0:00:59 > 0:01:05Well, certainly, and somewhat surprisingly, I'm back in the land of yaks.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09I'm in Bhutan for a last taste of the high Himalaya.
0:01:20 > 0:01:26Bhutan is a tiny pebble, squeezed between the great rocks of China and India.
0:01:26 > 0:01:33Mostly mountain and forest, it has few roads, so I'm walking up to Chomolhari, which borders on Tibet.
0:01:33 > 0:01:39My guide, Dorji, wears national costume, as men are expected to in this country.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42I favour the international dishevelled look.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53There's room to move here.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57Bhutan is the size of Switzerland, with a population of little more than a million.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05It has one of the strictest environmental policies in the world.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08More than a quarter of the country is national park,
0:02:08 > 0:02:12and not even fallen wood can be gathered without permission.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22It's a country jealous of its independence, ruled by a much-loved king
0:02:22 > 0:02:28whose declared policy is gross national happiness BEFORE gross national product.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37The influence of Buddhism is everywhere, like this dramatic cliff-top hermitage.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41A lot of holy spots seem to crop up all over Bhutan.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43What was special about here?
0:02:43 > 0:02:51'Legend claims it was founded by a saint, Guru Rinpoche, who rode here on a tigress 1,200 years ago,
0:02:51 > 0:02:56'and turned himself into something so nasty that the evil spirits fled and left the valley to Buddhism.'
0:02:56 > 0:03:00- The view.- Wow, fantastic!
0:03:14 > 0:03:16That looks like a black rat on the walls there.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19- What is it?- It's a weasel.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22- A weasel?- Yeah. You see the thing in its mouth?
0:03:22 > 0:03:28It's a precious stone. It symbolises wealth, prosperity for the house.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Oh, coming out of the mouth of a weasel. Why is that?
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- Er, because...- Is a weasel considered a lucky creature?
0:03:34 > 0:03:39Er, not the weasel, but the God of the North holds a weasel in his hands
0:03:39 > 0:03:43- that spits out precious stones.- It's so complicated.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49Gods of the North and regurgitating weasels
0:03:49 > 0:03:53are a reminder that religious symbolism is at the heart of Bhutanese life.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57If you want a safe journey, you don't pass a prayer-wheel without spinning it.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59I did one for you.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00Round, round.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07There we go.
0:04:09 > 0:04:15Bhutan has taken deliberate steps to keep tourist numbers manageable.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Visitors have to pay a minimum of 200 a day,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20even if you're staying in a tent.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35It's amazing how many people you need to enjoy
0:04:35 > 0:04:38the outdoor life.
0:04:38 > 0:04:45I mean, in order to travel through Bhutan as we are now and kind of see sort of "off-piste" Bhutan -
0:04:45 > 0:04:49there are no roads here - you need your stuff to be carried.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Hence all the horses.
0:04:51 > 0:04:58We've got about 20 ponies here, and they have to carry all the gear really -
0:04:58 > 0:05:04all the tents, the kitchen tent down there, chairs, bags, food.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07There's a great catering cavalry out there,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10taking all the stuff we'll need for lunch and then camp this evening.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17I mean, there's six of us crew, but all the rest are really the people and horses
0:05:17 > 0:05:21that help us live and move and see this wonderful country.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23All I have to do is fill my water bottle.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30Well, I don't even have to do that actually. Someone does that for me. But I drink it!
0:05:30 > 0:05:33As you can see, rather...nimbly.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41Next morning, nothing happens until platefuls of red rice flavoured with chillies -
0:05:41 > 0:05:45the magic ingredient of Bhutanese cooking - are devoured for breakfast.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51After a few days on the trail, we're out of the woods
0:05:51 > 0:05:55and into the high country, where one creature dominates.
0:05:59 > 0:06:05And every bit of the yak is used, of course, including its droppings, yeah?
0:06:05 > 0:06:09- That's for fire... Cooking... Eating, no?- No.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11We're in amongst the big peaks again.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14That's really spectacular, isn't it?
0:06:14 > 0:06:16The glacier.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Is that one of the highest in Bhutan?
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Er, no, it must be the fourth or fifth highest.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24'It amazes me that people can live here.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29'This house is at 14,500 feet, higher than the top of the Eiger.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35'It's the home of a man Dorji very much wants me to meet -
0:06:35 > 0:06:39'a poet who wrote one of Bhutan's hit songs.'
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Pleased to meet you.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Nice of you to let us drop in.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47Well, we just walked in, didn't we, really?
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Ohhh! Yeah.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53- I'm sorry, I don't know his name. - DORJI SPEAKS DZONGKA
0:06:53 > 0:06:55- Jumi Doji.- Jumi Doji.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Jumi Doji. I'm Michael.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Very nice to meet you. How old are you, sir?
0:07:04 > 0:07:08- Er, 82.- 82? He looks very good.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Very good for 82. A long life.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23So he's saying he's like the sun now. It's fading, the sun is fading.
0:07:23 > 0:07:29- His life is also on the verge of fading.- Still, he looks...
0:07:35 > 0:07:39- He's the one who composed that song, so...- Oh? He's composed...
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Would you like to hear him sing?
0:07:45 > 0:07:49He's saying, like, er, he's got old and his voice is not as good as...
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Oh, I know. Well, I would just love to hear.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56If he would like to sing, that would be wonderful. Thank you very much.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59MAN STARTS TO SING
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Thank you very much. That was really good.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52I could sing you a song about a lumberjack, but you won't want to hear that!
