morning,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27but Benedict has called for a day of complete rest.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Frank is the one that I'm scared about.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Is he going to be able to cope with the heat, the humidity,
0:27:34 > 0:27:35day after day?
0:27:35 > 0:27:37Heading out there, through the water, through the swamps,
0:27:37 > 0:27:39through the forest. I'm worried for him.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Frank's having none of it.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45I certainly don't want to come to a place like this,
0:27:45 > 0:27:49that is a very communal, gregarious atmosphere,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51and be shut away in some hut by myself.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54I think that defeats the whole purpose of travel.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56The rains have only just stopped.
0:27:56 > 0:28:01Even yesterday, it was almost impassable for me in a wheelchair.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05It's a bit of a struggle, but it is worth it to get around and see your
0:28:05 > 0:28:08- village, Johnny.- Yes, thank you. - Right.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11I've had to get used to the lack of independence.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13It's just something that comes with a wheelchair.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16I'm lucky that I've got this freewheel thing out the front,
0:28:16 > 0:28:20which is allowing me to at least push myself along a level path here.
0:28:20 > 0:28:21Evening.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23I couldn't do this on my own.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25I would love to be able to pretend I could.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Of course I couldn't. It's frustrating, but, you know what?
0:28:28 > 0:28:29What's the alternative?
0:28:29 > 0:28:32To stay at home and say, "I could have gone to Papua New Guinea..."
0:28:32 > 0:28:34You know, adventure travel doesn't have to stop
0:28:34 > 0:28:36when you're in a wheelchair.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38So, where is Avila?
0:28:38 > 0:28:41She's here. She's here.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44I'm going to come all the way around.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Frank wants to find out what life is like for people with disability.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51He has arranged to meet a young woman called Avila,
0:28:51 > 0:28:53who's cared for by her dad, Stanley.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55Hello. Name belong me Frank.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00- How old is Avila?- She is 23.
0:29:00 > 0:29:01- 23.- Yes.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03And has she...?
0:29:03 > 0:29:06What is her disability, do you know?
0:29:06 > 0:29:08Um...
0:29:08 > 0:29:12She has a problem with her leg since she was a baby.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14Right. Did you get any help from the government?
0:29:14 > 0:29:17- No.- So they don't do anything for disabled people?
0:29:17 > 0:29:20- No.- Wow. So she has no wheelchair?
0:29:26 > 0:29:28- Right.- Yes. - So now she has no wheelchair?
0:29:28 > 0:29:32- No wheelchair.- So you have to carry her everywhere?- Yes.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44That is the wheelchair?
0:29:47 > 0:29:49That is just shocking.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52That is totally shocking.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56It looks very uncomfortable.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58You have to put padding, cushions, things like that.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01Wow. OK.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03How does the village cope?
0:30:03 > 0:30:05Because, I mean, does the village help you?
0:30:05 > 0:30:07- No.- You are on your own?
0:30:07 > 0:30:10- Yes.- Wow, that's tough.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12Um... Wow.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14Does she have friends here?
0:30:19 > 0:30:23And so she does the maths with the shop?
0:30:23 > 0:30:25She does the accounting?
0:30:28 > 0:30:30Could I buy something from the shop?
0:30:30 > 0:30:31Yeah? OK.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33So, er...
0:30:33 > 0:30:36Seven of these, please.
0:30:38 > 0:30:39OK.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46It just makes me think how incredibly lucky I am.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49I mean, I'm obviously not lucky to be in a wheelchair, it sucks,
0:30:49 > 0:30:54but it's just a real body blow as a reminder of what it's like
0:30:54 > 0:30:58for people in other countries to be disabled.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00And for the people having to look after them.
0:31:02 > 0:31:03Thank you.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07Oh, thank you. That's great.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11It's really good what you're doing.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13She's very lucky to have you as her father.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17- Thank you.- This is a tough burden on your shoulders.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22- You are a good man. - Thank you, Frank.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24She seems happy. She seems a happy girl.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27- That's right.- But that's because you're looking after her.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30She is lucky to have you. Thank you.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35Amamas. Name belong me Frank.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38I want to see birds of paradise.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40I've always wanted to see them.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43- Is this your family?- Yes.
0:31:43 > 0:31:48But what I really hope is that people will see this and think,
0:31:48 > 0:31:52"If that bloke in a wheelchair can do it, then I can, too."
