0:00:02 > 0:00:05The Tropic of Cancer marks the northern border of the tropics,
0:00:05 > 0:00:10the most beautiful, brilliant, and blighted region of the world.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13I've already travelled around the equator
0:00:13 > 0:00:16and the southern border of the tropics, but following the Tropic of Cancer
0:00:16 > 0:00:19has been my toughest journey yet.
0:00:19 > 0:00:24This tropic cuts through Central America, the Caribbean,
0:00:24 > 0:00:26North Africa, India,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29and on through Asia to finish in Hawaii.
0:00:30 > 0:00:36It's 23,000 miles across deserts, rivers, and mountains.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Along the way I've encountered extraordinary people,
0:00:40 > 0:00:45simmering conflicts and some of the most stunning landscapes on our planet.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48On this final leg, I'm forced to detour off the Tropic,
0:00:48 > 0:00:53through Southeast Asia, before I cross the Pacific Ocean.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56I travel through Laos, the land of a million elephants.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57Hello, Mum. Ooh...
0:00:57 > 0:01:01In Vietnam I uncover shocking cruelty to animals.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Unbelievable. Look at this!
0:01:03 > 0:01:06And in Taiwan, I meet the luckiest children in the tropics...
0:01:06 > 0:01:08- Hello! - ALL: Hello!
0:01:08 > 0:01:10..before I finally reach Hawaii
0:01:10 > 0:01:13and discover the Pacific paradise with a dirty secret.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27My journey started deep in the tropical jungle of Southeast Asia,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29on the mighty Mekong River in Laos.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39I shouldn't really be here, because the Tropic of Cancer actually passes
0:01:39 > 0:01:42through the very far south of China,
0:01:42 > 0:01:44but unfortunately the Chinese government
0:01:44 > 0:01:48has effectively prevented us from entering the country.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52But although I couldn't go to China,
0:01:52 > 0:01:56you'd be forgiven for thinking that China had come to Laos.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58As its economy and population booms,
0:01:58 > 0:02:02Chinese traders are spilling over into the rest of Asia.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07I'll tell you what, we're on the edge of the empire here.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14I was hugely disappointed China hadn't let us in,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17but instead I started my journey just to the south of the People's Republic,
0:02:17 > 0:02:19and south of the Tropic,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23in a remote jungle border area between three countries.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25We've come a little way up the river
0:02:25 > 0:02:28to the point where the three countries meet,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31so Burma over there, Thailand, and Laos.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35This is the very centre of the Golden Triangle.
0:02:35 > 0:02:36It's a notorious region
0:02:36 > 0:02:42that's always been associated with drug production, but that is about to change.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52The Golden Triangle has long been a lawless area,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54home to bandits and drug gangs.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57But that hasn't deterred a Chinese firm
0:02:57 > 0:03:00from carving a new entertainment centre out of the forest.
0:03:00 > 0:03:06Well, this is just about the last thing I expected to find in the Golden Triangle.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12This flash new casino, along with a luxury hotel resort, only opened
0:03:12 > 0:03:13a few weeks before I arrived.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18It's cost developers around £80 million, and they haven't finished.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Han, you're going to look after me.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22- What a stupid thing to say! - That's OK, that's OK.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Of course you're not going to look after me!
0:03:24 > 0:03:27My host in the casino was Mr Han.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30At 29, he's one of the bosses of this entire development.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32I'm going to win.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34- You're going to win? - Yes, with you.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Your confidence is such that you look at me and you say,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39"I am going to win."
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Hey, let's put in 2,000!
0:03:41 > 0:03:43The Lao government has a stake in the new resort,
0:03:43 > 0:03:47and Mr Han was keen to stress this isn't a Chinese invasion.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Three thousand, goddamit!
0:03:49 > 0:03:52So the government of Laos is keen to have you here,
0:03:52 > 0:03:58it's keen for you to be occupying a hefty chunk of Lao land,
0:03:58 > 0:04:03but clearly they want to be a bit careful about Lao people coming here
0:04:03 > 0:04:05- and gambling away... - You should change the word.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Not "occupy". We just come here to invest.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10- Occupy... It's a fair point - it's the wrong word, isn't it?
0:04:10 > 0:04:11You're not a colony here, are you?
0:04:11 > 0:04:13- We're not a colony. - You're investors.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Your corporation will make money
0:04:15 > 0:04:19and the government of Laos will make money as well.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22We both win.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24But who loses? The gamblers, probably, don't they?
0:04:24 > 0:04:26The customer.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28MR HAN: You lose it. You are losing now.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Oh, we lose all.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34- We lost, we lost. - We lost.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48But the casino is just a small part of a plan
0:04:48 > 0:04:52to build an entertainment city here, a Las Vegas in the jungle,
0:04:52 > 0:04:58and there's a multibillion-pound Chinese plan to industrialise northern Laos.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03Mr Han showed me where his new entertainment city will be.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06- So what we can see here... - That's hotel, that is market.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09- Market and casino. - Yes.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12- It's just the very, very beginning. - Yes.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15So how far down does your land go?
0:05:15 > 0:05:16Hundred square kilometres.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19A hundred square kilometres?!
0:05:19 > 0:05:21PHONE RINGS
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Not just one phone,
0:05:23 > 0:05:24but, look,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27two mobile phones... What's that? That's a mobile phone.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32One for each hand, so you can do business on both hands at the same time.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34I have four sim cards, four numbers.
0:05:34 > 0:05:35SIMON LAUGHS
0:05:35 > 0:05:39So tell us, in ten, 15 years' time,
0:05:39 > 0:05:43how many people will be coming to visit this place?
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Minimum, 200,000 peoples.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49200,000 people?!
0:05:49 > 0:05:51200,000 people. PHONE RINGS
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Could that possibly be your phone again?
0:05:57 > 0:05:59As China's economy grows,
0:05:59 > 0:06:03its businessmen are pumping vast amounts of money into projects like this.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Within a few years, there should be eight or nine hotels here.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11The huge new entertainment complex going up right in front of my eyes
0:06:11 > 0:06:16is designed to attract tourists and high-rolling gamblers from across Asia.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20You're going to need helicopter pads and things like that as well, aren't you?
0:06:20 > 0:06:21Yeah, next month, will come.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26- We already booked helicopter. - The helicopter is on the way?
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Agusta, from Italy. SIMON LAUGHS
0:06:29 > 0:06:33We're on the edge of the jungle here, you're going to construct this city...
0:06:33 > 0:06:37- PHONE RINGS - Of course, another phone call coming in.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Listen to that ring! What is that?
0:06:43 > 0:06:49"Yeah, we need ten helicopters, we'll need our own private airport,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52"we need at least three or four Boeing 747s."
0:06:54 > 0:06:55It probably bloody is, as well!
0:06:57 > 0:06:59- I'm sorry. - What was that about?
0:06:59 > 0:07:05We are going to buy more cars coming here, for the road constructions.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08That really was about buying, creating something?
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Yes, around one million US dollars -
0:07:11 > 0:07:13a big order from China.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19China will soon be the biggest investor in Laos,
0:07:19 > 0:07:23and already tens of thousands of Chinese have settled here.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27The giant neighbour to the north is expanding beyond its borders.
