0:00:02 > 0:00:04'South-east Asia...
0:00:05 > 0:00:10'..where ancient religions jostle for space with super highways.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14'One of the most rapidly changing places on Earth.'
0:00:14 > 0:00:16CHEERING
0:00:18 > 0:00:21That was genuinely amazing.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23'My fellow comedian Ed Byrne and I...'
0:00:23 > 0:00:26I don't understand anything that the board says.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28'..are on an epic adventure...'
0:00:28 > 0:00:30It's difficult to get the rhythm right!
0:00:30 > 0:00:33'..through three of the most vibrant countries in the region.'
0:00:33 > 0:00:35This is an astonishingly beautiful sunset.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38'From the economic powerhouse of Malaysia,
0:00:38 > 0:00:40'the holiday paradise of Thailand,
0:00:40 > 0:00:46'to Myanmar, a fledgling democracy unlocking its doors to the world.'
0:00:46 > 0:00:49It's a lot of people. There are a lot of people here.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54'It's a journey that takes us over 3,000 miles from Kuala Lumpur,
0:00:54 > 0:00:59'across the Malaysian peninsula, to the historic city of Mandalay.'
0:01:00 > 0:01:02This is a taste of real Malaysia now.
0:01:02 > 0:01:03Ladies.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06- That's a nice feeling, isn't it? - NERVOUS LAUGHTER
0:01:06 > 0:01:09This could prove to be a very long night.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11'We want to explore how Thailand
0:01:11 > 0:01:13'is sinking under the worst excesses of tourism.'
0:01:13 > 0:01:16To me, Phuket is now like the Titanic.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19We are moving to the huge iceberg ahead.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23'Meet the indigenous tribes of Malaysia, struggling to survive.'
0:01:23 > 0:01:27- They're really shy of new people. - We're going to be just as shy.
0:01:27 > 0:01:28'And discover how Myanmar
0:01:28 > 0:01:31'is grappling with its new found freedom.'
0:01:31 > 0:01:33The perception was that I was watched
0:01:33 > 0:01:36and I could be thrown into jail at any minute.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40'We want to understand how the clash between east and west,
0:01:40 > 0:01:42'the traditional and the modern,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45'is transforming these countries. forever.'
0:01:45 > 0:01:48It does seem odd. It felt like I've stepped into a time machine.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52Do you know what this trip needs? A giant golden Buddha.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Would there be one of them nearby by any chance?
0:02:04 > 0:02:06'We're in Thailand.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09'Once a stopping off point only for intrepid backpackers,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13'it's now one of the world's top holiday destinations.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18'We've just landed in Phuket, the country's largest island
0:02:18 > 0:02:20'and one of its most popular resorts.'
0:02:20 > 0:02:23- Are you ready to party, Dara? - I'm going to party harder...
0:02:23 > 0:02:27Dara, are we going to party like it's 1999...
0:02:27 > 0:02:29when we were younger men?
0:02:31 > 0:02:35'But it's not quite the island paradise we were expecting.'
0:02:36 > 0:02:38RUMBLE OF THUNDER
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Wow. Did you bring a rain coat?
0:02:41 > 0:02:44You know what? Normally I'm pretty good on waterproofs.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49People normally laugh at me for my excess weatherproofing.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51They wouldn't be laughing now, Ed.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Right, we need to find our transport,
0:02:54 > 0:02:56which I believe is a cream van.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59- Well, I'll keep an eye out for one of those.- For a cream...
0:02:59 > 0:03:01LAUGHTER
0:03:01 > 0:03:04This probably wins the award for the greatest disparity
0:03:04 > 0:03:08between the brochure with the picture of the beach in it
0:03:08 > 0:03:10and what you first see when you first arrive.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13I'd like to get a way behind that and actually...
0:03:13 > 0:03:17I'm not going to say it. I'm not going to say, "The real Thailand."
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Stop me if I say, "The real Thailand", OK? I apologise.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22I'll say, "The Real Thailand."
0:03:22 > 0:03:25I'll give you that. I'm going to, at some point, go, "Ah..."
0:03:25 > 0:03:27In fact, I'm going to keep asking you all trip,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30"Do you feel now like this is the real Thailand, Dara?"
0:03:35 > 0:03:40'Phuket is a tropical island in the south-west of Thailand.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43'From here, we'll be travelling 1,000 miles north,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46'stopping in the buzzing capital of Bangkok,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48'now the most visited city on the planet.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51'Finally we'll head to Thailand's northernmost point -
0:03:51 > 0:03:54'the remote and rural Golden Triangle.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01'Thailand's tourism industry is booming.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03'In the past 15 years,
0:04:03 > 0:04:07'visitor numbers have trebled from 10 to 30 million.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12'It's a big concern, leading to some beaches being closed.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18'We're keen to see the impact this wave of tourism is having
0:04:18 > 0:04:19'on this beautiful country.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24'But first, we're going to negotiate the infamous Bangla Road
0:04:24 > 0:04:26'in Phuket's main resort - Patong.'
0:04:26 > 0:04:29There's something for everybody if you like bright lights
0:04:29 > 0:04:32- and loud noises.- Full on, eh?
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Bar.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Bar. Bar. Bar.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Pharmacy.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42No, I would say a pharmacy is quite an important thing.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44A lot of hangovers.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48Chlamydia is going to be running through this place like wild fire.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53'Strips of go-go bars and sleazy cabaret joints
0:04:53 > 0:04:56'have sprung up in many of Thailand's holiday hot spots,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58'catering for a certain kind of tourism.'
0:05:00 > 0:05:03I don't really feel like we're in Thailand yet.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07It's a bit like saying, "I visited Somerset." "Where did you go?"
0:05:07 > 0:05:10"The Glastonbury festival." "It's very busy, Somerset, isn't it?"
0:05:11 > 0:05:15OK, but this is also, sort of, that Thailand that you...
0:05:16 > 0:05:19- ..hear about.- Yeah.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22'But all this walking is thirsty work.'
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Really? Really? This is where we're going for our date?
0:05:27 > 0:05:29It would seem churlish not to.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32This is where we're going for our anniversary dinner, is it?
0:05:33 > 0:05:35I feel this is one of these places
0:05:35 > 0:05:40which is a once in a lifetime experience, and we've done it once.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Sitting in a seat that makes you look like you're wearing a thong,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45in a really loud bar.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Is that our thing? What do you say we neck these and move on?
0:05:48 > 0:05:50I think so. I think so.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57'Whilst it brings in some much needed dollars,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01'the Bangla Road is not the most attractive side of Phuket.'
0:06:02 > 0:06:04- Nicer?- It's a bit more quiet.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07You can still hear the thump in the background.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11- There's people having fun somewhere. - By God!
0:06:11 > 0:06:13It's funny, like, whenever you're travelling,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17there's always that thing of wanting the authentic experience.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20- The real Thailand, say. - If you say that again...- I know.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24It's like a swear box, if you say the words "the real Thailand" again
0:06:24 > 0:06:26you have to pay 50 baht. Every time you say it.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Having seen it, actually, that end of Thailand,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31I'm actually looking forward more...
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- I'm more galvanized about seeing... - Were you going to say it?
