0:00:02 > 0:00:05The Tropic of Cancer marks the northern border of the tropics,
0:00:05 > 0:00:09the most beautiful, brilliant, and blighted region of the world.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11I've already travelled around the equator
0:00:11 > 0:00:14and the southern border of the tropics,
0:00:14 > 0:00:15but following the Tropic of Cancer
0:00:15 > 0:00:17will be my toughest journey yet.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21This tropic cuts through central America,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24the Caribbean, North Africa,
0:00:24 > 0:00:30the kingdoms of Arabia, India, and on through Asia to finish in Hawaii.
0:00:30 > 0:00:36It's 23,000 miles across deserts, rivers, and mountains.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39Along the way I encounter extraordinary people,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42simmering conflicts, and some of the most
0:00:42 > 0:00:44stunning landscapes on our planet.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48This first leg of my journey will take me from Mexico to Cuba
0:00:48 > 0:00:51and on to the Bahamas.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54It's 2,000 miles from Mexico's Pacific coast
0:00:54 > 0:00:57to the coral paradise of the Caribbean.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02I crossed the rugged heart of Mexico
0:01:02 > 0:01:06and meet the men waging a war against the powerful drug cartels
0:01:06 > 0:01:09that threaten the country's stability.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11They're telling us to get down.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16In the capital, I dabble in a famous local sport.
0:01:16 > 0:01:17GROANING
0:01:17 > 0:01:19Go with the flow, you know.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23And when I reach the glorious Bahamas,
0:01:23 > 0:01:26I go hunting for an alien invader.
0:01:34 > 0:01:39Just here is where the Tropic of Cancer hits the coast of Mexico.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42I'm starting another huge journey around the planet,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45this time following the line that marks the northern border
0:01:45 > 0:01:46of the tropics region.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51This journey will be my biggest challenge yet.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Mexico's beautiful Baja California peninsula
0:01:58 > 0:02:03is an 800 mile long strip of land extending south from the US.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08Baja was a glorious place to launch my journey.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10Sparsely populated,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14it's a rugged wilderness of dry desert and empty beaches.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18At first, I thought I'd discovered a remote paradise,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21but an hour to the south it was clear a few other travellers
0:02:21 > 0:02:23had got here before me.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Tens of thousands of Americans are now coming here
0:02:31 > 0:02:35to Cabo San Lucas every year in search of the tropical sun.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39It's a tourist playground right on the edge of the desert,
0:02:39 > 0:02:40and soon they won't be alone.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42The size of this!
0:02:42 > 0:02:46The extraordinary thing for me about this marina is that the government
0:02:46 > 0:02:51is planning to build another 17 marinas just like this on the same
0:02:51 > 0:02:55grand scale, with all the same number of expensive yachts along
0:02:55 > 0:02:58the coastline in this area, on the edge of the desert...
0:02:58 > 0:03:02and all of it, all of the boats, all of the tourism here,
0:03:02 > 0:03:06is entirely dependent on Americans and US dollars.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11The new tourist developments here have already eaten up more
0:03:11 > 0:03:15than 20 miles of pristine coastline, and Mexico is now promoting
0:03:15 > 0:03:18this area as a luxury tropical destination.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22So we dropped in to see one of the swanky resorts they're building,
0:03:22 > 0:03:24called the One and Only Palmilla.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28BBC expenses wouldn't run to staying here,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31but Hollywood's jet set have become frequent visitors
0:03:31 > 0:03:35since the resort opened with a monumental party for John Travolta.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39- Hola!- God, I feel a bit out of place here, I'll tell you.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43Something the cat brought in.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46- Hello.- Hey, how are you?
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Look at this.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54Everybody touches their heart, it's quite moving.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Yes, it's our own One and Only salute at Palmilla, it's a...
0:03:57 > 0:04:01- A One and Only salute?- It is a One and Only Palmilla salute and
0:04:01 > 0:04:05it's a gesture of warm hospitality that comes from our heart to
0:04:05 > 0:04:09our guests and also among each other, here, that we work at the hotel.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13So they are actually still working on it, then?
0:04:13 > 0:04:15We are, so maybe we should...
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Are the gold taps already in?
0:04:17 > 0:04:19So maybe we should probably...
0:04:19 > 0:04:23- Stop here.- Stop here, go inside and make sure everything is in order
0:04:23 > 0:04:26- and then continue with the filming. - What, you want to go and check that
0:04:26 > 0:04:30- there's nobody, no builders' bums or anything like that? Go on.- Exactly.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37The only people in this villa were workers from the Mexican mainland,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39still completing the final touches.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43So tell us, er, tell us about this place. Look at this.
0:04:43 > 0:04:48This is Villa Cortes, it's our also new unit, four-bedroomed villa.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52As you can see it has, I'll show you, the, the spa, the kinesis,
0:04:52 > 0:04:57their own gym, the media room, and this is the entertainment area.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59So how much does this cost per night?
0:04:59 > 0:05:03It varies as well, but it goes from eight, starting price 8,000,
0:05:03 > 0:05:08to 12,000 per night, plus tax and service charge.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10- Per night?- Per night.
0:05:10 > 0:05:16That's about £5,000, more than £5,000 per night, starting price.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Starting price. Correct. But look at this, look at all that we have.
0:05:20 > 0:05:21- Oh, my God, look.- Look at this.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Your own infinity pool.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Yes, your own infinity pool.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Look, we even have little beds for the dogs
0:05:27 > 0:05:29in case they bring their own pets.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31We should check them out.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34Yes!
0:05:34 > 0:05:35Can we see a bedroom?
0:05:35 > 0:05:38- Yes. Go in here.- Let's see the master bedroom.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Right, so as you can see, it has a king bed...
0:05:43 > 0:05:47- Can we have a look in the bathroom? - Can we just look it from here?
0:05:47 > 0:05:51- Here, here.- It's all right, they're still just finishing it off.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- We can look at it from this side. - Final detail, details.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Hola! It's all right, don't worry, don't worry.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59I just wanted to see if it had gold-plated taps.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03- I think I've pressed a button, it says massage.- Don't do it now,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07- because there is no water.- OK.- Then you have the direct access outside.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12- OK, we'll take it. Yeah.- OK, good. - I think we'll take it.- Sold.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18The staff that you have here and the construction workers,
0:06:18 > 0:06:23are they all from Baja, or are they Mexicans coming from the mainland?