0:08:58 > 0:09:01- Well, it's very silly...- No, but... - OK!
0:09:04 > 0:09:08# I cut down trees I eat my lunch, I go to the lavatory
0:09:08 > 0:09:12# On Wednesdays, I go shopping and have buttered scones for tea
0:09:12 > 0:09:15# I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK, I cut down... #
0:09:15 > 0:09:19I can't even remember it, and I wrote the thing!
0:09:19 > 0:09:23Oh, it goes something like that, but it's not as nice as your yak...
0:09:26 > 0:09:31We could go on tour together. Let's go on tour together. You sing your song and I'll do...
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Yeah, well, thank you.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07Tonight, we'll be staying at Chomolhari base camp.
0:10:07 > 0:10:13We've arrived at the highest point on our trek, where the mountain trails lead into Tibet.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18Beautiful place for a site, isn't it? It's quite enclosed.
0:10:18 > 0:10:19This is one of the best camps...
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Yeah. And this is permanent?
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Well, obviously, yeah.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25Yeah.
0:10:46 > 0:10:52How many days before we start to go down now, really, and how many days before we get to Paro?
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Oh, about, er, three days from now we'll be in Paro.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00- Three days?- Yeah. For the festival. We'll be there for the festival.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05- Yeah. So that's kind of pretty much downhill from here?- Yeah, downhill all the way.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14That's not so bad. It's nice up here, kind of enclosed.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30'In the morning, the sight of the mountain passes behind us as we load
0:11:30 > 0:11:36'makes me feel a kinship for those who, for centuries, have kept trade routes open across the Himalaya.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38'It must be in the blood.
0:11:38 > 0:11:44'Men of the mountains doggedly shifting food, clothes, animals and God knows what.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47'For me, unfortunately, it's only one-way traffic.'
0:11:47 > 0:11:51This is a bit of a sad moment, cos up there behind the clouds
0:11:51 > 0:11:56is probably the last of the great Himalayan peaks that I shall see on this journey - Chomolhari,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59about 24,000 feet, just over 7,000 metres.
0:11:59 > 0:12:04I'll miss the big mountains and, I mean, nowadays, I think those are the only mountains in the world.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Anything less than 20,000 feet is just tiny.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12So, farewell, the big monumental Himalayan peaks. Farewell, Chomolhari.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Oh-ah!
0:13:29 > 0:13:32This is just the great joyful moment of trekking -
0:13:32 > 0:13:36partly getting to the end of the trail, but then finding you're by a river...
0:13:36 > 0:13:41and a bath for the feet. Ahh!
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Wow, it's icy cold glacier water.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Looks a bit muddy, but it actually is probably pure,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52and it's such a relief.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57That's the joy of trekking by the river, really.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01If it was warmer, I'd probably have a swim.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Oh, that's just lovely.
0:14:04 > 0:14:05Ah, ah, ah... Those rocks.
0:14:05 > 0:14:12We did about 15 kilometres, maybe 20 kilometres, today, 18 kilometres yesterday.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16It's a lot of work for the old feet only used to going up and down stairs.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Trekking is a great leveller.
0:14:20 > 0:14:26The river is everyone's bath and the horses are our indispensable companions.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Dawn beside the Paro River.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Another day, another of the world's great campsites,
0:14:48 > 0:14:52another early-morning call with another cup of "bed tea".
0:14:58 > 0:15:03Oh, yes. One of the advantages of trekking is that you are absolutely knocked out
0:15:03 > 0:15:09by the time night comes, and I've slept better here than I probably ever do in London.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12The only slight disadvantage is bodily hygiene.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15I don't think I've actually seen my body for several days,
0:15:15 > 0:15:20so when I get back to Paro later, there'll probably be a bit of sand-blasting needed.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Otherwise, it's not a bad life, I say reluctantly.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33What more could we want?
0:15:33 > 0:15:40Horses get ready to carry our bags, there's dried yak buttock for breakfast, no queue for the bathroom
0:15:40 > 0:15:43and time for a leisurely discussion of what lies ahead.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47The intention is to go to this festival.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49What is the festival and how important is it?
0:15:49 > 0:15:53Er, the festival is very important to the people.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55It has a very religious significance.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57At the same time, it's...
0:15:57 > 0:16:02it's a time for the people to, like, wear their best dress and mess around.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07It's like a holiday, but it's got very... A lot of religious significance.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15The Buddhists of Bhutan are different from those in Tibet.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Their spiritual leader is the Je Khenpo.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22The Dalai Lama has no authority and has never even been here.
0:16:22 > 0:16:27In fact Dorji boasts of famous Bhutanese victories over the Tibetans,
0:16:27 > 0:16:32whose armies made repeated attempts to invade his country down the very trails we're walking today.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43- Safe journey.- Safe journey.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49Another day's foot-slogging brings us to the outskirts of Paro.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53- Uh-oh. Tired?- This is what we've been aiming for all these days.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55Yes, I am tired.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59I'm very tired. Well, my legs are tired.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02My brain...switched off long ago.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Oh, wow. Nice to see a village.
0:17:10 > 0:17:11That's rather beautiful.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15- The road...- Yeah. Is that Paro on the...?- Yeah.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20'The great castle, or dzong, at Paro dominates the valley,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23'and it's where the tsechu festival will begin tomorrow.'
0:17:28 > 0:17:32Is it considered essential to go to the tsechu?
