0:00:02 > 0:00:03Ahh, I'm not very good at steering.
0:00:03 > 0:00:04OK, OK.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06SHE LAUGHS
0:00:06 > 0:00:07It's hard work.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11'This is the Mekong, the mother of water.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13'The greatest river in Southeast Asia.'
0:00:13 > 0:00:15These are the best noodles ever.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18'It brings life to millions
0:00:18 > 0:00:20'from the paddy fields of Vietnam
0:00:20 > 0:00:22'to the mountains of the Tibetan plateau.'
0:00:24 > 0:00:25Ooh, that's cold!
0:00:25 > 0:00:29'I'm travelling nearly 3,000 miles upstream to its source,
0:00:29 > 0:00:31'exploring landscapes and lives
0:00:31 > 0:00:34'on the point of profound change.'
0:00:34 > 0:00:38- One.- One.- Two.- Two.- Three.- Three.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40THEY LAUGH
0:00:41 > 0:00:42'I've now reached Laos,
0:00:42 > 0:00:44'one of the poorest and least developed
0:00:44 > 0:00:47'of all the Mekong nations.'
0:00:50 > 0:00:53'It's a country shaped by both Buddhism and Communism,
0:00:53 > 0:00:55'and has hardly changed for centuries.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02'But now Laos is on the verge of huge and irreversible change.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05'Dams are being built to harness the power of the river.'
0:01:05 > 0:01:08I'm a great fan of green energy
0:01:08 > 0:01:12but if it's at the expense of nearly 50 million people,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15you've got to wonder where the balance is.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17'Money is flowing in from tourism.'
0:01:17 > 0:01:19And from the flashbulbs going,
0:01:19 > 0:01:20you'd think that Brangelina was in town,
0:01:20 > 0:01:22but no, it's monk paparazzi.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24'But foreign investment
0:01:24 > 0:01:26'feels like a high stakes gamble.'
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Plonked in the middle is this mausoleum of bad taste
0:01:29 > 0:01:32which I'm assuming is the casino.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37'Laos desperately needs to develop
0:01:37 > 0:01:40'but will the price of change simply be too high?'
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Wherever you go in the world,
0:01:59 > 0:02:01there's always a Manchester United fan.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03How do you feel about David Moyes' management?
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Do you think he's done anything for the club
0:02:05 > 0:02:07or are you worried that this is the end of an era?
0:02:08 > 0:02:10I think we all feel the same.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22'I couldn't have wished for a more beautiful morning
0:02:22 > 0:02:24'to start my journey through Laos.'
0:02:27 > 0:02:29I've had to travel this many miles upriver
0:02:29 > 0:02:31to finally get to the Mekong of my imagination
0:02:31 > 0:02:36which is hazy skies and silhouetted blue mountains
0:02:36 > 0:02:38and relative silence...
0:02:38 > 0:02:40She says as the only boat for 15 minutes go by.
0:02:40 > 0:02:41SHE LAUGHS
0:02:43 > 0:02:46And there's a saying which says that the Vietnamese plant the rice,
0:02:46 > 0:02:48the Cambodians watch the rice
0:02:48 > 0:02:51and then the Lao listen to the rice grow.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57What I glean from that is a sort of dispassionate mellowness
0:02:57 > 0:03:02to the Lao People, which I look forward to provoking.
0:03:05 > 0:03:06'For landlocked Laos,
0:03:06 > 0:03:10'surrounded by powerful neighbours like Thailand and China,
0:03:10 > 0:03:14'the Mekong is its most important resource.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16'My journey starts in the south,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19'just across the Cambodian border
0:03:19 > 0:03:22'in Si Phan Don, or the Four Thousand Islands.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31'I've come ashore at one of the river beaches
0:03:31 > 0:03:33'to meet a local character.'
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Mr Boonsong?
0:03:35 > 0:03:38THEY SPEAK LAOTIAN
0:03:38 > 0:03:39Nice to see you. How are you?
0:03:41 > 0:03:42This is so beautiful.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46'He's offered to show me the best place to catch fish
0:03:46 > 0:03:48'in his little corner of Mekong paradise.'
0:03:52 > 0:03:55- OK, OK.- You can sit at the back.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58- Further back?- Yeah.- OK.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59THEY LAUGH
0:04:13 > 0:04:15What was the word for beautiful? Ana laoi?
0:04:15 > 0:04:21- Beautiful? What is beautiful?- Ana laoi.- Whoo-hoo! Yeah, it's that.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23It's that times a thousand.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Same, same. Yeah.
0:04:35 > 0:04:36'I'm worried for two reasons.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39'Firstly, because he appears to be hitting on me and secondly,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42'because I think this boat is sinking.'
0:04:48 > 0:04:49This is a good spot?
0:04:49 > 0:04:53- OK?- Yeah, good, thank you.- OK.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56'We've arrived at what I assume is the fishing spot.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58'And now I have a third reason to be worried.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02'Boonsong's got a state of the art harpoon gun.'
0:05:02 > 0:05:04These are rockfish we're looking for.
0:05:04 > 0:05:09Did you see? Smartarse-ness comes just before a fall.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Why am I going upwards to fish?
0:05:12 > 0:05:16- Why am I climbing a mountain?- OK? - You're a nutter!
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Ooh! Waterfall, beautiful waterfall.
0:05:19 > 0:05:20- Oh, wow! - SHE LAUGHS
0:05:20 > 0:05:24You have a very excitable squeal.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- It's very beautiful.- Yeah. Beautiful, yeah.
0:05:30 > 0:05:31'It turns out we're not the only ones
0:05:31 > 0:05:35'to have made the treacherous trek to this popular fishing spot.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37'There are traps set up along the rapids
0:05:37 > 0:05:40'and we're about to spoil the solitude
0:05:40 > 0:05:43'of an old lady quietly getting on with her work.'
0:05:46 > 0:05:47Can you fish anywhere on the river
0:05:47 > 0:05:50or does each fisherman have a special pitch, a special spot?
0:06:15 > 0:06:17'Boonsong is very aware that catching fish
0:06:17 > 0:06:19'is increasingly hard work,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22'but this beautiful scenery attracts backpackers
0:06:22 > 0:06:24'in search of unspoilt Asia
0:06:24 > 0:06:25'and for Boonsong,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28'tourists offer a more attractive income than fishing.'