0:06:23 > 0:06:27- I mean, is it all...- No, basically the company that is building
0:06:27 > 0:06:30and other local building companies,
0:06:30 > 0:06:34they have their own people that work for them, they all live in the area,
0:06:34 > 0:06:38in San Jose del Cabo or Cabo San Lucas, everybody has their own place.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46The tourist industry provides jobs for thousands of Mexicans,
0:06:46 > 0:06:50but they live mostly in areas like this, just a short distance
0:06:50 > 0:06:52from the One and Only resort.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56This whole shanty town is built on a dried-up river bed.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00It often floods, and recently people here lost their homes
0:07:00 > 0:07:02when storms swept away their plywood shacks.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08Luis came here from the Mexican mainland five years ago
0:07:08 > 0:07:11to look for work. He has a wife and four children.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15This one room plywood structure is what he calls home.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17What happens here when it rains?
0:07:18 > 0:07:23TRANSLATION: We get scared because the wind shakes the house.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27When there's a hurricane,
0:07:27 > 0:07:33we have to go to the shelters, because this just falls over.
0:07:33 > 0:07:39Does it feel strange to you that people are living in, in these,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42in this situation when there's people living in luxury so nearby?
0:07:42 > 0:07:45I'm not going to wish for a house like that,
0:07:45 > 0:07:47because I know I'm never going to have one.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53There are more than 20,000 people living in this shanty town,
0:07:53 > 0:07:57and it's estimated there are 150,000 migrant Mexicans
0:07:57 > 0:07:59working in this area alone.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Most have been happy just to have a job living off
0:08:01 > 0:08:04the crumbs of the tourist trade.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07But the recession in the US has hit them hard.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12TRANSLATION: If it goes badly for them,
0:08:12 > 0:08:14we're dependent on them for work.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20So when they sink, we sink even further.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32The next day I travelled around the coast to continue my journey
0:08:32 > 0:08:36out of Baja California and on to mainland Mexico.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Passports, ID cards, I don't know. Hola, buenas tardes.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45- OK.- OK? Gracias, gracias.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48I feel a bit, I mean, I'm excited about going to the mainland,
0:08:48 > 0:08:53but I apprehensive about it as well, because there's almost,
0:08:53 > 0:08:57there's almost a civil war in Mexico at the moment,
0:08:57 > 0:09:03and there's a conflict raging over drugs and this ferry's
0:09:03 > 0:09:06going to take us really to the heart of it.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10I had a night at sea to reflect on my journey.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12I knew that following the Tropic of Cancer
0:09:12 > 0:09:16would take me to stunning and troubled parts of the planet,
0:09:16 > 0:09:20and already the line was leading me from beautiful Baja
0:09:20 > 0:09:22on to the dangerous world of Mexico's drug war.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27I was crossing the Sea of Cortes and heading for the city of Culiacan
0:09:27 > 0:09:31in Sinaloa state, just to the north of the tropic.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37In recent years, Culiacan has become a major centre
0:09:37 > 0:09:40of one of Mexico's biggest growth industries...
0:09:40 > 0:09:43the smuggling of narcotics into the United States.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Thousands of tonnes of South American drugs
0:09:47 > 0:09:49pass through Mexico annually,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51and Culiacan is the headquarters
0:09:51 > 0:09:55of perhaps the biggest drug gang in the world, the Sinaloa Cartel.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Their battle with other cartels and the Mexican government
0:09:58 > 0:10:02has turned Culiacan into one of the most dangerous cities on earth.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06In the relative safety of daylight,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09I met up with my guide in mainland Mexico, Pepe Cohen.
0:10:09 > 0:10:14So welcome to Culiacan, er, Simon.
0:10:14 > 0:10:15Thanks, mate.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17The crown of drug trafficking.
0:10:17 > 0:10:18SIMON LAUGHS
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Is that really how it's known?
0:10:20 > 0:10:25Only last night when you arrived, there was an assassination attempt
0:10:25 > 0:10:28against one of the top cops of the city.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31How does Mexico compare to Columbia?
0:10:31 > 0:10:34At the moment, Mexico is worse than Colombia,
0:10:34 > 0:10:38because the Colombian cartels decided to go low profile...
0:10:38 > 0:10:40businessmen, no killings.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44But in Culiacan there have been
0:10:44 > 0:10:47countless gruesome murders on a daily basis.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57We met up with local journalist, Javier Valdez,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00who showed us around Culiacan's main cemetery.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Far from keeping a low profile,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09the families of drug traffickers here go to extraordinary lengths
0:11:09 > 0:11:12to celebrate their status as gangsters.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17Javier, how many of the people who are buried here will be
0:11:17 > 0:11:21graves for people who've died in connection with drugs in some way?
0:11:22 > 0:11:27TRANSLATION: I would say around 90% of the people buried here
0:11:27 > 0:11:29are linked to the drug trade.
0:11:29 > 0:11:34Just as we were passing this one here, I had a glimpse in and,
0:11:34 > 0:11:39and already you can see that most of the people
0:11:39 > 0:11:42buried here are young men
0:11:42 > 0:11:45of a distinctly suspicious looking nature.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- Si.- So this is, again, another young guy?
0:11:48 > 0:11:52That kid on the side, he's typical of the drug culture.
0:11:52 > 0:11:58- He's got a gun in his belt.- It does look almost like a real gun.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03Er, I think it is. It's traditional for these kinds of families to pose
0:12:03 > 0:12:07with automatic weapons and flak jackets, and with animal skin boots.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14- Oh, look at this. Look, here. - Si, Hummer.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17You can see the picture of a guy on the side here
0:12:17 > 0:12:20and you can see his Hummer on the picture.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24This is a guy who was killed just in August 2008,
0:12:24 > 0:12:29and you can see he's posing, he's pictured here with assault rifles.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Definitely a gunman.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37You look around here and you see the new wealth that's displayed here.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41Can you imagine how much it must cost to build these mausoleums?
0:12:41 > 0:12:46I mean, these, this is a two-storey mausoleum here.
0:12:46 > 0:12:52There's a level of opulence and even luxury to these mausoleums.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59TRANSLATION: They have their own generators and air conditioning,
0:12:59 > 0:13:04and comfortable furniture for the visitors.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12The gang murder rate here is one of the highest in the world,
0:13:12 > 0:13:15and the nature of the violence is extreme,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17designed to shock and terrorise.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Drug gangs often mutilate their victims
0:13:20 > 0:13:22in an endless cycle of revenge killings.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Hundreds of police officers are also murdered in Mexico every year.
0:13:26 > 0:13:31Some have even been beheaded. Javier took me to a city crossroads
0:13:31 > 0:13:34where drug dealers recently executed five police officers.
0:13:34 > 0:13:35Javier, what happened here?
0:13:37 > 0:13:40TRANSLATION: The police were going from east to west,
0:13:40 > 0:13:45two cars appeared and started shooting from 200 metres away.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48They didn't stop shooting until they got here.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50And they executed them all.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Does it feel like Culiacan is under siege from the drug gangs?
