O Bow Street i Bolifia Dylan ar Daith

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-Adventurous Welsh people have

-explored the world for centuries.

-Many have chronicled their stories

-in words, pictures and maps.

-I'm researching their testimony

-and following in their footsteps...

-..to some of the world's

-most interesting places.

-They explored remote areas...

-..without knowing

-who or what they'd encounter.

-They saw stunning scenery

-and met memorable people...

-..each one venturing

-in different ways...

-..by challenging dangers

-and the prejudices of the time.

-Each one has a story to tell.

-First, I'll follow a diplomat who

-was a keen photographer and climber.

-I'm heading to Bolivia where he was

-caught up in a bloody revolution.

-The first reason for coming here

-was the realisation...

-..that a man from Ceredigion

-was a prominent diplomat...

-..in numerous countries

-in Central and South America.

-He ended his career as Britain's

-first Ambassador to Bolivia...

-..working in the capital city

-La Paz.

-I also learnt that he had written

-books about his experiences.

-Those books were filled with

-striking photographs he had taken.

-When T Ifor Rees

-lived in La Paz in the 1940s...

-..it was a very different city

-to the one you see today.

-There were no

-modern, luxurious buildings.

-These slopes were bare until

-the homes of the poorest people...

-..were built upon them.

-All that existed

-was the centre and a new district...

-..where the Embassy was housed.

-Finally, Ifor Rees lived here

-during troubled times.

-Bolivia was on the threshold between

-the old and the modern world.

-The country's changed significantly,

-while remaining the same.

-From the Amazon to the Andes...

-..from the tropics

-to snow capped mountains...

-..this is a country of extremities.

-Here is one extremity -

-La Paz is the world highest capital.

-It's almost 12,000 feet

-above sea level.

-The air is thin

-and oxygen is scarce.

-Beyond La Paz is the Altiplano,

-the flat plains of the Andes.

-The mountains capture the eyes.

-Before exploring the city

-and the country...

-..I'm visiting Illimani, one of

-Bolivia's most sacred mountains...

-..which gave its name and photo

-to Ifor Rees's second book.

-The mountain seems to be keeping

-its eye on La Paz and the area.

-Illimani was one of the first things

-that Ifor Rees noticed in 1945.

-At the time, he was

-the British Consul to Bolivia.

-What struck me first

-was all the indigenous people.

-Of all South America's

-major cities...

-..the concentration of

-indigenous people is greater here.

-In Bolivia, they make up

-two-thirds of the population.

-One of them

-is the country's President.

-He has granted recognition

-to 36 native languages.

-The two most spoken,

-Quechua and Aymara...

-..are each first languages

-to more than two million people.

-Ifor Rees was enchanted

-by the city and its people.

-This is clear from his photographs.

-He took a photo

-of almost everything he saw.

-One of the ideas I had

-coming here...

-..was to find

-the exact vantage points...

-..from where Rees took his photos.

-He had one of La Paz Cathedral.

-It was taken from here, the San

-Francisco Monastery bell tower.

-Today, many buildings

-lie between us and the church.

-I won't manage to take

-the exact photo.

-There are more buildings

-and more people.

-This scene captures the city's

-character where two worlds collide.

-The traffic can endanger lives

-if you don't know the rules.

-There's poverty and social problems.

-This is epitomized

-in the guise of these zebras.

-They're young people

-who have been convicted...

-..but have been given

-a second chance...

-..by being employed

-as traffic controllers.

-Results have been mixed

-but the zebras put on a great show.

-I visited a quieter place to

-learn more about Ifor Rees's work.

-He was a Consul

-and Ambassador to Bolivia.

-I'm meeting Gomez Montenegro, former

-Bolivian Ambassador to Britain.

-Welcome. It is a traditional

-Bolivian club.

-At the La Union Club, knowing

-or being related to someone...

-..is essential to gain entry.

-In Ifor Rees's day...

-..this was the most important

-social centre...

-..for diplomats,

-politicians and money men

-This was the social centre

-of La Paz...

-..of the very, very exclusive club.

-What is the role of a diplomat

-in a foreign country?