0:31:52 > 0:31:55OK, so I'm going to keep moving. Thank you very much.
0:31:55 > 0:31:59Because, what am I? I'm in my 50s, and I am still doing this stuff.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01BIRD CHIRPS
0:32:01 > 0:32:03Oooh, hang on.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05That's a lovely rainbow bee-eater.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07That's a beautiful bird.
0:32:07 > 0:32:08OK, as you were.
0:32:10 > 0:32:11Oh, they're building a canoe here.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13Making a canoe.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Yeah.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18I've never seen one being made.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21BENEDICT SPEAKS IN OTHER LANGUAGE
0:32:21 > 0:32:23Morning.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26On the other side of the village,
0:32:26 > 0:32:29Benedict is looking for his Niowra brother Martin,
0:32:29 > 0:32:31with whom he went through the initiation ceremony,
0:32:31 > 0:32:33to give him the watch.
0:32:33 > 0:32:34Good morning.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36Hello.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48Oh... Oh, dear.
0:32:48 > 0:32:49How did he die?
0:32:52 > 0:32:57It falls to Martin's son, Michael, to show Benedict the grave.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01How long ago was it that he died?
0:33:03 > 0:33:062003.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08- 2003?- 2003.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10I'm 13 years too late.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14Oh... Oh, dear.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25Oh, dear, dear.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31He was a good friend to me. Good friend.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37Martin looked after me in the worst moments of the initiation ceremony,
0:33:37 > 0:33:38as I looked after him.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40There was a wonderful brotherly love there.
0:33:40 > 0:33:45We were in it together, and I will never have that privilege again.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47And there's more news.
0:33:49 > 0:33:55Seven of all the initiates, that is seven out of 30, have died.
0:33:55 > 0:33:56Already.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01People don't live long out here.
0:34:01 > 0:34:02This looks like paradise, but...
0:34:04 > 0:34:06..it isn't.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11There are a lot of unanswered questions, really, about my past.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13There was a lot that I hadn't gone through in my head,
0:34:13 > 0:34:15maybe because I was too scared to.
0:34:15 > 0:34:20I had sort of put a lid on that in order to keep on moving.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24So I hadn't looked back to the initiation ceremony.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26Maybe I should've.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33This is, on the surface, a lovely, idyllic place to live,
0:34:33 > 0:34:37but I'm sure there's a lot of things that I'm not seeing.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39I am hoping to learn a bit more about this initiation ceremony
0:34:39 > 0:34:42that boys undergo here every few years.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47The ceremony takes place around the spirit house
0:34:47 > 0:34:49in the heart of the village.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51Benedict, what did you volunteer to have done to you?
0:34:51 > 0:34:55I didn't know what was ahead of me. It was shrouded in secrecy.
0:34:55 > 0:35:00It's about boys becoming men, who are sort of crocodile men.
0:35:00 > 0:35:05A huge fence of bamboo was erected around the spirit house.
0:35:05 > 0:35:10That was the entrance, we marched in through here into this arena,
0:35:10 > 0:35:14and the contrast couldn't have been more vivid to us.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16All the women were outside crying for their children,
0:35:16 > 0:35:20who are now disappearing to be made into men, telling us to be brave.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23You know something is going to happen, and it did happen.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28We were rained on by clubs and sticks.
0:35:29 > 0:35:34And around this grassy area were upside down turned canoes,
0:35:34 > 0:35:37and we thought, "What are THEY doing here?"
0:35:37 > 0:35:38But then our...
0:35:39 > 0:35:42..godfathers lay on these canoes,
0:35:42 > 0:35:45and we were placed on those canoes and they held us.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47That's when the cutting began.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49The cutting of our skin.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51And that was such a shock,
0:35:51 > 0:35:54to be taken from this world of women and love,
0:35:54 > 0:35:56to one of utter male brutality.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58I'll never forget that moment.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02Benedict had consented to take part
0:36:02 > 0:36:06in one of the world's most brutal initiation ceremonies.
0:36:07 > 0:36:12The initiates' bodies are carved up with bamboo blades.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14HE MOANS
0:36:16 > 0:36:19Sometimes they die from blood loss.