0:06:34 > 0:06:36OK, put me down for 50 baht,
0:06:36 > 0:06:40- I'm looking forward to seeing the real Thailand.- Pay up.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53'Early next morning, Phuket looks a little more like
0:06:53 > 0:06:55'the beach paradise we were promised.'
0:06:59 > 0:07:03He's more into beach holidays than I am. He likes the beach.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04I don't like the beach.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08I'm not a good swimmer, I don't tan, I don't surf, I don't sail,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11I don't dive, I don't do any of these things.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14I'm like a diabetic in a sweet shop here.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17I can see other people are delighted and very happy
0:07:17 > 0:07:19but it's not for me.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24'About a million people live year round in Phuket.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30'But with over six million heading here every year
0:07:30 > 0:07:32'in search of their own slice of paradise,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36'precious resources like water and sanitation are being stretched
0:07:36 > 0:07:39'with more pollution ending up in the sea.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44'It's a huge concern for conservationists
0:07:44 > 0:07:46'like Nok Homcha-aim.'
0:07:48 > 0:07:50- Hello.- Hey.- Hi.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- Sawatdee kha.- How are you? Hello, hello. How are you?
0:07:55 > 0:07:58- Good, thank you. I'm Nok. - I'm Dara. How are you? This is Ed.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Ed. Nice to meet you.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04You work in conservation. Is that a tough job? Is it like keeping the tide out with a pitch fork?
0:08:34 > 0:08:36You're the woman ringing the bell right now,
0:08:36 > 0:08:38going, "Iceberg, right ahead!"
0:08:43 > 0:08:46In a way, Thailand is a victim of its own success.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- It's a beautiful place, people want to come here...- Exactly.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52..but by coming here, I guess they're making it less beautiful.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Can you show us some of the things that are maybe being done to...?
0:09:03 > 0:09:05That would be great. Let's go see that.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07I'll just grab my trouser legs.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13'One of Nok's biggest campaigns is the rescue of sea turtles.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16'She's helped by the Thai Navy,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19'who protect hatchlings from the overcrowded beaches.'
0:09:22 > 0:09:23Oh, my God!
0:09:23 > 0:09:27- Cuteness overload. - Oh, my God, I'm dying.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Absolutely.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40'Turtles used to lay eggs on beaches all over Phuket
0:09:40 > 0:09:43'but they've been edged out by the sun loungers.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48'The Phuket Marine Biology Centre now provides the only safe place
0:09:48 > 0:09:50'for baby turtles to grow.'
0:09:51 > 0:09:53They need beaches to lay their eggs on,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56they need beaches where the eggs will be undisturbed for a long time.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Then the little baby ones have to crawl unmolested from egg to sea.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03You can't do that if you've got a series of nightclubs
0:10:03 > 0:10:06running all the way along every beach in the state.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10The turtles are at their most vulnerable at the bits
0:10:10 > 0:10:13where they intersect with our lives, so frankly this is exactly
0:10:13 > 0:10:16what we should be doing - putting a fence around and helping them out.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18That's why I think this is beautiful.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23'But 500 turtles take a lot of looking after.'
0:10:24 > 0:10:27- Now we've got a very important job for you.- Wow. Good. What's the job?
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Cleaning the tank.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33I thought we might have cleaned a turtle, I didn't think we'd have to clean an entire tank.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37- We're not cleaning a turtle, we're cleaning turtle poo. - I need it spotless, too.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39This really is the lowest rung of the ladder here.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Oh, you've just smeared poo where I'm going to stand.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47It's better than there being poo where you're going to stand.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Oh, now I've just put sunglasses on a turtle.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Do we shove everything down that drain there?
0:10:52 > 0:10:55- Yes, but make sure...- The turtles aren't anywhere near the drain.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56OK, grand.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01- I'll brush, you sluice.- Yeah, go on.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04You stand in the middle and I'll basically wash the poo towards you.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Oh, hello. He's making a burst for freedom.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13You're not ready for it yet, my friend. You've not graduated.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17This institution is essentially...
0:11:17 > 0:11:20like Thailand installing stair gates.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23I can see why they had to step in and whip them all out
0:11:23 > 0:11:25and grow them to a certain age.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28When they're tiny, they have a 99% chance in the wild of dying.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31If they get them up to the age that we're going to release them at,
0:11:31 > 0:11:33they have a 99% chance of surviving.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38'Once they're big enough, the turtles are ready to fly the nest.'
0:11:41 > 0:11:45- So these are the turtles that are old enough to be released?- Yes.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49- They're a year old? - Yeah, they are one-year-old.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52They have to have the completion of the flipper,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55they have to weigh more than 2kg.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00'Sea turtles have been around for 110 million years
0:12:00 > 0:12:03'but our obsession with sun, sand and sea
0:12:03 > 0:12:06'could, if we're not careful, wipe them out.'
0:12:09 > 0:12:13It feels like the Blue Peter moment of, "Here's one I made earlier."
0:12:13 > 0:12:15We're showing the process of how these turtles
0:12:15 > 0:12:18are returned to the wild and releasing one.
0:12:18 > 0:12:19Two!
0:12:20 > 0:12:22OK, cool.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25'As the sun sets over the island,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28'it's time to set our turtle friends free.'
0:12:28 > 0:12:31We're nearly there. We're nearly there.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33He knows, he knows.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37This is quite a moment.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40- Are you going to give yours a name? - Yes. What do you want to call them?
0:12:40 > 0:12:42- I was thinking I'd call mine Recall.- Nice.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44- Turtle Recall.- I get it.- Eh?
0:12:44 > 0:12:46What do I get, then?
0:12:46 > 0:12:48- Eclipse of the Heart.- Beautiful.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Are you ready? Now find your bearings.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55Find your bearings.
0:12:55 > 0:12:56Good for you.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00To know that the baby that we have been raising up
0:13:00 > 0:13:02is going to go out and grow up,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05and if she's female she can come back and lay eggs again,
0:13:05 > 0:13:07is just incredible.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09All right. Little steps. Find your bearings.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Oh, he's off.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Ah, he's going, he's going, he's going.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Now, you write, OK?
0:13:17 > 0:13:18You keep in touch.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Oh, here comes a wave. Yours is going to go.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Yours is going to go.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37- God speed.- There you go.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40This is the one. This is the one.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Bye-bye, little turtle.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Have a very long and very happy life.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49It's an emotional thing. Sorry.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52I have sunscreen in my eyes, that's what this is.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58You know, some day, I hope I'll see him again.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01I'll be on a diving holiday somewhere
0:14:01 > 0:14:03and we'll look each other in the eye.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05And if it's not him it'll be another turtle
0:14:05 > 0:14:10and it'll be a turtle somewhere else because of schemes like this.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13We use so many of the beaches where they lay their eggs
0:14:13 > 0:14:15and it's only right that we take care of them
0:14:15 > 0:14:18for that small bit where they're most vulnerable.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24'And with our two little turtles safely delivered into the ocean,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26'it's time for us to leave for the mainland.'
0:14:33 > 0:14:36'We're heading 500 miles north to Bangkok,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39'which has recently overtaken London and Paris
0:14:39 > 0:14:42'and become the most visited city in the world.'