-You are first the eyes, the ears and

-even the smell of your government.

-But what do diplomats discuss

-in places like this?

-Gossip!

-Usually, you cross information,

-you know...

-..about things,

-especially the political situation.

-Some of Ifor Rees's photos

-show formal parties and dinners.

-He was responsible for organising

-many and was a guest at others.

-Were these occasions part

-of his work or the social life?

-The cocktail parties, the formal

-dinners are tools of the trade.

-You have to be there,

-it's where you get information...

-..the real information.

-Understanding that background was

-part of Leusa Fflur's research...

-..when she wrote

-her PhD essay on Ifor Rees.

-How were you introduced

-to Ifor Rees?

-I happened upon his books

-by chance...

-..while researching travel books

-in the Welsh language.

-I fell in love

-with the contents of these volumes.

-They're full of colourful photos,

-some in black and white...

-..on volcanoes

-and indigenous people.

-Ifor Rees's travel journals

-are a record of his life...

-..working in France, Venezuela,

-Nicaragua, Spain...

-..Mexico, Cuba, Italy

-and finally, Bolivia.

-When Ifor Rees moved to Bolivia...

-..he took his 23-year-old daughter,

-Morfudd, with him.

-She assumed the role

-of the Ambassador's wife.

-The family

-had travelled extensively with Ifor.

-When Ifor moved to Bolivia,

-his son needed special care.

-Elizabeth Rees and three

-of their children stayed in Wales.

-Morfudd moved to La Paz.

-Morfudd now lives in the old family

-home in Bow Street, Aberystwyth.

-Hello, how are you?

-She's surrounded by thousands

-and thousands of photographs...

-..of her father's travels.

-She still remembers the parties

-described by Senor Montenegro.

-There were a lot

-of cocktail parties at the time.

-Every Embassy

-would host cocktail parties.

-Different countries.

-We were invited to them all.

-What was your role when a party

-was held in the British Embassy?

-I'd welcome the guests.

-Did you like that role?

-Did you like the parties?

-I can't say

-I was born for that role!

-Hostess with the mostest

-isn't my favourite occupation.

-Over 60 years later,

-and a world apart...

-..Morfudd isn't sure

-where they lived in La Paz...

-..but her memories and the photos

-gave me an idea of the area.

-There are at least two photos

-of the main street, El Prado.

-It remains the main street

-to this day.

-Both photos have been taken

-from different angles.

-We think that one was taken

-from the British Embassy.

-The city has changed dramatically

-since then.

-The buildings have changed,

-their numbers have changed...

-..and the original building

-has been demolished.

-The current British Embassy

-have no answers.

-Senor Montenegro

-has a childhood memory...

-..of the British presence

-being near here.

-Ifor Rees most definitely worked

-in this area...

-..and here he witnessed

-dramatic events after the war.

-I think Ifor Rees's time

-in central and South America...

-..was a troubled time

-in terms of the period's politics.

-There was great political upheaval

-during his final period in Bolivia.

-Like many

-South American countries...

-..Bolivia has swung

-between left and right...

-..military rule and democracy.

-The swinging of the pendulum

-had often resulted in bloodshed.

-Ifor Rees and Morfudd

-arrived in 1944.

-Within two years,

-the situation was serious.

-They were there when the country's

-President was assassinated.

-This statue commemorates the

-most dramatic event of Rees's stay.

-It's Gualberto Villarroel,

-the assassinated president.

-Ifor Rees knew him well.

-As President,

-he had begun the process...

-..of transferring power and wealth

-to the poor, indigenous people.

-In July 1946,

-after months of upheaval...

-..his enemies stormed the palace,

-captured the President...

-..assassinated him and threw his

-body from the balcony to the street.

-Another group grabbed his body

-and hung it from a lamp post...

-..as a warning to all who passed.

-Today, the stone

-at the foot of the statue...

-..suggests that he was

-a martyr to his people.

-Here is the inscription.

-"I am no enemy of the rich

-but I'm a friend of the poor.

-"I wish to see freedom

-for the proletariat.

-"I'm willing to die for the cause."

-Villarroel began the process

-of giving common people a voice...

