0:00:01 > 0:00:01As ever, leave plenty of time before you head off, and doublecheck
0:00:01 > 0:00:02As ever, leave plenty of time before you head off, and doublecheck your
0:00:02 > 0:00:02you head off, and doublecheck your train
0:00:02 > 0:00:02you head off, and doublecheck your train is
0:00:02 > 0:00:02you head off, and doublecheck your train is even
0:00:02 > 0:00:11you head off, and doublecheck your train is even running.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13Hello, and welcome to the last Travel Show of 2016 -
0:00:14 > 0:00:16with me, Ade Adepitan, coming from the amazing monuments
0:00:16 > 0:00:27of Petra in Jordan.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31Exploring the ancient city was one of the highlights of my year -
0:00:31 > 0:00:32and what a year it's been.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35The team has visited over 70 countries and had some incredible
0:00:35 > 0:00:37adventures, so why don't you sit back, relax,
0:00:38 > 0:00:40and see if we've picked one of your favourites,
0:00:40 > 0:00:47as we look back on 2016...
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Now we get to have so much fun working on the Travel Show.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18We fly all over the world, we meet incredible people,
0:01:18 > 0:01:26do cool stuff, but most importantly we get to share our adventures
0:01:26 > 0:01:29with you, and those adventures don't get much more spectacular
0:01:29 > 0:01:31than Rajan's trip to China back in June -
0:01:32 > 0:01:34where he got to explore some amazing destinations that even
0:01:34 > 0:01:46the guidebooks don't seem to know about.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48500 square kilometres of sandstone and minerals,
0:01:48 > 0:01:55the dazzling colours were formed by water erosion.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57They were created during the same geological shift that formed
0:01:57 > 0:02:01the Himalayas some 80 million years ago.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04As spectacular as the Rainbow Mountain Range is, what is almost
0:02:05 > 0:02:07as incredible is that until the turn of the millennium,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10hardly anybody in China, let alone the rest of the world,
0:02:10 > 0:02:15had even heard of it.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18And that is an unlikely story in itself, which begins
0:02:18 > 0:02:29at this man's house.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43One day, a photographer passed by Mr Lei
0:02:43 > 0:02:47as he was carrying out his normal farmer's chores.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20So before 2000, then, no one recognised that this
0:03:20 > 0:03:21was a beautiful natural wonder?
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Soon, other photographers latched onto this undiscovered gem,
0:03:45 > 0:03:52and their photos caught the eye of famous film director Zhang Yimou.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07He shot a remake of the Coen Brothers film Blood Simple here,
0:04:07 > 0:04:10and its success in China made the mountains famous.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12That was Rajan there getting off the beaten track
0:04:12 > 0:04:14in China - fantastic.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18Now, the rest of us have been busy all year bringing you the best
0:04:18 > 0:04:21stories in travel, and here's some of my favourites...
0:04:21 > 0:04:26First up, a story from right here in Petra, where I was lucky
0:04:26 > 0:04:31enough to join a team of archaeologists searching
0:04:31 > 0:04:33for ancient treasures.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36This is the Temple of Winged Lions, a religious complex built
0:04:36 > 0:04:42in around AD 27.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47I'm liking your office, Glen - I like what you've done with it.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49No, this is a beautiful place, this is...
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Glenn is in charge of the site, and tells me how the problems
0:04:53 > 0:04:57here started in the 1970s when the temple was first excavated.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01They uncovered this cool monument, but didn't do a wonderful job
0:05:01 > 0:05:03with doing the things necessary to preserve it
0:05:03 > 0:05:06for future generations.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10Whenever you excavate a monument, you have to pull a lot of the earth
0:05:10 > 0:05:12out of the ground in order to reveal it.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17And so the earlier project dumped a lot of that earth and so,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19as you'll see, we're trying to re-excavate those
0:05:19 > 0:05:21earlier archaeological dumps.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24We have specialists who come and actually work and train and work
0:05:25 > 0:05:26with the local community.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30And the idea is that the locals then train tourists to help out too.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33OK, I've got some skills, man.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35Have you got a digger here or something?
0:05:35 > 0:05:36Yeah, we're ready to go.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Ready?
0:05:38 > 0:05:41OK, stand back - let the master get to work!
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Any scorpions?
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Is that cool?
0:05:52 > 0:05:56I'm terrible - I can't find anything!