0:14:49 > 0:14:53'Thailand earns nearly 10% of its income from tourists
0:14:53 > 0:14:56'and most of them pass through here at some point.'
0:14:58 > 0:15:03Asian cities are just this teeming mass of life on every level.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Markets tripping over themselves and traffic and tuk-tuks
0:15:06 > 0:15:08and all sorts of things happening around you.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11I get energised just by being in an Asian city.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15'I'm not the only one who likes an Asian city.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20'Last year, 21 million visitors descended on Bangkok.'
0:15:20 > 0:15:25You can get a sense of getting properly lost in the vastness of it.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30Well, what an exciting new taste we've discovered.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34It is just rammed with life.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39'And where there's life, there's religion.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44'Over 90% of Thais are Buddhist and take their faith very seriously.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48'There are 400 temples in the capital city alone,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50'not unlike where I'm from.'
0:15:51 > 0:15:55SLOW DRUM BEAT
0:15:56 > 0:16:00In Ireland we like sticking churches on every corner, right,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03and we have bells that ring that essentially call you to pray.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07So we're not that different, the Irish and the South-east Asians.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11'But in Ireland a Sunday morning trip to church
0:16:11 > 0:16:13'isn't quite as exciting.'
0:16:14 > 0:16:18We just don't have the colour. God, they love their colour.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24'Here at Wat Ta Kien temple, in an effort to draw in a crowd,
0:16:24 > 0:16:26'the monks have come up with an unusual
0:16:26 > 0:16:31'but hugely popular ceremony - the contemplation of life and death.'
0:16:36 > 0:16:39Are they supposed to look like nooses?
0:16:39 > 0:16:42I don't know. I don't know. It is about death.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44But everyone's wearing it happily.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47'Over a hundred worshippers take part every day,
0:16:47 > 0:16:49'hoping to rid themselves of bad karma
0:16:49 > 0:16:52'and accept the inevitability of death.'
0:16:53 > 0:16:56In the event of a loss of cabin pressure, please attach
0:16:56 > 0:16:59your own head necklace before attending to the needs of others.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05'The service begins with a half hour sermon in Pali,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07'an ancient sacred language.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10'Neither of us understands a single word.'
0:17:15 > 0:17:18It's always awkward when you go to a religious ceremony
0:17:18 > 0:17:20and you're not religious.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Some people like to join in.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27I feel it's more weird to join in with something you don't believe in
0:17:27 > 0:17:30than it is to just sit there while it's happening.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34But there's also the awkward feeling when you're just sitting there
0:17:34 > 0:17:38and everybody's looking terribly solemn and very sincere about it,
0:17:38 > 0:17:41then you start to feel bad that you're not joining in.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49I don't feel nearly so disrespectful
0:17:49 > 0:17:52when I look at a women checking her phone over there, though.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56There is a large poster...
0:17:56 > 0:17:58over the chanting monk...
0:17:58 > 0:18:01for Leicester City Football Club.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04I did not expect that.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Then again, if anything has risen from the dead,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10it's been Leicester City Football Club.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19'So now it's time to lie in a coffin and contemplate our mortality.'
0:18:34 > 0:18:37It feels like the least I should get when I die
0:18:37 > 0:18:40is a coffin that actually fits. I'd get cramp in this coffin.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44'But no sooner have we been covered over with a sheet
0:18:44 > 0:18:47'than our death and rebirth is complete.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50'The monks believe that this symbolic experience
0:18:50 > 0:18:53'can encourage people to say goodbye to bad habits
0:18:53 > 0:18:56'and lead a better, more caring life.'
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Have you learned any profound truths?
0:19:02 > 0:19:06'Finally, presumably to wake us back up from the dead,
0:19:06 > 0:19:08'the monk gives us a blessing.'
0:19:10 > 0:19:12It's certainly cooling.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17- Starting to feel picked on. - Yeah.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Well, that was awkward.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24I feel like a terrible tourist in those situations.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27I feel very uncomfortable. I am delighted to be out of there.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30Do you feel like you learned anything about the nature of death?
0:19:30 > 0:19:34I got a glimpse of what it would be like to be a magician's assistant
0:19:34 > 0:19:37just lying down in a box and then a swish of cloth,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39then another swish of cloth, then a reveal.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42I felt like I should have got out and gone, "Ta-dah!",
0:19:42 > 0:19:45and been in, like, you know, a short skirt.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Whereas if you're just not spiritual at all,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51I didn't feel much like dwelling on my own mortality.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53There is an element which is them going,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56"That entire service is to teach you an important lesson
0:19:56 > 0:19:59"that life is fleeting and then it's over."
0:19:59 > 0:20:02And me going, "I'm an atheist. That's what I already believe."
0:20:02 > 0:20:05"Oh, OK. Thanks for coming along anyway. And thanks for the flowers."
0:20:15 > 0:20:17'We've got one more night in Bangkok
0:20:17 > 0:20:21'before we continue our journey north.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24'It's Saturday so we're hitting the town.'
0:20:27 > 0:20:30You're in Bangkok now, baby. Do you know what Bangkok is?
0:20:30 > 0:20:33- Do tell.- It's a party town.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35LAUGHTER
0:20:35 > 0:20:40There is a solar system with no less than four planet Saturns...
0:20:40 > 0:20:42- It's great.- ..right above our head.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45The actual solar system only has one Saturn
0:20:45 > 0:20:48but this bus, baby, has got four Saturns.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51This bus is better than the solar system.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Boo-boo-boo, the party Saturns, we've got four Saturns!
0:20:58 > 0:21:01'Thai food is one of the big draws for foreign tourists
0:21:01 > 0:21:03'and it's the country's most well-known export.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07'We're on our way through the infamous Bangkok traffic
0:21:07 > 0:21:10'to meet Thailand's answer to Jamie Oliver, Chef Dolf.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13'He's invited us to a supper club he's hosting tonight.'
0:21:15 > 0:21:18- Hello.- Nice to meet you. - How are you? Lovely to meet you.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21- This is some place you have. - Is this your home?- Cooking studio.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Cooking studio? What a brilliant idea.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28Dolf, we have a choice of food from all over the world where we live.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31You can see why some food has travelled the world so much.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34India is a country of a billion. China is 1.5 billion people.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38Thailand is not that but Thai food is still up there.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Why are Thai people so good at cooking?
0:21:40 > 0:21:44Thai people have got a lot of ingredients
0:21:44 > 0:21:46from everywhere in the world.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50The chilli is the not the native Thai
0:21:50 > 0:21:54but we mix all of the ingredients
0:21:54 > 0:21:59and we cook and we bring, like, the best combination
0:21:59 > 0:22:01to Thai cuisine.
0:22:01 > 0:22:02Right. OK.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07'Dolf is preparing a five-course feast with dishes from all over Thailand.'
0:22:07 > 0:22:11What are the hallmarks of southern Thai cuisine as opposed to northern?
