0:00:02 > 0:00:05There'll be a full bulletin at the top of the hour,
0:00:05 > 0:00:14but now on BBC News it's time for The Travel Show.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18This week we are in Sudan to explore the vast, ancient ruins that
0:00:18 > 0:00:24tourists rarely visit.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27There are about 220 pyramids here which is a lot more
0:00:27 > 0:00:28than the entire country of Egypt.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31You can just see them for kind of miles.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34We go behind the scenes at one of Havana's hidden restaurants.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37And I'm in Peru getting to grips with this acrobatic
0:00:37 > 0:01:16and very noisy dance.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18First up this week, we are taking a road trip through Sudan.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22It is a country that's been marked by conflict in recent years and some
0:01:22 > 0:01:25regions are still off-limits to tourists, but it is possible
0:01:25 > 0:01:28with careful planning to go and explore some of the country's
0:01:28 > 0:01:30amazing archaeological sites, pyramids and temples that date
0:01:30 > 0:01:37back thousands of years.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41We sent Benjamin Zan in search of the remains of an ancient kingdom
0:01:41 > 0:01:43200 kilometres north of the capital Khartoum.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Hey, guys, high-fives.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51How's it going?
0:01:51 > 0:01:52Nice to see you.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54I'm going to give you a hug.
0:01:54 > 0:01:55How's it going?
0:01:55 > 0:01:58Thank you for coming.
0:01:58 > 0:01:58No problem, sure.
0:01:59 > 0:02:00So, where are we going?
0:02:00 > 0:02:02We are going to see the pyramids?
0:02:02 > 0:02:04How long does it take?
0:02:04 > 0:02:06About four or five hours.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09We probably should go.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Do you have any Sudanese card games we could play?
0:02:12 > 0:02:18You can put on your headphones and listen to your own music.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20That's not a game, that's just being anti-social.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24And so we were off on a very long and very hot road trip.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Soon it was time for our first stop, coffee.
0:02:26 > 0:02:32The Sudanese love their coffee and for good reason.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Does it annoy you that not many people know about these pyramids?
0:02:35 > 0:02:38It actually does because Sudan has a very rich history.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42As a country so diverse it's huge, it was one of the biggest
0:02:42 > 0:02:44countries in Africa, so that brings a lot of diversity
0:02:44 > 0:02:50because we were influenced by Arabs, African countries and everything.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52But people don't know about all of that.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55People only know about what the media usually shows,
0:02:55 > 0:02:56the wars, the starvation, blah, blah, blah.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Exactly, it doesn't show anything that's rich and anything that
0:02:59 > 0:03:01would impress people into coming here.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05They believe pyramids, Egypt, Nile, in Egypt.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Sudan has a very rich culture, it's very diverse, but still people
0:03:08 > 0:03:10don't actually know about it.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Sometimes that kind of makes you sad because this country has
0:03:13 > 0:03:18like a lot of history.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Exactly.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25As we set off again we soon came across the ancient city of Naqa.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28I can only imagine the civilisation that was here, that did this.
0:03:28 > 0:03:36It is like walking in history.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39It's the middle of nowhere.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42It's like this wire, that bit, I can go through easily.
0:03:42 > 0:03:50It is protected by a 12-year-old kid!
0:03:50 > 0:03:51It's beautiful.
0:03:51 > 0:03:57Look at the engravings.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59This is a ruined, ancient city, one of the largest ruined
0:03:59 > 0:04:03sites in the country.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Back in the day it was an important part of the Kushiti kingdom of Meroe
0:04:07 > 0:04:11due to its proximity to the Nile and it served as a bridge between
0:04:11 > 0:04:12the Mediterranean world and Africa.
0:04:12 > 0:04:27But now it lies pretty much unprotected.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30The only real protection here comes from a group of villagers
0:04:30 > 0:04:32who periodically visit the well to get water.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35This is the closest thing to security of these temples.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38These are the local villagers who have come here to get water.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41That is pretty much it, there is no one else around.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43As we explored further we found some bones
0:04:43 > 0:04:50on the other side of the ruins.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52There are bones in here.
0:04:52 > 0:04:53I know.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55That is actually crazy, though.