0:07:27 > 0:07:33It's really quite amazing to see the extent of China's influence here,
0:07:33 > 0:07:38but I think we're going to see that a lot on this journey,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41because for at least half of our trip
0:07:41 > 0:07:44we're going to be skirting along the edge of the empire.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50My route will take me south of China,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54travelling parallel to the Tropic of Cancer, across Laos.
0:07:56 > 0:08:01Hilly and forested, Laos is one of the poorest countries in Asia.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04It's also known as "the land of a million elephants".
0:08:04 > 0:08:06COCK CROWS
0:08:06 > 0:08:10I'd arranged to meet Sebastien Duffillot, who set up ElefantAsia,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14a charity that works to save the elephants of Laos.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16- Hello, Simon. Sabai dee. - Sabai dee. Sebastien?
0:08:16 > 0:08:17- Yes.- Simon.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19- Lovely to see you. - Good to see you.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21There's one crucial element missing.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23The elephants.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27They are kept grazing around, so I think we might even hear their bells,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30- a common sound. - Hey, look!
0:08:30 > 0:08:31Oh, my goodness.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Oh, and there's baby coming. Baby's grown up.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39This is Mr Noi Pek, one of the main elephant owners in Vienkio. Sabai dee.
0:08:39 > 0:08:44The village of Vienkio is home to around a dozen elephants and owners,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47who train their animals to work logging trees deep in the jungle.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50- So what's... This is Mum? - This is Mum.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Hello, Mum. Ooh...
0:08:52 > 0:08:58They're just gobsmackingly amazing creatures.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02I mean, how could you ever get tired of looking at and being around these...
0:09:02 > 0:09:06extraor...? I mean, look at this.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08But baby elephants are now a rarity here.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11The elephant population of Laos is disappearing.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15But here, in the land of a million elephants, are there any figures
0:09:15 > 0:09:19for how many elephants there are in the wild in the country now?
0:09:19 > 0:09:25There... Supposedly there are about 700 to 1,000 wild elephants,
0:09:25 > 0:09:29and there are about 500 domesticated elephants,
0:09:29 > 0:09:33and there is only one to two births recorded every year,
0:09:33 > 0:09:35against about ten deaths,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38so that's a very...concerning ratio, and we have to get...
0:09:38 > 0:09:41- A collapsing population, then? - Totally, yes.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48Sebastien explained that domesticated, working elephants are pushed so hard
0:09:48 > 0:09:50they don't have time to mate,
0:09:50 > 0:09:54let alone have the two years' maternity leave needed for an elephant pregnancy.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Wild elephants are in even greater danger,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01as their forests are destroyed by development, roads, and logging.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Did you say 600 kilos?
0:10:07 > 0:10:10This is the destruction of the tropics, really, isn't it?
0:10:10 > 0:10:13It's the deforestation of the tropical region,
0:10:13 > 0:10:17whether it's by elephants pulling one or two trees or whether it's by
0:10:17 > 0:10:21an army of men and bulldozers clearing thousands of trees per day.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25It's part of this process, but I think that it cannot be compared
0:10:25 > 0:10:28to the damage caused by industrial logging.
0:10:28 > 0:10:34I mean, elephants are used to find one or two logs that are very precious,
0:10:34 > 0:10:38far away in the forest, and bring them back to a short track.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41So I'm not supportive of logging in any ways,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44but if only elephants were used, like in the past,
0:10:44 > 0:10:49the forest would have the time to reproduce.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54The villagers know that working in the forest
0:10:54 > 0:10:56takes a heavy toll on their elephants.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01These are back for a rest after three months' hard labour in the logging camps.
0:11:01 > 0:11:02CHANTING
0:11:02 > 0:11:07Mr Noi Pek has arranged a ceremony to welcome his elephants home.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Can I ask you, Mr Noi Pek, what's the significance of this...
0:11:12 > 0:11:14of this ceremony for you?
0:11:14 > 0:11:18IN TRANSLATION: This ceremony is called a baci.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21It's a tradition that we do it every year for the elephants,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23to bring them happiness.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27We like to ask the elephants to forgive us for working them so hard,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29because sometimes we have to hit them.
0:11:29 > 0:11:34They're often injured in the forest, and exhausted by the heavy work.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41Sebastien is committed to saving the elephant population.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44He thinks their best hope is to improve the health
0:11:44 > 0:11:45of the domesticated working herd.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47So, Vatsana, you...
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Vatsana's a vet working for Seb's charity
0:11:50 > 0:11:53who treats injured elephants from her mobile clinic.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55That is an elephant-sized syringe, isn't it?
0:11:55 > 0:11:57OK.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03With so few elephants left, each and every one needs protecting.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06How would she have got this injury, Sebastien?
0:12:06 > 0:12:08It's the harness that they are using
0:12:08 > 0:12:11to pull the logs, the friction of the...
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Ooh, she's not happy about this. What are they putting into it there?
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Putting Betadine into it, just to disinfect the wound,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20and then take all the pus away and...
0:12:20 > 0:12:24Eugh. Do you really want to be doing this job in your flip-flops,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26with giant elephants around?
0:12:26 > 0:12:32Seb has started paying owners to allow their working elephants to breed,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34giving elephants maternity leave.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36But that's not the only answer.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38We have to find economic solutions,
0:12:38 > 0:12:44mainly in providing a new job in ecotourism to these pregnant females,
0:12:44 > 0:12:49who can be kept at elephant sanctuaries or elephant...camps
0:12:49 > 0:12:54and make an income just by transporting tourists,
0:12:54 > 0:12:56or just being photographed.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01Laos faces the same challenge as many countries in the tropics -
0:13:01 > 0:13:05how to develop without destroying wildlife and the environment.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10But, at least for now, huge areas of the country are still largely unspoilt,
0:13:10 > 0:13:14and the best way to enjoy the gorgeous scenery is by river.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18So we're going to take this boat down the Mekong River here,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21to the ancient city of Luang Prabang.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25For the first time on my entire journey,
0:13:25 > 0:13:29I'd been forced off the Tropic of Cancer, thanks to the Chinese government.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31But things could have been worse.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33It's a real shame that the Chinese authorities
0:13:33 > 0:13:36didn't want us to travel through China,
0:13:36 > 0:13:41but if we'd gone there, then we wouldn't have had a chance to see this.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44And anyway, China's neighbours have been much more welcoming.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00So this is Luang Prabang.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04It's very romantic, twinkling away there.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08We need to find a place to dock the boat,
0:14:08 > 0:14:10get our bags off and find somewhere to stay,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13and then tomorrow we can explore.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22BELL CHIMING
0:14:31 > 0:14:33The city of Luang Prabang
0:14:33 > 0:14:37is home to more than 30 temples and monasteries.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40At dawn, monks parade through the streets,
0:14:40 > 0:14:43collecting their daily food from well-wishers.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45But when I arranged to meet
0:14:45 > 0:14:48a Lao celebrity chef for breakfast in the local market,
0:14:48 > 0:14:52I suspected I wouldn't be getting bacon and eggs. Not in Laos.
0:14:55 > 0:14:56- Joy.- Hi.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59- Hello. Hello, hello, hello. Sabai dee.- Sabai dee.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Shall we have a wander through the market and see what there is?
0:15:02 > 0:15:03Yes.