0:22:11 > 0:22:16- The north is, like, fatty...- Fatty? - ..because of the cold weather.- OK.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20In the south, it's spicy.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25- You guys want to cook a little bit? - I'd love to help. Absolutely.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27You seem to have everything under control
0:22:27 > 0:22:30but if you'd like us to ruin anything, just ask.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Ah, so this is a tofu, prawn and pork dish that we're making.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40- Yes, and you are tossing. - OK, that's fine.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43- With my hands or with the...? - No, with a spoon.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46- Lovely. Delighted to hear it. - OK.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49- This is pickled garlic. - Pickled garlic?- Yes.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Oh, that's good. Yeah.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56'We're being joined by four of Dolf's close friends.'
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Our guests are here.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00'Food is central to Thai life
0:23:00 > 0:23:05'and any good conversation goes hand-in-hand with a good meal.'
0:23:05 > 0:23:07It's such a delight to have you here.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09We have a colonel in the Thai Army,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12we have a former Thai ambassador to Morocco,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15we have a university professor in business, we have an air steward.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18'I'm keen to find out the thoughts here
0:23:18 > 0:23:20'on how tourism is affecting their homeland.'
0:23:22 > 0:23:25How do you feel about the fact that in this country
0:23:25 > 0:23:28that has such a rich history, culture and heritage,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31that for some people, when they think of Thailand,
0:23:31 > 0:23:36they think more of the hedonistic tourism,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39the pleasure, the girly bars, things like that?
0:23:39 > 0:23:44How do you feel about how sometimes Thailand can be perceived that way,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47for some people, the first thing they think about?
0:23:47 > 0:23:50It's a big problem in terms of perception.
0:23:50 > 0:23:56But I think we try...we try to communicate the right thing,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59we try to tell them about our rich culture
0:23:59 > 0:24:02rather than try to promote that.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Thai culture is unique
0:24:04 > 0:24:06and we have many things to present.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08Absolutely.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10A beautiful coastline.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12You have a lot of tourists, though.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Is that a worry, that there's so much tourism?
0:24:15 > 0:24:19But I think it's difficult to control because you can't say,
0:24:19 > 0:24:23"Hey, you can't come to our country. There's too many of you now."
0:24:23 > 0:24:26We can't do that, but something in between.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Our government needs to come up with some procedures,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33maybe limit the numbers of visitors in some areas
0:24:33 > 0:24:35or something like that.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39But to learn about Thai, Thailand,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42- I think you need to stay a bit longer.- Yeah.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47'The tourism dilemma has no easy answers
0:24:47 > 0:24:49'but it's time for us to leave Bangkok
0:24:49 > 0:24:51'and head off the beaten track.'
0:25:07 > 0:25:11'We're travelling northwards on a converted rice barge.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13'These boats were once used to ferry crops
0:25:13 > 0:25:15'from the fields to the cities.'
0:25:19 > 0:25:22It's nice to be back on a boat.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Do you know what I think this trip needs?
0:25:24 > 0:25:26A giant golden Buddha.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Would there be one of them nearby by any chance?
0:25:29 > 0:25:33Like, a massive, huge...
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Build me the biggest Buddha anyone has ever seen.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41I want people to know how little I care about material things.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47'We're cruising 50 miles north up the Chao Phraya River
0:25:47 > 0:25:50'into the more rural heartland of Thailand
0:25:50 > 0:25:53'to one of the world's greatest archaeological sites,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56'the ancient capital of Ayutthaya.'
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Do we move further and further away from tourism
0:26:03 > 0:26:05as this journey goes on?
0:26:05 > 0:26:08- I would hope so. - I feel less sure footing
0:26:08 > 0:26:11- as we head out into the countryside. - Yes, but that's it.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Out of your comfort zone. It's more of an adventure.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Would you go on a journey like this to find yourself?
0:26:19 > 0:26:21You don't want to find yourself.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25If you find the real you, suddenly your drive for attention
0:26:25 > 0:26:29- and your ambition to be a big TV star will leave you.- You're right.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32And I can have at least some of your old jobs.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36So, yes, find that inner peace, Dara, lose that ambition,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39lose that drive and get out of my way.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41LAUGHTER
0:26:45 > 0:26:47'We've arrived in Ayutthaya.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49'Once one of the largest cities in the world,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52'it was the spiritual home of Thailand
0:26:52 > 0:26:56'until it was destroyed by the Burmese in 1767.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00'The temples and palaces are the only remains left standing.'
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Something about getting out of Bangkok by going up the river
0:27:05 > 0:27:07really felt like an escape.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10It feels like going back in time,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13to come to this very ancient pile of bricks.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17I'm always wary of this false romanticism that...
0:27:17 > 0:27:21the real Thailand, trademark, is the one that exists further away
0:27:21 > 0:27:24from the one we already know, where all the people are,
0:27:24 > 0:27:28because it's very easy to come somewhere like this and think,
0:27:28 > 0:27:32finally, this is the place we get to see it as it really is.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35As if, if they had their way, the people of Thailand,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38this is how they would like to keep it all the time.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41No, they're living their own lives in the big cities.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44But do you think you get a better flavour of the character
0:27:44 > 0:27:48- of a country by going to its biggest city than you do from going...- Yeah.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50and experiencing its landscape, for instance?
0:27:50 > 0:27:52Landscape is very beautiful
0:27:52 > 0:27:56but you see the character of the people where the people are.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Still, it's peaceful, and maybe you should be quiet and let us enjoy it.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04You can't even allow silence between your own words.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06You have to go, "Aaaa..."
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Is this the place? Now? Now you want to do this?
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Oh, suddenly now we're into the quiet contemplation of the temples.
0:28:14 > 0:28:15Shhh.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22'In its heyday, Ayutthaya was a warrior city,
0:28:22 > 0:28:26'birthplace to Thailand's national sport - Muay Thai boxing.'
0:28:31 > 0:28:35'This fierce martial art was developed 500 years ago
0:28:35 > 0:28:39'and practiced by whole armies against their enemies in battle.'
0:28:46 > 0:28:50'Ed is a lifelong martial arts fan
0:28:50 > 0:28:53'so we've come especially to the Palang Gym
0:28:53 > 0:28:57'so he can train with Muay Thai master Kru Sid.'
0:29:00 > 0:29:04'And after looking at these guys, good luck, Ed!'
0:29:11 > 0:29:13SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC
0:29:15 > 0:29:17Look at the lats on them.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20As well as the pecs and the abs, in fairness.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22The gluts are probably quite powerful as well.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25And they've got a couple of lovely femurs.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28"A couple of lovely femurs there."
0:29:28 > 0:29:32I would have said, in many ways they are the man you always wanted to be.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35And some of them are not even ten.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37LAUGHTER
0:29:37 > 0:29:41- Come on, will you go out? Are you going to have a go at this?- Yeah.
0:29:41 > 0:29:42I'm game.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49'Fighters in the gym here start training as young as four
0:29:49 > 0:29:54'so Ed's only starting 40 years late.'
0:29:57 > 0:30:00- How are you doing? - This is my fighter here.
0:30:00 > 0:30:04Could I have one of these to wear just to cover my muffin top?
0:30:04 > 0:30:06No?
0:30:06 > 0:30:08- Is that cheating?- Yes, cheating.
0:30:08 > 0:30:09Fair enough.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11- What's your name?- Ed.
0:30:11 > 0:30:12Kru Sid.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14Kru Sid? OK.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17What are we going to kick off with today? What's first?