0:36:19 > 0:36:23There was so much blood. I remember someone slipping over.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26I was in shock. I was actually shivering,
0:36:26 > 0:36:29having lost all that blood.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32When the scars heal,
0:36:32 > 0:36:35the patterns look like the eyes and scales of a crocodile,
0:36:35 > 0:36:39invoking the spirit of the creature most feared in their world,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43to defend their community from attack by another village.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45And just when you think, "I've done it," you know,
0:36:45 > 0:36:49then again, again, we were summoned outside and beaten.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56This is where I used to be, on this floor,
0:36:56 > 0:37:00and this was the sort of thing we were beaten with the first day.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03It was like a sort of cat-of-20-tails.
0:37:03 > 0:37:04Yeah.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07Imagine that on your sores.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09Give me a go on the back, let me see what it feels like.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12They were beaten for six weeks, four times a day.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15You don't have to go full pressure on it.
0:37:15 > 0:37:16I can't do this to you, Frank.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19Well, do it with the shirt on. I want to see what it's like.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21- I'm not going to do it as hard as they did.- No.
0:37:21 > 0:37:22OK, that hurts.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25- Fair enough. - OK, now imagine me doing...
0:37:25 > 0:37:26Yeah, that'll do!
0:37:26 > 0:37:28THEY LAUGH
0:37:28 > 0:37:32Knowing that so much pain and suffering has happened here,
0:37:32 > 0:37:34there's a sinister air to it.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41Looking back now, I could see...
0:37:41 > 0:37:45I came away, knowing myself so, so well.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47That was incredibly empowering.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51It meant I could leave here and be a better explorer.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53I was fearless.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57I could do whatever I wanted, and so I did big journeys,
0:37:57 > 0:38:00and it was all because of this place.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04I think our lives have been defined by violence.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06I think that's...
0:38:06 > 0:38:09partly why we have this affinity.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11For me it was a voluntary act,
0:38:11 > 0:38:15I suppose, and that is a crucial difference.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18That act of going through the ceremony,
0:38:18 > 0:38:21launched me out into the world.
0:38:21 > 0:38:26And Frank's world, by contrast, was suddenly shrunk.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32I think it's pretty strange to travel to the other side of
0:38:32 > 0:38:36the world and volunteer to be sliced up in 200 places,
0:38:36 > 0:38:39but I do understand why he did it.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43The people doing this to you, there was no malice in it.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45There is no malice, but...
0:38:45 > 0:38:47I did sometimes think there's no compassion.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51Where is the compassion? People beating their own sons.
0:38:51 > 0:38:57I also admire him hugely for his honesty in thinking,
0:38:57 > 0:39:00"Right, I need to be accepted by these people and, to do that,
0:39:00 > 0:39:02"this is what I've got to do."
0:39:03 > 0:39:07A recent initiate, Eli, is proud to show off his crocodile marks.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Wow. This is quite... This is recent, yeah?
0:39:12 > 0:39:15- Two years ago?- Yes, two years ago.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17When I first turned up,
0:39:17 > 0:39:20I think I didn't allow myself to think of the reality.
0:39:20 > 0:39:25Just glossed over the fact that boys were beaten and scarred.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27Are you pleased, Eli?
0:39:27 > 0:39:29Yes.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32Coming back, and as a father,
0:39:32 > 0:39:35I realise, well, there's a lot about that culture
0:39:35 > 0:39:37that I found difficult to cope with.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41- So, one day, he will go through the ceremony?- Yeah.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43But he doesn't know about it yet.
0:39:43 > 0:39:48I've got to say, I have mixed feelings about it because,
0:39:48 > 0:39:51on the one hand, it's really impressive that this tradition,
0:39:51 > 0:39:53that is so ingrained in their culture,
0:39:53 > 0:39:56has survived into the 21st century.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59And I can understand it, that it makes them strong.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01They've got to deal with this harsh life out here,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04the idea that you've got to make the village strong,
0:40:04 > 0:40:05and the boys strong, I get that.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08Theoretically, it's voluntary.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10But you know that it isn't, really,
0:40:10 > 0:40:14because, you know, if somebody says no, he's not going to...
0:40:14 > 0:40:20You know, the peer pressure on him is going to be enormous to do it.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24And you know, it's slightly unnecessary, in a way,
0:40:24 > 0:40:29to go through this horrendous pain and scarring.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32So I've got mixed feelings about it.
0:40:38 > 0:40:43I think I know the answer, why I left these people.