0:15:03 > 0:15:04Laos is a forested country
0:15:04 > 0:15:07and people eat what crawls and scampers in the woods.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12Joy Ngeuamboupha specialises in turning forest foods into delicious meals.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15What on earth is that?
0:15:15 > 0:15:17- This one, the river crab. - Little crabs.
0:15:17 > 0:15:18This dry meat, that's deer.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20- That's deer, is it?- Yeah.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22- What is this? - Buffalo skin.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24- You can see the hairs on it, look. - Yes.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28- What is that?! - Er, this a...mouse.
0:15:28 > 0:15:29- It's a mouse? - Yeah.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31- Or a rat? - Squirrel.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Now, come on, that doesn't look very appetising, does it?
0:15:36 > 0:15:38- Well, let's have this one, then. - Yeah.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40Why I'm saying that, I don't know, but...
0:15:40 > 0:15:42the needs of television dictate.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45So what's in here?
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Oh, my God. That's maggots.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50In Laos, we eat everything.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52Quite right, too. Nothing goes to waste.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Except cockroach, we don't eat cockroach.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Classic cheffery going on here, look at this.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02OK, that's it. Done.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Bit milky and...taste nuts.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08- They are sort of crunchy. - Crunchy, yeah.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Slightly creamy. Creamy inside, yeah.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13It's actually really good.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17After a starter of creamy grubs, the main course was barbecued squirrel.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Or so I was told.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21I'll have a bit of leg.
0:16:21 > 0:16:22- Bit of leg?- Yeah.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25- Well, the meat looks just like... - Chicken.
0:16:25 > 0:16:26..chicken or something.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34- You need to eat with the rice. - It's not too bad.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37- You need to eat with the rice. - But it tastes a little bit...
0:16:37 > 0:16:42it's a very strong, gamey flavour, a bit like deer or something,
0:16:42 > 0:16:43something like that.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48So why do people eat such a wide variety of unusual meats?
0:16:59 > 0:17:02The smell is still quite ratty.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06In your house they call it rat?
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Now, hang on a second, Joy, is this squirrel or rat?
0:17:11 > 0:17:15I trust you, Joy. I think we have to draw the line somewhere.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18So let's see what the locals think of this.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20No, no interest.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Oh, dear!
0:17:24 > 0:17:28Leaving Luang Prabang, we headed east,
0:17:28 > 0:17:30aiming for mountains on the border with Vietnam.
0:17:31 > 0:17:3540 years ago, this would have been one of the most dangerous roads in the world.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37The scenery here is breathtaking.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41It looks very peaceful as well, but Laos is actually
0:17:41 > 0:17:43the most heavily bombed country in history,
0:17:43 > 0:17:47and our route east across the mountains is going to take us
0:17:47 > 0:17:51into the most intensively bombed part of the whole country.
0:17:53 > 0:17:58During the Vietnam War, the US Air Force dropped more bombs on Laos per person
0:17:58 > 0:18:00than in any other conflict.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04They dropped more bombs here than on Germany during the Second World War,
0:18:04 > 0:18:10the equivalent of three tonnes for every man, woman and child.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Initially, they were targeting the Ho Chi Minh trail,
0:18:13 > 0:18:18the supply route used by Communist forces fighting America, which ran through Laos.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Wow, it's huge.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Sabai dee.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27I stopped for the night in a hill village
0:18:27 > 0:18:30in one of the most heavily bombed regions.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36The Pansads are farmers.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Four generations live here together.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44Everyone around here suffered during the Vietnam War.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Mr Pansad lost three brothers.
0:18:47 > 0:18:48- Do I drink it all? - Yes.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51But the conflict isn't just a tragedy in the past.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56Decades after the war ended, people are still being killed by American bombs
0:18:56 > 0:18:58scattered across Laos.
0:18:58 > 0:19:03Does it feel weird to be living in an area where bombs could...
0:19:03 > 0:19:05appear in the ground at any moment?
0:19:06 > 0:19:10IN TRANSLATION: I've often found bombs when I'm digging in the garden.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15You found an unexploded bomb in... just in the garden by the house?
0:19:15 > 0:19:20Yes. Once I found a huge one right under our house.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22That's a bit concerning, isn't it?
0:19:23 > 0:19:25So all this veg...
0:19:25 > 0:19:28came from the garden just at the back of the house
0:19:28 > 0:19:32where Mum found a bomb in the ground,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35and where there may be more.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41(This feels pretty comfortable.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44(I'm still not sure how well I'm going to be able to sleep
0:19:44 > 0:19:47(knowing that there's bombs in the ground everywhere around us.)
0:19:52 > 0:19:54COCKS CROWING
0:20:05 > 0:20:08I slept OK, actually...
0:20:08 > 0:20:12apart from the bloody cockerels crowing all through the night.
0:20:12 > 0:20:13COCKS CROWING
0:20:13 > 0:20:17It's a complete myth that they just crow at dawn.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22The legacy of the Vietnam War is everywhere in this part of Laos.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26The remnants of the conflict have become part of everyday life.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31So they've actually incorporated
0:20:31 > 0:20:36bits of a...of a bomb into the structure of this building.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39There's one here, another here, another here, another there,
0:20:39 > 0:20:41another one...another one down there.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45My understanding is that these are cluster bomb containers,
0:20:45 > 0:20:49so these would have been dropped from an American plane,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52and as they got close to the ground,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54this unit would have opened up and...
0:20:54 > 0:20:59dozens...scores of little cluster bomblets would have dropped out.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02The bomblets would have been scattered over this entire area.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06And now, look, they're using it as a building material.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Millions of the bombs dropped here failed to explode on impact
0:21:13 > 0:21:17and still sit in the ground, killing and injuring hundreds every year.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20John McFarlane is an ex-Canadian Army officer
0:21:20 > 0:21:23working for the Mines Advisory Group,
0:21:23 > 0:21:26a UK charity dedicated to clearing the land.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29John was taking me to a foundry
0:21:29 > 0:21:32where locals bring bombs to sell for scrap metal.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Please stop, stop. There's something here
0:21:35 > 0:21:37- I'd like to look at. - What is it?
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Can you stay here?
0:21:41 > 0:21:43It's a bombie.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47It's how they mark them, they'll just... So that probably fell off a truck.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Are you saying there's a cluster bomb just somewhere out here?
0:21:49 > 0:21:54Just right underneath that rock. That's a BLU-26 cluster bomb.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59Been uncovered from the... probably water washing away and eroding the ground,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01and then it's rolled it down to here.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04So presumably somebody from the foundry
0:22:04 > 0:22:09- has seen it here and they've put some stones around it just to mark it up?- Yeah.
0:22:09 > 0:22:10You can see the flutes.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Oh, my God, you can see it under there.
0:22:12 > 0:22:13Yeah.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16So how dangerous is the cluster bomb that's under there?
0:22:16 > 0:22:19That, in its original state,
0:22:19 > 0:22:24would have a lethal radius of about 30 metres.
0:22:24 > 0:22:2530 metres?!
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Yes.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29And now?
0:22:29 > 0:22:32In this state, I wouldn't want to uncover it now.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35- And then this is the foundry over here?- Yes, this is...