0:04:55 > 0:04:55It is.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58It is like thigh bones.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01It looks so untouched, no one has been inside.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03As it was getting late we journeyed on.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07The roads here are a long and the sun sets fast and soon
0:05:07 > 0:05:10we realised the pyramids would have to wait until the following day.
0:05:10 > 0:05:17We stopped at a roadside restaurant to eat.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21We have a sort of a barbecue but not your own idea
0:05:21 > 0:05:26of what barbecue is.
0:05:26 > 0:05:36There is food which is the local, traditional food of Sudan.
0:05:36 > 0:05:42After the meal as we had nowhere to stay we asked around and found
0:05:42 > 0:05:44a man willing to accommodate us.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47The only catch was that we were going to be sleeping outside.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49We are actually sleeping outside which, to my surprise,
0:05:49 > 0:05:51is not that uncommon here in Sudan.
0:05:51 > 0:05:58So do people actually sleep outside in Sudan?
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Basically in towns most people sleep outside because the sun works
0:06:01 > 0:06:02as an natural alarm.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06They mostly need to wake up early, like the first break of light,
0:06:06 > 0:06:07to go out like farmers and stuff.
0:06:08 > 0:06:09Me and my new friends drifted off.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13The next morning it was finally time to see what we came here for.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16We got up early.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23And made a quick stop at a coffee shop miles away from the pyramids.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Despite being so close, the owner told me neither he nor any
0:06:26 > 0:06:30of his friends or family had been taught the history of the pyramids.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Growing up did you tell each other stories about
0:06:32 > 0:06:40what the pyramids were?
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Did people used to be scared of the pyramids?
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Then we journeyed on to see them for ourselves.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55On arrival it was more impressive than I had imagined.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10We had the entire place to ourselves.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Oh.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18How do you feel?
0:07:18 > 0:07:31We made it.
0:07:31 > 0:07:32My legs, I can't feel my legs.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36All right, so we are actually in the middle of the desert, kind of.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38We have got history for ourselves.
0:07:38 > 0:07:45Look at it, it's just crazy.
0:07:45 > 0:07:52And they just sit here completely unguarded.
0:07:52 > 0:08:02Look at it, this is just like the actual desert.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06These Nubian pyramids are over 4000 years old and are a UNESCO
0:08:06 > 0:08:08World Heritage site.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12Despite that, though, they are completely deserted.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16Visitor numbers are tiny, about 15,000 a year compared
0:08:16 > 0:08:19to the millions who go to the pyramids in Egypt.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21And due to being completely unprotected, the pyramids
0:08:21 > 0:08:27and the history here have been damaged and vandalised.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31Clearly not many have respected it.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Still, it was like nothing I had ever seen.
0:08:33 > 0:08:43The door is even unlocked to one of the pyramids.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Mazin gave me a bit of a history lesson on what I was seeing.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50There are more pyramids in this section alone than in Egypt.
0:08:50 > 0:08:55There are about 200 pyramids.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58You can notice that most of the heads of
0:08:58 > 0:08:59the pyramids are chopped off.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01That is an Italian explorer.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04He came here in the 1830s and he chopped off like 14
0:09:04 > 0:09:06pyramids searching for gold and we still don't
0:09:06 > 0:09:07know what he found.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Do you know what they were used for?
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Yes, they were actually tombs for the black pharaohs
0:09:12 > 0:09:15and qeens back in the days.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17They buried them here with their belongings,
0:09:17 > 0:09:20and clothing and everything.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23It's a sort of respect for the kings of course.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26What is the difference between these pyramids and those in Egypt?
0:09:26 > 0:09:27It is what is inside.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29The pyramids in Egypt are a lot bigger.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33These would go up to 40 metres, but then again the numbers
0:09:33 > 0:09:36of the pyramids themselves makes the difference.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39There are about 220 pyramids here which is a lot more
0:09:39 > 0:09:42than the entire country of Egypt, like the pyramids there.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Just in this desert?
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Just on this desert alone.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50You can just see them for kind of miles, can't you?
0:09:50 > 0:09:50Exactly.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53It was coming to the end of an unexpected and surprising trip.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57I had seen a side of Sudan that I never thought I would.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59The history and stories Sudan holds are things you don't
0:09:59 > 0:10:00hear about too often.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03But when you see them for yourself it is something
0:10:03 > 0:10:09you will remember for ever.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Next up on The Travel Show we are in Cuba's capital Havana,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17meeting the chef who has set up a restaurant in his flat
0:10:17 > 0:10:28at the top of a tower block.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Still to come on this week's Travel Show:
0:12:14 > 0:12:15I join a dance-off
0:12:15 > 0:12:22with a difference in Peru's capital, Lima.