0:40:43 > 0:40:50This place is actually the worst place for anyone who's a traveller,
0:40:50 > 0:40:54a sort of nomad, an adventurer, like me.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56Because you're confined.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00You're defined and confined by the rituals,
0:41:00 > 0:41:03by the expectations of a very, very tight community.
0:41:05 > 0:41:06In the end,
0:41:06 > 0:41:10I can have fleeting glimpses of this life...
0:41:10 > 0:41:13but I can never really be a Niowra.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25The expedition will move on later today.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31It's my last day. I'm leaving Kandengi.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35The Kandengi villagers welcomed me back as a son.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38But in the end, however kind they have been to me,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41it's not where I belong.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49My home is on the other side of the planet, back with my family.
0:41:59 > 0:42:04I'm just going through the book of birds of Papua New Guinea.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07We haven't come near seeing any birds of paradise,
0:42:07 > 0:42:11but I'm really hoping that we're going to get a sighting soon.
0:42:11 > 0:42:16Birds of paradise are the ultimate prize for many bird-watchers.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19Their rarity, combined with the male's striking plumage
0:42:19 > 0:42:24and courtship dances, make them unrivalled in the avian world.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26My mum got me into bird-watching when I was very young,
0:42:26 > 0:42:29when I was about ten. I remember mocking my mother, saying,
0:42:29 > 0:42:32"Oh, gosh, look, you're bird-watching again.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34"Off you go with your binoculars, what a waste of time."
0:42:34 > 0:42:37She said, "Well, you know, don't knock it. Here, have a look."
0:42:37 > 0:42:40And I thought, "Wow, these are really beautiful.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42"These are stunning creatures."
0:42:45 > 0:42:48- Gosh, it's very peaceful, isn't it? - Yes.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53Before he leaves, the women have promised to take Frank
0:42:53 > 0:42:55for a morning of bird-watching on the lake.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59It's very restful, bird-watching.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02It's quite therapeutic, actually. It's lovely.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04It gets me out into wild places.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09Go on, let me do it. Let me have my moment of glory.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11Or shame. There we go.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16The Niowra are a fishing community
0:43:16 > 0:43:18and the women dominate the workplace.
0:43:18 > 0:43:22They catch the fish, feed their families, and trade the surplus.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25Oh, here we go!
0:43:25 > 0:43:26No.
0:43:26 > 0:43:28Did it take it? It did, didn't it?
0:43:28 > 0:43:30OK, what am I doing wrong here?
0:43:30 > 0:43:32- Talk me through this. - You're too slow.
0:43:32 > 0:43:33I can't be any quicker than that.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36I am not too slow, it's the fish that are too fast.
0:43:36 > 0:43:40If the women are out working, doing the fishing and preparing it,
0:43:40 > 0:43:42what do the men do?
0:43:43 > 0:43:46- The men do nothing. - The men do nothing.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49- Do these fish have teeth?- Yes.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52Are these the ones that come and bite you round the knackers?
0:43:52 > 0:43:54- Yes.- OK.
0:43:54 > 0:43:55I had read about this.
0:43:55 > 0:43:59These fish that we're catching, they're known as "the ball cutter".
0:43:59 > 0:44:02Nice. They, erm...have a habit, apparently,
0:44:02 > 0:44:07of swimming up to your groin and taking a bit of a chunk out of you.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10I get a restfulness, I think, from looking at nature.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13I do this job in news, and you're dealing with horrible things,
0:44:13 > 0:44:16like the bombing of Aleppo and suicide bombers,
0:44:16 > 0:44:20and it's a nice escape to be amongst nature,
0:44:20 > 0:44:22and to observe the beauty of it.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24- Is she helping?- Yes.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26Oh, that's so lovely.
0:44:26 > 0:44:30How old will she be when she can fish?
0:44:30 > 0:44:33When can she start fishing?
0:44:33 > 0:44:35- Like me.- Yeah.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37- Yes.- My age.- 17.- Yes.
0:44:37 > 0:44:38Right.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42Yay!
0:44:42 > 0:44:44- He shoots, he scores!- Yes.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46It is a giant! It is a whopper.
0:44:46 > 0:44:48Will you stop laughing there?
0:44:48 > 0:44:50And do you know what the joy of it is?
0:44:50 > 0:44:53We've got the fish and the bait - he hasn't taken the bait.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56Yes. That's a big one.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58I'm going to hand that to you, Selma.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01You will need both hands because it's huge.