0:22:35 > 0:22:38John arranged for a disposal team to destroy this bomb later.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42His charity has already dealt with thousands of dangerous bombs
0:22:42 > 0:22:45that locals brought to this foundry.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47..Bunches of hand grenades.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49These have been made safe.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Cluster bomb, cluster bomb,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55cluster bomb... Unbelievable.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59I think we've found 24,000
0:22:59 > 0:23:02unsafe items or explosive items in this foundry.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Millions of bombs still litter the countryside,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09and children are among their many victims.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13Locals will be finding bombs in the ground here for decades to come.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19You're talking about tens... probably tens of millions
0:23:19 > 0:23:21of these bombs, little bomblets...
0:23:21 > 0:23:23- Dropped. - ..dropped on this country.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25On this country, yeah.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28This is the most heavily impacted country I've worked in.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33For the size of the country, it's...unimaginable.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38It's such a small country and it's had so many bombs dropped on it.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44With the US and Britain still engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47I found it sobering to see the aftermath of this war,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51still affecting people 35 years after it ended.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01We're leaving Laos now
0:24:01 > 0:24:04and we're heading to the border crossing with Vietnam.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06We're in a little bit of a hurry
0:24:06 > 0:24:10because it's now nearly three o'clock and the border closes at 5pm.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16But despite the endless twisty road through the hills,
0:24:16 > 0:24:18we made it - just in time.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21All right, well, we've got to the border post.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26I always find this bit a little bit unnerving,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30the no-man's-land between two countries.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32We made it through the Laos checkpoint
0:24:32 > 0:24:35to meet our new Vietnamese guide on the other side.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Thu?
0:24:38 > 0:24:41- Aaah, it's you! Simon. Hello. - Hello, nice to meet you.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45Lovely to meet you. Thank you for coming all the way out here.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54It took us another day of hard driving from the border
0:24:54 > 0:24:57to reach Vietnam's capital, Hanoi.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11The Communist red star still flies over Hanoi
0:25:11 > 0:25:15but, walking through the city, it soon became clear the Vietnamese
0:25:15 > 0:25:18are embracing private enterprise with relish.
0:25:18 > 0:25:23You can just stand on the street here and be endlessly entertained by...
0:25:23 > 0:25:27what comes past carried on people's shoulders or on scooters.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29But it's not only small traders here.
0:25:29 > 0:25:35The government is claiming Vietnam will be a leading world economy by 2020.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40Vietnam seems to be following the same path as supposedly Communist China,
0:25:40 > 0:25:42which has tolerated the rise of a business elite,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45who are allowed to make money as long as they steer clear of politics.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49Everybody's always carrying and shunting things around here.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Business, business, business! It's the new Hanoi.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58And few things bring home the way Vietnam has changed in the last ten years
0:25:58 > 0:26:01more than the latest expensive craze that's sweeping the nation.
0:26:01 > 0:26:07What's the last thing I would expect to be doing in Communist Vietnam?
0:26:07 > 0:26:08Thu's taking me to play golf.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12Why is the last thing you expect?
0:26:12 > 0:26:15This is Communist Vietnam!
0:26:15 > 0:26:19What is the connection between the Communists and golfing?
0:26:19 > 0:26:20You couldn't find two things
0:26:20 > 0:26:24that were further apart ideologically, surely?
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Golf and Communism.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28But you see, I think,
0:26:28 > 0:26:33that Fidel Castro play golf in Cuba, and Cuba do have golf courses.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Scores of courses are being built all over the country,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41attracting tourists and Vietnam's wealthy new middle class.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Wow!
0:26:44 > 0:26:45Amazing?
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Look at this!
0:26:47 > 0:26:50There's even a Ho Chi Minh golf trail,
0:26:50 > 0:26:54a grouping of courses named after the former Communist leader.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Uncle Ho must be turning in his grave.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02You do understand, I have never played golf, OK?
0:27:02 > 0:27:06And you've got about 15 minutes to teach me.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08What is the tuition fee?
0:27:08 > 0:27:10- Tuition fee?- Yes.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Oh, come on, you're such a businesswoman, look at you.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Business, business, business!
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Xin chao.
0:27:16 > 0:27:17Xin chao. Xin chao.
0:27:17 > 0:27:18Can I drive?
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Er...I drive, I know the way.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24I knew you were going to say that. OK!
0:27:24 > 0:27:29What about the caddies? Do they just sort of...hop on the side?
0:27:29 > 0:27:30Unbelievable.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32This is the proletariat.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37- Where's the first hole? - Here's the first hole.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Oh, for God's sake, we didn't need to drive here!
0:27:44 > 0:27:45Bloody hell.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53I'm impressed. You've laid down the challenge here. That was very good.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55- Take your time. - OK, so basically all I have to do
0:27:55 > 0:27:57is just swing it and hit this,
0:27:57 > 0:27:59and let's see how well I can do.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Oh, fff...!
0:28:02 > 0:28:04OK, that's embarrassing. The ground's...
0:28:04 > 0:28:05Give you another try.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08- No worry. - I'm very sorry about that.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Good. Not too bad.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14That's pathetic, isn't it?
0:28:14 > 0:28:16God, she's going to come and fill it in.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19Oh, the shame of it. Come on, then.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22I've got my little blue thing.
0:28:22 > 0:28:23But my ball went that way.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26I know, I will drive you here, and then you walk.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30- Not too bad. - Oh, balls! Oh, that's bad.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32- METALLIC CLANG - What do you mean? It just hit the...
0:28:33 > 0:28:35It just bounced off the red machinery.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38- Do it again, no worry, do it again. - Yeah?
0:28:38 > 0:28:41Average income here is still just two or three pounds a day,
0:28:41 > 0:28:44putting golf beyond the reach of all but the business elite.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47And do you know how much it costs to join this course?
0:28:47 > 0:28:51It's 18,000 US to be a member.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54It's 18,000 dollars?
0:28:54 > 0:28:57Dollars, for 25 years, I think.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59That's a lot of money in any country.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01What's wrong with that?
0:29:01 > 0:29:05There's nothing wrong with it, it's just interesting that it's changing.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09You know? The old way of doing things, the old way of life in Vietnam
0:29:09 > 0:29:11is changing dramatically.
0:29:11 > 0:29:16When did you buy the membership of your golf course? When it opened?
0:29:16 > 0:29:18Two years ago. When it wasn't open.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20When it wasn't even open?
0:29:20 > 0:29:22Such a businesswoman.
0:29:23 > 0:29:28But...with a first investment,
0:29:28 > 0:29:31you don't know when will it be ready for you to play.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34You know what that is? That's capitalism.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40Oh, balls! I'm destroying the bloody pitch here.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45These are great places for business, aren't they? You can just imagine...
0:29:47 > 0:29:51..the new Vietnamese business elite coming out here,
0:29:51 > 0:29:53doing their deals.
0:29:57 > 0:29:58Yay!
0:29:58 > 0:30:00Cam on. Cam on, cam on.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03Are you going to carry that for me? Yeah, it's very heavy.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05Definitely need somebody to carry that.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11Although Vietnam's opening up to the world
0:30:11 > 0:30:16and tourists are flocking here, it's still a country that can surprise and shock.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18I'd been told about one ancient practice
0:30:18 > 0:30:21that sounded completely barbaric.