0:06:30 > 0:06:32What do you think of backpackers?
0:06:32 > 0:06:35What do you think of travellers?
0:06:52 > 0:06:54And that's a way to get more money?
0:06:58 > 0:07:02'Boonsong's suddenly reminded we came all of this way to catch fish.'
0:07:06 > 0:07:08- He's got excited about the fish now.- Come on.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13She's shamed you. She's shamed you with her brilliance
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Beautiful. I don't know why he needed a harpoon for those.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19For me, that's overkill.
0:07:21 > 0:07:22How many?
0:07:23 > 0:07:26- It's good.- Good for barbecue.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35'Boonsong has introduced me to the Lao phrase "bo panang",
0:07:35 > 0:07:37'meaning "no worries".
0:07:37 > 0:07:38'Which just about sums him up.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44'It's this mellow atmosphere
0:07:44 > 0:07:47'which draws hoards of backpackers,
0:07:47 > 0:07:49'keen to just lie back and soak it all up.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58'With ever an eye for an extra buck, Boonsong runs a shack on the beach.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01'Next year, he hopes to open a guesthouse, too.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07'All his family lend a hand, and today I've offered my services.'
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Can I just say your husband did not catch this.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14If he's been telling you he's a fisherman, he's lying.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Bash.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Goodbye, bingo wings. Hello, papaya.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29'I'm glad papaya salad is on the menu,
0:08:29 > 0:08:30because I love it,
0:08:30 > 0:08:34'but I haven't experienced Laos papaya salad before.'
0:08:34 > 0:08:36OK, A bit of a tasting.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Ohh!
0:08:43 > 0:08:45SHE LAUGHS
0:08:47 > 0:08:48It's good.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50I'm going to say that now
0:08:50 > 0:08:53while I still have the power of speech. It's really good.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57Yes, if she says it's hot, we're in trouble.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59Fire, just fire!
0:09:04 > 0:09:06I don't know where I'm going, I'm just going to go
0:09:06 > 0:09:08down to the river and drink it.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10I mean, literally all of it.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23So, I'm just about to take part in a Baci ceremony
0:09:23 > 0:09:25which, although it sounds like it,
0:09:25 > 0:09:27isn't a Welsh songbird diva strop.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29In fact, it's a pre-Buddhist ritual
0:09:29 > 0:09:32which integrates the 32 souls or spirits of the body
0:09:32 > 0:09:35and usually happens at a time of transformation.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37We've got no idea what weapons grade military hardware
0:09:37 > 0:09:39he's brought with him this time.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43Who knows? Maybe a bazooka or a surface-to-air missile. Whatever's appropriate.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47'An elder is going to perform the ceremony.'
0:09:52 > 0:09:55I just want to kiss his face. He's just got a face that you want to smooch.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00You have a beautiful face.
0:10:00 > 0:10:0287 years.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Amazing. Amazing.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14Boonsong and his family, like most Lao, are Buddhist.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20And today, the ceremony is for me.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24It's to wish me well on the start of my journey through Laos.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36I have absolutely no idea what the words mean,
0:10:36 > 0:10:40but the feeling, the warmth from this gathering is tangible.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43As each person ties a string round my wrist,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45they are offering me a blessing.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50To work, I've been told they need to stay on for at least three days.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56I don't think you can get much more blessed than that.
0:10:59 > 0:11:04Properly blessed, properly blessed. Amazing.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Boonsong is a cracking guy.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22He's so energetic and full of life,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24and he's so wonderfully friendly and charismatic.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27He's also one of the laziest entrepreneurs I've ever met,
0:11:27 > 0:11:31in the sense that he's just got this amazing ability to not do anything.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33He gets other people to do it,
0:11:33 > 0:11:35so somebody will catch his fish and he'll buy them.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37His wife will do the cooking,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39he'll embed a cleaver in an onion and think he's made the dish.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43But perhaps that's the key to his success, really -
0:11:43 > 0:11:47powers of delegation will mean he'll make his fortune.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Maybe I'll come back here in ten years' time
0:11:49 > 0:11:51and he'll have formed a chain of restaurants
0:11:51 > 0:11:53that will, you know, extend throughout Asia
0:11:53 > 0:11:57and he'll be doing very little work in any of them, I imagine.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01Having a beer on a porch of one and roaring with laughter.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03HE SINGS LAO KARAOKE
0:12:07 > 0:12:10'I really hope that Boonsong's plans work out.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13'He's adapting and he's welcoming in the tourist dollar.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16'But what about those upstream,
0:12:16 > 0:12:20'for whom fundamental and profound change is coming?'
0:12:31 > 0:12:33'The Xayaburi hydroelectric dam
0:12:33 > 0:12:34'is Southeast Asia's biggest
0:12:34 > 0:12:37'and most controversial engineering project.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41'It's the first dam across the Lower Mekong
0:12:41 > 0:12:44'and will completely block the flow of the river.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46'The countries downstream of Laos
0:12:46 > 0:12:48'are deeply concerned about its impact.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52'It's taken us months to negotiate access to film here
0:12:52 > 0:12:55'so this is a pretty big day.
0:12:55 > 0:12:56'I've certainly never been
0:12:56 > 0:12:59'so excited to meet a couple of thousand builders.'
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Throughout the entirety of my trip up the Mekong
0:13:02 > 0:13:04the prospect of damming has always loomed large
0:13:04 > 0:13:08but the dams felt like a Keyser Soze figure -
0:13:08 > 0:13:11dark and mysterious and always out of sight.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13And here in Laos, I will actually get to visit one.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15It doesn't really matter whether you think
0:13:15 > 0:13:17that it will bring renewable energy to an area
0:13:17 > 0:13:20that is one of the least provided in the entire world
0:13:20 > 0:13:21or whether you think, quite frankly,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24it's an ecological disaster waiting to happen.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25Either way, the dam is coming
0:13:25 > 0:13:29and it will change this entire land for ever.
0:13:31 > 0:13:32'Laos is a communist state,
0:13:32 > 0:13:35'and information about the dam is very tightly controlled.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39'Off camera, there's a whole convoy of information officers
0:13:39 > 0:13:44'and media minders making sure that I'm strictly on message.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47'Almost everybody I've met on my travels up the Mekong
0:13:47 > 0:13:49'have been against the damming project,
0:13:49 > 0:13:51'but I'm trying to keep an open mind.'