0:45:05 > 0:45:09The women are also taking a lead back in the village.
0:45:09 > 0:45:13They want to see if Benedict really is a crocodile man.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16I am being inspected by everyone.
0:45:18 > 0:45:20OK, I'll take it off.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24THEY LAUGH AND SHOUT
0:45:24 > 0:45:26OK, nice.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31There we are, a fine body of a man.
0:45:36 > 0:45:38- Nice!- Nice.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47Down by the river, the support team has been hard at work.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52So, here it is. The Emperor's chair.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56This looks the height of comfort.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58Um...
0:45:58 > 0:46:00How do I get into it, with these...?
0:46:00 > 0:46:04- Backwards. You can go backwards. - I can't go backwards.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06Slightly embarrassingly, they have rigged up
0:46:06 > 0:46:10this sort of Victorian sedan chair thing that I've got to be carried in
0:46:10 > 0:46:13like some Chinese emperor through the forest,
0:46:13 > 0:46:14so I'm going to try this.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16- I'm going to sit on the bits.- Yes.
0:46:25 > 0:46:26No complaints there.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29Yeah, I think this is brilliant.
0:46:33 > 0:46:34Wow, it's brilliant.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37This is really good. I mean, it's embarrassingly comfortable.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40I mean, I was expecting... I'll be very happy with this.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42This is great.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44Being a wheelchair user
0:46:44 > 0:46:47just means I'm dependent on other people to get me to places.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49But it doesn't stop me having to go there.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52I mean, let's go a decent distance, see what it's like.
0:46:53 > 0:46:55I survived a near-death experience,
0:46:55 > 0:46:58and that definitely kind of colours your view on the rest of life.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00You just think, "Wow, OK, life's there for living".
0:47:00 > 0:47:03I tell you what, there's a bit of a breeze up here!
0:47:03 > 0:47:06This is brilliant, up at this height, up at this altitude.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08I love the beauty of nature,
0:47:08 > 0:47:12and sometimes I'll stop on the way to work, pull over,
0:47:12 > 0:47:15and take a photograph of something in London.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17You know, the light on a bridge or on a lamppost or something like that
0:47:17 > 0:47:19which is particularly beautiful.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21Is there room for two up there?
0:47:21 > 0:47:24Well, you can go in coach. You can go in economy.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26As usual.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29I think I probably notice things that, to me, are beautiful,
0:47:29 > 0:47:32much more than when I was able-bodied.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34There's lots to be happy about.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36Can we get them some cushions for their shoulders
0:47:36 > 0:47:39- because that's going to be really hard for them?- OK.
0:47:39 > 0:47:43Fine now, but after 15 minutes, that's going to start to hurt.
0:47:43 > 0:47:45How does it feel?
0:47:45 > 0:47:47- It's OK.- It's heavy.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49It is heavy, but it's OK.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51Brilliant, I think this works.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53It's very, very comfortable. It's really good.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56- Well done, good job. - OK, we have transport.
0:47:57 > 0:48:01I enjoy Frank's almost feverish appreciation of things around him.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03He's sucking in life.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06He's making the most of what he's got, and I hugely admire that.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14The village chief is throwing a feast
0:48:14 > 0:48:17in honour of Kandengi's departing guests.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24Your traditions are very strong,
0:48:24 > 0:48:29and it's wonderful for me to see your welcome back here.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32This is the best trip for me, ever.
0:48:32 > 0:48:34So, thank you straight.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41APPLAUSE
0:48:43 > 0:48:45Now the food is going to be distributed
0:48:45 > 0:48:48amongst all the different clans of the village.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51The food is eaten by the villagers, but still the symbol is there.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55That they're offering up this for the good luck of our journey.
0:48:55 > 0:48:59So it's with the blessing that we now leave.
0:48:59 > 0:49:01This is our send-off.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06They're wishing me and Frank the best of luck on our quest.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11The expedition's heading to the mountains,
0:49:11 > 0:49:14where Frank hopes to find his birds of paradise.
0:49:15 > 0:49:17Johnny knows where they might see
0:49:17 > 0:49:19one lower altitude species along the way.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23So we're now setting off in canoes, yes,
0:49:23 > 0:49:25to look for birds of paradise, at last!