0:30:22 > 0:30:27Just driving along, we've just spotted some signs for bear farms
0:30:27 > 0:30:29along a main road.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Now, apparently, these are farms where bears are kept
0:30:32 > 0:30:35and they're actually milked for their bile,
0:30:35 > 0:30:40which has, apparently, medicinal properties.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43Bile is a bitter secretion found in the gall bladder
0:30:43 > 0:30:46that's used in traditional Chinese medicine.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49Captive bears are regularly drugged and then a long needle is used
0:30:49 > 0:30:53to repeatedly pierce their abdomen and extract the bile.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56Look, there's another sign here. I mean, they're not trying to hide it.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58It clearly shows a bear.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02My God, we can see cages in there, I can see more bears inside.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07This is a notorious area for bear farm.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11For example, on both sides... on this road
0:31:11 > 0:31:16for the next three or four kilometres, there's a lot of these bear farm.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19Tuan Bendixsen is the Vietnamese director
0:31:19 > 0:31:22of a rescue charity called Animals Asia.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26He's fighting to free the more than 4,000 bears still held captive in Vietnam.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29Whoa, she's trying to close the doors.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31Can we come in?
0:31:31 > 0:31:34Right, let's have a look, come on, look.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36- Are we allowed to just do this? - Yeah, we...
0:31:36 > 0:31:38Look, come on, we're...
0:31:38 > 0:31:40Unbelievable, look at this.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43Oh, my God, look.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46WOMAN SPEAKS IN VIETNAMESE
0:31:46 > 0:31:47How many bears here?
0:31:47 > 0:31:50One, two,
0:31:50 > 0:31:54three, four, five, six,
0:31:54 > 0:31:56seven bears here.
0:31:56 > 0:31:57- Seven bears. - Unbelievable.
0:31:57 > 0:32:02Bears are often kept for years in cages like this or smaller.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04It's still legal to keep a bear in Vietnam,
0:32:04 > 0:32:07but it's now supposed to be illegal to harvest its bile.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09Why is she keeping them here?
0:32:11 > 0:32:13THEY SPEAK IN VIETNAMESE
0:32:16 > 0:32:19Yeah, she said she... she keep them for conservation.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22- She keeps them for conservation? - Conservation, yeah.
0:32:22 > 0:32:24WOMAN SPEAKS IN VIETNAMESE
0:32:24 > 0:32:26So what's she saying to us now?
0:32:26 > 0:32:28She said she want us to get out, to get out of her house.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30OK.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37When Tuan and Animals Asia can persuade the police to help them,
0:32:37 > 0:32:41they raid the farms, rescue the bears,
0:32:41 > 0:32:44and take them to this new bear sanctuary just outside Hanoi.
0:32:47 > 0:32:48Where's this one come from?
0:32:48 > 0:32:50Oh, this is a bear from central Hue
0:32:50 > 0:32:53we rescued about a week and a half ago.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56He was kept in a very dark cage for about 13 years,
0:32:56 > 0:32:58in the back of a kitchen, if you believe it or not.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00- His name is Misa.- Misa?
0:33:00 > 0:33:02Misa, yeah. M-I-S-A, Misa.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04OK. Let's see what's happened to Misa.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08How does Misa's condition compare to other bears
0:33:08 > 0:33:10that you've had brought in?
0:33:10 > 0:33:13They're all a little different, but Misa apparently was captured
0:33:13 > 0:33:16as a small cub, about 20 kilos, and in the process of capturing him
0:33:16 > 0:33:19they whacked him across the face with a wooden plank,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22and his face is very deformed and all his teeth are very rotten,
0:33:22 > 0:33:25and most of his teeth will probably have to be removed today.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28During 13 years of captivity,
0:33:28 > 0:33:32Misa, it became clear, had been through hell.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34After he'd been tranquillised,
0:33:34 > 0:33:37he was moved into the operating theatre for a check-up.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39My goodness, look at you.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41He's just a really flabby bear.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44He's had a really bad diet for his entire life.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48You can see, when I press him there, it's like...touching a water bed.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50He's just... He's just blubber, really, isn't he?
0:33:50 > 0:33:54So this is the first time you've seen inside his mouth, I think.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56What...what's your...
0:33:56 > 0:33:58take on the condition of his mouth at the moment?
0:33:58 > 0:34:01You can see this canine is completely fractured off.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04- Yeah.- You can see his pulp cavity in there.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08So that's like having a tooth with all the nerves exposed
0:34:08 > 0:34:10and a route for infection to go in,
0:34:10 > 0:34:13so it'd be definitely a source of chronic pain for him,
0:34:13 > 0:34:15and we don't know how long that's been like that, but probably years.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19I've been with AA for three years, and this is the worst mouth I've seen.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21Can you describe to us...
0:34:21 > 0:34:25Can you show us how they would extract the bile from... from the bear?
0:34:25 > 0:34:27Once they locate the gall bladder, they use a very long,
0:34:27 > 0:34:29ten-inch needle, about that long,
0:34:29 > 0:34:32and they will try and puncture through the skin.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36They have to go puncture through the liver as well to find the gall bladder.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38Once they've found it,
0:34:38 > 0:34:42they'll attach the end of a syringe with a pump and they'll pump it out.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44That's quite mind-boggling, isn't it?
0:34:44 > 0:34:48After years in a dark cell, it'll be difficult for Misa
0:34:48 > 0:34:50to adjust to life back in the wild.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54He'll need a lifetime of love and care in this purpose-built compound.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57You've got quite a lot of space here, actually, haven't you?
0:34:57 > 0:35:00Well, we have 12 hectares of land,
0:35:00 > 0:35:04which is in this very beautiful valley that you see here.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09It is a beautiful sanctuary, but the real hope for Tuan and Animals Asia
0:35:09 > 0:35:13is that they'll be able to rehabilitate and free many of the bears.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17And then look at this, this is what hopefully awaits them
0:35:17 > 0:35:21as the final stage, for some of them, before they're released...
0:35:21 > 0:35:23- ..Back in the wild. - ..back into the wild.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33The next day, Thu and I headed to a port near Hanoi.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36I wanted to get a boat along the coast east towards the city of Mong Cai,
0:35:36 > 0:35:39on the border with China.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42Made it, with only 13 minutes to spare.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44I'd had enough of cars and bumpy roads.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48And anyway, the fastest way to get there was by high-speed catamaran.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51Look at this view!
0:35:56 > 0:35:59We were leaving for the Chinese border from Ha Long Bay,
0:35:59 > 0:36:02a famous tourist destination in Vietnam.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08Alas, on board there's not going to be anywhere for us to sit.
0:36:08 > 0:36:09I want to see the number.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11Bloody hell, it's packed in here.
0:36:11 > 0:36:16So we're heading off. We head to the east, for the Chinese border.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26The journey took us through one of the most spectacular regions
0:36:26 > 0:36:27of the tropics.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30Thousands of limestone formations called karsts
0:36:30 > 0:36:33that stretch all the way from southern China.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37Not that the boat crew were keen for me to see the sights.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41They won't let us come up, unfortunately, but you can see the amazing view...
0:36:41 > 0:36:44You'll have to see it... We'll have to... I'll have to see it later!
0:36:44 > 0:36:46Aahh!
0:36:47 > 0:36:48Why not?