0:12:22 > 0:12:31So don't go away.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37The Travel Show, your essential guide wherever you are heading.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51Hello, I'm Michelle Chan, your global guide with top tips
0:12:51 > 0:12:59on the world's best events in the coming months.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Starting in England, Hull is the UK City of Culture this year.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05A 365-day event which kicks off with fireworks and light
0:13:05 > 0:13:07projections downtown.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10There'll be art installations across the city, as well as poetry
0:13:10 > 0:13:14readings, rock gigs and photography exhibitions.
0:13:14 > 0:13:24The city will be hosting the Turner Prize, the renowned
0:13:24 > 0:13:28annual arts award at the Farrons Gallery,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30as well as concerts and performances throughout the year.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32The Social Festival, usually a very British affair,
0:13:32 > 0:13:36is taking its house and techno to Mexico and Colombia this year,
0:13:36 > 0:13:41playing on March 17th and 18th in both nations' capitals.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44It might be even noisier in Gadmen, Switzerland, over the weekend
0:13:44 > 0:13:46of February 25th and 26th at the International
0:13:46 > 0:13:47Dog Sledding Race.
0:13:47 > 0:13:56There'll be more than 100 teams and at a slower pace there will be
0:13:56 > 0:13:58dog sled rides for kids while spectators wait
0:13:59 > 0:14:01for the winning team to arrive.
0:14:01 > 0:14:07Staying in the snow in the Austrian Tyrol,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11the lifts close to ordinary skiers to make way for the cult ski race
0:14:11 > 0:14:14White Thrill which takes place in Saint Anton Am Arlberg.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16On April the 22nd over 500 skiers, and snowboarders gather
0:14:17 > 0:14:22on the Beluga Ridge for a mass start, perhaps the most intimidating
0:14:22 > 0:14:24challenge of the well named Payne Mountain.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26The record is eight minutes and 14 seconds.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29The Cypriots port of Paphos becomes the European City
0:14:29 > 0:14:40of Culture this year.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43a mix of Arab and eastern music, and later in the year the Berlin
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Philharmonic is performing.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Venues are all outdoors, open air concerts, cinema
0:14:48 > 0:14:53screenings are on beaches and there are outdoor exhibitions.
0:14:53 > 0:15:00In the Czech Republic, the Shockproof Film Festival
0:15:00 > 0:15:03plays on February 28th through March the 5th.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06From the capital Prague to Brno, this alternative Festival touts
0:15:06 > 0:15:08itself as lowbrow and in bad taste,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10from the ludicrous and bizarre to camp and controversial.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Back in Colombia the Vallenato Festival place
0:15:12 > 0:15:20from April 6th to the 30th.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Coming together will be the best composers of this genre of music.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Judges are on the hunt for the best drummers,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28lyricists and singers, but it is really the accordion
0:15:28 > 0:15:32players who steal the show.
0:15:32 > 0:15:39The winner is crowned Rey Vallenato, and every ten years,
0:15:39 > 0:15:43and this year is one of those, a decade of winners compete to be
0:15:43 > 0:15:46anointed the King of Kings.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49The Disposable Film Festival plays in San Francisco on April 7th-10th.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Here's a selection of some of the most innovative films shot
0:15:52 > 0:15:55with the help of a 3-D printer or entirely on a smartphone.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57There'll be workshops, panel discussions and competitions
0:15:57 > 0:16:04showing quirky, online shorts and of course after parties.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Finally, it's time to dig out that feathered headdress.
0:16:06 > 0:16:15Carnival is fast approaching.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Some of my favourite places include the cities of Salvador and Norlinda
0:16:18 > 0:16:20in Brazil, which are arguably more authentic
0:16:20 > 0:16:21destinations than Rio.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24The party kicks off on February 23rd and in cooler climes, Cologne
0:16:24 > 0:16:27in Germany begins its feasting and dancing at precisely
0:16:27 > 0:16:2811:11am on February 23rd.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31That's my global guide this month.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34Let me know what's happening in the place where you live
0:16:34 > 0:16:35or where you love.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38We're on e-mail and across social media until next time.