0:49:25 > 0:49:29Frank's just over there, and I don't really want him to hear this.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32But I am worried. He's already found it tough,
0:49:32 > 0:49:34and we've hardly been anywhere.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Out there, it's going to be relentless.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40Under the sun, out on the lake, through the swamps,
0:49:40 > 0:49:42through that thick forest in this sort of humidity.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45It's going to be so tough.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48And I of course want him to fulfil his dream,
0:49:48 > 0:49:50but I also have a duty to make sure
0:49:50 > 0:49:53he gets safely back home out of here.
0:49:54 > 0:49:56Right, stop, stop, stop.
0:49:56 > 0:49:58Let's go up.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00Up and in. Gently.
0:50:00 > 0:50:01Gently.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04The great part is, you can feel this community is willing us on.
0:50:04 > 0:50:06They want this to succeed.
0:50:06 > 0:50:08They want Frank to see those birds of paradise.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11- Are you all right, Frank? - Yeah, yeah, I'm good.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13We're all in this together.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16Do you think Benedict's up to it? I'm worried, actually.
0:50:16 > 0:50:17To be honest, I'm not sure.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20- I don't know.- He's getting on a bit.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23I would just, I don't know, hang up his trekking boots, really.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26Yeah. What, and become an accountant in Reading?
0:50:26 > 0:50:28Yeah. Or find himself a nice, gentle expedition.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31He could be a tour guide around Prague.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34I am more of a swamp man, I think.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36All right, are you comfy?
0:50:37 > 0:50:39- Good man.- We'd better go.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43Felix, I have to stop you calling me sir.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46I'm not knighted yet. When I become Sir Frank, you can call me sir.
0:50:46 > 0:50:48But for the moment, Frank.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50Just because I respect you.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53I know, but I respect you too, Felix, and I don't call you sir.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55THEY LAUGH
0:51:00 > 0:51:03Faster, Benedict, faster!
0:51:03 > 0:51:05We can save on fuel this way.
0:51:05 > 0:51:06BENEDICT LAUGHS
0:51:12 > 0:51:15It's a final farewell to the Kandengi people.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20And to the tranquillity of the River Sepik.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30The next stage of the journey will take Frank and Benedict
0:51:30 > 0:51:33into dense rainforest on foot.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40I have just noticed something terribly poignant.
0:51:40 > 0:51:42The sight of Frank's big boots.
0:51:42 > 0:51:46Because they are totally spotless.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51Because he hasn't taken a single stride in them.
0:51:51 > 0:51:56My boots are covered in mud because I am able to go where I want.
0:52:03 > 0:52:05This is Wagyu community.
0:52:12 > 0:52:14Arriving in style.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19- Very good.- Stage one successful.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22We're going to make our way out through the forest.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24Very good. Well done.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27Now I'm just nervous. Are we going to see them, or not?
0:52:27 > 0:52:30Or am I just going to catch a glimpse of a tail feather through
0:52:30 > 0:52:33some distant canopy? There you go, that's your bird of paradise.
0:52:35 > 0:52:39I just never imagined that I would go bird-watching like this.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41This is so weird.
0:52:43 > 0:52:48I tell you what my fear is that we are in a column of 15 people.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51You know, if I was a shy bird of paradise,
0:52:51 > 0:52:53I would not be hanging around.
0:52:57 > 0:52:58If Johnny is right,
0:52:58 > 0:53:00this could be Frank's first sighting
0:53:00 > 0:53:03of one of the most elusive birds in the world.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06BIRD SINGS
0:53:09 > 0:53:11(Hey.)
0:53:11 > 0:53:12(Hey, shhh!)
0:53:12 > 0:53:15That's the one. That's a bird of paradise.
0:53:15 > 0:53:16That's the bird of paradise.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18Listen to that.
0:53:18 > 0:53:22That's a kind of mysterious call.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24I'm not going to imitate it.
0:53:24 > 0:53:28Actually, I am. Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31And it's just... I've never heard this call before.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34It's kind of almost otherworldly.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37BIRD CALLS
0:53:37 > 0:53:39It sounds to me like there's three.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42There's one there, there's another one up there,
0:53:42 > 0:53:44and one further in the forest.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47But seeing them is going to be really hard.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49They're up in the tree canopy.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52Yeah. Are you excited, or are you just...?
0:53:52 > 0:53:54Frustrated. I want to see them!