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Er, it's not essential, but it's, er...
0:17:36 > 0:17:40of very religious significance. It's very important.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Right, so if you go, you get a few... A bit of merit.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46'Tsechu means "tenth",
0:17:46 > 0:17:49'the day of the month when Guru Rinpoche's great deeds took place.'
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Market, as well. Opportunity for everyone
0:17:54 > 0:17:57to either watch, eat, consume, buy, sell...
0:17:57 > 0:17:59HE CHANTS
0:17:59 > 0:18:06'The way up to the castle is lined with monks offering blessings for money and packs of stray dogs.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11'In a Buddhist country, all life is sacred so they're free to be a complete nuisance.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13'The dogs, I mean, not the monks.'
0:18:16 > 0:18:21How many people do they expect for the opening day?
0:18:21 > 0:18:23Er, maybe about 2,000.
0:18:23 > 0:18:29- Really?- Yeah.- Mostly Bhutanese?- Yes. Mostly local.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38'As the opening dances begin, everyone tries to grab the best vantage point.
0:18:40 > 0:18:46'You can't reserve seats, largely because there are none, except for senior monks and their families.'
0:19:23 > 0:19:26It's a long dance. What are they actually doing in the dance?
0:19:26 > 0:19:30There's a lot of hand gestures, more or less symbolising lot of things.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35But they're basically purifying the area?
0:19:35 > 0:19:41'Dorji tells me that the long-sleeved tunics were once cover for an assassination.'
0:19:41 > 0:19:44One saint was doing a dance,
0:19:44 > 0:19:49and there was an anti-Buddhist king in Tibet,
0:19:49 > 0:19:54so he got his bow and arrow from his sleeve and shot the king.
0:19:54 > 0:19:59So, that's why they're actually symbolic, these long sleeves.
0:20:07 > 0:20:13In a country with few theatres or cinemas, which has only had television for five years,
0:20:13 > 0:20:18this festival is, quite apart from any religious significance, riveting entertainment.
0:20:27 > 0:20:33Monarchy and religion, the twin pillars of Bhutanese society, come together here
0:20:33 > 0:20:38in the Queen Mother's Chapel, to which I've been invited to watch evening prayers.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44Music is played and candles are lit to warn off harmful spirits.
0:20:58 > 0:21:05I have plenty of time to study the sumptuous decorations, contemplate my own impermanence
0:21:05 > 0:21:07and the awful fragility of human life.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33Next morning, the atmosphere is anything but reflective
0:21:33 > 0:21:38as Dorji and I join the crowds for the second day of the festival.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Everything seems to be uphill in Buddhism!
0:21:42 > 0:21:43It's a steep religion!
0:21:43 > 0:21:50And Bhutan, yeah. Well, I suppose it's cos Buddhism is very much a Himalayan religion, anyway,
0:21:50 > 0:21:57so anywhere you go is going to be... Temples will be built high up on the hill.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Oh, wow, look at this.
0:22:01 > 0:22:06It's amazing. Bhutan, there's so few people in the country, yet here we are - they're all here!
0:22:06 > 0:22:09It's like Wembley Cup Final.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14It's a small place, all cramped, but on the whole, it's a very small population.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19Everybody dressed up. I mean, it's wonderful what... Everyone's got their best stuff on.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Lovely, yeah.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41It's quite tempting, all that.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43What do you recommend?
0:22:43 > 0:22:44Have a dumpling.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Oh, yeah.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Yeah, OK, lovely.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51How much are they?
0:22:51 > 0:22:54- 25.- 25.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Well, OK, thank you.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Some chilli...
0:23:01 > 0:23:03That chilli looks dangerous.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05I love chilli.
0:23:15 > 0:23:21The highlight of today's festivities is the Dance Of The Judgment Of The Dead.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27The God of the Dead, surrounded by his attendants, listens to mortals,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31weighs up their good and bad actions, and judges them accordingly.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38The dances are a test of stamina for audience and participants alike.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07Away from the main arena, there are reassuringly familiar things to be found -
0:24:07 > 0:24:12a car park, portable cinemas showing the local blockbusters,
0:24:12 > 0:24:14and even Bhutanese bingo.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Four and nine - 49.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25Eight and five - 85.
0:24:25 > 0:24:30Anyone? OK, go on. Un-lucky, un-lucky...
0:24:30 > 0:24:35The star attraction is archery, which I watch with the King's cousin, Ashi Khendum.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41- Almost. That was quite close.- Was it? How do you know? How can you see? You can tell.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43You sort of get used to it.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47You can tell from just the movements of the people there...
0:24:47 > 0:24:50'Archery is the national sport of Bhutan.
0:24:50 > 0:24:55'Players are allowed, even encouraged, to do everything they can to put off their opponents.'
0:24:55 > 0:24:58He's a baby!
0:24:58 > 0:25:05Take it easy, man. # Don't let me down!
0:25:05 > 0:25:07# Don't let me down...! #
0:25:07 > 0:25:09'The sport is played at the highest level.
0:25:09 > 0:25:15'This team, drawn from Bhutan's elite, contains bankers and cabinet ministers,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18'not afraid to let whatever hair they have down.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36'On the last day of tsechu, crowds gather at the dzong before dawn
0:25:36 > 0:25:40'to witness the most important event of the festival,
0:25:40 > 0:25:44'a rare chance to see one of the great treasures of Himalayan Buddhism -
0:25:44 > 0:25:47'a tapestry the height of a five-storey building.