0:13:59 > 0:14:03There's always a fear hanging over people, a fear of the gunmen.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08People have stopped going to shopping malls and going out at night.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12They hide in their homes.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17There is a collective paranoia.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23One of the other things about the shoot-out here that surprises me is
0:14:23 > 0:14:27that right next to where the shoot-out was, just round here,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30look, there's a small police station, right there,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33so the cartel had become so brazen in their attacks
0:14:33 > 0:14:37that they're prepared to shoot at a group of police officers
0:14:37 > 0:14:40right next to a small police station.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43The situation here seems completely out of control.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Under intense pressure from the United States,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53the Mexican government's response to the violence
0:14:53 > 0:14:56has been to declare its very own war on drugs.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00More than 3,000 elite troops and heavily armed federal police
0:15:00 > 0:15:02have been sent in to Sinaloa state.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05The commander of this elite unit wanted to show us
0:15:05 > 0:15:09their most recent haul of weapons, but such is the level of fear here,
0:15:09 > 0:15:11even he didn't want to show us his face.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12Oh, right, look at this.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16This is ammunition and guns, then,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19that were seized just last night, is that right?
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Last night we had a call from the public.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25They reported seeing gunmen inside a private house.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29This looks, to me, the sort of amount that you would need
0:15:29 > 0:15:30to fight a small war.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33One of the ironies of the drug war here is that
0:15:33 > 0:15:37while America wants Mexico to confront the drug gangs,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41an estimated 90% of the weapons used by the cartels actually
0:15:41 > 0:15:45come from the US and are smuggled across the border.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48These are called police killers.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51They have porcelain tips.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55They can penetrate armour.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57Well, that's, that's not very reassuring for you.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01You're wearing a level four vest now, I imagine, this is the...
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Nivel cuatro ahorita.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07So you're wearing the best protection that anyone can get,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09and these bullets will go through that?
0:16:09 > 0:16:11Yes. That's correct.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15The commander agreed to take us
0:16:15 > 0:16:17on their regular patrol through the city.
0:16:17 > 0:16:22THEY SPEAK IN SPANISH
0:16:23 > 0:16:28Patrols like this have become part of everyday life in Culiacan.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31The Federales are an elite, heavily armed force,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34but despite their intimidating presence,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38I could still sense an air of trepidation among the officers.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Can you give us an idea of where you're going
0:16:41 > 0:16:44and what we'll be seeing when we go out?
0:16:44 > 0:16:48We're going to patrol in one of the sectors of the city.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54And we're going to visit some of the permanent checkpoints
0:16:54 > 0:16:56we've set up around the city.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59POLICE SIRENS
0:16:59 > 0:17:03But as we made our way to one of the city's many checkpoints,
0:17:03 > 0:17:05we suddenly made a dramatic U-turn.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13We've just stopped very suddenly because the officers in the car
0:17:13 > 0:17:17ahead of us saw a car with AK47 assault rifles in it, so because
0:17:17 > 0:17:22the officers are worried for our safety, the agents have formed
0:17:22 > 0:17:25a secure perimeter around us.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29POLICE SIRENS
0:17:33 > 0:17:35As we drove to another checkpoint,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38the commander stopped to take a call from HQ.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42The police had received a tip-off,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45and we headed off to raid the safe house of a suspected drug dealer.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54So we're now at the front of the whole raiding party.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56POLICE SIRENS
0:17:56 > 0:17:59We're speeding through the traffic now,
0:17:59 > 0:18:03we're in proper pursuit situation.
0:18:05 > 0:18:06They're telling us to get down.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10And see.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16- Is that a Hummer? - Yeah, that's a Hummer.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19Look, there's a bloody Hummer inside this building,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22this is what they think is a cartel safe house.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24THEY SPEAK IN SPANISH
0:18:24 > 0:18:27There's a man here who they're holding,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30they've just found a picture of him with a Kalashnikov.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47It seemed the commander and his men had arrived just a little too late.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07The police have had limited success in combating the drug trade,
0:19:07 > 0:19:11and many Mexicans worry that such an aggressive approach
0:19:11 > 0:19:13is making the cartels even more violent.
0:19:13 > 0:19:18I couldn't help feeling the cops had an almost impossible task.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22What they're up against isn't just endless demand for drugs in the US,
0:19:22 > 0:19:26and heavily armed, immensely rich drug traffickers,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29but a culture where the drug trade is deeply ingrained in
0:19:29 > 0:19:31the social fabric of the region.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35Here, drug dealers even have their own patron saint.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Pepe, can you tell us a little bit about this place?
0:19:38 > 0:19:41Well, this is Malverde's shrine.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46Malverde is the Robin Hood of the poor and the drug traffickers,
0:19:46 > 0:19:51and everybody around the drug chain, so a lot of people come here
0:19:51 > 0:19:56to ask for security for their shipments, security on the road.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00- Really?- Yeah.- What, they'll actually come and light a candle
0:20:00 > 0:20:03and say, "Please protect me while I'm trafficking drugs to the US"?
0:20:03 > 0:20:06- Yes.- That's extraordinary.- Yes.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Or, "Please protect me while I cross illegally into the US."
0:20:10 > 0:20:12- What, as a migrant?- As a migrant.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16The type of things that people come here and ask cannot go and ask
0:20:16 > 0:20:20a priest when they confess or for when they do confession.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- They can't go and say, "Oh, please," er...- Dear father...
0:20:23 > 0:20:26"..help me get my million dollars for the shipment that
0:20:26 > 0:20:28"I just sent to the US," you know.
0:20:28 > 0:20:33I mean, what does it say about a society where you've got
0:20:33 > 0:20:37a shrine for narco-traffickers on one of the main streets in Culiacan?
0:20:37 > 0:20:41What it tells you is that it's a way of life, I wouldn't say it
0:20:41 > 0:20:45all around the country, but particularly in this state
0:20:45 > 0:20:49it's, drug trafficking is, is a way of living, you know.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52So how much would this be?
0:20:52 > 0:20:53- 200.- 200, yeah?
0:20:53 > 0:20:55- Yeah.- Are you going to do the deal?
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Yes.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Gracias, senorita. Y una bolsita?
0:20:59 > 0:21:01I don't need to wrap it?
0:21:01 > 0:21:03- No, no.- What's she going to do?
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Oh, she's going to...
0:21:05 > 0:21:08- Bless it in some way?- Bless it.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21- Pon tus manos...- You do hands?
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Turn them around.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35- What's she doing? - She's doing a blessing.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38- But what is this that she's put on us?- Que es lo que nos puso?