0:36:51 > 0:36:54Ha Long means Falling Dragon in Vietnamese
0:36:54 > 0:36:57and, according to one legend, these outcrops are jewels
0:36:57 > 0:37:01dropped by dragons to protect Vietnam from China in the north.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03Although they're neighbours,
0:37:03 > 0:37:07the two countries have had an often fraught relationship over the centuries.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10China occupied Vietnam for 1,000 years
0:37:10 > 0:37:14and they were still fighting as recently as 1979.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18OK, so I think we've arrived.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25But I didn't see much evidence of conflict, or even tension,
0:37:25 > 0:37:28here in the border city of Mong Cai.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31It's known as a Special Enterprise Zone,
0:37:31 > 0:37:35a place where locals from both sides of the border can trade freely.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40Look at this.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43Looks like somebody's bought some trees. I presume they're going...
0:37:43 > 0:37:45going up towards China.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47Amazing.
0:37:48 > 0:37:53Politicians from both countries are still disagreeing over territory and resources,
0:37:53 > 0:37:58but perhaps trade really can break down barriers between the two nations.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02The relationship between these two countries has changed so dramatically.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05Just a couple of decades ago they were at war.
0:38:05 > 0:38:10Tens of thousands died in fighting between the two countries, and now...
0:38:10 > 0:38:14it's all about the hustle and bustle of trade and making some money.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19Hello!
0:38:20 > 0:38:22In recent years, border restrictions
0:38:22 > 0:38:27have been relaxed, allowing daily visitors to flow back and forth.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31The two countries now trade goods worth more than 20 billion a year,
0:38:31 > 0:38:34although, from what I could see, it all looked a little one-sided.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37It's quite a sight, actually.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40They must have been queuing up on the other side of the border
0:38:40 > 0:38:42just waiting for the border to open at seven o'clock.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44It's now a couple of minutes past...
0:38:46 > 0:38:48..and China comes across.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51So far, things seem to be working in China's favour.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55Vietnam's importing three times as much as it sells to China.
0:38:55 > 0:39:00So, look, this is one lady heading from Vietnam towards China.
0:39:00 > 0:39:05The flow is very definitely this way, hundreds of people coming from China.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07THEY SPEAK IN VIETNAMESE
0:39:07 > 0:39:09Can we ask where she's going to?
0:39:11 > 0:39:13"I'm going to China."
0:39:13 > 0:39:17And how much are you going to sell your bread rolls for?
0:39:19 > 0:39:23It, er, 30 renminbi, which means her profit is about three pounds.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26Three pounds? So she's hoping to make about three quid today.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28Well, good luck with selling your rolls.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36Well, this is as far as I can get in my journey across Vietnam
0:39:36 > 0:39:38and as close as I can get to China.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41From here, I need to get back on the Tropic of Cancer,
0:39:41 > 0:39:43so I'm heading to the island of Taiwan.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51It's nearly 1,000 miles from Vietnam to Taiwan,
0:39:51 > 0:39:54just off the coast of mainland China.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57From Taipei, the capital, I'll head south to find out
0:39:57 > 0:40:00what life's like on this part of the Tropic of Cancer.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08So we're looking for a woman called Cindy.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15That'll be the lady smiling and waving at us.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18- Hello, Cindy. Hello. Simon. - Nice to meet you.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20And look, our Tropic of Cancer sign.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24Not very artistic! SIMON LAUGHS
0:40:25 > 0:40:28Taiwan is like nowhere else on the Tropic of Cancer.
0:40:28 > 0:40:33People here are richer and freer than almost anywhere in the entire tropics,
0:40:33 > 0:40:35the poorest region of the world.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38The Taiwanese earn at least ten times more than people
0:40:38 > 0:40:41in any of the last five countries I've visited.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43I mean, what's bizarre about the world,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46seven o'clock yesterday morning,
0:40:46 > 0:40:50we were on the border between Vietnam and China,
0:40:50 > 0:40:54watching people trading bread rolls across the border,
0:40:54 > 0:40:56and now we arrive here in Taipei.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59Amazing.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01Tell us where you've brought us to, Cindy.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05Well, this is the most popular shopping area of Taipei.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08It's a commercial area called Chung-hsiao Fu-hsing.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11- It all looks a bit expensive. - Yes.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15Taiwan is the success story of the tropics.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18After the Second World War it was one of the poorer countries in Asia,
0:41:18 > 0:41:22but now it's got a super-hi-tech economy.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25Taiwanese firms make 90% of the world's laptops,
0:41:25 > 0:41:29enabling little Taiwan to punch well above its weight.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31Even though it's so small, only 23 million people,
0:41:31 > 0:41:35it's got one of the biggest luxury markets in the world.
0:41:35 > 0:41:36It's number five in the world.
0:41:36 > 0:41:42I mean, this is a rich, modern, wealthy, well-run, ordered country, isn't it?
0:41:42 > 0:41:45Yes, there's a lot of hi-tech industry wealth.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47- And that's made people rich. - Yes.
0:41:57 > 0:42:02So, most countries in the tropics don't have much of a train network,
0:42:02 > 0:42:07and if they do you find yourself chugging along the country at a fairly slow speed,
0:42:07 > 0:42:09but not here.
0:42:13 > 0:42:14To reach the Tropic of Cancer,
0:42:14 > 0:42:18Cindy and I were heading south by train from Taipei to the city of Chiayi.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22- All right? - We're number five.
0:42:22 > 0:42:23We're in this one.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26Being Taiwan, it's one of the most hi-tech trains in the world,
0:42:26 > 0:42:29modelled on the Japanese bullet train system
0:42:29 > 0:42:31and run with computer-controlled precision.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33- Do you want the window? - No, no, I'm fine.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35Very good.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43The train network cost the Taiwanese a fortune,
0:42:43 > 0:42:46but it was, without doubt, the most comfortable
0:42:46 > 0:42:50and relaxing method of transport I'd taken anywhere on my tropical journeys.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54Cindy, we're absolutely racing along here.
0:42:54 > 0:42:58I reckon we're doing at least 1,000 miles an hour now.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00A slight exaggeration.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03It's 300 kilometres per hour.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06Despite all its hi-tech industry and super-fast trains,
0:43:06 > 0:43:09Taiwan exists in a strange diplomatic limbo.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11It's not considered a real country.
0:43:11 > 0:43:15Officially, it's part of China, but it has its own democratic government.
0:43:15 > 0:43:19In spite of its confusing status, it's a success.
0:43:19 > 0:43:24What is it about Taiwan or the Taiwanese that makes this place different
0:43:24 > 0:43:27to almost all the other countries and places in the tropics?
0:43:27 > 0:43:29What's your take on that?
0:43:29 > 0:43:33I would say probably the most important difference is it has the rule of law,
0:43:33 > 0:43:37and also, I think, just the drive in the people.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40And maybe some of that is Chinese culture.
0:43:40 > 0:43:46There's a huge motivation for people to do well.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48- Chinese work ethic, then? - Yes.
0:43:57 > 0:44:01The city of Chiayi lies right on the Tropic of Cancer,
0:44:01 > 0:44:05and they've marked the line in a very special way.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08Just tell us what it says here.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11- "Tropic of Cancer Elementary School". - Fantastic!
0:44:11 > 0:44:14A Tropic of Cancer school!