0:13:51 > 0:13:53I'm just approaching the dam now, pulled over,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56and the support car went in front of us, put the nee-naws on.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59It's quite exciting, I now feel I'm part of Police Camera Action!
0:13:59 > 0:14:01I expect Alastair Stewart to pop up any minute now
0:14:01 > 0:14:04in a very tight pair of stonewash jeans.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08But it just goes to show how tightly controlled this area is.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10What's really funny as well
0:14:10 > 0:14:12is there's no other traffic on the road.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Literally the road is completely clear.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23'It's impossible to understate the significance of this one project.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26'It has the power to change the entire region.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30'On my journey, I've met just some of the 50 million people
0:14:30 > 0:14:33'who depend on the Mekong for their food and livelihood.'
0:14:36 > 0:14:39'My liberal Western kneejerk reaction is that hydroelectric power
0:14:39 > 0:14:41'means clean, green energy,
0:14:41 > 0:14:46'but if I dig a little deeper, an ecological alarm bell goes off.
0:14:48 > 0:14:49'I start to understand
0:14:49 > 0:14:52'that dams interrupt the natural flow of the river,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55'changing water levels, blocking fish migration
0:14:55 > 0:14:58'and destroying fish stocks.'
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Oh, that's marvellous. We're being saluted.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09It's just a sort of reflex.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12I have no military training.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16I seem to be stuck in a sort of media sandwich
0:15:16 > 0:15:18in that they're making a documentary about me
0:15:18 > 0:15:21as I'm making a documentary about them.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23'I think the security might have been stepped up
0:15:23 > 0:15:25'as I'm on my way to meet a representative
0:15:25 > 0:15:27'of the communist government,
0:15:27 > 0:15:30'the rather splendidly named Mr Viraphonh Viravong,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33'the Vice Minister for Energy and Mines.'
0:15:33 > 0:15:35- It's nice to meet you. - Please...Viraphonh.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Mr Viravong, nice to meet you.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Thank you for letting us come and see your dam.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44- It's our pleasure to receive you here.- Thank you.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46- Come in...- Excellent.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49..and talk about the projects a little bit.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Come, we have to do the presentation.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58Ah. This is great, cos I've prepared a speech.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05I feel like I'm in a James Bond film.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07- SHE LAUGHS - This is very good.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14'I'm desperate to clap eyes on the actual dam
0:16:14 > 0:16:16'but before I'm allowed on-site,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19'I have to sit through a 40-minute presentation
0:16:19 > 0:16:22'on hydroelectric engineering
0:16:22 > 0:16:25'including navigation lock systems,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28'sand flushing
0:16:28 > 0:16:31'and, of course, fish transportation.'
0:16:31 > 0:16:35- Next to that is a fish lift, but we call it...- A fish lift?
0:16:35 > 0:16:36Fish lift.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38- They've got their own lift?!- Yep.
0:16:38 > 0:16:39I've never heard of a fish lift.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42You have the lift. It's like this.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44- It is a lift...- Yeah?
0:16:44 > 0:16:47..coming down, the gate open,
0:16:47 > 0:16:49and, after, the fish can come in.
0:16:49 > 0:16:50Going up.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53Automatically, we set the times and other things,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56it would go up and release it upstream.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00These are for the fish that like to migrate at the bottom of the...
0:17:00 > 0:17:02like catfish and other thing.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04You've got the fish escalators and fish lifts.
0:17:04 > 0:17:05I can't knock you.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08That's the most high-tech marine life I've ever come across.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12I don't get invited to a lot of presentations
0:17:12 > 0:17:14because I'm an A-grade numpty.
0:17:14 > 0:17:19But I really enjoyed it and I had lots of questions,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23all of which were answered and a lot of prejudices confronted.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28So, I don't know at the moment whether everything I've...
0:17:28 > 0:17:31You know, all my sort of naive ecological feelings
0:17:31 > 0:17:32about dams are wrong
0:17:32 > 0:17:36or whether they're very, very good at selling me a hard lie.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38I don't know. He's a marvel, though.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50'And finally, here it is.
0:17:50 > 0:17:56'This construction side is massive and it's not even a quarter built.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01'I've seen the effect of dams further down the river in Vietnam
0:18:01 > 0:18:04'but here it is in all of its concrete glory.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08'I can't help but be impressed by the scale, the size,
0:18:08 > 0:18:12'the industry - there are 9,000 people working here
0:18:12 > 0:18:13'around the clock.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17'Thailand is paying most of the 3.8 billion costs.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22'In return, they will get 95% of the electricity produced.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24'But Mr Viravong is still confident
0:18:24 > 0:18:28'that Laos will have longer-term benefits.'
0:18:28 > 0:18:32In your presentation, you showed 11 dams that were planned.
0:18:32 > 0:18:37If all of those dams were realised, what percentage of the total energy
0:18:37 > 0:18:39produced will be renewable energy in Laos?
0:18:50 > 0:18:54- So everything will be pretty much renewable in Laos?- Yeah.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57So you can go from the visually greenest
0:18:57 > 0:19:00to the ethically greenest country in the entire world?
0:19:02 > 0:19:05This also means a lot of money now for Laos potentially.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08This is a huge revenue generator.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Do you think it will massively change the country?
0:19:41 > 0:19:44'Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?
0:19:44 > 0:19:45'But of course, there's a catch.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49'Thousands of people will be forced to leave their traditional villages
0:19:49 > 0:19:51'as the waters inevitably rise.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55'Mr Viravong offers me the chance to look around their new homes.'
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- On my own, without an entourage? - Right.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10'When Mr Viravong said I could go alone,
0:20:10 > 0:20:15'he actually meant I could go with a convoy of ten cars
0:20:15 > 0:20:17'just to check I get to the right place.'
0:20:26 > 0:20:30So this is the village of Ban Tang Long
0:20:30 > 0:20:33and I'm just going to get an impartial view
0:20:33 > 0:20:37on what it's really like having your community uprooted.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40Thank God there are 20 government officials
0:20:40 > 0:20:45and heavies to make sure he really does have an impartial view.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50'It's hard to know who I'm supposed to be meeting.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52'Villager one turns out to be one of the developers.'