0:30:17 > 0:30:19Erm...
0:30:19 > 0:30:21First...
0:30:21 > 0:30:23Skipping.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25- Skipping.- OK.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28- Ten minutes. - Ten minutes of skipping?!
0:30:28 > 0:30:30There we go. Chin down.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34Chin down. Chin down, Ed. Chin down! You're fighting, Ed!
0:30:35 > 0:30:38I can't do this for ten minute! I'm not breathing!
0:30:38 > 0:30:41What people at home are not going to appreciate
0:30:41 > 0:30:46is that it's about 30 degree heat and 100% humidity here right now.
0:30:48 > 0:30:49Very good.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53'Next, Ed learns how to defend himself against a kick.'
0:30:53 > 0:30:55- High kick.- OK.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58- So you block the kick with your shin?- Shin. Shin.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02See, where I'm from, that's called being kicked in the shin.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09- Yeah, yeah.- Even in slow motion, you managed to land one on me.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12I think he's really enjoying it.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15His greatest advantage as a fighter in the world of Muay Thai
0:31:15 > 0:31:18will be blinding people with the paleness of his skin.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22Because even in the shadowy environment, he moves like a ghost.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25They wouldn't know where it had come from...
0:31:25 > 0:31:27where the kick is coming from.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31'Having mastered the art of being kicked in the shin,
0:31:31 > 0:31:34'Ed's trying some moves of his own,
0:31:34 > 0:31:38'although his technique isn't quite up to the standard of the locals.'
0:31:40 > 0:31:43There was a guy beside you and when he kicked,
0:31:43 > 0:31:45you heard this thunderous clap, right?
0:31:45 > 0:31:49And then when you kicked, we're going to call you... Whisper.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51LAUGHTER
0:31:51 > 0:31:53It was like...
0:31:53 > 0:31:56How about distant storm? Can I be The Distant Storm?
0:31:56 > 0:31:59It was like, you know when flour falls,
0:31:59 > 0:32:02and I mean, like, a handful of flour.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06Ed, come on.
0:32:06 > 0:32:07No rest for the wicked.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10'Next up is body conditioning.'
0:32:10 > 0:32:13Aye-ah! Argh!
0:32:13 > 0:32:16Ooh! You motherless...!
0:32:16 > 0:32:19'Trainer Kru Sid beats Ed with a large pad
0:32:19 > 0:32:21'in a bid to toughen him up.'
0:32:21 > 0:32:24- More of that! More of that, please! - No, no, no.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29I actually think this may terribly backfire
0:32:29 > 0:32:32because he's learning new punches and new kicks.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34Fight! One, two, three...
0:32:34 > 0:32:39So I think, dreadfully, I may have made a rod for my own back here.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43I may end up get kicked in ways he didn't even know how to do
0:32:43 > 0:32:45a couple of days ago.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49Pads, elbow, knee, kick.
0:32:50 > 0:32:54'Ed's kicks are improving but, fortunately for me,
0:32:54 > 0:32:57'his balance still needs a bit of work.'
0:33:00 > 0:33:03Don't think I'll make any money on him.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08Given the fact that he collapsed after kicking the other guy
0:33:08 > 0:33:09and that's what knocked him out,
0:33:09 > 0:33:12he's not going to make any money on this circuit.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17'Having survived a kicking,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20'it's a relief to get on a train and head on towards Chiang Mai
0:33:20 > 0:33:23'in the remote mountains of northern Thailand.'
0:33:24 > 0:33:26Platform 2 to Chiang Mai.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31'This is going to be a new experience for both of us.'
0:33:32 > 0:33:34- You looking forward to this?- Yeah.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38- Have you ever caught a sleeper train before?- I've never caught a sleeper train anywhere.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43Judging by the way my head is a foot above every other head here,
0:33:43 > 0:33:45the cabin might be a little bit tiny.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50Looks exciting and very uncomfortable.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54'It's not the quickest way to Chiang Mai,
0:33:54 > 0:33:58'but it's a chance to get some sleep whilst on the move.'
0:33:59 > 0:34:01Sorry.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04- This is us?- This is us, yeah.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07Oh, there's somebody there.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14Argh!
0:34:16 > 0:34:21'Sharing with 40 other travellers is not what we expected.'
0:34:22 > 0:34:25- I thought we got, like, a carriage. - I know.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28I thought we got, like, a room to ourselves.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31- No, it's us and loads of backpackers.- Quite clearly.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36I had visions it was going to be like Murder On The Orient Express.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39I didn't think it would be a youth hostel on wheels.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43A youth hostel run by the NHS. What's with the blue curtains?!
0:34:43 > 0:34:47The other thing that's dawned on me is this baseball cap backwards,
0:34:47 > 0:34:52while a slightly sad but acceptable thing for a man travelling to do,
0:34:52 > 0:34:58now, here, it just feels like a 44-year-old member of the drug squad
0:34:58 > 0:35:01trying to infiltrate the young people.
0:35:01 > 0:35:05- Hi, kids.- Hello...- Just don't be alarmed.- ..fellow kids.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08I am simply one of you, as you can see.
0:35:08 > 0:35:09LAUGHTER
0:35:09 > 0:35:13So, everybody hanging loose?
0:35:13 > 0:35:15LAUGHTER
0:35:23 > 0:35:27'400 miles and 12 long, uncomfortable hours later,
0:35:27 > 0:35:29'we're nearing Chiang Mai.'
0:35:38 > 0:35:40'And it's an early start for us
0:35:40 > 0:35:44'as our bunks are transformed from bed to dining table.'
0:35:54 > 0:35:58- OK.- There we go. Thank you very much. You're very kind.
0:35:59 > 0:36:00So, we have...
0:36:00 > 0:36:03on the same plate, this thing - source unknown.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06This thing - a form of ketchup.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09There's something very odd about slices of apple next to a fried egg.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11That's a wobbly looking egg.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14You know, that's perfectly done if you're, you know, French.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17How did you sleep?
0:36:17 > 0:36:20I probably got to sleep about 11:00 and there was a massive jolt
0:36:20 > 0:36:23about 3:00 in the morning which not only woke me up...
0:36:23 > 0:36:26but made me so angry I couldn't go back to sleep.
0:36:26 > 0:36:30"Why would they jolt a train that people are sleeping on that hard?"
0:36:30 > 0:36:33- Was that you awake from 3:00am? - Yeah.- Oh, really?
0:36:33 > 0:36:36I was the other way. I didn't get to sleep until 4:00am.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38- Really?- Yeah, yeah. I can't...
0:36:38 > 0:36:41You know, I'm not good at getting to sleep.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43I am of the night.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47And I wish to be in the night.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50Chiang Mai Station. Please check your belongings.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53- Chiang Mai Station.- Is it?- Yeah.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57- Eat fast.- I didn't even get my coffee into me.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09'Chiang Mai, Thailand's second city,
0:37:09 > 0:37:11'is now well established on the hippy trail.'
0:37:13 > 0:37:15So, first impressions?
0:37:15 > 0:37:20It's that city that every country has where all the backpackers go.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24Bangkok felt like, even though I was excited to get out of Bangkok,
0:37:24 > 0:37:27Bangkok still felt like it was full of Thai people going around
0:37:27 > 0:37:29doing their Thai things.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32- This feels more touristy. - Oh, man, is it ever.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34And even this...