0:44:15 > 0:44:17This is very exciting. I don't know why I'm so excited about this.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21We've seen Tropic monuments in other countries,
0:44:21 > 0:44:23but no other country has gone to the trouble
0:44:23 > 0:44:26of actually marking the line with a school.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28Very exciting.
0:44:28 > 0:44:29Taiwan's economic success
0:44:29 > 0:44:33has been built on one of the finest education systems on the planet.
0:44:33 > 0:44:35It's ranked first in the world for maths teaching
0:44:35 > 0:44:36and second in the world for science.
0:44:36 > 0:44:41- Hello! - CHILDREN: Hello!
0:44:42 > 0:44:44So, not only do they have a Tropic of Cancer school,
0:44:44 > 0:44:48they have a Tropic of Cancer lesson as well!
0:44:48 > 0:44:51At the start of each lesson,
0:44:51 > 0:44:54even at primary school, children bow to their teachers.
0:44:54 > 0:44:55Ni hao.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59CHILDREN RESPOND
0:44:59 > 0:45:03They are motivated and encouraged to be competitive.
0:45:03 > 0:45:04- Ni hao.- TEACHER: Ni hao.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08- Ni hao. - CHILDREN: Ni hao.
0:45:59 > 0:46:04And then it was my turn to take questions from the nine-year-old geniuses.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06I was a little apprehensive.
0:46:06 > 0:46:10I'm very worried they're going to ask incredibly complicated ones
0:46:10 > 0:46:13about the obliquity of the ellipse or something...
0:46:13 > 0:46:16or the tectonic plate movement.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19That girl there's got a question.
0:46:22 > 0:46:27Well, I'd say one of the main problems facing countries on the Tropic of Cancer
0:46:27 > 0:46:29is climate change.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31There's huge problems with poverty,
0:46:31 > 0:46:33with deforestation,
0:46:33 > 0:46:35with overpopulation,
0:46:35 > 0:46:39with corrupt governments, and with conflicts as well.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42And it's amazing, fascinating, to come here to Taiwan
0:46:42 > 0:46:46and see a country that doesn't suffer from most of those problems,
0:46:46 > 0:46:48a country that's almost unique in the tropics.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52Xie xie. Thank you for the question. Xie xie.
0:46:53 > 0:46:57- Bye-bye! - CHILDREN: Bye!
0:46:57 > 0:47:02One of the many things that strikes me about the children in this school
0:47:02 > 0:47:06is that these children, growing up in Taiwan,
0:47:06 > 0:47:11will live longer, be better educated, be wealthier and healthier
0:47:11 > 0:47:15than in almost any other country in the tropics.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17These are the lucky ones.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30So, we're back close to the Tropic of Cancer now.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33We're gonna follow the line across Taiwan.
0:47:33 > 0:47:38Two-thirds of the island is mountainous, so we're heading up into the hills.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40In Taiwan, it's easy to forget you're in the tropics.
0:47:40 > 0:47:44The island's still vulnerable to a ferocious tropical weather system.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46We're heading into an area
0:47:46 > 0:47:50which was really quite severely damaged by a typhoon a couple of months ago.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54This little island in the Pacific lies right in the path of typhoons
0:47:54 > 0:47:59that blow up every year and lash Asia with violent and destructive winds.
0:47:59 > 0:48:01Oh, look at this.
0:48:01 > 0:48:02There's a big hole in the road there.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10Oh, my God, look at that.
0:48:11 > 0:48:16So here, the typhoon's shifted boulders the size of houses.
0:48:16 > 0:48:21The islanders nicknamed the storm that did this damage the Devil Typhoon.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23It was the worst in 50 years.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26The Taiwanese are quick to repair,
0:48:26 > 0:48:29but it still left some roads across the island completely blocked.
0:48:30 > 0:48:34This is about as far as I can go, travelling across Taiwan.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37From here, I need to hop across the Pacific
0:48:37 > 0:48:40and follow the Tropic of Cancer to Hawaii.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44But it's a bit more than a hop.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47From Taiwan, it's 5,000 miles to Hawaii,
0:48:47 > 0:48:50the most remote island chain in the world.
0:48:53 > 0:48:55Isolated out in the middle of the Pacific,
0:48:55 > 0:48:59these volcanic islands are my final stop on my journey around the Tropic of Cancer.
0:48:59 > 0:49:04Hawaii's the only American state that's inside the tropics.
0:49:04 > 0:49:09It's a tourist Mecca, one of the most gorgeous places I've been to on this trip
0:49:09 > 0:49:12and a real tropical paradise.
0:49:12 > 0:49:18So, we're just leaving the airport, and I've met up with Sam here - Sam Gon.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20Doctor, I think, Sam Gon.
0:49:20 > 0:49:22Sam's a conservationist
0:49:22 > 0:49:25and he was taking me to see some of Hawaii's beautiful and unique wildlife.
0:49:25 > 0:49:27Where are we going now?
0:49:27 > 0:49:31We're headed to the Keauhou Bird Conservation Centre.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34I thought I'd be peering through binoculars at distant birds,
0:49:34 > 0:49:39but in this sanctuary the birds have to be kept close and under protection.
0:49:39 > 0:49:43They're some of the rarest creatures on the planet.
0:49:43 > 0:49:47Richard Switzer is a Brit leading a team of conservationists and biologists
0:49:47 > 0:49:49trying to protect rare species and persuade them to breed.
0:49:49 > 0:49:54Ah, these are nene. These were once the world's most endangered duck or goose.
0:49:54 > 0:49:55These are, in fact, wild birds
0:49:55 > 0:49:59who perhaps were raised as goslings here initially,
0:49:59 > 0:50:02and they're now flying wild, but they do come back here to breed.
0:50:02 > 0:50:07- Wow! So a real success story?- Yeah.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11But the successes are few in number.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13Hawaii's bird population is crashing.
0:50:13 > 0:50:17Some of them exist now just as pictures in the centre's mural,
0:50:17 > 0:50:18and the rest are under threat.
0:50:18 > 0:50:23So this one is extinct, this one extinct in my lifetime.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25- Extinct up the top there. - Yeah.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27Still with us.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29This one extinct just recently.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32Is that the reality, that about half of the Hawaiian birds are extinct now?
0:50:32 > 0:50:37Are extinct, and all the ones that remain are rare or endangered.
0:50:37 > 0:50:38And it's not just birds.
0:50:38 > 0:50:42Hawaii has become the extinction capital of the world.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44In Hawaii, because of the small size,
0:50:44 > 0:50:47we've been able to catalogue all of the plants, all of the birds,
0:50:47 > 0:50:49many of the invertebrates, and so we can see
0:50:49 > 0:50:52when they're missing or when they're declining,
0:50:52 > 0:50:54and then when they disappear.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57The situation is now so serious, the only option for conservationists
0:50:57 > 0:51:01is to capture the few surviving birds in the wild
0:51:01 > 0:51:03and protect them here in the sanctuary.
0:51:03 > 0:51:09So, these are called Hawaiian crows. What's special about these?
0:51:09 > 0:51:12Firstly, the species is extinct in the wild. So...
0:51:12 > 0:51:14The last birds were seen in 2002.
0:51:14 > 0:51:18- They're extinct in the wild? - Yeah.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20How many have you got here?
0:51:20 > 0:51:26Here we've got 52. As a programme we've got 67, and that's it.
