:00:00. > :00:10.Now on BBC News it's time for the Travel Show.
:00:11. > :00:12.Coming up on this week's Travel Show: Ben is seeking
:00:13. > :00:21.We are watching two beat boxers perform to an audience full
:00:22. > :00:24.of young people eating pizza and enjoying life whilst they are
:00:25. > :00:36.I am about to step in the ring with Momo.
:00:37. > :00:47.# Spend my life in this sweet surrender...
:00:48. > :00:49.And we're hitting the high notes in Manila.
:00:50. > :01:23.This is a country that some governments
:01:24. > :01:26.say you probably shouldn't visit as a tourist, Pakistan.
:01:27. > :01:28.Terror-related incidents, kidnappings and political
:01:29. > :01:36.turmoil have all taken their toll on the country's reputation.
:01:37. > :01:41.And as the country prepares to celebrate its
:01:42. > :01:43.70th anniversary of independence, the Travel Show's Benjamin Zand
:01:44. > :01:48.packed his backpack and headed for Karachi.
:01:49. > :01:51.I was in Karachi, Pakistan, on the search for some good news.
:01:52. > :01:53.As a man who likes music, like pretty
:01:54. > :01:58.world I thought it would be a good place to start.
:01:59. > :02:03.So I decided it was time to check out Karachi's music scene.
:02:04. > :02:05.Historically, being a musician here has been hard.
:02:06. > :02:09.Musicians and gigs have often been targeted by religious extremists.
:02:10. > :02:13.But I had heard that things were getting better and some great
:02:14. > :02:16.tunes and artists were coming out as a consequence.
:02:17. > :02:19.So on an insanely hot day in July I find out more.
:02:20. > :02:26.Official, on Facebook, who is ultimately the control freak
:02:27. > :02:35.We have got Simon who says, in my car I am the one in charge
:02:36. > :02:39.as I am the only one who sits in front.
:02:40. > :02:41.What is it like being a musician here?
:02:42. > :02:46.It is but it has become a lot better to the point that we have actually
:02:47. > :02:53.come out and started doing more outdoor events.
:02:54. > :02:55.We have food festivals, we have music festivals.
:02:56. > :02:58.We have lots of concerts in the last year.
:02:59. > :03:01.People are not afraid any more to come out and go to a concert.
:03:02. > :03:06.Is that these kind of young musicians who are just like,
:03:07. > :03:08.I don't care, I'm going to be a musician?
:03:09. > :03:12.There was a music festival that took place in Lahore about a month ago.
:03:13. > :03:15.A week before the event there was a really tragic bomb blast
:03:16. > :03:18.took place in Lahore so we had to figure out
:03:19. > :03:21.whether we were going to have the event or not
:03:22. > :03:28.Not out of any other reason than the fact that it should happen
:03:29. > :03:30.regardless of what is happening in the city.
:03:31. > :03:33.I wanted to see for myself how Pakistan was changing.
:03:34. > :03:36.And meet someone from this new era of artists.
:03:37. > :03:42.The name they gave me was Ali Gul Pir.
:03:43. > :03:45.This is a really cool song by Ali Gul Pir who is a comedian
:03:46. > :03:48.and rapper who has written about social class issues and stuff.
:03:49. > :04:15.Ali raps about society and social injustice.
:04:16. > :04:18.In this video, Waderai Ka Beta, which went viral across Pakistan,
:04:19. > :04:21.he raps about the issues the country has with feudalism.
:04:22. > :04:30.As a consequence he is now pretty famous and he agreed to meet me.
:04:31. > :04:38.Are you Ali? Hey.
:04:39. > :04:45.Sorry for being late. Long time.
:04:46. > :04:47.I know. How's it going?
:04:48. > :04:56.Ali was jamming with his friends, preparing for a gig
:04:57. > :05:02.I talk about issues that we face as a society.
:05:03. > :05:05.It is something like there is a song about feudalism,
:05:06. > :05:18.There is another song about people who stare at women.
:05:19. > :05:23.I grew up with a single mother and I saw her face a lot of that
:05:24. > :05:31.Youtube was banned in Pakistan so I made a song about that.
