Sierra Leone The Travel Show

Now on BBC News, it's time for the Travel Show.

This week, I'm underground in Hungary, as travel restrictions are

lifted, we are in Sierra Leone at the first ever Freetown music

festival in the capital. Simon Calder tackles your questions about

getting the best out of Canada, and we check out barbecue style with

global gourmet. Sierra Leone, a destination that has long been off

the tourist rate despite having some of West Africa's most idyllic

beaches, clearest waters, and lush rainforests to explore. The civil

war that ravaged much of the country left deep scars, but just as it

looked like those were healing, the Ebola struck, helping to ensure that

Sierra Leone remained a virtual no-go area for tourists. With no new

cases reported since January, the first time ever Freetown music

festival has just been held to celebrate the Sierra Leone

resilience and hopefully the return of much-needed tourists. The Travel

Show went along to join in with the party. Everyone, welcome to Freetown

Music Festival, 2016, right here in Freetown, Sierra Leone. It is going

to be amazing! We have two days of live performances, DJs, food,

fashion, arts, film and I cannot even think of what else we have a

moan because we have everything. I think Sierra Leone is more than

ready for this because there is a lot of local talent, and there is a

lot of enthusiasm for this kind of thing, so people love music,

dancing, they love celebrations. It is about bringing it all together

into something that really works, and that just hasn't happened. My

mum would tell me stories about how they used to dress up and go out to

plays and listen to live music. For a while we lost it because of

everything that has been going on in Sierra Leone, we have been kind of

distracted, but I think it is really great, this festival. It is a real

treat. It brightened's peoples lives up -- it brightens people's lives

up. As you know, we have had the whole Ebola thing going on, with a

locked down, so we couldn't go anywhere. Now, there are a lot of

weddings going back and forth, we have excuses for parties, it is like

a relief, more reason to enjoy yourself! I walk around the city,

and people say it was nice, we should do this more often. This is

the first live festival in Freetown for so long, and I think it will

have a great impact. People keep moving forward no matter what

happens, no matter what happens they want to keep doing this. The spirit

is what is helping us. We like to enjoy ourselves here, and

this is just a bit more of it. There is an energy in the air, people

walking around enjoying themselves, at the beach. What more could you

ask for? Live music was not the thing,

because people were frowning at it. Only for the old people, but now

people want it. The artists are craving it, the fans are rejoicing

when they see live music. I love music because... I just love music,

I don't know why they love it I just do. It was one in a billion, it

happened. Sierra Leone isn't the only country in Africa that hosts

music festival. Irizar peak of some of the best. The Bushfire is a

two-day event in Swaziland featuring music, arts and culture from

southern Africa and beyond, offering residents the ultimate in glamping

if you like the great outdoors. This is based on the burning man festival

in the US and is one of the biggest events. It is now in its 10th year,

and more than 30 -- 13,000 regularly offend. This is an internationally

renowned music festival to take place on the shores of Lake Malawi.

This year it takes place in September over three days. Finally,

it in Morocco's capital, on them 21st of May, plenty of home-grown

talent performing. The eclectic line-up teaches Middle Eastern and

African artists alongside big names, including this year, Marcus Miller

and Christina Aguilera. Part of a new series on the Travel Show in

which we roamed the globe hearing the stories behind some of the

world's most iconic dishes. This week, it comes from Dallas, Texas,

where Justin has been testing his patience, all in the name of

creating the perfect barbecue. There is no shortcut to great harbour

view. It takes a long time, and it takes a long time for a reason.

Welcome to the best barbecue joint in Texas. What we have here is a

brisket, which is kind of the King of barbecue meats in Texas. We are

going to get this trimmed up and get it season and get it on the grill. A

lot of people ask if the secret to good barbecue is in the rub or in

the source, but really that is a small part. Most of the magic

happens in the smokehouse. It is the wood and the time and attention we

give them eat when they are on their that really give it the quality. --

there. We have these season, and we will put them in the smokehouse, in

the pit. Brisket will cook for anywhere between 16 and 18 hours,

and the ribs will finish in about six. We are cooking them at a low

temperature, 200 or 250, and doing that will allow the fat and

connective tissue to melt away and make them very tender. This is

really where the magic happens. These pits run 24 hours a day. We

are here all the time putting board on the fire every couple of hours.

The fire is indirect, it is not grilling, where you are cooking over

the flames, it is in a separate part of the pit. It is just a slow,

gradual way to cook. If there was a national food of Texas it would

definitely be barbecue. It started off in the early days with cowboys

slaughtering cattle on the cattle drives and cooking them over open

flames. This was originally a way to preserve the food through the smoke

and everything, and it turned into a cult following that has grown over

time. There you have it. Still to come on the Travel Show: I

venture underground in Hungary exploring the geology that make it

the country of spas. And Simon Calder is here to tackle your

questions about getting the best out of travel. This week, advice on some

of the best beach locations in Cuba. The Travel Show, your essential

guide wherever you are heading. Welcome to the slice of the show

that tackles your questions account getting the best out of travel. We

are off to Havana's hinterland shortly, but first, with Europe's

big football tournament about the kick-off and he gets incredibly

scarce, a lot of people are wondering about the best way to

enjoy the atmosphere during the Euro 2016 finals. My advice, just head

for the clown zones. -- fan zones. Well signposted in big cities with

large screens and live entertainment. For neutrals,

probably the most convivial choice is the left bank of the San in

Paris. How infuriating! But I'm not

surprised at that extraordinary single supplement. The economics of

the typical cruise ship are based on 100% occupancy, with every cabin

full with the appropriate number of people. So, you might imagine that a

double cabin to yourself should cost twice as much. But the cruise line

also expects to earn money from on-board spend, in the bars, shops

and on excursions. To make up for what they see is lost income, they

will add an extra supplement. If you don't like the price, some firms

offer better deals for low demand savings.

First, hop on the cheap and cheerful ferry that sales across to

Casablanca on the east side of Havana's magnificent harbour.

Besides outstanding views of the capital, you can walk up to the

mightiest fought in the Caribbean. Then, pick up a rental car for a

road trip. First pot, the Zapata swamp, for the diversity of

wildlife, and a glimpse at how Cuba's original inhabitants lived.

Second, an interesting combination of Beach resort and historical site,

at the head of what is known as the Bay of Pigs, the scene of the failed

1961 invasion shortly after the revolution.

These two are celebrating their 50th anniversary in style. From nigra

falls to New York. What is the best scenic route? Upstate New York is a

joy to drive through. There are city highlights as well on the journey to

Manhattan. The city of Bufallo can bring some outstanding 20th-century

architecture. And definitely the Cascadilla Gorge is worth a look.

One final stop, Pughkeepsie, home to Franklin the Roosevelt. I am always

happy to listen to viewers. Just get in touch and I will do my best to

answer your questions. Goodbye for now. See you next time. To end this

week, I am in Budapest, Hungary's capital, often referred to as the

city of spas and caves. There are 200 a systems here and in other

parts of the country. Many were only discovered at the beginning of the

20th century. -- caves. When you are strolling around the old cobbled

streets it is hard to imagine that another world lies under your feet.

HAPPY MUSIC. But Budapest is one of the few capitals in the world that

has natural caves beneath the city streets and heading underground can

give you a whole new perspective on the place. There are around 200

caves under the capital, but only a select few, like this one, are

available for travellers to come into. The cave is here. Mike Gapes

today is Peter, a professional caver. -- my guide to date. They

aren't far away from here. He is part of the rescue service so I am

in safe hands. That is great. I don't think I have claustrophobia

but I will find out pretty quickly is the pillow if you have it we will

find it. -- quickly. These caves were discovered back in

1904 and it is one of the most popular with, tourists. -- tourists.

That is because it is close to the city centre. This is the biggest

cave system in Hungary. This is not meant for tall people. You can see

that. Yeah. LAUGHTER. Why are there so many

caves underneath Budapest? This is a limestone hill. That means it is

easy to form caves within it. At the moment this is more than 30

kilometres. Exploration happens every day and every week. This cave

is one of the longest, but only 500 metres of it can actually be

accessed by tourists. The rest is for professionals only. It is too

dangerous. You certainly would not want to get lost up here. Wow. That

is a long way down. To get a sense of the walkways below I need to

climb deeper into the cave, in fact, ten metres down on a ladder. Here

goes. You are in the worst position if I fall. If you fall I will catch

you. LAUGHTER. It is certainly

beautiful. Very quiet. Eerie at the same time. And the great thing about

exploring the caves here is you don't need to have reviews

experience. Tours can be booked with English-speaking guides for groups

of more than four. It includes all the safety equipment, the EU will

need to be relatively fit to keep up. -- though you. This structure

can come out from this way. Eight structure? Yeah. -- a structure.

What do you love about caving? I can relax in here. Relax? It is very

relaxing. For me it is better one week on the seashore doing nothing.

You love it here? Yeah. I started when I was four years old. And, in

that time, I loved this sport. Also rescuing. I do that because I love

my family. Exploring caves is not for the fainthearted. You need to

keep your wits about you and follow your guide's instructions. Because

of Hungary's geology you will find these caves all over the country.

This one is three hours from Budapest. It is a beautiful small

town close to a lake. I am told the caves here are special. This cave

system was discovered by accident in 1903. A local stonemason was digging

a well and he did not find water but he found this place. These caves are

15 metres below the ground so the temperature stays a balmy 15 degrees

Celsius. There is a rather unique way of seeing these ones. CALM

MUSIC. The boat ride lasts for about 80 minutes. I am told the water is

you are and I am not allowed to give my finger in because it could

contaminate the water. -- pure. -- dip my finger.

LAUGHTER. Wow. Oh... This is absolutely just... Once my boat trip

is over I had on foot to explore the rest of this cave system. -- head.

It was first opened to the public in 1912. The boat has been available

since 1938. We have had more than 150,000 visitors in just the last

year. I think this is the most popular place. What is rather

fascinating is that although many of these caves are millions of years

old most of them were discovered only recently and some have not even

been fully explored. Though I have enjoyed my time down here I will

leave that job the professionals. -- job to the.

Now I have finished my caving adventure in Hungary and that is all

we have time for on this week's show. Coming up next week... Henry

tries a new experience in Cambodia were tourists are lending a helping

hand to curb poaching. This is getting bumpier and bumpier. It is

like a bucking bronco. And don't forget you can catch up with us on

social media. Try to catch up with us next tour. But for now, from me,

and the rest of the team in Hungary, goodbye. THEME SONG PLAYS.

With plenty of dry, occasionally sunny weather this

First you have to banish memories of how warm it was last weekend.

Here is a comparison, last Sunday with this Sunday.