0:51:26 > 0:51:30That's the entire global population, and that makes them
0:51:30 > 0:51:34pretty much the most critically endangered bird in human care
0:51:34 > 0:51:36probably anywhere on the planet, so...
0:51:36 > 0:51:39That is absolutely extraordinary.
0:51:39 > 0:51:44And what a responsibility as well, though. You're the sort of steward for a species.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46Well, if a chick is hatching,
0:51:46 > 0:51:49then we'll stay up overnight and make sure it hatches OK,
0:51:49 > 0:51:52because if it needs assistance, we've got to be there.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54Is that what it's come to, then?
0:51:54 > 0:51:59I mean, really protecting these endangered creatures
0:51:59 > 0:52:02one by one, egg by egg?
0:52:02 > 0:52:06Absolutely, yeah. Every egg is sacred, precious.
0:52:12 > 0:52:13HE EXHALES
0:52:14 > 0:52:17Do you know what this place is?
0:52:17 > 0:52:21This place is an ark.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24This is really our last chance
0:52:24 > 0:52:30of saving some of these incredibly rare tropical species.
0:52:31 > 0:52:36And what's really sad is that this place and other places like it
0:52:36 > 0:52:40throughout the tropics are the future of conservation.
0:52:42 > 0:52:43Isn't it sad that it's come to that?
0:52:52 > 0:52:55So this is a real treat at the end of our journey -
0:52:55 > 0:52:58a chance to get up in the air and get a bird's-eye view of the islands.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02The trip was nearly over...
0:53:03 > 0:53:07..and the chopper offered me a final glimpse of tropical paradise.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09But this is a paradise
0:53:09 > 0:53:13in which dozens of species have vanished within my lifetime.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16The culprits include climate change, pollution
0:53:16 > 0:53:21and newly introduced species which native animals and plants can't compete with.
0:53:21 > 0:53:22God, this is beautiful.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27The main problem here, of course, is us.
0:53:27 > 0:53:28We're directly responsible
0:53:28 > 0:53:32for almost all of the environmental catastrophes I've seen
0:53:32 > 0:53:34during my journeys around the tropics.
0:53:34 > 0:53:38But surely Hawaiians should be able to manage and protect their environment.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42After all, this is part of the richest nation on Earth,
0:53:42 > 0:53:46and these are young islands, where new land is forming in front of my eyes.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51And now we can see the lava flowing straight into the sea,
0:53:51 > 0:53:52straight into the water.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55It's the most extraordinary sight.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58Hot lava hitting cold water, it turns immediately to steam
0:53:58 > 0:54:02and the plumes are rising up into the sky.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05It's an absolutely breathtaking sight.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18I travelled with Sam to the remote Kamilo Beach
0:54:18 > 0:54:20on the southern shore of Hawaii's Big Island.
0:54:28 > 0:54:32Bloody hell, blown sideways, though!
0:54:32 > 0:54:34Anyway, we're here.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37He's just dropped us off...
0:54:37 > 0:54:38At Kamilo Beach.
0:54:38 > 0:54:41..in what feels a bit like the middle of nowhere.
0:54:41 > 0:54:45This beach is a long way from the nearest town,
0:54:45 > 0:54:48and from here the vast ocean stretches away thousands of miles
0:54:48 > 0:54:50before you hit land...
0:54:50 > 0:54:51- Look at this. - What the hell...?
0:54:51 > 0:54:55..yet it's becoming a candidate for the dirtiest beach in the world.
0:54:55 > 0:54:59- Something's been cut from... - This is some sort of plastic container.
0:54:59 > 0:55:01It's been drifting and sun-bleached.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05- It's come from the sea? - What looks like pristine sea.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08Look, it's a plastic helmet. An old...
0:55:08 > 0:55:12- A slipper. - Shoe, slipper, plastic bottles.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14Very little of this comes from Hawaii.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17This plastic comes from all over the world.
0:55:17 > 0:55:21The fact that it's on this remote island brought home to me like never before
0:55:21 > 0:55:24just how polluted our planet really is.
0:55:24 > 0:55:28- Look at this. - And this is after a clean-up.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33The first time that I came to this beach, the debris problem was so bad
0:55:33 > 0:55:35you couldn't even see the rocks along most of this beach.
0:55:35 > 0:55:39It was covered in just... tons of plastic.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43Plastic doesn't degrade,
0:55:43 > 0:55:46it just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49On the surface, over 50% of...
0:55:49 > 0:55:56of what we're walking on is actually little bits of decomposing plastic.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59I mean, these are tiny, Sam.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02Pink, blue, green, orange.
0:56:03 > 0:56:07But there's white bits here that could be plastic, they might be sand.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11I mean, this plastic is becoming the beach.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13The beach is becoming plastic.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15And look, it's not just on the surface, either.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17It would be one thing if it were.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23But the deeper you go, the more plastic you get.
0:56:23 > 0:56:27It's the smallest issue, the smallest problem
0:56:27 > 0:56:31I think I've seen on my journey around the Tropic,
0:56:31 > 0:56:34and yet it's the biggest one as well.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37The fact we're soiling our nest.
0:56:37 > 0:56:41As fast as the beach is cleaned,
0:56:41 > 0:56:44it fills up again with a seemingly endless supply of rubbish.
0:56:44 > 0:56:47It really is devastating,
0:56:47 > 0:56:52not just because this crap is here on these beaches,
0:56:52 > 0:56:55but because of what this signifies
0:56:55 > 0:56:58and where this has come from.
0:56:58 > 0:57:01It's coming from the great Pacific Ocean.
0:57:01 > 0:57:04There is now this garbage dump floating around in the middle of the sea,
0:57:04 > 0:57:06in the largest ocean on Earth,
0:57:06 > 0:57:11and sending this kind of trash to every island in the Pacific.
0:57:11 > 0:57:14We're in the US, we're in the world's richest country.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17If this can't be stopped here...
0:57:19 > 0:57:23..what chance is there for the rest of the countries in the tropics
0:57:23 > 0:57:27or other countries around the world, for that matter?
0:57:27 > 0:57:29It was a troubling end to my journey.
0:57:29 > 0:57:31I'd travelled for more than six months
0:57:31 > 0:57:33through an extraordinary region of the world.
0:57:35 > 0:57:39I'd visited 18 countries, seen amazing wildlife...
0:57:39 > 0:57:41Ohh!
0:57:41 > 0:57:43..and met some wonderful people.
0:57:44 > 0:57:47But more than anything, the journey had made me realise
0:57:47 > 0:57:51we're running out of time to protect life on this beautiful planet.
0:57:53 > 0:57:58So, this is it - my final walk, the end of the journey.
0:57:58 > 0:58:01Come all the way round the planet.
0:58:01 > 0:58:03Mexico's in that direction.
0:58:03 > 0:58:07That's where I started the journey many, many months ago.
0:58:12 > 0:58:17Well, I've seen so much during my travels through the tropics.
0:58:17 > 0:58:22So much poverty, so much suffering, but also so much beauty as well,
0:58:22 > 0:58:25so much to cherish, so much to protect.
0:58:25 > 0:58:29It really is the most incredible region of the world.
0:58:30 > 0:58:36I'm in love with the tropics, and I can only hope... that one day I'll return.
0:58:55 > 0:58:58Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd