2015 Highlights The Travel Show

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Welcome to The Travel Show.

This week, we are taking a look back at 2015.

Insane!

A quick glimpse at just some of our adventures from

around the world this year.

We clocked up to 50 countries in the past 12 months,

and today we will bring you some of our favourite stories again.

That is all coming up, along with a lot more.

But first, let's kick off with a couple of my own.

In a moment, we will head to Spain to find out how one Europe's most

famous package holiday destinations wanted to make a bid for UNESCO

World Heritage status this year.

But first, back in September, Raj travelled to Myanmar to

discover some amazing temples that have up until now been

off the tourist trails.

Here we are - 42 square kilometres of monasteries, temples

and pagodas, with a claim to be Asia's largest archaeological site.

I am told this is the best way to get about.

This was Myanmar's first capital, where Buddhism in the country began.

Over 2000 religious monuments dominate the landscape.

The show-stopping scenery was largely hidden from the world during

the years of military rule, and is yet to be overrun by tourists.

What an experience.

So this is the Ananda Temple, one of the showpiece temples

in this whole complex.

It is supposed to be amazing, and I will meet a man who, in a

way, created tourism here way back in the '70s, and if anyone knows

about the background, history, civilisation here, it is this man.

Did they build all of this by hand, or...?

By hand, no machinery.

He used to work in a fertiliser factory.

But in 1971, he started showing tourists around

in exchange for English lessons.

Wow.

The temples here have withstood huge earthquakes.

And some ham-fisted attempts at restoration

under the military junta.

Some say that is why it has not yet been awarded UNESCO heritage status.

This seaside resort on the Costa Blanca grew from

a sleepy fishing village with just 3000 inhabitants back in the 1960s

to a metropolis of high-rise apartments and hotels.

Tourism is its main industry, and city officials are banking

on this to help propel Benidorm into the realms

of UNESCO World Heritage status.

How can Benidorm compare to other UNESCO sites such as the Great Wall

of China, or Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, or the pyramids of Egypt?

You are used to monuments, but we want to have it,

because if it will be possible, we will sell to the world that the

mother of Benidorm is a good mother, a sustainable mother for tourism.

-- model of Benidorm is a good model, a sustainable model for

tourism.

Benidorm is full of surprises. I think I'm about to get one.

Hello, what are you doing in here?

What are you doing in here?

You should knock before you come into a lady's dressing room.

You two are going to be trouble.

This show bar in the centre of Benidorm's oldtown is very popular.

Gary Brown spent ten years working as a nurse in the UK before he

decided he had had enough and jetted off to Spain to become a drag queen.

I think a lot of people have this preconceived

idea of Benidorm, but they tend to be people that have never been.

It can be a snobby thing, where people think, Benidorm, I want to go

there, but they have never been.

I say they can't criticise until they have been.

Are you ready to be entertained?

Please put your hands together and make some noise for the one

and only...

The idea to apply for UNESCO World Heritage status is

still in its early stages and could take up to six years before Benidorm

finds out if it has achieved the much-desired UNESCO crown.

So I guess we will just have to wait and see if it is deserving

of such a title.

CHEERING

Still no word on the UNESCO bid.

We will let you know if Benidorm ends up joining the list

along with the likes of Stonehenge and the Taj Mahal in 2016.

DANCE MUSIC

Oh, wow.

Time now for some adventure, and 2015 saw The Travel Show team

travel to all four corners of the globe to test our nerve

and try something new.

Here are some of our favourites from the past.

I am at Sky Jump, the country's highest base jump by wire,

and it is not for the fainthearted.

Are you excited?

Yes, and nervous.

Stylish.

Especially if you are like me and have a fear of heights.

This is very tight.

There are a lot of safety checks, thankfully.

What was I thinking?

As I am about to plummet more than 190 metres

off the side of this tower.

Let's show everyone where you are about to go.

All the way down there.

Oh, my God.

Don't look!

This is really terrifying.

I will get you attached first.

One on the front, and one on the back.

OK.

Perfect.

Right up to the edge. You can do it.

Straight out. Try not to look down.

It's coming. Three, two, one, go!

SCREAMS

11 seconds later, having travelled at almost 100 kilometres per hour,

my feet are firmly on the ground.

How was that?

Terrifying. I'm not doing it again.

Minutes to go before my bout, and this is my opponent.

The one tactic I was taught does not really work.

And from that moment on, I am in a bit of trouble.

Thank you very much.

Good luck.

Thank you. Whew.

Insane!

You see?

They make it look very easy, but it is far from it.

You have to be careful of where you are heading, because these

tracks are not straight lines.

Your speed picks up a crazy amount,

and you need to plant your feet to slow down.

Watch out for those trees!

A close call.

Skinflint are one of Botswana's leading young heavy metal bands.

Despite their aggressive appearance, everybody I meet here is quite

friendly.

These gigs take place monthly all around Botswana,

and newcomers like me are welcome.

It is like an expression, freedom of expression, power.

That is how I look at heavy metal.

It is also music that allows you to experiment a lot,

because it has no boundaries.

As the band gets into its stride, the crowd begins to mosh.

This is how some rock fans like to express themselves, but

for me, it is definitely a first.

And this is not just about dressing the part, this is a new generation

claiming heavy metal as their own.

People should open their eyes, not put Africa in a box

like they always do.

They only think that Africa is a certain way.

We are poverty-ridden, there are a lot of negatives.

But we are also a very creative people.

Even though it is not publicised much, there are a lot

of talented musicians and artists.

I think Skinflint is an example of that.

Stick with us, coming up, we have more memories from 2015,

including the time we got up close and personal with some killer whales

off the coast of Taiwan.