0:53:54 > 0:53:57I can hear the bloody things, I just want to see them now.
0:53:57 > 0:53:59BIRDS SING LOUDLY
0:54:10 > 0:54:13Can you put it down because I can't...?
0:54:13 > 0:54:14We're moving so much.
0:54:16 > 0:54:18Thanks.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26I can see that...
0:54:26 > 0:54:29- Gold, gold. - I can't see, where is it?
0:54:29 > 0:54:32The gold... Shhh.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34Guys...
0:54:34 > 0:54:36Like a flash of gold.
0:54:36 > 0:54:38You can see a white tail hanging down.
0:54:38 > 0:54:41- Yes.- Yeah, it's gold, like a sort of flame.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44- And I can't see it.- No!
0:54:44 > 0:54:46This is really...
0:54:46 > 0:54:49Shhh! Guys, will you please keep your voices down!
0:54:49 > 0:54:51- Sorry, sorry.- Thanks.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55So within reach, aren't they? And yet not.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57I'm loving their calls, though.
0:55:02 > 0:55:06There's only one thing worse than not being able to see
0:55:06 > 0:55:10the bird you really want to see - is when every other bugger has seen
0:55:10 > 0:55:14them around you, and I can't see it because I am trapped down here.
0:55:14 > 0:55:16Argh!
0:55:17 > 0:55:19This is immensely frustrating.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22Maybe it's not a bird of paradise, it's a mockingbird.
0:55:22 > 0:55:23That's what it is.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32Look, look. Do you see it?
0:55:32 > 0:55:33Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41Can you see it? It's moving about.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43- It's going up, up, up.- Yes.
0:55:46 > 0:55:47Yes!
0:55:47 > 0:55:49Wow!
0:55:49 > 0:55:51OK.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04He's gone! I saw it for a split second.
0:56:04 > 0:56:06It's this guy here.
0:56:06 > 0:56:08Look at this.
0:56:08 > 0:56:10This is the lesser bird of paradise.
0:56:10 > 0:56:12But what a stunning bird!
0:56:13 > 0:56:17We're very lucky, actually, because look, the light's going fast.
0:56:17 > 0:56:21You know, the sun's well off the tree canopy now.
0:56:21 > 0:56:23Night's starting to fall.
0:56:23 > 0:56:28They're still calling, but we're lucky to get those views.
0:56:28 > 0:56:30God, it's a tantalising business,
0:56:30 > 0:56:33looking for these birds of paradise, isn't it?
0:56:33 > 0:56:37Guys, well done. Well done for bringing us here.
0:56:39 > 0:56:41With night drawing in,
0:56:41 > 0:56:45that one glimpse is all Frank's going to see today.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50To have gone up there in the forest,
0:56:50 > 0:56:52through all of those jungle vines
0:56:52 > 0:56:55and heard those amazing raucous calls,
0:56:55 > 0:56:59melodic, mysterious,
0:56:59 > 0:57:02and tantalising, and then at first not being able to see them...
0:57:02 > 0:57:04You know, I was really like a spoilt child
0:57:04 > 0:57:07because I was desperate to see these things.
0:57:07 > 0:57:09Of course now there are 39 different birds of paradise
0:57:09 > 0:57:10and I want to see more.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12So the quest isn't over yet.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18Next time...
0:57:18 > 0:57:19Frank, Frank, Frank.
0:57:19 > 0:57:23..Frank's search for birds of paradise intensifies,
0:57:23 > 0:57:26heading high into Papua's remote mountains.
0:57:26 > 0:57:28This is bird of paradise country.
0:57:28 > 0:57:32I want to see proper displays of the males in all their finery.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35The more diverse ones are higher up in the forest.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38The terrain gets tougher...
0:57:38 > 0:57:42We have to keep this chair absolutely stable.
0:57:42 > 0:57:45If I fall, there's a fair chance I'm going to break something.
0:57:45 > 0:57:47And Frank's past catches up with him...
0:57:47 > 0:57:50- Today we're not going anywhere. - Yep.- At all.
0:57:50 > 0:57:54It is a big wound, and that will take you down fast.
0:57:54 > 0:57:57Do you know, I hate the way that the curse of my injuries
0:57:57 > 0:58:00comes up to dog me 12 years on.
0:58:00 > 0:58:04Maybe paradise, in the end, is just simply unobtainable.