0:20:52 > 0:20:54May I sit?
0:20:54 > 0:20:56- Too hot for me.- Yeah.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59'Villager two, the Laotian Johnny Vegas,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01is another developer.'
0:21:01 > 0:21:02So, um...
0:21:02 > 0:21:05It's the villager here, you can interview him.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07'Ah, finally. The real McCoy.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10'But just in case he gets his words wrong,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13'the company have supplied a translator.'
0:21:13 > 0:21:19So, when did you and your community come to the resettled village?
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Already disagreement.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Slightly filtered answer.
0:21:38 > 0:21:39What was your feeling
0:21:39 > 0:21:42when you knew that your village was going to be moved?
0:21:45 > 0:21:48He said, "Feel happy."
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Very happy.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54And what are the changes from the old village to the new village?
0:22:03 > 0:22:05This sounds very good.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09Is there any one small thing that is bad about moving?
0:22:30 > 0:22:34Would you mind showing me around the village?
0:22:34 > 0:22:35Excellent. Thank you.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44This dude's doing a deal. Look at him.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49He's just doing a couple of quick property deals.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54Is it possible to see inside a house? Is that OK?
0:22:54 > 0:22:59Is this your house, or are we just walking into a stranger's house?
0:22:59 > 0:23:04I mean, who's going to question this guy?
0:23:04 > 0:23:07You can go anywhere he say.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09- Are you sure?- Yeah. - Yeah, you're the dude.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14I feel like I'm in a Southeast Asian version of Reservoir Dogs now.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Look!
0:23:28 > 0:23:30'And this is what it's all about.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33'With a flick of a switch, lives are transformed.'
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Entering those homes and they are really a class above
0:23:40 > 0:23:42anything I've seen all the way along the Mekong.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45Don't get me wrong, they are great places for these people to live
0:23:45 > 0:23:47and I wish that for them,
0:23:47 > 0:23:49but I can't help thinking that, in a way,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52they're just exchanging one kind of bonded labour,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56in this case fishing, for our capitalist version,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59which is just slumped in front of stuff.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02You know, addicted to stuff, to material stuff.
0:24:04 > 0:24:09I think I went into today thinking I have a feeling about which way
0:24:09 > 0:24:13I would side on this debate, but very little information.
0:24:13 > 0:24:18Now I can honestly say I've got an awful lot of information
0:24:18 > 0:24:21but I find it very hard to plonk myself firmly
0:24:21 > 0:24:23either side of the debate.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27I think to frame the debate
0:24:27 > 0:24:29within the sort of binary opposites of right or wrong
0:24:29 > 0:24:31is a hiding to nowhere, really.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35I was incredibly impressed with Mr Viravong.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39I thought he was a proper statesman, you know, and he had all the patter
0:24:39 > 0:24:42and I slowly became completely beguiled by him.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Everything he said I believed, utterly,
0:24:44 > 0:24:48just sucked into the tractor beam of fact and moral rectitude
0:24:48 > 0:24:49and by the end of it, I thought,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52"Yes, we must go home, we must build dams everywhere
0:24:52 > 0:24:56"because they're clean and brilliant and everyone is going to benefit."
0:24:56 > 0:25:00And I maintained that completely singular perspective
0:25:00 > 0:25:05for about an hour, until I went to my completely free rein trip
0:25:05 > 0:25:08to the resettlement village, and then everything changed again.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11And then you have to start investigating your own mindset.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14I'm a product of a Western colonial education.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Why wouldn't I want people to have electricity here and why wouldn't I
0:25:17 > 0:25:20want people to have nice new houses and a house like I've got?
0:25:20 > 0:25:24Is it just because undeveloped Asia is so beautiful,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26I'd like to have a holiday here?
0:25:26 > 0:25:27How appalling, you know?
0:25:27 > 0:25:30This is the thing. It challenges your preconceptions so constantly
0:25:30 > 0:25:31and I'm really glad of that.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35Is life's goal always about the pursuit of the cathode ray
0:25:35 > 0:25:38and the fridge-freezer, or is it about a more natural connection with
0:25:38 > 0:25:42landscape and a better quality of food that can be retrieved from it?
0:25:42 > 0:25:43And there's somewhere...
0:25:43 > 0:25:46There's a middle point that I don't know where that is
0:25:46 > 0:25:50and I don't think mankind as a whole has found it, but it is the sort of
0:25:50 > 0:25:55intellectual frontier that Asia is having to navigate as it develops.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00'Of course, there are no easy answers
0:26:00 > 0:26:03'but if I've learned anything on this river trip, it's that all
0:26:03 > 0:26:06'the people of the Mekong, regardless of their nationality,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09'are in this together, all linked by one vital,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12'international watercourse.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15'While the Xayaburi dam will surely bring economic benefits
0:26:15 > 0:26:17'to Laos and beyond,
0:26:17 > 0:26:23'it's also likely to harm tens of millions of others downstream.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25'And this dam is just the beginning -
0:26:25 > 0:26:29'there are 10 more dams planned for Laos alone, and 140 either
0:26:29 > 0:26:34'commissioned or under construction for the Mekong and its tributaries.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47'As I continue upstream,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50'I see the people along the river bank with new eyes.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55'Their ways of life have evolved over generations in tandem with
0:26:55 > 0:26:59'the annual monsoon rains and the rise and fall of the water.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03'I just hope it won't all be swept away
0:27:03 > 0:27:04'in the great flood of progress.'
0:27:14 > 0:27:17So when you think of Asia, you think weed, right?
0:27:17 > 0:27:21River weed, of course, algae. I'm going to get some.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24'During the dry season, when the river is low,
0:27:24 > 0:27:29'the local women take to the water to collect this unusual delicacy.'
0:27:29 > 0:27:32The laughter has already started.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35- Sue.- Sue.- Sue.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38Butang.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Oh, hello, straight into it. Thank you.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49No worries. There will be worries when this is completely empty.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Will you show me how to get the weed? We can go?
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Yet more balancing exercises.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56SHE LAUGHS NERVOUSLY
0:27:56 > 0:27:59I see word's got out from Cambodia and Vietnam.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06This is it? This is the weed. OK.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Right. There's a lot of delving now.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11'It's hard to believe
0:28:11 > 0:28:13'but apparently, this Kermit-coloured slime
0:28:13 > 0:28:17'will get turned into a local speciality known as kaipen.'