0:37:35 > 0:37:37This is unique to here.
0:37:37 > 0:37:43I like these. It's like a stretched limo but really, sort of, low-fi.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46I can imagine if Bear Grylls had a stretched limo it'd be like this.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56'This is the place to tick off the traveller shopping list.'
0:37:57 > 0:38:00I might get one of those Chang beer T-shirts.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03- Mm.- Nice, aren't they?
0:38:03 > 0:38:06I might get a Jack Daniels singlet.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10Puppies. Puppies and rabbits and birds.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13This is exactly the kind of random things for sale
0:38:13 > 0:38:15that you can buy...
0:38:15 > 0:38:20a budgie and some underpants in the same row of stalls.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24But you're only allowed two budgies and one rabbit. Don't go crazy.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28- Shall we?- Yeah, go on.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32- I'm going to wander down here. - Yeah, cool.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34Don't get lost.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37Don't spend all your money at the first stall.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40We're in the market place in a town which we arrived sleepy
0:38:40 > 0:38:43because we arrived off that train and the town was quite sleepy
0:38:43 > 0:38:47and then darkness falls and it explodes...explodes into life,
0:38:47 > 0:38:50and you're aware this bit isn't for tourists.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52But so much of Thailand is for tourists.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55So much of Thailand is, not quite a front, but it feels like...
0:38:55 > 0:38:59It's, "Here, look, we've created this lovely glowing thing for you.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02"Our beaches are... Our cities are..."
0:39:02 > 0:39:05Not that the people are insincere in any way
0:39:05 > 0:39:08but they're quite private and quite reserved
0:39:08 > 0:39:11so it's a delightful country to visit
0:39:11 > 0:39:17but I'm not sure that you leave knowing more about the people.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22'But there's one famous Thai experience we haven't tried yet.'
0:39:22 > 0:39:25Is this a bad time to admit I don't like my feet being touched?
0:39:25 > 0:39:27This is a bad time to say that.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30- Is it because you have very ugly feet?- No.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33I find the whole being rubbed by a stranger odd.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35- Check out the bruising from my training.- Yeah.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39- From my fighting training.- And your previous lack of fighting training.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44- What do you think? Medium?- Yes? - Medium it is. Okey-dokey.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47That's great. All in the toes, yeah.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Toes very.... Yeah.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53- No, that's good. See, that stretch now is nice.- Ah, stretch is good.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56It's striking as well how many of these places there are
0:39:56 > 0:40:00and clearly it's not like, what a treat to go on a spa day.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03It's more like coffee shops, to a certain extent.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07There's loads of them. You know, "Before I go to work, I'm just going to get this done."
0:40:07 > 0:40:09That's good, though.
0:40:09 > 0:40:14He's on my calf. It's good. He's working it.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19You have the calves of Superman?
0:40:19 > 0:40:22Yes. Unfortunately, he has hands of pure kryptonite.
0:40:23 > 0:40:28The only drawback is every time she passes over a mosquito bite.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32- It's like a little speed bump. - It is, yeah.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35That's very good...no, thanks! That's very good...thank you!
0:40:35 > 0:40:37Oh!
0:40:38 > 0:40:40I've got your nose. I've got your toe.
0:40:44 > 0:40:49This is a journey of self-discovery and self-improvement
0:40:49 > 0:40:52and learning...
0:40:52 > 0:40:56what I can take and what I can endure
0:40:56 > 0:41:00and that was quite something. I don't like people touching my feet,
0:41:00 > 0:41:01which is a ridiculous place to come
0:41:01 > 0:41:04for someone who doesn't like people touching his feet.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07You know, as much as it might be a bit touristy,
0:41:07 > 0:41:10I do feel like it is a thing that people here do
0:41:10 > 0:41:15and it's a part of life that it's quite handy to sample.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18It's a little bite-size thing of what it's like to be Thai.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20I'm glad I did it. It feels good.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23He kept telling me I should get it done more often.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26I'm like, "Yeah. Yeah, will do."
0:41:26 > 0:41:29Much like when you go to the doctor and the doctor says,
0:41:29 > 0:41:32"You should eat more fibre." Yes, I'm going to get right on that.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39'And after being rejuvenated in Chiang Mai, it's back on the road.'
0:41:42 > 0:41:45As well as the physical journey through this landscape,
0:41:45 > 0:41:49have we not also been on an emotional journey
0:41:49 > 0:41:51through our own relationship?
0:41:51 > 0:41:53Do you think this trip has changed us?
0:41:53 > 0:41:57We seem to be sitting slightly further apart than we were.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59I'm glad that when we go back
0:41:59 > 0:42:02we won't have completely changed our look in the style of a backpacker.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04- Hemp.- Hemp.
0:42:04 > 0:42:09- And those big, baggy, MC Hammer things.- Elephant pants.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13Would you though, at 22, if you'd done this trip,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16bought the silly trousers and got the hemp?
0:42:16 > 0:42:19Was there a point in your life?
0:42:19 > 0:42:22- Oh, I don't know. I probably would have done.- Would you?
0:42:22 > 0:42:24If I'd come travelling through here in my 20s
0:42:24 > 0:42:27I probably would have at least gotten a henna tattoo.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29Man, I was always 45.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33Next year I actually will be 45.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36I'll probably feel really at home with myself.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38Finally.
0:42:39 > 0:42:44'We're heading to a small Hmong tribe village called Mon Jam.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48'The Hmong make their living by farming strawberries and other crops
0:42:48 > 0:42:51'but as more travellers reach the remote north,
0:42:51 > 0:42:54'they've found a way of making tourism work for them -
0:42:54 > 0:42:58'through their now world famous Formula Hmong.'
0:43:04 > 0:43:06'Originally a downhill go kart race
0:43:06 > 0:43:08'between tribes to celebrate New Year,
0:43:08 > 0:43:12'the carts are now hired out to tourists for a fee.'
0:43:12 > 0:43:15Hello. Look at that. Cute little puppy dog.
0:43:15 > 0:43:20- It's the healthiest dog I've seen in a while.- Yeah. He's lovely.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23'Before we get under starter's orders,
0:43:23 > 0:43:26'we're going to meet the tribal mastermind behind all this.
0:43:26 > 0:43:28'Hur is the chief mechanic
0:43:28 > 0:43:32'and he had the idea of making money out of the go karts.'
0:43:43 > 0:43:46This looks brand-new. Is this new, this one?
0:43:51 > 0:43:53This is your handiwork and just you?
0:43:53 > 0:43:56Do you want to try it for size? Let me have a gander.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59OK, how's that? Comfy?
0:43:59 > 0:44:01- Yes, the seat is actually very comfy.- Lovely.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04And then steering with your legs.
0:44:05 > 0:44:09- And that's the brake system.- Brake is reassuringly responsive.- OK.
0:44:11 > 0:44:15- A very simple... A very simple mechanism.- Yes. Absolutely.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21Yeah, I'm up for doing it.
0:44:21 > 0:44:22OK.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27'Before our go, we check out the karts in action.'
0:44:30 > 0:44:33How would you grade your excitement level?