0:21:38 > 0:21:40- Es aqua bendita.- Is holy water.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Holy water? Muchas gracias.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Gracias, eh? Gracias. Ciao.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55Culiacan is the dark heart of Mexico's drug war, and it was
0:21:55 > 0:21:59clear to me that police raids alone aren't going to solve a problem that
0:21:59 > 0:22:04many think threatens the stability of this entire country.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12The next day we left Culiacan and began our journey eastwards along
0:22:12 > 0:22:17the Tropic of Cancer, away from Mexico's Pacific coast
0:22:17 > 0:22:20and up into the Sierra Madre mountain range.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24This route through the mountains is known as the Road of 3,000 Curves,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27and it passes through some spectacular scenery.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35We've now travelled around about 1,000 of the curves and the reward
0:22:35 > 0:22:38is this spectacular view.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40But on this side of the road,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43across what they call the Devil's Spine here,
0:22:43 > 0:22:47the view is even more beautiful.
0:22:47 > 0:22:48Look at this.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Isn't it amazing?
0:22:58 > 0:23:01CISTERN FLUSHES
0:23:02 > 0:23:05That is the smelliest toilet in Mexico.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17We drove deep into Mexico's mountainous interior,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20and on to the city of Durango.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22It's one of the oldest cities in the country,
0:23:22 > 0:23:27built in the 16th century by Spanish colonialists drawn here
0:23:27 > 0:23:29by the lure of silver in the mountains.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35After the drug cops on the coast, this is a lot more pleasant,
0:23:35 > 0:23:39it's a lot more what I imagined Mexico to be like.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41But even around here,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44the influence of the neighbour to the north is never far away.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55The area surrounding the city is where many of Hollywood's
0:23:55 > 0:23:59most famous westerns were shot in the '60s and '70s.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03Across the desert, many of the film sets still remain.
0:24:03 > 0:24:04This one was owned by John Wayne.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06And this is where they filmed them?
0:24:06 > 0:24:10Yeah. It's got all the elements of a Wild West movie.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12But the area around here certainly does look
0:24:12 > 0:24:15like the American West, doesn't it?
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Yeah. And the landscape is, is very, very similar.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21And this is a some sort of saloon, presumably?
0:24:21 > 0:24:23And look, you've got the old swing doors.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27Yes, yes, it's pretty much like the Wild, Wild West, man.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31After you, you go first, you can take the bullet at the bar.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34So this, then, this is more like a dance hall...
0:24:34 > 0:24:38- Yeah.- Er, stage, isn't it... - Like a stage from the salon.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Yeah. What an amazing place.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46- So we've got to have a look in the bank.- Yes.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48It's incredible.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50It's amazing, isn't it?
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Listen to that.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58It's polystyrene.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Bloody frauds.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Hollywood still shoots some of its biggest movies in Mexico,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07but when westerns went out of fashion in the early '80s,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09most of these film sets went out of business.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16This one, though, still serves as a home
0:25:16 > 0:25:18for its very own resident cowboy.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23This is Don Antonio, who, I think...
0:25:23 > 0:25:26- Don Antonio.- Antonio. - Don Antonio.- Si.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Fantastic to meet you, sir. I gather you live here?
0:25:29 > 0:25:31- Si.- Where do you live?
0:25:33 > 0:25:36- TRANSLATION:- I've lived here for 38 years.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40Come on, I'll show you where I live.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Antonio bought the film set from John Wayne's estate
0:25:43 > 0:25:47and his family have lived in the abandoned train station
0:25:47 > 0:25:50for more than 35 years.
0:25:50 > 0:25:55So, Don Antonio, you have a railway carriage on your land,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58how did you come to have this railway carriage?
0:25:58 > 0:26:00John Wayne brought it here.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04- He used it in both the movies he shot here.- Was it a fun time?
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Yes, very.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08He was a great person, very kind.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11There was a lot of work in those films.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14When John Wayne finished, so did the good films.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17I never saw films like that again.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Are you happy living here, would you rather live somewhere else?
0:26:20 > 0:26:23No, I'll be here to the grave.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25I've lived a long time, so that's fine.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36The nearest town was more than an hour away, so in the spirit
0:26:36 > 0:26:39of the Wild West, Pepe and I decided to sink a few beers
0:26:39 > 0:26:43around the old campfire and bed down for the night in the bank.
0:26:43 > 0:26:44Bedtime.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49You wouldn't believe how cold it is here.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Oh, I've got a hangover as well.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Next morning we left the Wild West behind
0:27:08 > 0:27:10and headed eastwards along the line.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Or at least that was the plan.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18Looks like the perils of driving in Mexico.
0:27:18 > 0:27:23This taxi here cut across us to try and turn left,
0:27:23 > 0:27:26so he cut across our vehicle to try and turn left,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30and went right into our vehicle, and this guy is now blaming
0:27:30 > 0:27:35our driver and a group of taxis have just suddenly cornered us
0:27:35 > 0:27:38in a service station and they're sort of threatening us.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42So look, now six taxis are just converging on us here,
0:27:42 > 0:27:44and they're sort of blocking us in.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46I mean, in Mexico, this is a violent country,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50this can lead to something nasty.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56- Pepe, what are you doing? - I'm calling the local police.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00- Why?- Because I feel threatened by these guys...- Yeah, same here.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02and I don't like to be surrounded.
0:28:02 > 0:28:07THEY TALK IN SPANISH
0:28:07 > 0:28:10So there's another two taxis coming in now, and again with
0:28:10 > 0:28:14big guys getting out, these aren't small guys, look at this.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Cops coming.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41Can I also suggest that you say this man then tried to drive us
0:28:41 > 0:28:45off the road again? Not content with going into us once, he then tried to
0:28:45 > 0:28:49drive into us twice just on the road down here, and we've been surrounded
0:28:49 > 0:28:52by these vehicles and we feel threatened by this.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56'The taxi drivers seemed to be pretty friendly with the police,
0:28:56 > 0:28:59'who spelt out our limited options to Pepe.'
0:28:59 > 0:29:04- So what's happened?- Basically, the police officer is saying
0:29:04 > 0:29:07if you guys can settle down,
0:29:07 > 0:29:09you won't have to go to the station,
0:29:09 > 0:29:12if you don't settle down and make an agreement...
0:29:12 > 0:29:15What does, "settle down" mean, you mean, pay him?
0:29:15 > 0:29:19Well, no, make a negotiation to see, you know, pay him or he pays us.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22I think our negotiation should be quite straightforward,
0:29:22 > 0:29:26We're in the clear here, it was completely the taxi driver's fault,
0:29:26 > 0:29:30there's hardly any damage to our vehicle, we should just go.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34Can we just ask the taxi driver what he's suggesting
0:29:34 > 0:29:37we should do, then, given that he rammed into our car?
0:29:39 > 0:29:42He wants you to pay for the, the hit.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45This is the boss of the taxi company here.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48I'm going to give him 300 pesos and we're going to leave, OK?
0:29:48 > 0:29:51Otherwise we're going to lose, I'm doing this.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54This is... Can you get his badge, here, this is absolute extortion,
0:29:54 > 0:29:56this is outrageous.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00The impression this gave of Mexico was upsetting our driver, Daniel.