They are very difficult to film because as soon as they

come up they have gone again.

One of my personal highlights of the year has to be an amazing

trip that I was lucky enough to make back in September to Kenya.

I headed to Amboseli National Park to see

the conservation efforts going on to help save elephants from poaching.

But while I was in Kenya I found the time to visit the birthplace

of Elsa the lion, the orphaned cub made famous by the film Born Free.

That was really special.

This is Elsa's last resting spot, very close to

the river where George Adamson found her, and the last moments were spent

with her before she died.

And of course, George's ashes were scattered around here as well.

George had this lovely call, he never had to shout.

"Boy, come on boy!"

Johnny Baxendale was George's godson, who used to help release

lions to the wild and come back to their regular haunts for visits.

It relaxed, there was no tension or issues.

We knew them very well, they would walk up to us and greet

us in the most amazing way.

The pair used to sit under this tamarind tree with warm beers.

It doesn't take long before the memories come flooding back.

Just being with him and being able to work with him

and see how he absolutely handled his lions, and how relaxed he was,

and he had this amazing rapport with his environment.

Totally in harmony with his environment.

Anything to first of all try to revive the legacy

tremendously with tourism.

It would suddenly pick up.

I think the anniversary is a wonderful way to relive this,

and for people out here to come and see for themselves where it

happened and what happened.

This is the Born Free country.

This is where Elsa was found and this is where she died.

Remembering Elsa on the 50th anniversary of the film,

the film that made her name synonymous with conservation.

Back in August, Carmen headed off on a volunteering break to Taiwan,

where people wanting to get away from the city life for a few days

helped to paint a local village a signature shade of orange.

In return they get food and a bed, and if they are lucky,

a truly remarkable encounter with some killer whales.

We are on a whale watching boat, but the guide says we are unlikely

to see whales but we will probably see some dolphins.

And a spectacular sunrise.

This part of the world lies on the Tropic of Cancer, the

imaginary ring that circumnavigates the world and the line of latitude

where the sun shines highest in the sky for the longest during the day.

Hundreds of thousands of people come to Taiwan every year

to take part in events that mark the summer solstice in June.

At around 5:30am I get to see why.

So, we have been watching the sky change from a pale pink in the very

early morning, and it is gradually getting brighter and more orange.

Now we have displays of sun, which is making such a spectacular view.

It is almost like a different shade of orange every minute.

Fairly soon after the sunrise we get our first glimpse of what we have

really come to see, killer whales.

Whales are protected species here in Taiwan, and this even this close

is truly breathtaking.

And a special reward for me and all the hard-working volunteers.

It is so exciting to be surrounded by a family of killer whales,

apparently it is the first sighting of the season, but they are really

difficult to film because as soon as they come up they are gone again.

Truly stunning, and lucky to be able to get so close

to those magnificent creatures.

To finish off our look back at this year we have decided to

focus on the downright strange stories we have had.

In a moment, Christa learns to be a mermaid at one of the strangest

attractions we have come across.

We meet the internet sensation who eats her dinner online

every evening in South Korea.

But first, back in September, Carmen travelled to the Japanese

city of Kyoto to try out a wedding break with a difference.

You look like a princess, how do you feel?

I am so happy!

All my dreams come true!

This is not like most traditional nuptials,

it is in fact a wedding for one.

Keiko was married 12 years ago, but back then she and her husband

couldn't afford a proper ceremony and banquet, then

life got busy, Keiko fell pregnant, and life fell by the wayside.

While today is a day of excitement for Keiko, it is also

tinged with a little sadness.

It would have been better if my husband

and son had been able to come.

12 years ago we couldn't afford a proper wedding and ever since I have

dreamt of doing it as a family.

I can't wait to show the pictures to everyone back home.

Obviously there is no actual legal wedding,

but since launching the package last year, more than 100 brides have

taken part in the experience.

This woman is a music teacher, 28 years old and living with her

parents and older sister in an apartment on the outskirts of Seoul.

How did you start doing this programme?

TRANSLATION: Well, I couldn't understand before why people were

watching eating programmes, but my friend said they were interesting.

One day I found myself watching it all through the night,

then my sister asked me why I was watching it.

She said, you like to cook and eat a lot, why did you do the programme?

And so she did.

Now, four nights a week, she broadcasts online to lonely

viewers who now have an instant pop up dining partner.

Sometimes she cooks her own food.

Sometimes she orders take away, sometimes it is both.

After all, there is four hours of airtime to fill every night.

It is minutes before tonight's transmission starts.

She is not the only one doing this around the country,

thousands of others are about to host their own similar shows.

Do some people say to you, this is really weird?

Yes, that is exactly what I thought when I first started.

But people who watch the programme really enjoy it.

These are the Weeki Wachee Mermaids who perform underwater acrobatics

in this auditorium built into the side of a natural spring.

Hundreds of people come to watch it, including many wide-eyed

youngsters, and some not so young.

They are each holding these hoses in their hands,

which they breathe through, but then they drop them and swim

around for what seems like ages.

It is impressive.

Do you think I could be a mermaid?

Yes, that would be awesome!

So, one rather undignified costume change later...

I have a mermaid tail!

Ready?

Yes.

It is really cold!

Swimming as a mermaid is definitely tougher

than these guys make it look.

Still, after a couple of attempts, I do manage a mermaid smile

and wave, the best I can hope for!

But for the real mermaids, the future is now looking more secure.

That is it for our look back at 2015 here on the Travel Show.

Thank you for joining us on all of our travels throughout the year,

and we hope you head out with us again in 2016.

Until then, wherever you are heading next, we would like to wish you

a happy and healthy New Year.

We will see you in 2016.