:05:32. > :05:35.There were times when I used to get death threats but I just focused
:05:36. > :05:38.on the love that I got and I realised that if this
:05:39. > :05:47.is what I want to do for my future then I have to deal with that.
:05:48. > :05:49.Do you get nervous when you go to these gigs?
:05:50. > :05:54.The situation right now is better but we have been through some tough
:05:55. > :05:59.Pakistan has been through a rough patch.
:06:00. > :06:04.That is the more reason why we need to perform,
:06:05. > :06:12.If somebody feels unsafe they should come over and watch the show
:06:13. > :06:20.Ali wanted me to go with him to his gig so of course I said yes.
:06:21. > :06:25.It was the first time Ali would ever be playing in Hyderabad
:06:26. > :06:35.I left the band to go and prepare for the show elsewhere.
:06:36. > :06:41.Music and food festivals aren't too common here in Hyderabad.
:06:42. > :06:46.Everyone is a lot younger than I thought.
:06:47. > :07:00.While I was waiting for Ali to arrive I made some friends.
:07:01. > :07:03.And eventually had a chat with the guy who arranged
:07:04. > :07:11.The view from a lot of people will be, Pakistan shouldn't have
:07:12. > :07:13.music events because if they do
:07:14. > :07:17.People would not expect to see something like this in Pakistan.
:07:18. > :07:23.All the negative aspects of that are shown in the media.
:07:24. > :07:27.We have families who come out and enjoy their lives.
:07:28. > :07:30.We're not intimidated by any wrong activities or terrorist activities.
:07:31. > :07:33.This could not be more different from the image most people get
:07:34. > :07:42.We are watching two beat boxers perform to an audience full of young
:07:43. > :07:45.people eating pizza and enjoying life waiting for a rap group
:07:46. > :07:49.I only know Justin Bieber. You only know Justin Bieber?
:07:50. > :07:53.Yes. I am a very great fan.
:07:54. > :08:14.I have done hundreds of shows but I still get nervous
:08:15. > :08:21.Before he went on stage I decided to ask why he puts himself
:08:22. > :08:25.By the end of the show I go home and I go like,
:08:26. > :08:31.great, I made them dance, and I made them think as well.
:08:32. > :08:34.A lot of people when they think of Pakistan think of the Taliban,
:08:35. > :08:37.terror, and they would think that being a musician would be difficult
:08:38. > :08:44.My content gets me into trouble with some bad people but you can see
:08:45. > :08:52.You don't have to be nervous about security because it happens
:08:53. > :08:55.and if it is going to happen it is going to happen.
:08:56. > :08:58.I have never been shot at while performing
:08:59. > :09:07.They are more or less the same people.
:09:08. > :09:10.They just want to survive and make a good living.
:09:11. > :09:15.In the end of the day they just want to make a living.
:09:16. > :09:22.At the end of the day somebody goes back home happy,
:09:23. > :09:39.A little bit of happiness, a little bit of hope.
:09:40. > :10:01.That's where the risk is. It might not work, but if it does, it'll be
:10:02. > :10:08.the best. I'm trying not to get
:10:09. > :10:17.knocked off my feet. And we're searching
:10:18. > :10:33.for singing stars in Manila. The Travel Show, your essential
:10:34. > :10:52.guide wherever you're heading. Japan can lay claim to many crazes
:10:53. > :10:56.that have swept the world but now people in another country say
:10:57. > :10:59.they are responsible for one of Japan's biggest
:11:00. > :11:00.entertainment exports. And they are just as passionate
:11:01. > :11:03.as the Japanese about showing So we took a trip to Manila,
:11:04. > :11:16.Philippines, to meet them. # This is a man's world.
:11:17. > :11:31.# This is a man's world. We love to sing here
:11:32. > :11:49.in the Philippines, karaoke. My ideal type of song to sing
:11:50. > :11:53.for an audience is something that speaks about love, something that
:11:54. > :11:55.speaks about broken hearts, I'm the daughter of the inventor
:11:56. > :12:08.of the singalong system or karaoke. My father introduced the singalong
:12:09. > :12:11.system in the Philippines in 1974. Let me show you a sample of one
:12:12. > :12:15.of the singalong systems my father With the introduction of the karaoke
:12:16. > :12:22.many Filipinos were able to afford to have their own machine
:12:23. > :12:25.at home and it provided There was a new set
:12:26. > :12:41.of venues to go to. An example of that is
:12:42. > :13:12.happening right now. We love to sing female pop belter
:13:13. > :13:15.songs, we love to sing that It is getting late here in Manila,
:13:16. > :13:36.it is already dark, it is the perfect time
:13:37. > :13:42.for a karaoke session. # I would stay awake just
:13:43. > :13:55.to hear you breathing, watch you smile while you are
:13:56. > :13:58.sleeping, while you're far # I could spend my life
:13:59. > :14:04.in this sweet surrender, # I could stay lost
:14:05. > :14:06.in this moment forever. The Filipinos really
:14:07. > :14:08.know how to sing. It has been proven all over
:14:09. > :14:26.the world that we have entertainment They wash their clothes,
:14:27. > :14:31.they are singing. # Together we can take it
:14:32. > :15:13.to the end of the line Nothing I can say, tote all clips of
:15:14. > :15:34.the heart. -- total eclipse. # Total eclipse of the heart.
:15:35. > :15:40.Finally this week, I am in Bangkok. It is said to be developed by Thai
:15:41. > :15:46.warriors. It became known as the art of something. Hands, shins and
:15:47. > :15:58.elbows and needs are used as points of contact -- knees. They battle it
:15:59. > :16:16.out in towns across the country. Only the best to make it here to the
:16:17. > :16:21.stadiums of Bangkok. This is the stadium that is the oldest of its
:16:22. > :16:46.sort. It has held many legendary battles and tonight is no different.
:16:47. > :16:56.A lot of foreigners and tourists. You can watch several bouts made up
:16:57. > :17:00.of five rounds. The person who lands the most hits on an opponent 's body
:17:01. > :17:16.wins around. Like boxing, you can win by knockout. The atmosphere is
:17:17. > :17:31.amazing. You have the strong smell and the fighters are impressive. It
:17:32. > :17:38.is high octane. Despite the popularity and the skill in fault,
:17:39. > :17:45.it has been granted recognition. Fans hope it will be part of the
:17:46. > :17:50.2020 games. These fighters are astonishing watching them up close
:17:51. > :17:56.and personal. Some bright spark decided it was for me to try it out
:17:57. > :18:02.first hand. Tomorrow I am heading over to a camp that trains the
:18:03. > :18:19.fighters from all over Thailand. I hope I don't come out the other end
:18:20. > :18:25.to banged up. I head 45 minutes to the north of Bangkok to the gym
:18:26. > :18:33.where some of the country's top challengers train. You can stay at
:18:34. > :18:40.camps throughout the car -- Thailand ladies but this is known as the top
:18:41. > :18:48.first. These guys at half. Really, really calf. They are the best. --
:18:49. > :18:54.they are task. Really tough. They are made of tough stuff. These guys
:18:55. > :19:57.train twice a day. They are determined to make me sweat
:19:58. > :20:09.even more. It's all about balance. You think of leaning into a punch.
:20:10. > :20:28.The wait is evenly distributed. It's like breaking habits. It takes years
:20:29. > :20:37.to master the practice. I'm about to step in the ring with the top
:20:38. > :20:55.contender in Japan. He looks really mean. Look at his abs. They look
:20:56. > :21:32.ridiculous! I have fair way to go yet. Practice. Going to call it a
:21:33. > :21:37.day. These guys are finely tuned. I have had the tiniest of training
:21:38. > :21:55.here. It's been absolutely amazing but my time here is done by Hope you
:21:56. > :22:09.enjoyed my agony. Coming up on next week 's travel show. We begin a
:22:10. > :22:14.journey from the far west of the south-east is India as the country
:22:15. > :22:21.celebrates 70 years of independence. If there is one defining legacy of
:22:22. > :22:25.British wool, the vast sprawling creaking the Indian rail network. It
:22:26. > :22:34.is still the lifeblood of the country today. Join us about if you
:22:35. > :22:38.can but don't forget you can follow us wherever we are in the world by
:22:39. > :22:43.joining our social media feeds. All of the details are on your screens
:22:44. > :22:44.and now. But from me and the rest of the team here in Bangkok, Thailand,
:22:45. > :22:46.it