0:25:53 > 0:26:01'To avoid damage by sunlight, the tapestry, called a thongdrol, is unveiled before daybreak.
0:26:01 > 0:26:07'By the light of butter lamps, it's possible to make out a throng of monks and pilgrims.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17'For such a devotional people, this is a hugely significant event,
0:26:17 > 0:26:22'attended by the abbot and senior monks in full panoply.
0:26:22 > 0:26:28'Thongdrol means "liberation by sight", and just to be in its presence earns enormous merit.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40'As sunrise approaches, the crowd surges forward to be blessed.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43'Anywhere but Bhutan, a crush like this would be frightening.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49'But this is not a crush of triumphant winners or angry losers,
0:26:49 > 0:26:54'but a crowd united, in a very Buddhist way, in looking for a better life...
0:26:54 > 0:26:56'either this time or next time around.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09'Thimpu is the capital of Bhutan.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11'With traffic police doing tai chi,
0:27:11 > 0:27:15'women wearing the distinctive national dress and monks shopping,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18'this is not quite like any other capital I've known.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22'But behind the facade of metropolitan Buddhism,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25'there are places where confused Westerners won't feel out of place.
0:27:32 > 0:27:39'At this downtown snooker club, there's chance of a decent drink and a gossip at the bar.
0:27:39 > 0:27:44'Benji Dorji, sometime Chief Justice, Minister of Health and of Education,
0:27:44 > 0:27:48'is introduced to me by his cousin Khendum, who I met at the archery.'
0:27:51 > 0:27:57This is a rather nice lifestyle which I'm not so sure I expected in Bhutan.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Here we are, having a drink and then playing pool,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04and it's a very tolerant, slightly laid-back bar-type atmosphere.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08Is this compatible with the principles of Buddhism?
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Yes, of course. Tolerance, happiness...
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Is that what it's about?
0:28:12 > 0:28:16- So...- Everybody knows everybody. - Yeah.
0:28:16 > 0:28:22- Now, that's interesting... - Yes, and also everybody should just do what makes them happy and...
0:28:22 > 0:28:23- Really?- Do their own thing.
0:28:23 > 0:28:28Do their own thing. Without being judgmental or very, you know, conservative.
0:28:28 > 0:28:33Are you a practising Buddhist? I mean, do you go to temple and all that?
0:28:33 > 0:28:35Yes, yes, I do. Yeah, very much so.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37So, you exert your...
0:28:37 > 0:28:40For us, Buddhism is a way of life, more than a religion.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44It's, you know, more a part of everyday life.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48It's not something that you think about and do. Just comes naturally.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Hmm. And do you think about it? I mean, you...
0:28:51 > 0:28:53Now and then, I think about it!
0:28:54 > 0:29:00Because we're, you know... We're from the West, so we're riddled with guilt, basically.
0:29:00 > 0:29:05- We don't have that. No.- Well, I'm multi-denominational, so I only think about God when I'm in trouble!
0:29:08 > 0:29:11So you think about him quite a lot, do you?!
0:29:11 > 0:29:13Not all of us are like that!
0:29:13 > 0:29:16You know, it's just easy.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22But do you believe that, you know, in incarnation?
0:29:22 > 0:29:27- That, you know, you'll be something else in another life and you'll... - Me personally?- Yes.
0:29:27 > 0:29:28I'm not sure.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32I have this little problem with reincarnation.
0:29:32 > 0:29:38I think some people definitely are reincarnated
0:29:38 > 0:29:43and have had other lives and are aware and, you know, they're very spiritual and holy.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47I don't think all of us are destined for greatness
0:29:47 > 0:29:51and I don't think all of us will be reincarnated or that we had another life
0:29:51 > 0:29:53or that we'll ever know about it, even if we did.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56I thought that was a basic element of Buddhism.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59It is. It is, of course it is, but I personally don't...
0:29:59 > 0:30:05I can't reconcile my belief, my practising of Buddhism, with that aspect of it.
0:30:07 > 0:30:08That's an unusual thought.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10It is unusual, really. I mean...
0:30:10 > 0:30:13But I know what I'd like to be reborn as -
0:30:13 > 0:30:19as a black, seven-foot-six basketball player who earns a lot of money!
0:30:20 > 0:30:23You're gonna have to work rather harder than...
0:30:23 > 0:30:25You might be a little, you, you know...
0:30:25 > 0:30:29He'll be a cockroach in his next...
0:30:29 > 0:30:33He might be a nine-foot, basketball-playing cockroach!
0:30:33 > 0:30:35Thank you. Thank you very much!
0:30:44 > 0:30:48Benji's passion has always been the environment,
0:30:48 > 0:30:52and he's taking me to a remote valley to show me his favourite project.
0:30:56 > 0:31:02The road runs east from Thimphu towards Phobjika Valley in the Black Mountains.
0:31:02 > 0:31:08Beyond that, to the south and east, lies my final destination - Bangladesh.
0:31:14 > 0:31:15Quite a good road.
0:31:15 > 0:31:21Yes, you know, till about 30 years ago, there wasn't a road here,
0:31:21 > 0:31:25and you had to
0:31:25 > 0:31:31take pack ponies, riding horses, and it would take you days
0:31:31 > 0:31:38on the old trail to get to wherever you wanted to go.
0:31:38 > 0:31:43Because this, I mean, this is a main link, this is a main road through the centre of...