0:44:33 > 0:44:38Well, I'm looking at the lack of steepness of the slope.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41- That still looks steep to me. - No, it doesn't.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44Also, we don't know what you're coming down from.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47This could be the most exciting thing...
0:44:47 > 0:44:49anyone has ever done or seen.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56Here they come. The come at some speed as well.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58That's not a fast speed.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01Your greatest risk is dying of boredom.
0:45:03 > 0:45:08'It's a risk we're willing to take as we head for the start grid.'
0:45:08 > 0:45:11- You're taking your life in your hands here.- Thank you.
0:45:16 > 0:45:18- After you, sir.- Thank you.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24Hello. Are you getting some illegal lubrication?
0:45:24 > 0:45:27No, it's just a last minute pit stop. If we're going to talk about
0:45:27 > 0:45:30what's fair, look at mine and look at yours. Yours looks like it's
0:45:30 > 0:45:33- fresh off the production line.- It's too fresh off the production line.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36Mine hasn't had it's 1,000-mile run-in period yet.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41'Our excuses made, it's time to race to the bottom.'
0:45:46 > 0:45:48Whoa, whoa, whoa.
0:45:48 > 0:45:50'And it's tougher than we anticipated.'
0:45:50 > 0:45:53- Are you with me? - Whoa.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57Where are you going?!
0:45:57 > 0:46:00'Dara's finding it difficult to even stay on the track.'
0:46:00 > 0:46:04- Were you so busy concentrating on the brake, you forgot about the steering?- Yep.
0:46:04 > 0:46:08I was slightly taken aback by how fast it was.
0:46:16 > 0:46:17Whoa!
0:46:17 > 0:46:19LAUGHTER
0:46:19 > 0:46:22Trying to pull me back. There we go.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26Got a bit too competitive there.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30'But I'm pleased to say my misspent youth is paying off.'
0:46:34 > 0:46:36Jesus Christ!
0:46:36 > 0:46:38Whoa! Whoa!
0:46:38 > 0:46:40Jesus!
0:46:41 > 0:46:44A bloody ditch! Did you see that ditch?
0:46:45 > 0:46:47Dara's in a ditch.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53God, this is responsive!
0:46:53 > 0:46:57'And as I head for the finish line, Dara really has ruled himself out
0:46:57 > 0:47:00'of the next Formula 1 driver championships.'
0:47:04 > 0:47:06He takes the chequered flag!
0:47:08 > 0:47:13I never thought I'd say this but he is seriously holding me back.
0:47:16 > 0:47:18Woo. Woo.
0:47:18 > 0:47:22I tell you, that was a lovely lunch you missed.
0:47:22 > 0:47:27Turns out small Thai children are better at driving this than we are.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29That was petrifying.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32I expected...genuinely expected to come down here to the bottom
0:47:32 > 0:47:37and to be in that adrenalin rush of something not being quite as scary
0:47:37 > 0:47:41and actually it was more frightening than I expected it to be, you know?
0:47:41 > 0:47:45You can tell why I was never linked to Top Gear
0:47:45 > 0:47:47at any point or at any stage.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49That's just simply not happening.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52Unless they want to change the show title to Second Gear.
0:47:52 > 0:47:56Maybe if prevailing wind is in the right direction.
0:47:56 > 0:47:59Dara and Ed present Hit The Brakes.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03You've no idea what it was like to be me in that situation.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06No, I've not, because I cannot comprehend anyone
0:48:06 > 0:48:09who would find that as difficult as you found it.
0:48:09 > 0:48:12Did your vision not go all wobbly?
0:48:12 > 0:48:16No. Just pull the brake a bit if you're getting into trouble.
0:48:16 > 0:48:18I wasn't getting into trouble.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22'Leaving the hill tribes behind, we're heading into an area
0:48:22 > 0:48:24'called The Golden Triangle.
0:48:24 > 0:48:29'In less than 200 miles, we arrive at Thailand's northernmost tip,
0:48:29 > 0:48:33'where three countries meet - Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.
0:48:34 > 0:48:38'This fertile mountainous area is infamous for its opium production
0:48:38 > 0:48:42'but in recent years travellers have been attracted here on the search
0:48:42 > 0:48:46'for a more adventurous and authentic Thai experience.
0:48:46 > 0:48:50'For hundreds of years, this wild region was largely inaccessible
0:48:50 > 0:48:54'and home to thousands of working elephants.
0:48:54 > 0:48:58'But when the logging trade was banned in the late '80s,
0:48:58 > 0:49:02'these elephants and their owners were left with no way of earning a living.'
0:49:02 > 0:49:06DARA HUMS THE A-TEAM THEME
0:49:06 > 0:49:09- Why...why...? - Why am I singing The A-Team theme?
0:49:09 > 0:49:14- Why does being in a Jeep...? - We're in a Jeep, for God's sakes.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17You have to sing military music to yourself when you are in Jeep.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21'We're on our way to a sanctuary which has transformed the lives
0:49:21 > 0:49:26'of 24 captive elephants with the help of tourism.
0:49:26 > 0:49:31'Manager Mutsa and vet Nissa are in charge of running the centre.'
0:49:33 > 0:49:36- Hello. How are you? - How are you guys doing today?
0:49:36 > 0:49:38We're surprised by how friendly they are.
0:49:38 > 0:49:40They're immediately interested in Ed.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42They're here to steal hearts.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45That's what they do for most of their lives.
0:49:45 > 0:49:49They're enormously charming, aren't they? Just delightful.
0:49:49 > 0:49:52I know they're not violent animals but is it dangerous
0:49:52 > 0:49:55just to be working with something this massive and mobile?
0:49:55 > 0:49:59You'd be surprised. They're very mindful of their surroundings.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02They know very well where they are, where people are around them.
0:50:02 > 0:50:04Do they arrive in a bad state?
0:50:04 > 0:50:06A lot of them come in poor health.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09Definitely have a lot of room to grow into, so...
0:50:09 > 0:50:11once they stay with us for about three months,
0:50:11 > 0:50:15pretty much everybody bulks up, have a lot more meat put on them.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18Some of them are actually on a diet at the moment.
0:50:18 > 0:50:23- They can get a little bit too fat as well.- Oh, really? OK.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25I don't think it's a bad look in an elephant.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28- Can they be patted on the nose? - Yes, they can.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31Bo is really, really friendly so on the nose is fine.
0:50:31 > 0:50:33He's getting alarmed, the way you're doing it, Ed.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36It's going to be a little bit rough right there.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39You can be quite... Oh, hello. OK.
0:50:39 > 0:50:43Is that a sign of affection, that this elephant just blew snot at me?
0:50:43 > 0:50:47Well done. You have back wash all over you. Congratulations.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52'The elephants and their mahout owners have close bonds
0:50:52 > 0:50:55'and depend on each other for survival.'
0:50:57 > 0:51:01'When the crisis for Thailand's working elephants became evident,
0:51:01 > 0:51:05'this project was set up by foundation director John Roberts.'
0:51:06 > 0:51:10Their main task for at least the last, I guess 500 years,
0:51:10 > 0:51:11was logging.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14- It was banned in Thailand in '89. - Right.
0:51:14 > 0:51:19So that just overnight put thousands of elephants out of work.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21They hadn't had any of the traditional jobs to do
0:51:21 > 0:51:24so they found themselves begging on the streets with their mahouts,
0:51:24 > 0:51:26maybe for 10, 12 hours a night.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29And during the day they were in Bangkok sleeping under underpasses
0:51:29 > 0:51:31or in fields or anything like that,
0:51:31 > 0:51:33which was not an ideal place for them to be.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36Almost everything we do in the captive elephant community
0:51:36 > 0:51:40at the moment is trying to find ways that elephants can make a living,
0:51:40 > 0:51:43mahouts can make a living that isn't harmful to the elephants.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45And that's increasingly difficult.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49'Captive elephants can't survive in the wild
0:51:49 > 0:51:51'so they need a safe place to live.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53'And their mahouts need an income.'
0:51:53 > 0:51:55Hey, champ.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58'This sanctuary provides food and lodging, paid for by visitors
0:51:58 > 0:52:01'like ourselves who come for an elephant experience.'
0:52:10 > 0:52:13Right, OK. Don't get crushed, Ed.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16Ed, you've knocked him out.
0:52:16 > 0:52:18He's actually sitting on the hose.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23Sir, you're on the hose. It's your own...
0:52:23 > 0:52:26Sir, I'm going to have to ask you, sir.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28That is an unexpected...
0:52:28 > 0:52:31There we go. Right.
0:52:32 > 0:52:34Here, you spray, I'll scrub.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38Cleaning the elephant.
0:52:40 > 0:52:45- You have to sing for your supper at this place, don't you?- Yeah.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47You're drinking your own bath water.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49Who doesn't drink their own bath water?
0:52:50 > 0:52:53Behind the ears. We're literally washing behind the ears.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56On an elephant that's a lot of real estate.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58Oh, you want a drink, do you?
0:52:59 > 0:53:01There we go.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04Argh!
0:53:04 > 0:53:06LAUGHTER
0:53:09 > 0:53:12'The mahouts are invited to live here with their families
0:53:12 > 0:53:14'so they can continue to care for their own elephants.'
0:53:17 > 0:53:21'Mahout Pong has been living here for nine years.'
0:53:21 > 0:53:24What was life like for you and indeed your elephant
0:53:24 > 0:53:26before you came here?
0:53:44 > 0:53:47What is life like for you now, living here? How has it changed?
0:54:19 > 0:54:21'And now, at end of our Thai travels,
0:54:21 > 0:54:24'I have finally succumbed to the tourist uniform.'
0:54:27 > 0:54:28Sawatdee kha.
0:54:28 > 0:54:30Oh, for God's sake.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33You bought elephant trousers.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35Find a tuxedo and then come back to me.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38LAUGHTER
0:54:38 > 0:54:40All right, all right, all right.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43God almighty.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48Welcome to Jurassic Park.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50HUMS JURASSIC PARK THEME
0:54:50 > 0:54:53- Where are the dinosaurs? - They're sleeping.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56- What's with the trousers?- They are perfect for the temperature.
0:54:56 > 0:54:59And does it allow you to do your Muay Thai moves?
0:54:59 > 0:55:02- Can you kick better? - Actually, yes, it's very loose.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05Oh, my God. That actually...!
0:55:06 > 0:55:08This is a great place. I like what they're doing here.
0:55:08 > 0:55:13I'm big into the idea of making doing the right thing profitable.
0:55:13 > 0:55:17The fact that they basically built a luxury resort around
0:55:17 > 0:55:19a home for rescued captive elephants.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22It's essentially a donkey sanctuary for elephants.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25- Like if Battersea Dogs Home opened a B&B.- Exactly. Yeah.
0:55:25 > 0:55:27This is lovely.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30But soon we go there.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33Or there, I'm not really sure. It's somewhere there.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36Or maybe a little round there.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40It's definitely broadly over there.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48'Our time is Thailand is nearly over.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50'We've experienced the various directions
0:55:50 > 0:55:53'tourism is pulling this country in.
0:55:53 > 0:55:57'Hopefully what we've found here is the future.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00'It seems only right we spend our last afternoon
0:56:00 > 0:56:02'with our new friends.'
0:56:04 > 0:56:07Trunks up if you want some sunflower seeds.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09Trunks up, who wants sunflower seeds?
0:56:09 > 0:56:11Oh, my God, don't breath on me.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13You'll get more if you don't breath on me.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16What else are you going to do with these working elephants?
0:56:16 > 0:56:19What are you going to do with this entire culture of people
0:56:19 > 0:56:22who's entire way of life is built around working elephants?
0:56:22 > 0:56:25The only thing that can keep them alive and keep them going the way
0:56:25 > 0:56:27they are used to is tourism.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29Did he just burp in your face?
0:56:29 > 0:56:31And if it's managed correctly,
0:56:31 > 0:56:35it will be of huge benefit to many people
0:56:35 > 0:56:39and much of the wildlife and the, you know...
0:56:39 > 0:56:41ecosystem of Thailand.
0:56:43 > 0:56:47There's no way to describe that sensation other than wet hoover.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49'Thailand is a breaking wave
0:56:49 > 0:56:52'of when tourism actually reaches its physical limit.'
0:56:52 > 0:56:55It's interesting to meet people, like we did on this trip,
0:56:55 > 0:57:00who are working in order to protect against this huge wave of tourism
0:57:00 > 0:57:04while at the same time not being so blinded by ideology
0:57:04 > 0:57:07that they realise that tourism is a huge industry here.
0:57:08 > 0:57:12I know you doubted me. You said, "There's no river round here."
0:57:12 > 0:57:14- There it is. - But I brought you to a river.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17That's Myanmar ten feet over there.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20- That's where we're going. - Straight across the other side.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23Thailand is a great country to visit and the whole experience,
0:57:23 > 0:57:28one could call it touristy or one could call it user friendly.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32Seems nice that we started this journey
0:57:32 > 0:57:35by releasing turtles into the sea
0:57:35 > 0:57:38and end it by releasing elephants into the river.
0:57:38 > 0:57:40Let's just enjoy it for what it is.
0:57:40 > 0:57:43A gloriously beautiful country of fabulous wildlife
0:57:43 > 0:57:46and incredible things to see and they're lovely people.
0:57:46 > 0:57:49They're maybe a little tired of seeing so many of us
0:57:49 > 0:57:51but they remain lovely people.
0:57:51 > 0:57:53- Hey, how are you?- Good, good.
0:57:53 > 0:57:54Stop.
0:57:55 > 0:57:56Stop!
0:57:58 > 0:58:00LAUGHTER
0:58:02 > 0:58:04'Next time, we're in Myanmar,
0:58:04 > 0:58:08'which has been shut off to the world for 50 years.'
0:58:09 > 0:58:12This is very much a country which is undergoing enormous change.
0:58:12 > 0:58:16But we know that we're in the middle of one of those timelines
0:58:16 > 0:58:19that will be written about in the history books.
0:58:19 > 0:58:22'This land trapped in the past takes us on a journey back in time.'
0:58:22 > 0:58:25The country has been held back from development
0:58:25 > 0:58:28because there has been a desire to keep the rest of the world out.