Peru The Travel Show

That's it from me, the Breakfast Team is here at six.

This week we are in Carew. And we are off in search of Enlightenment

in one of the craziest cities Asia. And we are trying to find the answer

to this let this how much better do I have to be to go to ukelele

Wednesday? We start this week in Carew. It is a

country best known for the famous ruins of Machu Picchu. But we have

come to the foothills of the foothills for another hairier icon.

The inspiration for Paddington Bear. The Andean bear is the only native

bear species of South America. It is on the endangered list because of

hunting and habitat loss. But here they are doing something about it.

This is Carew's first private conservation area sent sent up

jointly with the local community in 2000. It tries to rehabilitate

rescued bears that have been captured a legally and mistreated as

exotic pets or circus attractions. -- we have them here in these

enclosures so they get used to the food and the dangers.

Most animals kept in captivity are unlikely to survive in the wild,

and here they are doing all they can to change that.

When bears are born here, they learn the things

These bears are good candidates to be released.

There are eight bears here now and so far they have only

I grew up here and since I remember I was sure that I wanted to stay

We throw sweet potatoes all around the place so we keep them busy

The bears are encouraged to forage just like they would in the wild.

So, this one goes on the index finger.

Swing it and at some point when you think it is the right

Naturally shy, these are amongst the smallest and least aggressive

Some say this is the best place in the world to see the Andean bear.

I have been to other bear conservation projects and never been

The thing I find most fascinating is how their mannerisms

They are an obvious draw for tourists and entry fees are used

for community projects and for research.

It is estimated that the bear population numbers have declined

So this is what conservation is all about here.

Releasing a bear back into the wild and I am lucky enough to be

Four-year-old Elisa was born in this reserve.

So this is Elisa's mother next door.

Her mother was rescued from captivity where she had been

Sadly, she would never survive in the outside world.

We are going to sedate Elisa and we are going to set up

The GPS collar will now allow Juan to track Elisa when she is released.

Juan prepares a tranquiliser that he will shoot

How dangerous is this, Juan?

Yes, each time that you use a tranquilliser on an animal it

could be dangerous, but this is a safe drug and we know

that she has not eaten anything in the last hours,

His shot hits the spot and Elisa seems

It's a race against the clock before the bear wakes up.

Wait until tomorrow and tomorrow we are going to release her.

So, it is a beautiful morning and today is the day

we are going to release Elisa into the wild.

She is fine, she is getting used to the collar now,

she is scratching a bit, but now that we are going to release

her she will have a lot of things to think about and she

Do you think she knows what is going on?

No, I think she has no idea, but in a few minutes

This is a first for Elisa and for me as well.

I have been given the privilege of opening the gate for Elisa.

I pull the string here like this and then push the gate.

So, we are now all in the same open space.

But Elisa is hesitant, she does not want to leave her mother.

She is looking very cautious at the moment.

So they have put an egg just outside the gate there.

Finally Juan and his team entice Elisa out of the cage with some food

and she takes her first steps towards freedom.

It is incredible to be so close to a bear.

There is no gate, there is no fence separating us.

She is just there, a few metres away.

It looks like she is enjoying her first wild fruit

I think she just realised that she is in the wild.

From here on Elisa faces an uncertain future, but the GPS

collar will track her whereabouts so Juan and his team can see how

For Juan it is the culmination of years of work.

Since she was born we were waiting for this moment.

Imagine to be able to tell people that I was so close to a bear

and we helped to release a bear into the wild.

If that has inspired you to see some other conservation projects

on your next trip, here are some of our top tips.

If you are heading to Sri Lanka, you will find some of the world's

Five out of the seven breeds on the globe are found on the island

and you can go to the hatcheries to see them in all stages

Turtle tourism has reduced the number of egg poaching instances

and there are even volunteering options available for those

At this rescue centre in Cambodia injured animals of all shapes

and sizes are taken to be rehabilitated.

Illegal logging, poaching and animal trafficking have

all contributed to these animals being hurt or displaced.

A tour of the Centre will allow you to interact with the wildlife

and see how these rescued creatures are being cared for up close.

If you are looking for a conservation experience in Kenya,

We recommend heading to this national park to encounter its large

The park has 52 elephant families which have been protected since 1972

by a trust set up to prevent poaching.

The local people also play a part in conservation efforts

and if you are lucky, you may even spot some baby elephants.

And finally, Taronga Zoo in Sydney houses several different species

that have been rescued from around the world.

The zoo even has a free app that you can download to your smartphone

which encourages you to be active with conservation by reporting

suspected illegal animal activity around the world.

Still to come on the programme: We will be finding out why this

instrument from the past is making a comeback.

It feels like a community almost, as corny as that might sound.

And from monks to monsoons, we took your advice on the best

The Travel Show, your essential guide wherever you are heading.

We have been all over Twitter, Facebook and Instagram asking

you for your favourite things to do in six different

We've had a great response, so in the first of this

series our trip star Ben has been following your suggestions

all the way to one of South East Asia's maddest cities.

Stop number one for many backpackers is the Thai capital Bangkok.

It's a crazy city full of adventure and that's all part of its appeal.

As you can probably tell Bangkok is the definition of pure chaos.

I will see if you can get me away from the madness and make my trip

An early start and the first tweet gets me straight out

This is the grandest entrance I've ever made.

I am here for a special weekly ritual involving Buddhist monks.

But I know it will be an etiquette minefield so I have

You want to walk behind me? OK.

The custom is you walk like half a step behind.

OK. Tell me exactly what happens here.

The monks come along in small boats and people line up here on both

sides of the bank and you put food and other things

It is a connection between what you give

So when they come by you just put this into the bowl

Better make sure I get it in this bowl.

Maybe now. Oh, sorry.

I gave him two. OK, sorry.

It's a beautiful way to start the day I think.

This is nicer than I thought to be honest.

She looks like she is in the middle of...

Pho, as they call her here, set up this little school as a way

to escape the long relentless hours she was working, selling

Tell me what it was like when you first started out?

I made it all myself, kind of.

It is looking good, looking good.

My final stop in Bangkok, a vast complex in which surely I can

However, this is monsoon season, so half of it is shut.

When the weather is like this, you don't see many tourists

here which is great, but it does mean communication

Here we go, here we go, it's going to happen.

I want to buy a present for my mother.

I don't know, a nice present that says Thailand,

This looks as not as enjoyable as it actually is.

And just as my task looked completely impossible,

I think I have found a gift for my mum.

It can help you find the perfect gift for your mum,

it can help you cook, but it cannot stop the rain.

And finally this week a London challenge, finding an affordable

night out in one of the world's most expensive cities.

Not easy, but we sent Lindsay Wood out to give it a go and this

A Wednesday evening in central London and what I've been told

People down in the basement of a pub playing what I thought

It has the power to bring people of all backgrounds together.

When I first came I knew how to drink beer and so the first few

weeks all I did was play C whenever I saw it and that is it.

Lorraine organises the weekly ukelele get together.

I don't have to be that good for Ukelele Wednesday, do I?

We are going to start with the A minor chord.

Put your middle finger at the top there and we will do eight down ups

And then we are going to do eight Cs.

You have got really good rhythm.

Picking up the basics of ukelele is actually pretty easy.

Four strings, four fingers and strum.

It costs about the same as going out for a couple of pizzas

After an hour I am beginning to get the hang of it.

I gave up smoking and replaced one habit with another.

So how much better do I have to be to go to Ukelele Wednesday?

You can come next week if you practice all the chords

One great thing about learning the ukelele is that it is so small

you can practice just about anywhere.

So after a few days strumming it is time to put it to the test.

I will admit it is way more fun than I expected.

There is a real joy to playing music with others and nobody minds

if you do not quite know all the chords.

It feels like a community almost, as corny as that might sound.

You come in and people are not judging you for how good you are.

Everyone is really lovely and it is a really good bunch

and I feel like maybe it invites a certain type of person.

There are three Ukelele Wednesday's around London and plenty

And when I return home to California I am tempted

to look out for something like this back in LA.

Sadly, that is all we have got time for in this week's show.

I hope you can join us next week when we are in Botswana exploring

the ancient and modern on the eve of the Southern African nation's

Hopefully they know what is going to happen next.

Do join us for that if you can and do not forget, if you want

to follow the rest of the team on their journeys in real-time,

you can sign up to our social media feeds.

All the details are on your screen now.

But, until next time from me, Carmine Roberts, and the rest

of the travel show team here in Chaparri in northern