0:31:43 > 0:31:47Yes, it's a main link through the centre of Bhutan, linking east to west.
0:31:52 > 0:31:56'Bhutan is conditioned mentally and physically by the Himalaya.
0:31:56 > 0:32:01'Mountain ranges split the country into a series of steep valleys,
0:32:01 > 0:32:04'each with their own character and often their own climate.
0:32:04 > 0:32:09'On the other side of this 10,000-foot pass, we leave the snow behind.
0:32:18 > 0:32:25'This is the Phobjika Valley, winter home of one of the world's rarest birds, the black-necked crane.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29'Most elegant of all Himalayan birds, they fly here from lands to the north,
0:32:29 > 0:32:33'attracted by the marshy wetland of the valley.
0:32:33 > 0:32:38'Benji has fought successfully to preserve their habitat from being drained by local farmers.'
0:32:38 > 0:32:41They look quite grand, the houses, quite spacious.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45Are they quite prosperous, farmers here?
0:32:45 > 0:32:47Not necessarily, not necessarily.
0:32:47 > 0:32:54You know, houses are built by communities, so they all get together and build houses for each other.
0:32:54 > 0:32:59If I'm building a house, everybody comes, they'll all come and help me build my house.
0:32:59 > 0:33:04So, all the people build each other's houses and they share the cost.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13In Bhutan, every farmhouse looks like a small manor,
0:33:13 > 0:33:17and by law, all must be built to a traditional design.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21- Wood, mainly wood, and then what? - And mud.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23The lower part is all mud.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25They build first the foundation.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29They don't have a foundation as such as a Western house.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32They put the stones down, then they compact mud down.
0:33:32 > 0:33:38Thick wall, it's a very thick wall of mud, and then on top it's wood.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40It's all handmade.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42You know, the wooden...
0:33:42 > 0:33:46And, of course, most houses in western Bhutan have the phallic symbol.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49I know. That's a wonderfully drawn phallus, isn't it?
0:33:49 > 0:33:54It's to ward off evil and for prosperity and protection.
0:33:54 > 0:34:00So, that's actually a fertility symbol, with the sperm coming out and all that...
0:34:00 > 0:34:04'There are half a dozen painted penises in this village alone.
0:34:04 > 0:34:09'They were inspired by a 16th-century religious hero called Drukpa Kunley,
0:34:09 > 0:34:12' "the Divine Madman", who walked the length of the country
0:34:12 > 0:34:18'preaching and, as far as one can tell, practising his fervent brand of phallocentricity.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20'And no-one here bats an eyelid.'
0:34:23 > 0:34:26So Michael, this is a typical Bhutanese stair.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28As you can see, it's very steep.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31There's an art to going up it.
0:34:31 > 0:34:36'The staircase is really nothing more than a tree-trunk with a few notches in it.'
0:34:36 > 0:34:37They didn't finish the steps!
0:34:37 > 0:34:42So now you're about to enter a typical Bhutanese village house.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51'A family of five shares the house.
0:34:51 > 0:34:57'Dawa Zangma, the youngest of three sisters, is about to go to boarding school in a bigger town.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00'She helps the family income by weaving.
0:35:02 > 0:35:07'She can make a kira, the long skirt with incredibly complex textures and colours, in a week.'
0:35:09 > 0:35:14- No knives and forks. - But there's no knives and forks traditionally, so what we do is
0:35:14 > 0:35:19we take the rice and we make it in, fold it into a ball...
0:35:19 > 0:35:26We make it into a ball and then clean our hands with it, and then you can also use it to clean your dress.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30- It takes off all the dust... - So you wash yourself with the rice ball?
0:35:30 > 0:35:35- And then you eat it?!- No, you don't eat it!- Nice rich texture!
0:35:37 > 0:35:42Now, Michael, there's an art to going down these stairs.
0:35:42 > 0:35:47You have to sort of lean back a little bit, keep your body upright, and then slide down.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51I'll follow your advice.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53Keep your feet a little...
0:35:53 > 0:35:59- There we go.- They obviously don't drink much in Bhutan, do they? - How are you doing? Huh?
0:35:59 > 0:36:03They obviously don't drink much in Bhutan, or they wouldn't make stairs like that!
0:36:03 > 0:36:05Very nice.
0:36:12 > 0:36:18Next morning, the weather's perfect and we have a clear view of the elusive black-necks.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21Despite the Buddhist love of all God's creatures,
0:36:21 > 0:36:24Benji got a cool response when he first tried to have them protected.
0:36:24 > 0:36:29The government refused to stop draining the marsh for a mere 20 birds.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32Benji went out and counted 80 of them.
0:36:32 > 0:36:33This changed their minds.
0:36:33 > 0:36:38A reserve was set up, and now some 300 come here every year.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41There's 19 of them there.
0:36:41 > 0:36:46- Yeah, then you'll see about... I can spot about three young ones. - How do you tell the young ones?
0:36:46 > 0:36:50They're a little smaller and grey in colour,
0:36:50 > 0:36:52greyish in colour.
0:36:52 > 0:36:59- And...- They're handsome. You can see black. A black head and neck. Totally black head and neck.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03Why are they so important, Benji, this particular bird?
0:37:03 > 0:37:08Well, you know, these birds sort of...
0:37:08 > 0:37:14When they arrive at the end of October, early November, when they all get here, it's sort of...
0:37:14 > 0:37:16- They arrive from where?- From Tibet.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18They come from Tibet.
0:37:18 > 0:37:23And so they, they circle this monastery, so people think it's auspicious,
0:37:23 > 0:37:27- that there's some linkage between the monastery and the birds.- Right.
0:37:27 > 0:37:33- Cos there's a lot of sort of religious symbols round here, the prayer flag and...- Yeah.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36So they do think they're somehow sacred or...?
0:37:36 > 0:37:42The balance sort of feels much better here
0:37:42 > 0:37:44- than in India or wherever.- Buddhist philosophy,
0:37:44 > 0:37:48holistic approach, that all life is interconnected.
0:37:50 > 0:37:56The cynic in me says, "Try telling that to the farmers who are trying to make a living from this valley."
0:37:56 > 0:37:59But cynicism doesn't work in Bhutan.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03It seems out of place in this small, well-ordered kingdom.
0:38:03 > 0:38:08So long as gross national product remains less important than gross national happiness,
0:38:08 > 0:38:10the future looks pretty good.
0:38:12 > 0:38:18From Bhutan, there's only a narrow bit of India to cross before my last frontier.
0:38:18 > 0:38:24I'm now in Bangladesh, a vast alluvial plane created by the Himalayan rivers.
0:38:24 > 0:38:30I shall follow them from Sylhet in the north, through Dhaka, the capital, and onto the Bay of Bengal.
0:38:30 > 0:38:35I've come from a kingdom to a republic, from one of the oldest nations to one of the newest,
0:38:35 > 0:38:39from a million people to 135 million.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45Good afternoon, sir.
0:38:45 > 0:38:50That's my Bangladeshi passport - my Bangladeshi, visa I should say - and my British passport.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53Bangladesh has had a hard life.
0:38:53 > 0:38:59It won independence from Pakistan in 1971 amidst war, massacre and famine,
0:38:59 > 0:39:02which few in the West even noticed.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04George Harrison was an exception.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12# Bangladesh
0:39:12 > 0:39:15# Bangladesh
0:39:15 > 0:39:20# Where so many people
0:39:20 > 0:39:23# Are dying fast
0:39:23 > 0:39:26# And it sure looks like a mess
0:39:26 > 0:39:31# I've never seen such distress... #
0:39:31 > 0:39:37From the air, you can see the root cause of so many of the country's problems.
0:39:37 > 0:39:42This is the dry season, but even now, most of the land is barely above water.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46# ..Bangladesh
0:39:46 > 0:39:49# Bangladesh... #
0:39:49 > 0:39:56Huge rivers and torrential monsoons keep Bangladesh both fertile and fragile.
0:40:03 > 0:40:09Not far from the border, rivers are already being farmed, providing a livelihood
0:40:09 > 0:40:15for those prepared to scour their waters, not for metals or minerals, but just for stones.
0:40:17 > 0:40:23Whoa! Boulders like these are Bangladesh's bounty from the Himalaya.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27They're washed down from the foothills and gather here where the waters hit the plane.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31In a country that has no stone quarries of any kind,
0:40:31 > 0:40:36these offerings are extremely valuable. There's really money in them there rocks.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40But not much money for those who gather them.
0:40:40 > 0:40:45For a day's hard labour, unskilled workers earn the equivalent of 70 pence.
0:40:49 > 0:40:55Despite this, thousands of people are desperate enough to work this river day in and day out
0:40:55 > 0:41:00to serve a building boom down south that they have no share in.
0:41:06 > 0:41:11But money has poured into the town of Sylhet from a group of people known as "the Londonis",
0:41:11 > 0:41:16enterprising Bangladeshis who've made small fortunes from running restaurants in London.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24Brick Lane has become marble and stone.
0:41:29 > 0:41:34So this is, this is your... your newest house?
0:41:34 > 0:41:40'Abdul Rahman made his money selling chickens in Birmingham, and this is what the chickens bought -
0:41:40 > 0:41:44'15 state-of-the-art apartments for his family.
0:41:44 > 0:41:49'Should his family want to relinquish any of them, he wouldn't be short of a buyer.
0:41:49 > 0:41:54'So much money is coming back to Sylhet that land here, he claims,
0:41:54 > 0:41:56'is more expensive than London or New York.'
0:41:59 > 0:42:05My ambition is to tell you I start from two chicken.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07Business.
0:42:07 > 0:42:14Then fast, big amount I sell - 300...chicken.
0:42:14 > 0:42:19In the end, 12,000 chicken I sell. Finish.
0:42:19 > 0:42:27'Abdul Rahman paved the way for many fortunes when he obtained Britain's first ever Halal butcher's licence.'
0:42:27 > 0:42:31Then I have got first licence.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34Licence Halal, Halal.
0:42:34 > 0:42:40Then I been, I have been explain what the Halal, why is the Halal,
0:42:40 > 0:42:44what is the cruelty in the English way of...
0:42:44 > 0:42:47Have you been kill any chicken English way?
0:42:47 > 0:42:52Well, I know how they... I haven't actually killed a chicken for a while, no!
0:42:52 > 0:42:56The English way is squeeze and pull,
0:42:56 > 0:43:00and we think this is a cruel thing.
0:43:00 > 0:43:06We think Muslim way. Not only myself - Muslim way of life.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10We say this is a very, very cruelty,
0:43:10 > 0:43:15because now the very sharp knife, very sharp.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17This is their religion.
0:43:17 > 0:43:22You cut like this... Not sharp - no, no, no.
0:43:22 > 0:43:29Very sharp, and have a quick throat and let the blood out and this is very nicely slit...
0:43:29 > 0:43:31Finished. This is the Halal way.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37There are 135 million Bangladeshis.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40The building trade that thrives on this mansion mania
0:43:40 > 0:43:44is not the only industry to benefit from a deep pool of cheap labour.
0:43:44 > 0:43:49In this country, construction and destruction are both big business.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03Well, this has to be the most extraordinary knacker's yard anywhere in the world.
0:44:03 > 0:44:07Here in Chittagong, some of the greatest ships come to die,
0:44:07 > 0:44:12and they're destroyed not by heavy machinery, but by thousands of individuals picking them apart
0:44:12 > 0:44:15like an army of ants.
0:44:42 > 0:44:46Next for the knackers is the Ocean Breeze.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49She was launched by the Queen 50 years ago,
0:44:49 > 0:44:56but in six months, her glamorous life will be reduced to a pile of scrap on a Bangladeshi beach.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14In the dog-eat-dog world of cheap labour,
0:45:14 > 0:45:18these privately owned Bangladeshi yards are feeling the pinch.
0:45:18 > 0:45:24Many are closing down, their profits eaten away by state-run Chinese competition.
0:45:41 > 0:45:46The vast majority of Bangladeshis are poor and live off the land,
0:45:46 > 0:45:51helped by people like Naila Chowdhury, who works for a company called Grameen Phone.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54Is this...? Are they planting at the moment?
0:45:54 > 0:46:00Right now, they're planting. After three months, it's going to be OK before the rains.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03"Grameen" means village, most of which are, like this one,
0:46:03 > 0:46:07built on man-made embankments to keep them above the flood.
0:46:07 > 0:46:08Hello. Ah, yeah.
0:46:08 > 0:46:13You've got a welcoming party, Naila. They obviously know...
0:46:13 > 0:46:19'The idea of the Grameen scheme is to offer micro-loans to villagers to help them help themselves.
0:46:19 > 0:46:22'We're going to meet a lady who's used her loan to buy a mobile phone,
0:46:22 > 0:46:25'which she'll charge with solar energy.'
0:46:25 > 0:46:31- Sultana. And among the ten villages, she's the only one with a village phone here, so she's...- Oh, right.
0:46:31 > 0:46:35- How did you choose her?- Well, she came up on her own to take the loan,
0:46:35 > 0:46:39and she sort of like really started doing well, everybody coming to her.
0:46:42 > 0:46:46- She's an important woman. Hello. - Michael Palin.- Sultana, nice to meet you.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48'The scheme has had quite an impact.
0:46:48 > 0:46:53'Mrs Sultana can now afford to send her daughter to university.'
0:46:53 > 0:46:59You were saying it's very important that you've given these loans largely to women rather than men.
0:46:59 > 0:47:04- Can you explain why that...?- The whole loan is for the women because we feel...
0:47:04 > 0:47:08they are more secure. Women are always staying in their permanent position,
0:47:08 > 0:47:10and the return is far more safer also.
0:47:10 > 0:47:15And you empower the whole nation, because you're building up a woman with her family
0:47:15 > 0:47:19- and she'll look after the children, ensure that they study and come up in life.- Yeah.
0:47:19 > 0:47:24You were saying earlier that a of the income comes from people ringing their families
0:47:24 > 0:47:27who are expatriate workers over in the Gulf,
0:47:27 > 0:47:30but also that people ring now within the villages.
0:47:30 > 0:47:34- Has it made a difference to villages?- Yes, to the farmers, actually.
0:47:34 > 0:47:40They sort of get connected to other villages to find out the rates and charge of the seeds, fertiliser
0:47:40 > 0:47:44and machineries for the farming, and now nobody can hoodwink them.
0:47:44 > 0:47:49They're far more clever now. They can get the prices from other villages, and bargain for the right price.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53So, that's a remarkable improvement inside the country.
0:47:53 > 0:47:59Can you see in this village...? You've been here before. Can you see it's changed since the phones...?
0:47:59 > 0:48:05Three years back, and now I can see wealth creeping in. You know, I can see the difference.
0:48:05 > 0:48:11Creating wealth here may not be easy, but a small loan to buy a cow or install a pump
0:48:11 > 0:48:17has been so successful that it's being copied all over the Third World.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20But is it too little too late?
0:48:23 > 0:48:27'Bangladeshis are leaving the countryside for the city in such numbers
0:48:27 > 0:48:32'that the population in the capital Dhaka is spiralling out of control.'
0:48:32 > 0:48:34HORNS BLARE CONSTANTLY
0:48:42 > 0:48:45Thirty years ago, this was a city of one million.
0:48:45 > 0:48:50Today, the population has risen to 15 million, and shows no sign of stopping.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59Often the only way to get anywhere is to hire a rickshaw.
0:48:59 > 0:49:04The good news is, we're in the rickshaw capital of the world.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06There are 600,000 to choose from.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15The waterways are no more restful.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18This is the Sadarghat, the centre of river life in the capital,
0:49:18 > 0:49:21and you have to watch your back here as well.
0:49:31 > 0:49:33Now, here's something I don't understand.
0:49:33 > 0:49:38The water's filthy, but the laundry's spotless.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43It's from here that all the boats leave for the south,
0:49:43 > 0:49:46and later tonight, with a bit of luck, I shall be on one of them.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49A bit bigger than this, I hope.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56The paddle steamer Ostrich is the name I've been given,
0:49:56 > 0:50:02but it's only one of dozens of ferries loading and unloading in this permanent rush-hour.
0:50:07 > 0:50:11With so many comings and goings, I have to ask around a bit before I find her.
0:50:15 > 0:50:20The Ostrich is a venerable old bird, built in 1929.
0:50:20 > 0:50:25She carries 700 in steerage and 24 in first class.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27I'm afraid I've opted for comfort.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32The Sadarghat is wonderfully manic,
0:50:32 > 0:50:37galvanised by almost permanent hysteria, like Venice on speed.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53Six o'clock sharp, we pull away, leaving a swarm of other ferries
0:50:53 > 0:50:56fighting for our place at the dockside.
0:51:00 > 0:51:07Things are no quieter out on the river where the combined waters of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra
0:51:07 > 0:51:10slurp away beneath us.
0:51:10 > 0:51:17Ferries have no radar, and collisions are avoided only by careful use of the searchlight.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19Or occasionally not avoided at all.
0:51:22 > 0:51:26Next morning, we pass our sister ship heading up to Dhaka.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32We're both part of what they call the "Rocket Service",
0:51:32 > 0:51:35which has plied the river since the days of the British Raj.
0:51:39 > 0:51:46Bangladesh has 250 rivers, 5,000 miles of navigable waterways,
0:51:46 > 0:51:49and down here in the delta, they're the only way to get about.
0:52:00 > 0:52:05Places like Barisal, Jalakati, Charkhali and Morrelganj
0:52:05 > 0:52:10depend on the boats, and the Ostrich is both local bus and cargo truck.
0:52:22 > 0:52:27In this tranquil season, there's little to do but enjoy the view and meet my fellow passengers,
0:52:27 > 0:52:30one of whom is Mahjabeen Khan.
0:52:30 > 0:52:36Known to all as "Moni", she's a professional singer with a repertoire of Bengali classics.
0:52:36 > 0:52:40MONI SINGS
0:53:20 > 0:53:22- Very good.- Thank you.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24That's a lovely song.
0:53:24 > 0:53:26Where's it from? Tell me...
0:53:26 > 0:53:33It's by Rabindranath Tagore, our Bengali language Nobel laureate.
0:53:33 > 0:53:37- Yes, Nobel-prize winner. - Must have heard about him. - Hmm, he was the only...
0:53:37 > 0:53:43- Was he the only Asian Nobel-prize winner for literature? Is that right?- Yes, that's right.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46Is he still regarded as the great figure of Bangladesh literature?
0:53:46 > 0:53:52Any Bengali would say that, you know, he is the greatest Bengali poet.
0:53:52 > 0:53:56- Rather like Shakespeare of Bangladesh?- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:53:56 > 0:54:01Will you do another one for me, cos they're lovely songs, and tell me what it's about?
0:54:01 > 0:54:03Erm, it's about the people.
0:54:03 > 0:54:07It could apply to anywhere in the world.
0:54:07 > 0:54:12It could apply to my country, it could apply to India,
0:54:12 > 0:54:16to any country where the people have a very simple way of living.
0:54:16 > 0:54:22Whatever they wish for, sometimes is washed away and yet they don't lose hope
0:54:22 > 0:54:27and they keep praying to the Almighty that, you know, He should be with them.
0:54:27 > 0:54:34- So this is Tagore, the universal voice which obviously makes him so popular.- Yes.
0:54:34 > 0:54:36The river awaits, as do I.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44SHE STARTS TO SING
0:55:14 > 0:55:20It's hard to believe that in the monsoon season they call this stretch of water "cyclone alley".
0:55:20 > 0:55:22The wind rips up it.
0:55:25 > 0:55:3124 hours after leaving Dhaka, we arrive at Bangladesh's second port, Mongla.
0:55:31 > 0:55:35It's as far south as the Ostrich can go.
0:56:21 > 0:56:27It's 90 miles from Mongla to the Bay of Bengal.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30The only boat that'll take me down there is an ex-lifeboat
0:56:30 > 0:56:33with a viewing platform grafted on top of it.
0:56:33 > 0:56:39On either side, are the sinister, uninhabited banks of the world's largest coastal mangrove forest.
0:56:39 > 0:56:44These are the Sunderbans, habitat of the Royal Bengal tiger
0:56:44 > 0:56:52which, despite frequent appearances on the travel posters, runs the yeti a close second for elusiveness.
0:56:52 > 0:56:57In a tiny space next to the lavatory, our cooks prepare the last meal of the journey -
0:56:57 > 0:57:03locally caught crab, lobster and the best prawns in the world.
0:57:03 > 0:57:08A meal to remember as a strengthening wind tells us the finishing line is close.
0:57:23 > 0:57:26At last, the moment has come.
0:57:26 > 0:57:31After six months in the mountains, I can sniff the unfamiliar smell of the open sea.
0:57:54 > 0:58:00As I head off onto the Bay of Bengal on millions of tons of mud that was once Himalaya,
0:58:00 > 0:58:03I feel I've made the last in a chain of connections
0:58:03 > 0:58:10between the sea and the mountains we've climbed, and the gorges we've walked and the rivers we've sailed.
0:58:10 > 0:58:14Aand all the people we've met along the way suddenly seem very close.
0:58:27 > 0:58:31Subtitles by Alison Haggart BBC Broadcast - 2004
0:58:31 > 0:58:35E-mail us at subtitling@bbc.co.uk