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Well, I might not be having much luck, but over the last few years
0:05:59 > 0:06:03they've found all sorts here.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Painted pottery, coins, lamps and decorations
0:06:05 > 0:06:14from the temple.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19It's crazy to think that these amazing bits of jewellery
0:06:19 > 0:06:25and pottery have just been lying forgotten in a pile of earth.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Now, as more pieces are retrieved and catalogued, it's hoped we can
0:06:28 > 0:06:31learn more about the everyday lives of the people who built this
0:06:31 > 0:06:42incredible city more than 2000 years ago.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Next, the waterways of Kerala in India.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50Henry headed there in January to explore the labyrinth of canals,
0:06:50 > 0:06:55rivers and lakes that twist through the state.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00Kerala's calling card is its unique backwaters.
0:07:00 > 0:07:0225 years ago, the houseboat industry didn't exist,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05but in 1991 a tour operator saw the potential in modifying defunct
0:07:05 > 0:07:06cargo boats for tourists.
0:07:06 > 0:07:18It was an instant hit and revolutionised tourism here.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22From just a handful of boats in the 90s, there are now more
0:07:22 > 0:07:24than 1000, offering people a unique insight into village life
0:07:24 > 0:07:29along the waterways.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Time for me to take the helm...
0:07:32 > 0:07:36A little bit of throttle...
0:07:36 > 0:07:37There we go.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39I've noticed it's quite loose but then there's
0:07:39 > 0:07:40a little biting point.
0:07:40 > 0:07:41It's not that easy.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45It isn't.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50SITAR MUSIC.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04In October, Carmen headed deep into the Andes in search of one
0:08:04 > 0:08:11of Peru's best kept secrets.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Tucked away in the eastern Andes, Cuispes didn't feature
0:08:14 > 0:08:22on the tourist map until fairly recently.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25But a few kilometres away lies a spectacular discovery that has
0:08:25 > 0:08:30changed all that.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Hidden in these rainforests are some of the tallest waterfalls
0:08:32 > 0:08:36in the world.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Yumbilla is split into four almost sheer drops, and I'm going to try
0:08:39 > 0:08:44an abseil down the bottom section - with a lot of help.
0:08:44 > 0:08:45So this is where it starts.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49I'm going to rappel down here, into this little waterfall,
0:08:49 > 0:08:54about ten or 12 metres into a pool, and then from there we'll abseil
0:08:54 > 0:08:57down the rest of the waterfall, which is about a 70-metre drop.
0:08:57 > 0:09:05And I'm one of the first people to do this.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07I'm attached to a harness and instructed on the safety
0:09:07 > 0:09:13apparatus that will allow me to control my descent.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Your legs, Carmen - 90 degrees.
0:09:15 > 0:09:16OK.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Hold them, but lean backwards.
0:09:18 > 0:09:26Taking off is terrifying.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30So far, so good, but halfway down I'm in for a shock.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33It is slightly unnerving that we're going to lose the rock now -
0:09:33 > 0:09:35we're going to go into freefall.
0:09:35 > 0:09:44OK, I can do this...
0:09:44 > 0:09:47We reach the last part of the descent, and I'm so relieved
0:09:47 > 0:09:53to finally get to the bottom.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55I know it's crazy.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00I didn't expect quite so much water!
0:10:00 > 0:10:06That was amazing - what a rush!
0:10:06 > 0:10:10Carmen there in Peru, back in October.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Well, stay with us as we continue our look back at 2016
0:10:13 > 0:10:17here on the Travel Show - the year that I got to play one
0:10:17 > 0:10:18of Shakespeare's most famous characters.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22At last!
0:10:22 > 0:10:27But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
0:10:27 > 0:10:38It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41One of the nicest things about being a Travel Show presenter
0:10:41 > 0:10:46is that you get the chance often to get really close to some amazing
0:10:46 > 0:10:50wildlife, and 2016 was no exception.
0:10:50 > 0:10:58So here are some of our favourite animal encounters of the year...
0:10:58 > 0:11:01In April, Henry headed into the rainforests of the Cardamom
0:11:01 > 0:11:05mountain range in Cambodia to join an anti-poaching squad that's
0:11:05 > 0:11:10on the front line of wildlife conservation.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13This ride is getting bumpier and bumpier -
0:11:13 > 0:11:17it's almost like trying to stay on a bucking bronco!
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Woah!
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Deforestation is destroying animals' habitats.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28That's not the only man-made dangers they face here.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32The remains of snares can be found all around.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34It's a strong piece of stick, OK, planted underground,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37so when he's coming, getting his piece of fruit
0:11:37 > 0:11:40or whatever it is, and he's getting caught here.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42Right, so there is a bit missing here?
0:11:42 > 0:11:45Yes, it's missing.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48A piece of fruit, and I believe something else is missing.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52So a lot of these traps are designed to maim rather than kill,
0:11:52 > 0:11:53so they can collect them alive?
0:11:53 > 0:11:54Yes.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Having seen the indiscriminate damage that snares like these do
0:11:56 > 0:12:00to even much larger animals than their intended targets, it's
0:12:00 > 0:12:05quite shocking to see one up close.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07With so many families in rural Cambodia teetering just
0:12:07 > 0:12:12above the poverty line, I suspect that most of those engaged
0:12:12 > 0:12:16in the snaring and logging are just hoping for a way to help themselves
0:12:16 > 0:12:18and their families get by.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20But witnessing it myself, I also come face-to-face
0:12:20 > 0:12:23with the brutal impact this can have.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33In September, it was all about these little fellas - fairy penguins.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37They live on Phillip Island off the southern coast of Australia.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42We sent Christa there to meet them.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44This penguin parade draws most of the visitors here,
0:12:44 > 0:12:50and it's not hard to see why.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Oh, they're so cute!
0:12:54 > 0:12:58There are hundreds of them - all just marching up the beach
0:12:58 > 0:13:00with their big fat belly like they're late
0:13:00 > 0:13:01for an appointment!
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Absolutely gorgeous.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Hello.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10They even offered me the chance to help, and I was not going to pass
0:13:10 > 0:13:13up an opportunity to get up close and personal with a penguin.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15So...
0:13:15 > 0:13:16Oh!
0:13:16 > 0:13:24I'll hold onto it.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25Penguin attack.
0:13:25 > 0:13:26Oh, I'm sorry!
0:13:26 > 0:13:27I'm sorry - we'll be really quick.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30We've just spotted them.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33Yes.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Now to Botswana in Southern Africa.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Rajan was there earlier this year on the trail of rhinos
0:13:38 > 0:13:40at a sanctuary dedicated to the survival of the species.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Wow.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58OK, we're going to take a bit of a risk.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00He has actually been as close as ten metres before
0:14:00 > 0:14:03to a rhino without them sensing he is there,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06and we are going to see how close we can get.
0:14:06 > 0:14:07OK, let's do it.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15It may be best if only Mike comes - if we get this close, yeah.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42It's hard to grasp - one of this planet's
0:14:42 > 0:14:46great survivors, such a dignified shy beast, is under threat
0:14:46 > 0:14:51because of man's vanity.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54Rajan there finding out about the battle to
0:14:54 > 0:15:00save southern Africa's rhino in Botswana, back in September.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03OK, now, to finish our round-up of the year, here's a bunch
0:15:04 > 0:15:07of stories that prove that no two trips are ever the same.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11And if you're thinking of signing up as a Travel Show presenter,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14you'll need to expect the unexpected - so here's some classic clips
0:15:14 > 0:15:18of us presenters trying, and sometimes failing,
0:15:18 > 0:15:20to do all sorts of different things around the world...
0:15:23 > 0:15:28The ninja - a mysterious undercover agent in feudal Japan.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Skilled in espionage and assassination,
0:15:30 > 0:15:36living in the shadows - and now you can apply to be one.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Far from hiding in the dark, the next generation of ninjas
0:15:39 > 0:15:42answered a job ad - full-time, central Japan, salary
0:15:42 > 0:15:49around 1600 US dollars a month.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Hundreds of people applied and auditioned for the jobs,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54including many from overseas.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59I might look the part, but can I cut it as a real-life ninja?
0:15:59 > 0:16:01To be honest, I'm a bit nervous.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06I don't want to fall flat on my face and embarrass myself.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08I do kind of feel ninja-like here...
0:16:08 > 0:16:20LAUGHTER
0:16:20 > 0:16:23OK, I don't think ninjas are meant to giggle.
0:16:23 > 0:16:24OK...
0:16:24 > 0:16:31MUSIC
0:16:45 > 0:16:49It's so high.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52This wall's as tall as me!
0:17:06 > 0:17:07YELPS
0:17:07 > 0:17:09Each event features ten volunteer storytellers
0:17:09 > 0:17:13who are picked at random.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16And every other Saturday my sister, who was older, a friend
0:17:16 > 0:17:18and I would go to the movie...
0:17:18 > 0:17:22They can talk up to five minutes each, and are then given a score
0:17:22 > 0:17:24by a team of judges.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27The winner goes on to perform at the Moth Grand Slam,
0:17:27 > 0:17:28so no pressure then!
0:17:28 > 0:17:34APPLAUSE
0:17:34 > 0:17:36Keep it going!
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Here she comes - keep it coming!
0:17:38 > 0:17:42Come on, just make her feel good, bring her up - here she comes.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46I'm a travel journalist, and a little while ago I was in Japan
0:17:46 > 0:17:50and I was there to interview a very famous chef, and he's bringing out -
0:17:50 > 0:17:53with great sort of pomp and ceremony - this dish he's created
0:17:53 > 0:17:57for me, and it's coming towards me and it has kind of a crab leg
0:17:57 > 0:17:59sticking out the top...
0:17:59 > 0:18:02And of all the things that I just can't eat -
0:18:02 > 0:18:04and there are many things I can't eat -
0:18:04 > 0:18:07just seafood is right up there at the top.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11There is almost nothing from the sea that I will happily put in my mouth,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14and so I asked my translator, I was like, "And what is this?",
0:18:14 > 0:18:18and she kind of looked at me, and she asked the chef,
0:18:18 > 0:18:20and she said, "Oh, it's fugu, you know, fugu -
0:18:20 > 0:18:21the Japanese pufferfish, right?
0:18:21 > 0:18:25You know the one that if they just prepare it very very
0:18:25 > 0:18:27slightly wrongly you die, because it's full of neurotoxins,"
0:18:27 > 0:18:31and I was like, "Oh!"
0:18:31 > 0:18:35So I went to put it in my mouth, and I kind of bit
0:18:35 > 0:18:37down on it and it...
0:18:37 > 0:18:42It didn't yield in the way I thought it would.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45It popped in my mouth like a cist, you know?
0:18:45 > 0:18:46Like...
0:18:46 > 0:18:48LAUGHTER
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Despite my nerves, and to my total surprise, I came joint runner-up
0:18:51 > 0:18:53at tonight's contest.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57CAJUN MUSIC
0:18:59 > 0:19:03Chubby Carrier is a Grammy award winner and a third generation of a
0:19:03 > 0:19:07legendary zydeco playing family.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09You should try it, man - yes, yes, yes.
0:19:09 > 0:19:16It's all percussion in zydeco.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20How are you doing that?
0:19:20 > 0:19:24You have the rhythm going like this in the air, and that's it.
0:19:24 > 0:19:25A little like that?
0:19:25 > 0:19:27That's it!
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Yeah, but then when I touch the thing...
0:19:29 > 0:19:32But when you hit the board, you lose it.
0:19:32 > 0:19:32Why?
0:19:32 > 0:19:33I don't know.
0:19:33 > 0:19:38MUSIC
0:19:38 > 0:19:44And then after my frankly disastrous ten-minute lesson, this happens...
0:20:01 > 0:20:06BBC Travel here, London, England, y'all...
0:20:09 > 0:20:13Show me a little segment of how you would use the alphabets
0:20:13 > 0:20:15to tell the story.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20Please, come.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Rolling the eyes is...
0:20:22 > 0:20:27Getting excited.
0:20:30 > 0:20:35I think it's me being an amateur, but when I try to do it my vision
0:20:35 > 0:20:37blurs, but your vision doesn't blur?
0:20:37 > 0:20:38No - long.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40Oh, OK, you focus on the distance?
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Long-distance.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47Long-distance, OK.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50I'm focused here - that's why I'm going cross eyed!
0:20:50 > 0:20:51That's the secret.
0:20:51 > 0:20:52LAUGHTER
0:20:58 > 0:21:00Traditionally, a classic Kathakali performance can go on for many
0:21:00 > 0:21:05hours, sometimes a whole night.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06But some modern audiences have shorter attention
0:21:07 > 0:21:11spans, so the artform has had to adapt.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14You lost me!
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Here at Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon, you can see
0:21:18 > 0:21:21where it all began, with guided tours around the house
0:21:21 > 0:21:24that he was born in.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29He was the third of 13 children, the first boy...
0:21:29 > 0:21:31In an exhibition for this anniversary year,
0:21:31 > 0:21:36you can also see a copy of the first publication of Shakespeare's plays.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
0:21:42 > 0:21:47It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51Romeo, Romeo!
0:21:51 > 0:21:56Wherefore art thou Romeo?
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
0:21:59 > 0:22:03Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
0:22:03 > 0:22:07And I'll no longer be a Capulet...
0:22:07 > 0:22:08COMIC RECORD SCRATCH SOUND
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Well, if you put it that way, love, I'll be up there.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14400 years on this year and still going strong,
0:22:15 > 0:22:16William Shakespeare - although I'm not sure
0:22:16 > 0:22:19what he would make of my acting.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23I did give it a little bit of depth, though!
0:22:23 > 0:22:26OK, well, that's it from us for another year, and we'll see
0:22:26 > 0:22:30you again next year, and I do hope you enjoyed
0:22:30 > 0:22:34following us on all our travels in 2016.
0:22:34 > 0:22:35But for now, in the meantime,
0:22:35 > 0:22:39from me, Ade, and all the team, we wish you a happy and healthy 2017.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Happy New Year!
0:23:07 > 0:23:08Hello again.