-..and died as a result.

-Did you feel in danger at all,

-during this time?

-We didn't know what was happening.

-Well, I wasn't used

-to situations like that.

-Ifor Rees and Morfudd went

-to console Villarroel's family...

-..following those tragic events.

-They were good friends through

-their political relationships.

-According to Morfudd,

-consoling the family...

-..was one of the most difficult

-things she has ever done.

-It can be argued that Evo Morales,

-the current President...

-..is Villarroel's successor.

-Some adore him,

-others are his enemies.

-International companies are wary of

-him, the USA oppose him completely.

-Just like every other President

-in Bolivia's history...

-..he is accused of corruption.

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-Since the days of Ifor Rees

-in Bolivia in the 1940s...

-..La Paz has grown dramatically

-and is home to 900,000.

-Another, larger city

-has grown above it...

-..the new city of El Alto.

-Local photographer Patricio Cook

-and I visited its market...

-..to savour this hotchpotch location

-where city and country meet.

-If there's a photo that shows how

-things have changed, this is it.

-Ifor Rees took a photo

-of the railway.

-He was standing further away

-and looking in that direction.

-A little over 60 years ago,

-there was nothing between him...

-..and La Paz and the Illimani

-and Mururata mountains.

-Today, El Alto is here.

-1.5m people,

-larger than La Paz itself.

-I'll try and take the photo

-but it will be very different.

-Spanish influence has been evident

-here for the past 400 years...

-..but the people of Aymara

-have lived here for 2,000 years.

-Along with other indigenous people,

-they are the campesinos - commoners.

-Their battle for power drives

-much of Bolivia's modern history.

-The campesinos flow

-from the country to El Alto...

-..recreating their

-social patterns here...

-..wearing their traditional

-clothes and speaking Aymara.

-They migrate from the open lands...

-..and the harsh existence

-of the Altiplano.

-I asked Ali Chambi,

-a stallholder and farmer...

-..if life was better in El Alto.

-Thank goodness, everything is good.

-We have everything.

-Thank God, or Evo.

-Thank goodness,

-but everything has changed.

-There's money, thanks to him.

-God being praised,

-thanks to Evo Morales's help.

-He transferred large sections

-of the mining and oil industry...

-..from the large corporations

-to the government.

-It was another step in a process...

-..that started during

-Villarroel and Ifor Rees's time.

-If their lives are modern

-in many ways...

-..the old traditions remain

-for many Aymarans.

-Ifor Rees witnessed this

-as we explored the country.

-As I leave La Paz,

-I witness the same.

-I'm in a sacred place.

-The highest places

-on any road are important.

-I'm at the highest point between

-La Paz and Oruro, a nearby city.

-I'm here to meet a shaman.

-Dylan.

-Victor belongs to the Aymara tribe.

-He performs blessings

-and sacrificial rituals.

-I had no idea what to expect.

-You need to break it.

-There's a way of doing this.

-The nut I broke was black -

-Victor sensed trouble in my life.

-He asked if I'd been in an accident.

-An accident in an aeroplane or car.

-A good guess when speaking

-to a man from the West...

-..in the 21st century.

-The mesa,

-the display on the small tray...

-..is created as a sacrifice

-to the gods.

-I've just been cleansed and blessed

-by the shaman, Victor.

-I can't say I feel any different...

-..but these rituals are important

-to the Aymara.

-Soon, this place will be packed

-with people like me...

-..who want to be blessed.

-August is the beginning

-of the growing season.

-Everyone wants the blessing

-of Mother Nature - Pachamama.

-They will witness

-far more than I did.

-They will sacrifice livestock -

-the llama.

-They will spread the blood

-over cars and lories to bless them.

-They will bury the carcasses

-to gain Pachamama's blessing.

-It's just a small sign of how the

-old pagan rituals still matter here.

-As I travel further from the city,

-the landscape becomes more sparse.

-Under Morales, transport links

-have improved in places.

-More land is back

-in the hands of the campesinos.

-Communities are controlled

-in the old, traditional ways.

-Morales was the first

-South American President...

-..who was part

-of the indigenous tribe.

-Ifor Rees travelled to rural areas

-to see the land and meet the people.

-In contrast to the traditional

-portrayal of a foreign diplomat...

-..he had a keen interest in the

-languages, cultures and way of life.

-He researched the languages, history

-and traditions of the countries...

-..he visited.

-I think he spoke five languages.

-He was fluent in French,

-Italian and Spanish.

-He'd also dabbled in some

-of the minority languages.

-His travel journals are full of

-stories of him visiting communities.

-He had an interest

-in their clothes and traditions.

-He empathised greatly

-with the minority groups.

-That may have come

-from the fact that he was Welsh.

-He empathised

-with nations under oppression...

-..in these large countries.

-Your father showed a great interest

-in the indigenous people.

-Oh, yes.

-He spoke Spanish fluently.

-Some of the English...

-..they didn't bother and didn't try

-to learn the language.

-Morfudd was also

-a fluent Spanish speaker.

-She witnessed her father

-meeting a cross-section of people...

-..not only the dignitaries.

-He had a good working relationship

-with them.

-Her daughters, Gwenan and Hilary can

-see in Ifor Rees's photographs...

-..his ability to get to know people.

-With people in different

-countries, there's a warmth.

-They were comfortable

-having their photo taken.

-That shows what kind of man he was.

-I saw some earlier

-from a market in Peru or somewhere.

-It was a photograph of a woman

-feeding a baby.

-You don't usually see

-photos like that.

-Especially in those days.

-I don't think many people

-owned cameras.

-Tell me about your father and his

-camera - did he take it everywhere?

-Everywhere. I can remember him

-taking two cameras.

-One with colour film

-and one with black and white.

-Black and white!

-They were black and white

-in those days!

-One of Ifor Rees's favourite places

-was Bolivia's border with Peru.

-He took countless photos and Morfudd

-insisted that I visit the area.

-Lake Titicaca, one of those magical

-places you dream of visiting.

-The world's

-highest expanse of water.

-Bolivia on one side,

-Peru on the other.

-A vast expanse of water...

-..covering an area

-half the size of Wales.

-Ifor Rees enjoyed his time here.

-He took some of his most memorable

-photographs here.

-Of the people building

-balsa boats from the bulrushes.

-Photographs of them

-rowing the boats.

-I want to recreate a modern version

-of one of the best.

-Bolivia is a huge country.

-In terms of land mass,

-it's in the world's top 30.

-A million square kilometres,

-50 times larger than Wales...

-..but only ten million people live

-here compared to our three million.

-Bolivia was part

-of the Inca empire...

-..and until around 200 years ago,

-it was under Spanish rule.

-The next conquerors were the

-large international corporations.

-Coming from rural Wales,

-it was natural for Ifor Rees...

-..to take an interest in rural life.

-He'd meet local people and watch

-them farming and preparing food.

-He wrote about the grain quinoa,

-a potato called occa...

-..and chuno,

-freeze-dried mashed potato.

-He also showed an interest

-in the animals.

-He took numerous photos,

-and in particular...

-..the king of the animals

-in the Andes, the llama.

-Ifor Rees's knowledge

-of the countries he visited...

-..was more wide-ranging

-than that of other travel writers.

-He was almost an adopted member

-of the indigenous tribes he visited.

-As you would expect

-from a Welshman...

-..there are many religious buildings

-in his photos.

-He believed that Christianity

-was a good influence on Bolivians.

-For more than 400 years,

-since the Spaniards first arrived...

-..the Catholic Church

-has been a major influence.

-Its beliefs have been combined

-with local traditions.

-Ifor Rees had noticed this too.

-There is one place more than

-any other that highlights this.

-The church of Curahuara de Carangas,

-the Sistine Chapel of the Andes.

-The murals were painted in the early

-years of the Spanish occupation...

-..by local artists under

-the instruction of the priests.

-The aim was to teach people

-through the stories of the Bible.

-Some Aymaran symbols

-can also be seen in the murals.

-Today, a military camp

-is situated next to the church.

-Soldiers and religion - two

-factors in the country's history.

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-When Ifor Rees was in Bolivia...

-..one of his duties was safeguarding

-Britain's economic welfare.

-The West were interested

-in the country's wealth.

-Tin, silver and lead

-was Bolivia's wealth.

-Ifor Rees had knowledge of mines

-such as this, Mina Pulacayo...

-..over 300 miles from La Paz.

-Like the other mines, this was run

-by three wealthy owners...

-..the Bolivian tin barons.

-Foreign countries

-also held an interest...

-..and the wealth

-flowed out of Bolivia.

-There were regular disputes

-between workers and owners.

-And the latest dispute?

-Morales has incensed the West by

-nationalising the large industries.

-Since the Spanish occupation,

-and even before then...

-..Bolivia's wealth has been built

-on precious metals.

-Foreigners invested

-and took advantage.

-At one time,

-5,000 miners worked here...

-..producing tin, silver and lead

-in extreme conditions.

-25,000 people

-lived in this barren area.

-The mine owners

-practically ran the country...

-..when Ifor Rees worked here

-as a diplomat.

-The tin barons were part of the

-nation's troubles in the 1940s...

-..opposing the left-wing leader

-Villarroel...

-..and being threatened by him.

-At one time, Ifor Rees

-found himself amidst the upheaval.

-One day, one of the tin barons,

-Victor Aramayo...

-..knocked on Ifor Rees's door.

-He asked for shelter

-in the Rees household.

-Your father helped him.

-Yes, we provided shelter

-in the Embassy.

-That night, the secret police

-visited the tin baron's house...

-..and destroyed it.

-Without a doubt, Ifor Rees

-saved Aramayo's life that day.

-With strong economic links between

-Britain and the tin barons...

-..defending them was an obvious

-step for the King's representative.

-Today, the precious metals aren't

-as precious as they once were...

-..as the gas industry

-has taken its place.

-The same questions arise again - who

-invests, who owns the resources...

-..who takes the wealth?

-Half an hour from Pulacayo is one

-of the world's greatest wonders...

-..Salar de Uyuni.

-This is no ordinary lake,

-and the surface isn't made of ice.

-It's salt. This is the world's

-largest salt lake.

-11,000 square kilometres of salt -

-an area half the size of Wales.

-They mine it from the surface -

-there's water underneath.

-It grows a little every year.

-Until now, only people from a

-neighbouring village can mine it...

-..in the traditional way,

-men and women alike.

-These are extreme conditions.

-I'm forced to wear sunglasses.

-Locals wear nothing

-to defend their eyes.

-They've overcome the challenge

-of every commercial company...

-..to take their livelihood.

-Almost 20,000 tonnes of salt

-are harvested every year.

-It's all done by hand.

-There's also lithium in the lake...

-..a precious metal

-used in batteries and aeroplanes.

-A natural wonder and traditional

-methods come under pressure...

-..as demand for it increases.

-Cars can drive across the salt lake,

-but local knowledge is needed.

-The edge of the lake is soft.

-It is only safe to exit the lake in

-some places without fear of sinking.

-There are no roads. Local drivers

-use the mountain shapes as guides.

-We crossed the lake to visit

-the village of Jirira...

-..at the foot of the Tunupa volcano.

-The village is home to

-the producers of the quinoa grain.

-One of the country's

-most profitable crops...

-..grows in this sandy, rocky

-terrain, 12,000ft above sea level.

-It stands between a salt lake

-and the sacred mountain of Tunupa.

-That's a volcano,

-this is volcanic land.

-This is why quinoa grows better here

-than anywhere else in the world.

-The Aymara use it

-for all kinds of things.

-All kinds of food and drink and

-they use the husk for washing hair.

-It is said that the Queen of Quinoa

-lives in this village.

-Dona Lupe has grown quinoa

-her entire life.

-She is proud of the fact that she

-grows a crop known as royal quinoa.

-Her language, of course, is Aymara.

-I've lived in Jirira for 43 years.

-We've grown quinoa for years,

-for ourselves...

-..when no-one else

-showed an interest in it.

-It's become a fashionable food,

-especially in America.

-The price of quinoa is good.

-Why is this quinoa

-the best in the world?

-The moisture comes

-from the salt lake.

-It also grows in the shadow of the

-volcano where the god Tunupa lives.

-It is blessed.

-But now, with its price rising...

-..fewer Bolivians

-can afford to buy it.

-When Ifor Rees was in Bolivia, he

-said its population was too scarce.

-The story is worse now.

-As is the case across the world,

-people migrate to urban areas...

-..to places such as El Alto.

-Few are willing to stay to work

-on the land in extreme conditions.

-Dona Lupe's village is empty,

-apart from her and her family.

-Other families have moved

-to the cities in search of work...

-..and better education.

-They return on festival days,

-but here, the square is empty.

-The threat to the way of life

-would have worried Ifor Rees.

-He has his own culture

-and way of life.

-He wrote in Welsh and made sure,

-despite extensive travel...

-..that it was

-his children's language.

-This is my tribute to him.

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-Bolivia is an incredible country...

-..a combination of enchanting

-culture and history...

-..to a backdrop of stunning scenery.

-The Andes

-towering over Altiplano...

-..the Amazon forests

-and this salt lake...

-..with an island covered in cacti

-at its centre.

-Some have grown by one centimetre

-a year for the past 1,000 years.

-No wonder Ifor Rees was so enchanted

-by Bolivia and its diversity.

-Very few ambassadors

-would have ventured, as he did...

-..to the remotest areas

-of the country.

-One of the first things

-Ifor Rees did in a new country...

-..was search

-for a mountaineering club.

-He took photos of mountains

-in Mexico, Nicaragua...

-..Cuba and Venezuela.

-Ifor Rees's walking trips

-weren't straightforward.

-He would climb to snow-capped

-summits or around mountains.

-Walking was his great delight.

-He would escape

-to the mountains of Altiplano.

-He would climb mountains with

-the most primitive of equipment.

-He was an adventurer.

-Once, the adventure

-turned to tragedy.

-On August 6,

-Bolivia's national day, in 1946...

-..Ifor Rees and a group

-of friends climbed Sajama...

-..one of the highest peaks of all...

-..to place the Bolivian banner

-at its summit.

-The mountain

-is over 21,000 feet high.

-He was 56 years old and the

-equipment was clumsy and primitive.

-It wasn't easy to find help

-to carry the equipment.

-"The Andes' Indians differed to

-those of the Himalayas," he said...

-"..in their attitude

-towards high mountains.

-"The snow-capped mountains

-are a taboo to the Indians.

-"It was apparent that we'd have

-to rely on our own backs."

-This is where their journey began.

-Only one crew had climbed

-this mountain before them.

-According to the photos,

-they left their lorry over there...

-..before setting off

-up the mountain.

-They stayed the first night

-just below the snow level.

-They slept the second night

-in sub-zero conditions further up.

-Ifor Rees ventured no further.

-His work was to carry

-the equipment down the mountain...

-..while three young climbers

-headed to the summit.

-Only two returned.

-Ifor Rees chronicled the story

-in a report to the Foreign Office.

-"The crew were separated

-as they headed to the summit.

-"At 2.00pm,

-two of them placed the banners...

-"..of Bolivia, America

-and Britain on the summit.

-"They started their descent...

-"..believing that Polemus, the

-American was also heading back down.

-"After completing their descent,

-it became apparent that he hadn't.

-"Soldiers were sent up

-the mountain...

-"..an US plane circled it

-several times without success."

-A note at the bottom of the letter

-suggests advising Rees...

-..not be so adventurous at his age.

-In the village of Sajana...

-..I enquire about the mountain

-that towers its inhabitants.

-"It is foolish to venture

-up the mountain," she tells me.

-"So many have died on it.

-They should leave it alone."

-The taboo Ifor Rees mentioned

-60 years ago remains to this day.

-This is Bolivia's highest mountain

-standing majestically and alone...

-..with a perfect profile.

-It is even more special

-to the Bolivians...

-..and not even Ifor Rees

-could find fault with it.

-His first book was called Sajama...

-..with a photo of the mountain

-on its cover.

-Ifor Rees flew, but in aeroplanes

-where pilots needed oxygen.

-His adventures are chronicled

-in the books...

-..as are all his other interests.

-Culture, mountains and photography.

-Back in the capital city,

-there is one more record.

-I'm at a noisy place

-called Uyuni Square...

-..in one of the city's newest areas.

-When Ifor Rees was in La Paz,

-there was nothing here.

-Today, Bolivia's national

-football ground is close by...

-..in a middle class area.

-Further down, there are

-wealthy areas - some very wealthy.

-In a significant move, this clock

-was moved from the city centre...

-..in front of the

-San Francisco Monastery...

-..to the new La Paz.

-More importantly for us is that

-Ifor Rees laid the foundation stone.

-This is one small way of remembering

-this Welshman's contribution...

-..to Bolivian life.

-Even though he was very Welsh

-in his day-to-day life...

-..Ifor Rees

-was a British representative.

-He moved in British circles

-wherever he went.

-After the 1946 revolution...

-..the situation had calmed

-in Bolivia by 1947.

-The new right-wing President

-favoured international corporations.

-The status of the country's

-British representative was enhanced.

-Ifor Rees rose from being

-a British Consul...

-..to being Britain's

-first Ambassador to Bolivia.

-Whatever the political background...

-..his promotion was testament

-to his diplomatic skills.

-This is it.

-What is it?

-This is the official confirmation

-of his appointment.

-Signed by the King.

-George.

-You sounded as if you knew him

-for a moment!

-This old station shows why Bolivia

-needed an ambassador like Ifor Rees.

-At the time,

-Great Britain and the British...

-..had important

-commercial interests here...

-..in the mining

-and railway industries.

-The two railway companies

-were owned by the British.

-This place is now a symbol

-of what happened.

-There are no trains in La Paz now.

-El Alto put a stop to that.

-British influence

-has diminished here.

-Bolivia now trades extensively

-with South American countries...

-..while Evo Morales tries to break

-the West's stranglehold.

-Patricio and I went to experience

-one example of this.

-There's no need for revolutions

-to show the spirit of independence.

-The saltenas are small,

-delicious pasties.

-They are sold on street corners

-or in local chain stores.

-They are so popular here, they have

-almost supplanted one large chain.

-There are no McDonalds in Bolivia?

-No, they closed down

-probably five, six years ago.

-A country without one McDonalds -

-the country that refused McDonalds.

-Another great wonder.

-After savouring the pasties,

-I now know why.

-Another local produce which caused

-problems during Ifor Rees's time...

-..is causing greater problems today.

-This leaf is a major part of life

-for the people of the Andes - coca.

-It's part of their ceremonies.

-They use it to make

-mate de coca tea.

-They chew is constantly to keep

-tiredness and starvation at bay.

-But this is also the leaf

-that makes cocaine.

-For decades,

-it has caused problems in Bolivia...

-..while being an important part

-of the economy.

-Some governments have tried

-to prevent illegal trading.

-Few have succeeded.

-Now, under Evo Morales,

-the coca grower...

-..its more successful than ever.

-It causes major problems

-in South America and Europe...

-..and locally, it creates fortunes

-and causes corruption.

-Ifor Rees noted in his book...

-..that the government

-knew about its properties...

-..but profit was more important

-than people's mental health.

-Beyond Bolivia's natural beauty,

-problems run deep.

-Corruption and exploitation, local

-rights and external interference...

-..attracting foreign investment

-and poverty.

-The country is changing quickly.

-The Altiplano becomes more sparse

-and El Alto spreads like a rash.

-Its sanctuary for me,

-as it was for Ifor Rees...

-..was its natural beauty.

-There's only one place to end -

-back at Illimani.

-It's a mountain that seems to have

-followed us on our journey...

-..just as it followed Ifor Rees

-during his time here.

-Life has changed since then, but he

-would still recognise some things.

-He'd recognise the rural life

-and its people.

-He'd recognise the problems -

-they are eternal problems.

-When does investment

-become exploitation.

-Who has the right

-to national wealth?

-Finally, he would recognise

-the mountains.

-They remain.

-And the greatest of them - Illimani.

-S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.

-.