0:30:00 > 0:30:05You are watching what, how corrupted are we, you know, I'm ashamed
0:30:05 > 0:30:10to be Mexican, to, we think like, we think like that, with, that happen.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12OK, I'm so pissed. I'm so pissed off.
0:30:15 > 0:30:1914 quid lighter, we hit the road again and were given our very
0:30:19 > 0:30:24own police escort to protect us from any more rogue taxis.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31We headed on to the state of Zacatecas,
0:30:31 > 0:30:32one of the poorest in Mexico.
0:30:32 > 0:30:37Millions of Mexicans, like huge numbers across the tropics,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40have left their country for work abroad.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44In this state, it's estimated more than half the population
0:30:44 > 0:30:47has migrated to find work in the United States.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51Just minutes from the Tropic of Cancer is Miguel Hidalgo,
0:30:51 > 0:30:54a small village typical of this part of Mexico.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02So it's now ten-to-two on a Friday afternoon, we're on the main street
0:31:02 > 0:31:07in the village and this place is really, really just dead.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11You've got all these buildings here, homes, which are basically empty,
0:31:11 > 0:31:15it's not as though people are in, inside having a siesta, the people
0:31:15 > 0:31:20here have just basically locked up their houses and gone to America.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26We finally found a few children left in the village school.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29How many of you have got family in the United States?
0:31:29 > 0:31:31Yo.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34Wow, so almost, almost all of you.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37Who doesn't have a relative living in the US?
0:31:37 > 0:31:42So just three out of two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve, thirteen.
0:31:42 > 0:31:47Who here would like to go and live and work in the United States?
0:31:48 > 0:31:50Wow.
0:31:55 > 0:31:59Millions of Mexicans have to work illegally in the United States,
0:31:59 > 0:32:04but the NAFTA free trade agreement between Mexico, the US, and Canada
0:32:04 > 0:32:07has made it much easier for North American businesses
0:32:07 > 0:32:09to operate freely in Mexico.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13Many critics think this has become another opportunity for
0:32:13 > 0:32:16the developed world to exploit this part of the tropics.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20We were heading for the 400-year-old village
0:32:20 > 0:32:21of Cerro San Pedro.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24Since the 19th-century, people have mined gold here,
0:32:24 > 0:32:26tunnelling into the mountainside.
0:32:26 > 0:32:32But in 2007, a Canadian owned firm began modern opencast mining,
0:32:32 > 0:32:36which involves blasting the mountainside with explosives...
0:32:36 > 0:32:38right at the edge of the village.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43Mario Martinez was born here.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47He's an experienced mining engineer, and, like many locals, he believes
0:32:47 > 0:32:51the mine is an environmental disaster for the village
0:32:51 > 0:32:52and the surrounding area.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54Bloody hell.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59Bloody hell, look at that.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03The mountain used to be much higher.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05There's the cut.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08They knocked down thousands of tonnes of the mountain every day.
0:33:08 > 0:33:1160% of it they send that way.
0:33:11 > 0:33:16That land you see over there, it's useless brittle rock.
0:33:16 > 0:33:22How many years has it taken for them to destroy a mountain here?
0:33:25 > 0:33:27Approximately two years.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32Mario took us to meet a couple who've lived in the village
0:33:32 > 0:33:33their entire lives.
0:33:35 > 0:33:40They believe the huge explosions from the mine are destroying
0:33:40 > 0:33:43their already old and fragile home.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46Todo esto se cae, todo esto.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50So even under the sofa here you can see, I mean,
0:33:50 > 0:33:55Armando is saying because of the explosions the roof
0:33:55 > 0:34:01is starting to collapse, and you can see up there between the beams
0:34:01 > 0:34:04it's starting to crack and crumble.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10TRANSLATION: The house is so dirty because of all the dust
0:34:10 > 0:34:13that comes off the walls and ceiling. Look at that.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17The explosions are terrible, we all shake.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21You've seen the sofa with the bits that fall down from the ceiling.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26Hundreds of Canadian mining firms now operate in Mexico.
0:34:26 > 0:34:31Campaigners say chemicals used in this mine pollute the area,
0:34:31 > 0:34:35and they've launched a campaign that's included lawsuits in Canada.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37But not everyone here opposes the mine.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40Many residents work for the mining company,
0:34:40 > 0:34:43and Mario has come under intense pressure to end his protest.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46This is my house. This is where I was born.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50They painted this graffiti on Saturday and broke my windows.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52This is where you were born?
0:34:52 > 0:34:55This is how they deal with anyone who opposes the mine.
0:34:55 > 0:35:00They vandalise them. I replace the windows and they break them again.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02The dispute has become extremely bitter,
0:35:02 > 0:35:04often spilling over into violence.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08This is a dangerous place for me.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11This is where the last attack happened, in July.
0:35:11 > 0:35:16They attacked me with a machete and stones. They ripped my shirt.
0:35:18 > 0:35:19This is from a stone.
0:35:19 > 0:35:23I stopped it with my hand.
0:35:25 > 0:35:26He prefers going the other way.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30OK. In your home village, that's pretty tragic, isn't it?
0:35:30 > 0:35:33Mario believes people working for the mining company
0:35:33 > 0:35:36are behind much of the violence.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40So it's an extraordinary situation, Mario's actually frightened
0:35:40 > 0:35:44to come any closer because just on my left now is
0:35:44 > 0:35:47one of the headquarters of part of the mining security people,
0:35:47 > 0:35:50and he's frightened that they're going to attack him.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56So is this the edge, then, this is the edge of the mine?
0:35:58 > 0:36:00And this is really still in the heart of the village,
0:36:00 > 0:36:03they've put this fence up, you can see how new the fence is,
0:36:03 > 0:36:07there's a bloody great wall of stones here, which just,
0:36:07 > 0:36:13it's like a dam, really, holding back the gold mine beyond it.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15Incredible.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21I wanted to see the mine for myself,
0:36:21 > 0:36:24and Luis Rodriguez, from the mining company,
0:36:24 > 0:36:28took me to see how things looked from their side of the operation.
0:36:28 > 0:36:33Got a right whole retinue of people here with us.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36They're a bit nervous about what we're, er, here to do.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38So let's go and have a look.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42So there's a fence just here,
0:36:42 > 0:36:45and below us,
0:36:45 > 0:36:49wow, good Lord.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53Look at that.
0:36:53 > 0:36:58Well, you really do see there the scale of the mine
0:36:58 > 0:37:01and the proximity of the mine to the town, I mean,
0:37:01 > 0:37:04that does really illustrate it, doesn't it?
0:37:04 > 0:37:08How can you protect the buildings there from the mine
0:37:08 > 0:37:13when they're just metres away from this vast, opencast pit?