0:16:38 > 0:16:44Happy travelling.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46And finally this week here in Lima I am off
0:16:46 > 0:16:50to the outskirts of the city to find out about a 500-year-old tradition
0:16:50 > 0:16:53that was once driven underground and is now enjoying something
0:16:53 > 0:16:53of a revival.
0:16:53 > 0:17:10Some people even say it could be the inspiration for break dancing.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12It's called scissor dancing and I'm going to see
0:17:12 > 0:17:13if I can make the cut.
0:17:14 > 0:17:26The origin of the Peruvian scissor dance is shrouded in mystery.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29But many believe the tradition began in the highlands of the Andes
0:17:29 > 0:17:32as an act of worship to the mountain gods.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35In the 1500s, the dance was performed to show resistance
0:17:35 > 0:17:36to Spanish rule.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38The movements display the performers' dexterity.
0:17:38 > 0:17:48And the scissors represented their resistance to Spain.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50But the conquistadors thought it was inspired
0:17:50 > 0:17:51by the devil and it was banned.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Despite the ban, the traditions survived and the twisting,
0:17:54 > 0:18:03turning dance moves were passed down from generation to generation.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Now its importance in Peru's history has been recognised by UNESCO.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08And it's backbreaking moves would put many
0:18:08 > 0:18:24break dancers to shame.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Although the scissors are not sharp, learning to control them
0:18:51 > 0:18:52while dancing and leaping can take years.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Today teams from two different towns are having a scissor dance duel.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22These battles can last for up to ten hours as the performers move
0:19:22 > 0:19:23and spin to the music.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26It seems like anything goes, but the one rule is that
0:19:26 > 0:19:31you absolutely cannot drop the scissors.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37And I'm going to get a lesson to see how it's done.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41Don't shake hands with those.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44So the top ones stay still and the bottom one...
0:19:44 > 0:19:45Oh.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50It's all in the thumb, the thumb and the wrist.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54First I've got to get to grips with the scissors.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57The aim is to hit the handles together in time to the music.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03The blunt blades are not connected, so holding them
0:20:03 > 0:20:06in position is really tricky.
0:20:06 > 0:20:13There is no way I am going to be able to do this
0:20:13 > 0:20:14and coordinate my feet.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26And it's not just mastering the scissors.
0:20:26 > 0:20:31This is the one that makes your knees bleed.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Learning the dance moves takes some serious commitment.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Does it hurt to do the jumps and land on your back?
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Does it hurt your head and your knees?
0:20:42 > 0:20:43Do you have injuries?
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Is that blood on your trousers?
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Wow, that's dedication.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Oh, and I'm getting a hat.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Gosh, as if it's not hard enough!
0:21:16 > 0:21:19After a few minutes I'm exhausted.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23I can't even imagine how hard it would be to do these moves up
0:21:23 > 0:21:27in the Andes where the thin air makes everything so much harder.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31These guys are true athletes.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34It's hard work.
0:21:37 > 0:21:47That was so much harder than I expected.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49I've got new found respect for these guys.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52But sadly that's all we have got time for in this week's show.
0:21:52 > 0:21:53Coming up next week:
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Somebody at the pub told me tonight
0:21:55 > 0:21:59is supposed to be the coldest night of the year.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03So I'm glad I'm going into an unheated church to sleep.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Krista's braving the English weather to find out why more
0:22:06 > 0:22:09and more people are camping out in old churches.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Do join us for that if you can and don't forget
0:22:14 > 0:22:19if you want to follow the rest of the Travel Show team
0:22:19 > 0:22:22on their journeys in real-time, you can sign up to our
0:22:22 > 0:22:22social media feeds.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25All the details are on your screen now.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27In the meantime from me, Carmen Roberts, and the rest
0:22:27 > 0:22:30of the travel show team here in Lima, it's goodbye,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33but let me leave you with some more scissor dancing.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01No great dramas expected weatherwise through this weekend.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Certainly no cold weather in prospect.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06A relatively mild weekend coming up and a lot of dry weather too.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Breezy at times, especially in northern areas, where the winds
0:23:09 > 0:23:11have been lighter further south overnight.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14A few fog patches around this morning, so take it steady