0:28:18 > 0:28:22It's a cross between farming and swimming.
0:28:25 > 0:28:26Oh, that's no good?
0:28:27 > 0:28:30So what is the difference between good and no good?
0:28:31 > 0:28:33It looks exactly the same to me.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39You've got loads. You've got a wizard's hat full.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43I've got a very wet bottom. Look, look at this.
0:28:45 > 0:28:46Oh, that's OK.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48Ooh!
0:28:48 > 0:28:49SHE LAUGHS
0:28:49 > 0:28:52Ooh, that's cold! Ohh!
0:28:55 > 0:29:00It's like a very strange Riverdance going on here.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03I don't know where I'm being led, but I quite like it.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18It's good? It's OK?
0:29:18 > 0:29:20Volume-wise, I'm doing really well.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24What she doesn't realise is that 90% of that is sand.
0:29:24 > 0:29:25SHE LAUGHS
0:29:26 > 0:29:29'The weed is processed back at the house, where it's flavoured
0:29:29 > 0:29:32'with spices and hung out to dry in the sun.'
0:29:40 > 0:29:45I'm going to try this bit, because there's loads of stuff on it.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58A bit like Japanese seaweed. Quite salty.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20I've never disciplined river weed before.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24THEY LAUGH
0:30:24 > 0:30:27This I could get into.
0:30:36 > 0:30:37Oh, OK. Now lengthways.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43You really don't want to get on the wrong side of her, do you?
0:30:43 > 0:30:44- Take that.- Yeah. Hell, yeah!
0:30:44 > 0:30:47I tell you what - you can have some of that back. Hang on.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52THEY LAUGH
0:30:52 > 0:30:57So, do you know that they are going to build a dam near here?
0:30:57 > 0:31:01The water may be higher in the Mekong near where you are.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12So, if you could not make money from doing this,
0:31:12 > 0:31:14you could not get the seaweed any more,
0:31:14 > 0:31:16would it really affect your family?
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Do you want to go back to the rice fields?
0:31:33 > 0:31:34It's so tiring.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42The Mekong House of Correction has completed its business for the day.
0:31:52 > 0:31:56It's true what they say about Laos. It is seriously good weed.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58'I could happily batter the living cack
0:31:58 > 0:32:00'out of seaweed for the rest of my life.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03'But as with most things Laotian,
0:32:03 > 0:32:07'it's very easy to romanticise this apparently idyllic way of life.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12'Laos is the poorest of the all the Mekong nations.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16'For many families, sending children to school is not a priority
0:32:16 > 0:32:20'and, shockingly, one out of every four are illiterate.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26'But some people are trying to change this.'
0:32:28 > 0:32:30Welcome to the Book Boat.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32- How wonderful. Thank you.- Welcome.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34We're talking in a library. Shh!
0:32:34 > 0:32:36In England, you have to be very quiet.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40This library boat, run by a local NGO,
0:32:40 > 0:32:45takes books to remote villages only accessed by the river and it's led,
0:32:45 > 0:32:47not by your usual mousy librarians,
0:32:47 > 0:32:52but this lot, who are all-singing and all-dancing.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56What I like about this library is it's really noisy.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03What happen? What happen? What happen?
0:33:04 > 0:33:10OK, I think this might be the first library crash, actually.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12Just hitting some rocks there.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15Is this normal? Do they normally go into rocks?
0:33:15 > 0:33:17No, no. Never happen. This is first time.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19That's good to know. That is good to know.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22- Can you swim?- I can swim.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25- Can you move here? - I certainly can...
0:33:25 > 0:33:27Apparently, it's my weight that's caused it.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30It's a very polite way of saying, "Listen, you big porky Westerner.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33"We were fine until you got on board."
0:33:39 > 0:33:42'Disaster averted, after two hours more travel
0:33:42 > 0:33:45'we arrive at our destination - a remote village
0:33:45 > 0:33:50'inhabited by the Hmong, one of Laos' 49 ethnic minorities.'
0:33:50 > 0:33:52THEY CHEER
0:34:25 > 0:34:28'It's not your normal reaction for a library van.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30'I feel like I'm in One Direction.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21'The children borrow the books overnight and then return them
0:35:21 > 0:35:24'the next morning, when the boat moves on to the next village.'
0:35:35 > 0:35:36These are the Hmong tribe
0:35:36 > 0:35:38and they don't even speak Lao, they are learning Lao now.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41They've taken themselves off to every little hillock and crag to sit
0:35:41 > 0:35:44with these books, which are as precious as gold.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46And they're not interested in me
0:35:46 > 0:35:49or the cameras or the circus that I've brought with me.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52They're interested in just taking themselves off, opening up
0:35:52 > 0:35:56the books and just immersing, and I'm so moved by it, because
0:35:56 > 0:35:59that was my experience of reading and you'd want that for everybody.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02That joy of forgetting the mundaneness of your own existence
0:36:02 > 0:36:05for a second and suddenly being involved in
0:36:05 > 0:36:08a turtle's life or an elephant's life or a princess' life.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11It's amazing to be part of that for a second.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26So I've just managed to secure a massive break.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29I've just been told that I'll be playing the part of the tree
0:36:29 > 0:36:33in the community story, which is frankly massive for me
0:36:33 > 0:36:38because I've only ever played third sheep and quite a grumpy shepherd.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44What kind of tree am I? What's my motivation?
0:36:58 > 0:37:02'It's a sort of super squeaky Laotian Punch and Judy.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13'I'm certainty giving the role of tree my all.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21'I'm a tree. I'm still a tree.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34'It's been humbling to spend the day with these kids,
0:37:34 > 0:37:37'lit up by the simple act of reading.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40'And the revenue from the dams could help elevate communities like these
0:37:40 > 0:37:43'from poverty, bringing electricity, schools and health care.'
0:37:57 > 0:37:59'I'm heading north on the river again
0:37:59 > 0:38:01'to the ancient city of Luang Prabang,
0:38:01 > 0:38:04'famous for its temples - and its tourists.'
0:38:09 > 0:38:12As Lao starts to develop, it looks not only to the future
0:38:12 > 0:38:14with all the high-tech, high-spec projects
0:38:14 > 0:38:18such as the hydroelectric dam, but also to its past
0:38:18 > 0:38:21in an effort to capture that all-elusive tourist dollar.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24Nowhere is that more important than here in Luang Prabang,
0:38:24 > 0:38:27which is Laos' cultural core.
0:38:27 > 0:38:32I'm actually at Sean Connery's favourite hillock - Pussy Mountain.
0:38:32 > 0:38:37'Phu Si Mountain - I kid you not - looks out over Luang Prabang,
0:38:37 > 0:38:40'set on the confluence of the Mekong and the Nam Khan Rivers,
0:38:40 > 0:38:42'surrounded by water.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44'It was once the Royal City of Laos
0:38:44 > 0:38:47'and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site
0:38:47 > 0:38:50'famed for its temples and architecture.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54'It's also the centre of Buddhism
0:38:54 > 0:38:58'and is thought to be home to more monks than anywhere else in Asia.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04'Laos' sleepy demeanour belies a turbulent history.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07'It's been squabbled over by more powerful neighbours Burma and
0:39:07 > 0:39:12'Thailand, colonised by the French, then caught up in the Vietnam War.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16'But throughout all this,
0:39:16 > 0:39:19'Buddhism has remained a constant, consoling presence.'
0:39:29 > 0:39:31'Every morning at 6am,
0:39:31 > 0:39:33'the monks and novices of Luang Prabang leave their temples to
0:39:33 > 0:39:35'collect alms.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42'These alms provide the monks with their food
0:39:42 > 0:39:45'so I'm hoping that getting up at first light and giving out buckets
0:39:45 > 0:39:50'of sticky rice will help me to win just a few karma points in life.'
0:40:03 > 0:40:06Quite a crowd building, and from the flashbulbs going, you'd think that
0:40:06 > 0:40:11Brangelina was in town, but no, it's monk paparazzi, how brilliant.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15The good thing, of course - more people, more alms for monks.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Bad thing is, it sort of takes away from the ceremony.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21It becomes this tourist experience. Just another iPhoto.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32'Traditionally, every Laos man is expected to join
0:40:32 > 0:40:36'a monastery for at least a short period of his life.'
0:40:36 > 0:40:38So, yet another orange wash there.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41Every morning - "Anyone got anything for the orange wash?"
0:40:43 > 0:40:47'For poorer families, it's a way of getting an education. It also means
0:40:47 > 0:40:51'that generation after generation is imbued with Buddhist principles.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55'I'm joining the novices for a day
0:40:55 > 0:40:57'to try and understand what that really means.'
0:40:59 > 0:41:01Do you sometimes get a bit bored of it?
0:41:01 > 0:41:03Do you get tired of sweeping?
0:41:03 > 0:41:06- No, never bored.- Never bored?- Yes.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12A real hint of Hogwarts about this one.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17It's a very clever bit of rubbish disposal, that. Very good.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22Why do you want to be a monk?
0:41:34 > 0:41:35What do your family do?
0:41:39 > 0:41:41- Not Luang Prabang? - Not Luang Prabang.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44So, one day, do you think you will be a teacher or doctor,
0:41:44 > 0:41:46or what do you think?
0:41:58 > 0:42:01Well, I think you will definitely be able
0:42:01 > 0:42:04because you have very, very good English. Very good English.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08'For a boy from a farming family, joining the monastery is
0:42:08 > 0:42:11'one of the best ways to broaden their horizons.'
0:42:16 > 0:42:20'But the subject matter of their English class wasn't quite what I was expected.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23'Traffic problems in towns.'
0:42:23 > 0:42:25- Road accidents?- Yes.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27Being drunk...
0:42:30 > 0:42:34..is a major cause, major cause.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36Never expected to be doing this vocab.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40Major cause of traffic problems.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42Injury.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47Injury, when you hurt yourself.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50Sometimes another word for injury is...
0:42:50 > 0:42:52I can't believe I'm doing this.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55This is the most depressing English lesson there's ever been.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59Wound. Wound.
0:43:01 > 0:43:07So if somebody hurts you, you can say I'm wounded or injured.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09"Ah, I'm injured.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12"I hope it won't leave a scar."
0:43:13 > 0:43:17Ultimately...you need to know something, OK? Which is this.
0:43:19 > 0:43:26England is safe. Safe. It's OK, it's nice.
0:43:26 > 0:43:29If you come to England, I can guarantee, pretty much...
0:43:30 > 0:43:32..no injury,
0:43:32 > 0:43:35no wound, collision, crash.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38I sometimes worry that you'll be frightened to go
0:43:38 > 0:43:40because of the vocabulary, but it's all good.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46It's almost as if I knew I was going to be doing an hour
0:43:46 > 0:43:48on road traffic accidents.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51It's very bizarre.
0:43:51 > 0:43:53I just wonder what else is on that syllabus.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55Anyway, they've got a class on dismemberment next,
0:43:55 > 0:43:57so I don't want to keep them.
0:43:57 > 0:44:01THEY CHANT
0:44:17 > 0:44:20'The novices' day finishes with an hour of hypnotic chanting
0:44:20 > 0:44:22'as the sun goes down.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37'These novices are following rituals
0:44:37 > 0:44:39'that have gone unchanged for centuries,
0:44:39 > 0:44:44'but now these daily practices are under scrutiny from dusk to dawn
0:44:44 > 0:44:46'by hoards of tourists.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55'They are drawn to Luang Prabang hoping to find - or at least
0:44:55 > 0:44:57'photograph - spiritual Asia.'
0:45:07 > 0:45:10'Satu Oneko has been a monk in Luang Prabang for four decades
0:45:10 > 0:45:12'and has seen the many changes here.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14'He is now the head abbot
0:45:14 > 0:45:17'and I'm wondering what he makes of this latest invasion.'
0:45:20 > 0:45:26Satu, do you find there is a lot of pressure on Buddhism in Laos
0:45:26 > 0:45:28from tourism?
0:45:53 > 0:45:58Why do you think Buddhism has managed to survive Siamese invasion,
0:45:58 > 0:46:01Burmese invasion, French Colonialism
0:46:01 > 0:46:04and the beginnings of communism here?
0:46:24 > 0:46:26Thank you, Satu.
0:46:26 > 0:46:30And thank you for lowering my blood pressure by about 30 points
0:46:30 > 0:46:31just being in your company.
0:46:31 > 0:46:35You are the most mellow man I've ever met. Thank you.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47With all the violent change that this country has endured, I suppose
0:46:47 > 0:46:51Buddhism is the only thing that remains constant and unaltered,
0:46:51 > 0:46:52and as Satu said,
0:46:52 > 0:46:55it's the tree that, yes, gets buffeted by the storm
0:46:55 > 0:46:57and, yes, changes its outward appearance,
0:46:57 > 0:47:02but ultimately does not move and is that symbol of unity
0:47:02 > 0:47:05and cultural identity for the people here.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11'The monks of Luang Prabang will need all their centuries
0:47:11 > 0:47:15'of silent contemplation to resist this most recent invasion.
0:47:18 > 0:47:22'International visitors like myself come searching for an authentic Asia
0:47:22 > 0:47:26'and a simple, spiritual way of life that is slipping away
0:47:26 > 0:47:28'from our secular world.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31'But in doing so, we can't help
0:47:31 > 0:47:34'but corrupt that which we've come to find.'
0:47:37 > 0:47:40Nothing better sums up the relationship between the tourist
0:47:40 > 0:47:42and the local economy than this really sad sight.
0:47:42 > 0:47:46And there is really nothing on this earth that I hate more
0:47:46 > 0:47:48than a caged animal or bird.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50So, you can walk along the streets
0:47:50 > 0:47:56and you can buy these two beautiful trapped things for £2.50.
0:47:56 > 0:48:01And then for £2.50, you get to have the amazing experience...
0:48:04 > 0:48:06..and joy of releasing them back to where they came from.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11There you go, there goes one. Come on.
0:48:18 > 0:48:23And in paying £2.50, I've created a demand
0:48:23 > 0:48:25and the only way that demand is going to be met
0:48:25 > 0:48:28is by them going and catching those birds again and again.
0:48:28 > 0:48:30£2.50, free them, trap the birds.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32On and on and on, the cycle.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36What I really want to do is say, "Here's more than £2.50,
0:48:36 > 0:48:39"an awful lot more than £2.50, go and set up a bird sanctuary."
0:48:39 > 0:48:41Off you pop.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55'Despite the volume of tourists in Luang Prabang, there is something
0:48:55 > 0:48:59'special about this place and it's had quite an effect on me.'
0:49:07 > 0:49:09Throughout my trip up the Mekong,
0:49:09 > 0:49:10the banks have been occasionally studded
0:49:10 > 0:49:14with the odd hit of saffron, the occasional monk wandering by,
0:49:14 > 0:49:18washing his robes, having a swim.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21But nowhere has it been more concentrated than Luang Prabang
0:49:21 > 0:49:22and in Laos in general.
0:49:24 > 0:49:27And being there for a little while has helped me
0:49:27 > 0:49:33begin to understand at least the feeling, I think, of Buddhism.
0:49:33 > 0:49:38It seems to me that the reason it's particularly strong in that place
0:49:38 > 0:49:42is because of the water, because the water works in companion
0:49:42 > 0:49:44so strongly with that religion.
0:49:44 > 0:49:49The idea of constant movement, of seeing something come towards you,
0:49:49 > 0:49:51of accepting when it's on you,
0:49:51 > 0:49:54and then letting it go as it moves past you.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04'Well, I've certainly got plenty of time to meditate on this
0:50:04 > 0:50:08'and pretty much everything else, as I have a two-day journey ahead,
0:50:08 > 0:50:13'travelling north towards China and the end of my time in Laos.
0:50:13 > 0:50:18'This stretch of river feels pure, untouched by modernity - timeless
0:50:18 > 0:50:20'and beautiful.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23'But I'm heading into the heart of darkness.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28'Laos is surrounded on all sides by rich countries
0:50:28 > 0:50:30'with powerful economies.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33'The government is desperate to attract foreign investment,
0:50:33 > 0:50:37'especially from its most influential neighbour, China.'
0:50:42 > 0:50:45I'm just approaching now an area of land known as the Golden Triangle
0:50:45 > 0:50:49which conjures up amazing romantic images.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53You should always beware of thinking anything romantic about a triangle -
0:50:53 > 0:50:56Bermuda Triangle, Dairylea Triangle, it's all trouble.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04'And this place should come with a warning triangle -
0:51:04 > 0:51:07'it's long been notorious for opium production
0:51:07 > 0:51:09'but now it's a drug of a different kind
0:51:09 > 0:51:12'which is being pushed - gambling.'
0:51:15 > 0:51:20Having spent two days on a boat just seeing nothing but beauty,
0:51:20 > 0:51:23suddenly you come across this stripped scrubland
0:51:23 > 0:51:26and you can just see the heat coming off it.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29Plonked in the middle is this mausoleum of bad taste,
0:51:29 > 0:51:31which I'm assuming is the casino.
0:51:31 > 0:51:33'This area has been rebranded
0:51:33 > 0:51:37'as the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone.
0:51:37 > 0:51:41'It's in effect a Chinese state in Laos.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46'The Laos government has tempted Chinese developers here
0:51:46 > 0:51:48'with tax incentives and low tariffs.
0:51:48 > 0:51:53'Essentially, they are creating a carefree playground for tourists -
0:51:53 > 0:51:54'an Asian Las Vegas.
0:51:56 > 0:52:00'In a Kafkaesque way, Chinese aren't allowed to gamble in China
0:52:00 > 0:52:04'so come here, but Laotians aren't allowed to gamble in Laos,
0:52:04 > 0:52:08'so are banned from a casino in their own country.
0:52:08 > 0:52:12'So it's goodbye, Laos, hello, China.'
0:52:18 > 0:52:20I actually think this is for me.
0:52:20 > 0:52:21This is just...
0:52:25 > 0:52:28..wrong and awkward and...
0:52:29 > 0:52:30..where's the door?
0:52:44 > 0:52:47I want to get out of the car and say, "Hello. I'm a delegation from the 1980s."
0:52:47 > 0:52:52'When it's completed, this 20 billion project will be
0:52:52 > 0:52:56'a pleasure dome fit for modern day Kubla Khans - with its own zoo,
0:52:56 > 0:53:01'international airport, horse racing track and 36-hole golf course.
0:53:01 > 0:53:06'With a casino that's open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,
0:53:06 > 0:53:10'it's just what one of the poorest nations in the world needs.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13'I don't feel two days away from Luang Prabang.
0:53:13 > 0:53:15'I feel a universe away.'
0:53:16 > 0:53:19Thank you. You do know I'm not JR Ewing? Thank you. Thank you.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21Nice to meet you.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23Very nice to meet you. Good to see you.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25- Good to see you, too.- How are you? - Not too bad, not too bad.
0:53:25 > 0:53:29'Mr Abbas, the general manager, greets me like a VIP.'
0:53:32 > 0:53:36- Does it matter I set the alarm off? Is that OK?- It's OK. No worries.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39'Clearly no-one's told him I'm not a oligarch.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41'You would have thought he'd spotted my clothes
0:53:41 > 0:53:44'don't really conform to the usual dress code.'
0:53:44 > 0:53:46You've got a bit of Sistine Chapel going on.
0:53:46 > 0:53:48You've got some Renaissance paintings going on.
0:53:48 > 0:53:53Because of the name, so we try to create a kind of a Western feeling,
0:53:53 > 0:53:56different to the level they've got in Laos, anyway.
0:53:56 > 0:54:00I can absolutely promise it really is very different from anything that
0:54:00 > 0:54:02they've got going on in Laos.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04Now, who is this? Is this Zeus?
0:54:04 > 0:54:07Yes, that's right. Very good, you guessed right.
0:54:07 > 0:54:11It's not often you see Zeus and Michelangelo in the same room.
0:54:11 > 0:54:12Extraordinary.
0:54:12 > 0:54:13So, how big is this place?
0:54:13 > 0:54:15I mean, it seems vast.
0:54:15 > 0:54:19Total area is 20,000 metres square, more.
0:54:19 > 0:54:23- 20,000 square metres? - More than.- Right. Good Lord.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26- Down there is the main lobby.- Yeah?
0:54:26 > 0:54:28That's the north wing and south wing
0:54:28 > 0:54:32and this is our VIP rooms over here.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34So how many VIP rooms do you have?
0:54:34 > 0:54:37In here, we have six - three downstairs, three upstairs.
0:54:37 > 0:54:38And what makes a VIP?
0:54:38 > 0:54:42Is it somebody who's got a lot of money, a lot of contacts?
0:54:42 > 0:54:47People who like to have more than the basic service.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50- Actually, yes, high rollers, of course.- Of course.
0:54:50 > 0:54:54When you say extra services, what sort of extra services?
0:54:54 > 0:54:56Well...
0:54:56 > 0:54:59'After the poverty and humility of Laos,
0:54:59 > 0:55:02'the extravagance of this place feels obscene.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07'I struggled with the dam
0:55:07 > 0:55:09'but at least Mr Viravong believes they offer
0:55:09 > 0:55:13'a chance for a better future for Laos and its people.
0:55:13 > 0:55:17'This whole place feels culturally and spiritually bankrupt.'
0:55:22 > 0:55:25There's absolutely no doubt that landlocked, cashed-strapped Laos
0:55:25 > 0:55:29needs foreign investment, but I find this particular venture dispiriting.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33Mainly because I'm not sure how much it benefits the Lao people.
0:55:33 > 0:55:37Apparently, 500 Lao hold jobs here out of 4,500
0:55:37 > 0:55:39but, honestly, I've heard not one soul speak Lao.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42We couldn't buy our dinner in kip, which is the national currency.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45You could only use yuan or dollars.
0:55:45 > 0:55:49It's culturally a no-man's-land.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52I can't see how this place is doing any good to anybody.
0:55:59 > 0:56:04'Even more worrying, this is just one of 41 special economic zones
0:56:04 > 0:56:08'planned by the Laos government in remote areas of the country.
0:56:08 > 0:56:09'They won't all be casinos,
0:56:09 > 0:56:13'but they are all about attracting foreign investment,
0:56:13 > 0:56:15'and the biggest investor is China.'
0:56:18 > 0:56:20'Foreign money will inevitably change Laos
0:56:20 > 0:56:23'and the contrast between the Golden Triangle
0:56:23 > 0:56:26'and everything else I've experienced here is shocking.'
0:56:32 > 0:56:36'The economic zones and the dams are coming to Laos
0:56:36 > 0:56:39'and life on the Mekong will inevitably change.
0:56:42 > 0:56:46'But the further I get from the despair from the casino,
0:56:46 > 0:56:50'the more I can feel Laos' deep spirituality enveloping me again.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54'There's something about this place and the resilience
0:56:54 > 0:56:58'of its people that can't fail to give me some hope for the future.'
0:57:07 > 0:57:08Laos is a sort of state of mind.
0:57:08 > 0:57:12I can't even believe I'm saying it, but that's what it feels like to me.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15It's about accepting that things change.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18So whilst I would love it if groups of people were
0:57:18 > 0:57:22protesting on the banks as the hydroelectric dam is created
0:57:22 > 0:57:24or people being furious about the special economic zone
0:57:24 > 0:57:29creating, in effect, a Chinese colony in their country,
0:57:29 > 0:57:31their attitude is actually saying,
0:57:31 > 0:57:37"We've had the French, we've had the Siamese, we've had the Burmese,
0:57:37 > 0:57:39"we've had everybody, so this is just somebody else
0:57:39 > 0:57:42"and then they'll go and there'll be another one along in a minute."
0:57:44 > 0:57:50Ultimately, Laos will survive, and they've got bigger things
0:57:50 > 0:57:52to worry about, like listening to the rice grow.
0:57:52 > 0:57:56And that seems a very, very good philosophy
0:57:56 > 0:57:57for the anxious modern world.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07'Next time, I'm in China, on the last leg of my journey.'
0:58:07 > 0:58:11This is the first outfit I've ever worn that my mother would actually be happy with.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14'I travel through the Mekong's wildest valleys to discover
0:58:14 > 0:58:16'a China I didn't even know existed.'
0:58:16 > 0:58:19Look at your office! Of course you believe in God.
0:58:19 > 0:58:22'And finally reach the river's spiritual source.'
0:58:22 > 0:58:25If you're going to end a journey and see all this magnificence,
0:58:25 > 0:58:29this surely has to be the way to end.