0:37:13 > 0:37:18Previously, the experts from the environmental offices
0:37:18 > 0:37:23took into consideration the exact measurements to assure
0:37:23 > 0:37:27that our work will not damage any historical buildings or even,
0:37:27 > 0:37:29not even historical buildings,
0:37:29 > 0:37:33they'll not damage any of the constructions of the town.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36But it's quite unfortunate for you, really, I suppose,
0:37:36 > 0:37:43- this town is here, isn't it?- Mining, you have to go where the ore is.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49The management of the mine were very keen for us to meet
0:37:49 > 0:37:52their local workers who had, coincidentally,
0:37:52 > 0:37:55arrived for a barbecue the very day we visited.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59One of the allegations that's been levelled against your gold mine
0:37:59 > 0:38:03is that employees of the gold mine have intimidated and attacked
0:38:03 > 0:38:07local campaigners - what's your response to that,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10have some of your employees gotten a bit out of hand?
0:38:10 > 0:38:16If there are some things going on, it's between particular persons,
0:38:16 > 0:38:22but not the company taking any of the workers or pushing the workers
0:38:22 > 0:38:28to do, er, something or, to encourage violence, never.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31So you're saying that some of your employees might have
0:38:31 > 0:38:34- acted on their own, maybe... - Probably, probably...
0:38:34 > 0:38:38- and gone after someone?- They probably do, we don't know for sure.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42- But it's not, the company's not involved?- No, not at all.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48We've heard from a lot of people who oppose this gold mine,
0:38:48 > 0:38:53obviously the people here have made good money from it,
0:38:53 > 0:38:58they've had jobs, they've been paid, and they get prizes and rewards,
0:38:58 > 0:39:03but it just seems rather tragic that this gold mine has completely split
0:39:03 > 0:39:06this community and this area.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15My journey across Mexico was coming to an end.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19But before following the Tropic of Cancer across the Caribbean,
0:39:19 > 0:39:22I had to travel through the capital, Mexico City.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25Almost everything I'd seen so far had been overshadowed
0:39:25 > 0:39:28by the influence of the United States.
0:39:28 > 0:39:33I wanted to experience something uniquely Mexican, so before I left,
0:39:33 > 0:39:36Pepe took me to see one of Mexico's most popular sports,
0:39:36 > 0:39:41a spectacular form of masked wrestling known as lucha libre.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43Look at the size of this stadium.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48Is this just for lucha libre?
0:39:48 > 0:39:50This is just for lucha libre.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52This is incredible, this is like,
0:39:52 > 0:39:55it's almost the size of a football stadium.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59Pepe had arranged for me to meet one of Mexico's top female wrestlers,
0:39:59 > 0:40:03La Princesa, and take part in a harmless little training session.
0:40:03 > 0:40:09- Hola.- Hola. Buenos dias.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11- Madame... Mucho gusto.- Como esta?
0:40:11 > 0:40:16So I gather, we're going to be involved in your training session,
0:40:16 > 0:40:19I just have one thing to ask, please be gentle,
0:40:19 > 0:40:21so no broken bones, no dislocations,
0:40:21 > 0:40:24is that a deal?
0:40:24 > 0:40:27No... No, exacto.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32Pepe had assured me that lucha libre was largely stage-managed,
0:40:32 > 0:40:34a form of aggressive pantomime.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38But as I watched the Princesa and her fight partner warming up,
0:40:38 > 0:40:40I began to have a few doubts.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00- TRANSLATION:- My friend and I can give you a demo
0:41:00 > 0:41:01of the true lucha libre moves.
0:41:03 > 0:41:08Some people say that lucha libre is not aggressive and strong.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11But we'll give you a little taste of what it's really like.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15I don't like the sound of that.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17OK?
0:41:17 > 0:41:21HE YELLS
0:41:24 > 0:41:26That bloody hurts.
0:41:26 > 0:41:27Oh, God.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31Si ese pone muy duro, muy fuerte, va a hacer la lesion mas grave.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35She's not going to hurt you as long as you're loose?
0:41:35 > 0:41:38OK. What are you going to do?
0:41:38 > 0:41:41- Loosen up.- Loosen up, I'm loosening up, I'm loosening up.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53Aaaah!
0:42:00 > 0:42:03HE YELLS
0:42:03 > 0:42:04OK.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07If you don't loosen up then they have to use their force.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10- Their force.- And they have to get you down, so if you loosen up
0:42:10 > 0:42:13a little bit you'll just go with the flow, you know.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30What about our serious questions that we've got to ask you
0:42:30 > 0:42:34about female emancipation?
0:42:34 > 0:42:38- That hurt.- Who said that lucha libre is not painful, eh?
0:42:38 > 0:42:39I never said it.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42That was just a demo, but it hurt, didn't it?
0:42:45 > 0:42:48Later that night, we were given ringside seats and I spent
0:42:48 > 0:42:52my last night in Mexico having a few beers and cheering on La Princesa.
0:42:52 > 0:42:56Princess! La Princess!
0:42:58 > 0:43:01Yeah!
0:43:01 > 0:43:04BELL CLANGS
0:43:04 > 0:43:05CHEERING
0:43:15 > 0:43:20WHISTLING AND CHEERING
0:43:20 > 0:43:23Come on! Rip her head off!
0:43:23 > 0:43:25CHEERING
0:43:32 > 0:43:34BELL CLANGS
0:43:48 > 0:43:52- Cheers.- Cheers, mate. Thanks for showing us across Mexico.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55You're welcome, man, it was my pleasure.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00ANNOUNCEMENTS IN SPANISH
0:44:02 > 0:44:05Heading east along the line, the Tropic of Cancer passes
0:44:05 > 0:44:09just a few miles north of Havana, the capital of Cuba.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13It wasn't strictly on the route, but I couldn't resist a brief stop
0:44:13 > 0:44:15on this huge tropical island.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38While Mexico had seemed to be completely dominated by America,
0:44:38 > 0:44:41Cuba has famously stood up to the superpower
0:44:41 > 0:44:44since the revolution in 1959.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53Almost ever since, the US has imposed an embargo,
0:44:53 > 0:44:55limiting trade with the island,
0:44:55 > 0:44:58which has left Cuba stuck in something of a time warp.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06So we've just, er, arrived in Cuba,
0:45:06 > 0:45:11and we've just met Ernesto, who's going to be, er, well,
0:45:11 > 0:45:12guiding us around Havana, I think.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15- I hope so, yeah.- Thank you.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20Even critics of Cuba have been impressed by its health-care
0:45:20 > 0:45:24and education system, but I'd heard about a less well-known development,
0:45:24 > 0:45:28one which the whole world might be able to learn from.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30After the Soviet Union collapsed,
0:45:30 > 0:45:35Cuba was left without its best friend and its main benefactor,
0:45:35 > 0:45:38and Cubans were left without basic foods and supplies,
0:45:38 > 0:45:40and millions of people went hungry.
0:45:40 > 0:45:47So in response, Cubans started growing plants in market gardens.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51Hundreds of allotments like these, known as organoponicos,
0:45:51 > 0:45:53have sprouted up all over Havana.
0:45:53 > 0:45:54Buenos dias.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57- Mucho gusto.- Mi nombre es Simon.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00'This one's run by 72-year-old Chalo Hernandez.
0:46:00 > 0:46:04'Basking in the tropical sun, the organoponicos provide locals
0:46:04 > 0:46:07'with huge quantities of fruit and vegetables, and they're often
0:46:07 > 0:46:09'built on reclaimed land.'
0:46:09 > 0:46:11What was here before the garden?
0:46:11 > 0:46:14- TRANSLATION:- A cement factory. - Here was a cement factory?- Yes.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17That's extraordinary.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19Here we have Chinese cabbage.
0:46:21 > 0:46:25This is celery and a patch of beet leaves,
0:46:25 > 0:46:27here you have lettuce, tomatoes,
0:46:27 > 0:46:31peppers, and this is mint for the mojitos.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35Organoponicos like this now provide Havana
0:46:35 > 0:46:37with more than 90% of its fruit and veg,
0:46:37 > 0:46:41direct to local people at remarkably low prices,
0:46:41 > 0:46:45but they're not just productive, they're also eco-friendly.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48So am I right in thinking all the food that you've planted here
0:46:48 > 0:46:51and are growing here, is this all done organically,
0:46:51 > 0:46:55without pesticides, without artificial fertilisers?
0:46:55 > 0:46:57Everything's organic.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59THEY SPEAK IN SPANISH
0:47:04 > 0:47:07Can you explain to us what this is?
0:47:07 > 0:47:09It's organic animal matter.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11This is cow manure?
0:47:13 > 0:47:15This is already decomposed.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21The World Wildlife Fund has singled out and praised Cuba
0:47:21 > 0:47:24for its sustainable development.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27There are now thousands of these gardens across the country,
0:47:27 > 0:47:30producing more than a million tonnes of food each year.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37It's a movement that has spread to the whole of Cuba,
0:47:37 > 0:47:39and nobody can stop it.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42Every day it's getting bigger.
0:47:42 > 0:47:47It's even spreading in to the courtyards, inside people's homes.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52If the population of the planet
0:47:52 > 0:47:56keeps increasing at the current stratospheric rate,
0:47:56 > 0:47:58then eventually more of us
0:47:58 > 0:48:01will need to start growing our own food locally,
0:48:01 > 0:48:04and these gardens show us how it can be done.
0:48:10 > 0:48:14They might be good at providing fruit and veg in communist Cuba,
0:48:14 > 0:48:16but they're not so great at providing much else.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19Other basic foods are still distributed
0:48:19 > 0:48:21through state-controlled ration shops.
0:48:23 > 0:48:27And just here, actually, is one of the shops that Cubans have to buy
0:48:27 > 0:48:30their products from, as you can see.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32There's hardly anything on the shelves.
0:48:33 > 0:48:41This is the notebook that you could have, rice, beans, oil.
0:48:41 > 0:48:44So this is a sort of ration book, then?
0:48:44 > 0:48:46Showing you what you're allowed to have?
0:48:46 > 0:48:54Yeah, for example, the rice is five pounds by person.
0:48:54 > 0:48:59So five pounds of rice in weight per person per day, per week, per month?
0:48:59 > 0:49:03- In the month.- In the month, OK.
0:49:03 > 0:49:04'Every Cuban has a monthly allowance
0:49:04 > 0:49:10'of basics set out for them, all heavily subsidised by the state.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13'It's incredibly cheap, but government shops like this
0:49:13 > 0:49:16'provide only the most basic commodities.
0:49:23 > 0:49:28'Meanwhile, the prices of consumer goods are often astronomical,
0:49:28 > 0:49:31'and to buy them Cubans on meagre state salaries
0:49:31 > 0:49:34'need access to money from relatives abroad
0:49:34 > 0:49:35'or foreign tourists.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38'For a supposedly communist society,
0:49:38 > 0:49:42'it's resulted in a strange new social hierarchy.'
0:49:42 > 0:49:46So a bar like this you might find Cubans drinking beer,
0:49:46 > 0:49:48spending probably 1.50,
0:49:48 > 0:49:51so that would be people working in tourism or taxi drivers
0:49:51 > 0:49:54who didn't have to go to college to make that money.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57- And...- So sometimes people who studied the hardest,
0:49:57 > 0:49:59got the most qualifications, they earn the least?
0:49:59 > 0:50:01That's the case in Cuba.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04In Cuba, a bartender could be making, I don't know, out of tips
0:50:04 > 0:50:09could be making probably almost 100 dollars a day, and that's probably
0:50:09 > 0:50:13a year's salary, a year's salary for an ordinary worker.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18In the 1950s, Havana was a playground
0:50:18 > 0:50:22for wealthy American tourists and brothels, casinos,
0:50:22 > 0:50:25and corruption were a major cause of the revolution.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27How ironic that 50 years later,
0:50:27 > 0:50:29ordinary Cubans who want a decent standard of living
0:50:29 > 0:50:33are desperate for jobs in the growing tourism industry.
0:50:33 > 0:50:35So far Americans haven't returned in large numbers
0:50:35 > 0:50:37because of the embargo,
0:50:37 > 0:50:39and everyone's waiting to see when it will end.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42So Cubans are still waiting?
0:50:42 > 0:50:45Yeah. We have been waiting for 50 years, and one of the things we would
0:50:45 > 0:50:48like to happen is that, you know, the US blockade goes away,
0:50:48 > 0:50:52because it's really affecting, the, you know, the country.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55Is it something that people still talk about, they still talk about
0:50:55 > 0:50:59the day the blockade will be lifted, the embargo will be ended?
0:50:59 > 0:51:00No-one knows what's going to happen
0:51:00 > 0:51:03once the blockade or the embargo is lifted.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06We don't know whether the things will remain the same
0:51:06 > 0:51:07or things will change.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09That's a good question.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11That's a question of the century.
0:51:30 > 0:51:36I left Havana and flew east along the Tropic of Cancer to Nassau,
0:51:36 > 0:51:38the capital of the Bahamas.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43Unlike Cuba, Americans are still flocking here
0:51:43 > 0:51:45in their hundreds of thousands.
0:51:47 > 0:51:50The island are one of the ultimate holiday destinations,
0:51:50 > 0:51:52world famous for their beautiful beaches
0:51:52 > 0:51:55and a warm Caribbean welcome.
0:51:57 > 0:52:01But even the Bahamas has a dark side.
0:52:01 > 0:52:05Every year, thousands of desperate migrants arrive here from Haiti,
0:52:05 > 0:52:07the poorest country in the Caribbean.
0:52:07 > 0:52:10Many of those caught by the authorities
0:52:10 > 0:52:12are locked up in this detention centre.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15Human rights groups have expressed concerns
0:52:15 > 0:52:17about how the Haitians are being treated.
0:52:19 > 0:52:20Hello there.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27- How are you?- May I ask what you're doing?
0:52:27 > 0:52:29Of course, we're from the BBC in London.
0:52:29 > 0:52:33- Uh-huh.- And we're filming the detention centre.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36- You're not allowed to do that, sir. - Why is that?
0:52:36 > 0:52:38You're not allowed to take pictures.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40Are we not allowed to film from the street?
0:52:40 > 0:52:42We understood we were allowed to film from the street?
0:52:42 > 0:52:44You're not allowed to.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46- Can we come in at all? - No, you can't come in at all.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49Can we ask how many Haitians are detained inside?
0:52:49 > 0:52:51No, I can't give you that information.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54- All right.- That's our rules and regulations.- OK.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58'Some estimates now suggest Haitian migrants
0:52:58 > 0:53:02'now comprise up to a third of the population of the Bahamas.
0:53:02 > 0:53:03'Well, away from the tourist trail,
0:53:03 > 0:53:06'thousands live here illegally in slums like this.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09'They've often been through harrowing ordeals
0:53:09 > 0:53:12'while escaping the poverty and the violence of their homeland.'
0:53:12 > 0:53:15I mean, we've heard terrible things
0:53:15 > 0:53:19about the journeys by boat from Haiti to the Bahamas -
0:53:19 > 0:53:21what was the boat journey like for you,
0:53:21 > 0:53:23can you take us through what happened?
0:53:23 > 0:53:25HE SPEAKS IN FRENCH
0:53:32 > 0:53:3510 people died just on the journey?
0:53:54 > 0:53:58Many of these people now live in a kind of limbo in the Bahamas,
0:53:58 > 0:54:01with no access to health-care or education,
0:54:01 > 0:54:03working in low-paid tourism jobs,
0:54:03 > 0:54:05and constantly in fear of deportation.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08I'm really quite shocked
0:54:08 > 0:54:12by the conditions people are living in here.
0:54:12 > 0:54:18And these are African conditions in a wealthy Caribbean state.
0:54:18 > 0:54:22Of course, for the Bahamas it's quite a convenient situation,
0:54:22 > 0:54:25because it means they have cheap labour when times
0:54:25 > 0:54:29are good and when times are bad they can just kick these people out.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37I was coming to the end of this first leg
0:54:37 > 0:54:40of my global journey around the tropic,
0:54:40 > 0:54:42but to reconnect with the line,
0:54:42 > 0:54:46I had to fly south from Nassau to Long Island.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48It was a tough journey, above some of the most
0:54:48 > 0:54:50beautiful islands on the planet.
0:55:04 > 0:55:05Ugh.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10There's worse ways to arrive anywhere.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12So here we are on Long Island.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14It's a bit overcast.
0:55:14 > 0:55:19But, you know, there's worse places to be, and this,
0:55:19 > 0:55:22is Marvin. Marvin, hello, mate.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24- How you doing?- Thank you very much for coming to see us.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26No problem at all, man, no problem at all.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28We're sorry we're a bit late.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30- Welcome to Long Island.- Look at that.
0:55:30 > 0:55:34- "Bad to the bone."- That's me.
0:55:38 > 0:55:42Marvin's been working as a fisherman here on Long Island
0:55:42 > 0:55:44for more than two decades.
0:55:45 > 0:55:49But he's now worried his livelihood is threatened by the arrival
0:55:49 > 0:55:51of an alien species.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54When did you first see the lionfish coming into your waters?
0:55:54 > 0:56:00Er, I think it was 2004, that's the first time I seen a lionfish,
0:56:00 > 0:56:02just a single lionfish, they brought them in here,
0:56:02 > 0:56:05every diver on my boat seen one or two of them,
0:56:05 > 0:56:09and then the following year there was like five or six, ten,
0:56:09 > 0:56:14I have never seen a fish multiply as fast as the lionfish here.
0:56:14 > 0:56:16Why do they pose a threat?
0:56:16 > 0:56:19- Well...- What's wrong with them?
0:56:19 > 0:56:20They're poisonous to start,
0:56:20 > 0:56:23and then there's no, they don't have a predator.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29The lionfish also have a voracious appetite,
0:56:29 > 0:56:32and Marvin now spends much of his time trying to catch them.
0:56:34 > 0:56:38Experts have realised the lionfish are devouring indigenous stocks
0:56:38 > 0:56:40and they're warning the fish
0:56:40 > 0:56:43could eventually transform this entire ecosystem.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46He's got one.
0:56:46 > 0:56:47Got two.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49Look at that.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56They're extraordinary creatures.
0:56:56 > 0:56:59Yeah. And right now I'm their only predator.
0:57:04 > 0:57:08Well, these fish are really quite stunning, aren't they?
0:57:08 > 0:57:12But it's no exaggeration to say these are,
0:57:12 > 0:57:14these are like a plague of locusts, really, here,
0:57:14 > 0:57:19descending on the Caribbean and just eating everything.
0:57:19 > 0:57:23No-one knows for sure how the Asian lionfish got to the Bahamas,
0:57:23 > 0:57:27but some believe they were washed out of marine parks in Miami
0:57:27 > 0:57:28during a storm.
0:57:28 > 0:57:32It would be a more unusual example of how America has an impact
0:57:32 > 0:57:35on its smaller tropical neighbours to the south.
0:57:35 > 0:57:40It had been a month since I began my journey on the west coast of Mexico.
0:57:40 > 0:57:43I'd travelled almost 1,500 miles to here,
0:57:43 > 0:57:45the beautiful beaches of Long Island,
0:57:45 > 0:57:50but my journey around the world was only just beginning.
0:57:50 > 0:57:53This is where the Tropic of Cancer leaves the Bahamas,
0:57:53 > 0:57:56and this is the end of this part of my trip.
0:57:56 > 0:57:59From here, I need to get across the Atlantic
0:57:59 > 0:58:02to Africa and continue my journey.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07Next time, I'll be crossing North Africa.
0:58:07 > 0:58:12I ride one of the longest trains in the world.
0:58:12 > 0:58:15And discover a hidden, bitter conflict.
0:58:15 > 0:58:18What do you think about this one?
0:58:18 > 0:58:19It's a glorious,
0:58:19 > 0:58:23gruelling journey that takes me across the Sahara Desert.
0:58:44 > 0:58:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:47 > 0:58:50E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk