Episode 151 The Travel Show

As ever, leave plenty of time before you head off, and doublecheck

As ever, leave plenty of time before you head off, and doublecheck your

you head off, and doublecheck your train

you head off, and doublecheck your train is

you head off, and doublecheck your train is even

you head off, and doublecheck your train is even running.

Hello, and welcome to the last Travel Show of 2016 -

with me, Ade Adepitan, coming from the amazing monuments

of Petra in Jordan.

Exploring the ancient city was one of the highlights of my year -

and what a year it's been.

The team has visited over 70 countries and had some incredible

adventures, so why don't you sit back, relax,

and see if we've picked one of your favourites,

as we look back on 2016...

Now we get to have so much fun working on the Travel Show.

We fly all over the world, we meet incredible people,

do cool stuff, but most importantly we get to share our adventures

with you, and those adventures don't get much more spectacular

than Rajan's trip to China back in June -

where he got to explore some amazing destinations that even

the guidebooks don't seem to know about.

500 square kilometres of sandstone and minerals,

the dazzling colours were formed by water erosion.

They were created during the same geological shift that formed

the Himalayas some 80 million years ago.

As spectacular as the Rainbow Mountain Range is, what is almost

as incredible is that until the turn of the millennium,

hardly anybody in China, let alone the rest of the world,

had even heard of it.

And that is an unlikely story in itself, which begins

at this man's house.

One day, a photographer passed by Mr Lei

as he was carrying out his normal farmer's chores.

So before 2000, then, no one recognised that this

was a beautiful natural wonder?

Soon, other photographers latched onto this undiscovered gem,

and their photos caught the eye of famous film director Zhang Yimou.

He shot a remake of the Coen Brothers film Blood Simple here,

and its success in China made the mountains famous.

That was Rajan there getting off the beaten track

in China - fantastic.

Now, the rest of us have been busy all year bringing you the best

stories in travel, and here's some of my favourites...

First up, a story from right here in Petra, where I was lucky

enough to join a team of archaeologists searching

for ancient treasures.

This is the Temple of Winged Lions, a religious complex built

in around AD 27.

I'm liking your office, Glen - I like what you've done with it.

No, this is a beautiful place, this is...

Glenn is in charge of the site, and tells me how the problems

here started in the 1970s when the temple was first excavated.

They uncovered this cool monument, but didn't do a wonderful job

with doing the things necessary to preserve it

for future generations.

Whenever you excavate a monument, you have to pull a lot of the earth

out of the ground in order to reveal it.

And so the earlier project dumped a lot of that earth and so,

as you'll see, we're trying to re-excavate those

earlier archaeological dumps.

We have specialists who come and actually work and train and work

with the local community.

And the idea is that the locals then train tourists to help out too.

OK, I've got some skills, man.

Have you got a digger here or something?

Yeah, we're ready to go.

Ready?

OK, stand back - let the master get to work!

Any scorpions?

Is that cool?

I'm terrible - I can't find anything!

Well, I might not be having much luck, but over the last few years

they've found all sorts here.

Painted pottery, coins, lamps and decorations

from the temple.

It's crazy to think that these amazing bits of jewellery

and pottery have just been lying forgotten in a pile of earth.

Now, as more pieces are retrieved and catalogued, it's hoped we can

learn more about the everyday lives of the people who built this

incredible city more than 2000 years ago.

Next, the waterways of Kerala in India.

Henry headed there in January to explore the labyrinth of canals,

rivers and lakes that twist through the state.

Kerala's calling card is its unique backwaters.

25 years ago, the houseboat industry didn't exist,

but in 1991 a tour operator saw the potential in modifying defunct

cargo boats for tourists.

It was an instant hit and revolutionised tourism here.

From just a handful of boats in the 90s, there are now more

than 1000, offering people a unique insight into village life

along the waterways.

Time for me to take the helm...

A little bit of throttle...

There we go.

I've noticed it's quite loose but then there's

a little biting point.

It's not that easy.

It isn't.

SITAR MUSIC.

In October, Carmen headed deep into the Andes in search of one

of Peru's best kept secrets.

Tucked away in the eastern Andes, Cuispes didn't feature

on the tourist map until fairly recently.

But a few kilometres away lies a spectacular discovery that has

changed all that.

Hidden in these rainforests are some of the tallest waterfalls

in the world.

Yumbilla is split into four almost sheer drops, and I'm going to try

an abseil down the bottom section - with a lot of help.

So this is where it starts.

I'm going to rappel down here, into this little waterfall,

about ten or 12 metres into a pool, and then from there we'll abseil

down the rest of the waterfall, which is about a 70-metre drop.

And I'm one of the first people to do this.

I'm attached to a harness and instructed on the safety

apparatus that will allow me to control my descent.

Your legs, Carmen - 90 degrees.

OK.

Hold them, but lean backwards.

Taking off is terrifying.

So far, so good, but halfway down I'm in for a shock.

It is slightly unnerving that we're going to lose the rock now -

we're going to go into freefall.

OK, I can do this...

We reach the last part of the descent, and I'm so relieved

to finally get to the bottom.

I know it's crazy.

I didn't expect quite so much water!

That was amazing - what a rush!

Carmen there in Peru, back in October.

Well, stay with us as we continue our look back at 2016

here on the Travel Show - the year that I got to play one

of Shakespeare's most famous characters.

At last!

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

One of the nicest things about being a Travel Show presenter

is that you get the chance often to get really close to some amazing

wildlife, and 2016 was no exception.

So here are some of our favourite animal encounters of the year...

In April, Henry headed into the rainforests of the Cardamom

mountain range in Cambodia to join an anti-poaching squad that's

on the front line of wildlife conservation.

This ride is getting bumpier and bumpier -

it's almost like trying to stay on a bucking bronco!

Woah!

Deforestation is destroying animals' habitats.

That's not the only man-made dangers they face here.

The remains of snares can be found all around.

It's a strong piece of stick, OK, planted underground,

so when he's coming, getting his piece of fruit

or whatever it is, and he's getting caught here.

Right, so there is a bit missing here?

Yes, it's missing.

A piece of fruit, and I believe something else is missing.

So a lot of these traps are designed to maim rather than kill,

so they can collect them alive?

Yes.

Having seen the indiscriminate damage that snares like these do

to even much larger animals than their intended targets, it's

quite shocking to see one up close.

With so many families in rural Cambodia teetering just

above the poverty line, I suspect that most of those engaged

in the snaring and logging are just hoping for a way to help themselves

and their families get by.

But witnessing it myself, I also come face-to-face

with the brutal impact this can have.

In September, it was all about these little fellas - fairy penguins.

They live on Phillip Island off the southern coast of Australia.

We sent Christa there to meet them.

This penguin parade draws most of the visitors here,

and it's not hard to see why.

Oh, they're so cute!

There are hundreds of them - all just marching up the beach

with their big fat belly like they're late

for an appointment!

Absolutely gorgeous.

Hello.

They even offered me the chance to help, and I was not going to pass

up an opportunity to get up close and personal with a penguin.

So...

Oh!

I'll hold onto it.

Penguin attack.

Oh, I'm sorry!

I'm sorry - we'll be really quick.

We've just spotted them.

Yes.

Now to Botswana in Southern Africa.

Rajan was there earlier this year on the trail of rhinos

at a sanctuary dedicated to the survival of the species.

Wow.

OK, we're going to take a bit of a risk.

He has actually been as close as ten metres before

to a rhino without them sensing he is there,

and we are going to see how close we can get.

OK, let's do it.

It may be best if only Mike comes - if we get this close, yeah.

It's hard to grasp - one of this planet's

great survivors, such a dignified shy beast, is under threat

because of man's vanity.

Rajan there finding out about the battle to

save southern Africa's rhino in Botswana, back in September.

OK, now, to finish our round-up of the year, here's a bunch

of stories that prove that no two trips are ever the same.

And if you're thinking of signing up as a Travel Show presenter,

you'll need to expect the unexpected - so here's some classic clips

of us presenters trying, and sometimes failing,

to do all sorts of different things around the world...

The ninja - a mysterious undercover agent in feudal Japan.

Skilled in espionage and assassination,

living in the shadows - and now you can apply to be one.

Far from hiding in the dark, the next generation of ninjas

answered a job ad - full-time, central Japan, salary

around 1600 US dollars a month.

Hundreds of people applied and auditioned for the jobs,

including many from overseas.

I might look the part, but can I cut it as a real-life ninja?

To be honest, I'm a bit nervous.

I don't want to fall flat on my face and embarrass myself.

I do kind of feel ninja-like here...

LAUGHTER

OK, I don't think ninjas are meant to giggle.

OK...

MUSIC

It's so high.

This wall's as tall as me!

YELPS

Each event features ten volunteer storytellers

who are picked at random.

And every other Saturday my sister, who was older, a friend

and I would go to the movie...

They can talk up to five minutes each, and are then given a score

by a team of judges.

The winner goes on to perform at the Moth Grand Slam,

so no pressure then!

APPLAUSE

Keep it going!

Here she comes - keep it coming!

Come on, just make her feel good, bring her up - here she comes.

I'm a travel journalist, and a little while ago I was in Japan

and I was there to interview a very famous chef, and he's bringing out -

with great sort of pomp and ceremony - this dish he's created

for me, and it's coming towards me and it has kind of a crab leg

sticking out the top...

And of all the things that I just can't eat -

and there are many things I can't eat -

just seafood is right up there at the top.

There is almost nothing from the sea that I will happily put in my mouth,

and so I asked my translator, I was like, "And what is this?",

and she kind of looked at me, and she asked the chef,

and she said, "Oh, it's fugu, you know, fugu -

the Japanese pufferfish, right?

You know the one that if they just prepare it very very

slightly wrongly you die, because it's full of neurotoxins,"

and I was like, "Oh!"

So I went to put it in my mouth, and I kind of bit

down on it and it...

It didn't yield in the way I thought it would.

It popped in my mouth like a cist, you know?

Like...

LAUGHTER

Despite my nerves, and to my total surprise, I came joint runner-up

at tonight's contest.

CAJUN MUSIC

Chubby Carrier is a Grammy award winner and a third generation of a

legendary zydeco playing family.

You should try it, man - yes, yes, yes.

It's all percussion in zydeco.

How are you doing that?

You have the rhythm going like this in the air, and that's it.

A little like that?

That's it!

Yeah, but then when I touch the thing...

But when you hit the board, you lose it.

Why?

I don't know.

MUSIC

And then after my frankly disastrous ten-minute lesson, this happens...

BBC Travel here, London, England, y'all...

Show me a little segment of how you would use the alphabets

to tell the story.

Please, come.

Rolling the eyes is...

Getting excited.

I think it's me being an amateur, but when I try to do it my vision

blurs, but your vision doesn't blur?

No - long.

Oh, OK, you focus on the distance?

Long-distance.

Long-distance, OK.

I'm focused here - that's why I'm going cross eyed!

That's the secret.

LAUGHTER

Traditionally, a classic Kathakali performance can go on for many

hours, sometimes a whole night.

But some modern audiences have shorter attention

spans, so the artform has had to adapt.

You lost me!

Here at Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon, you can see

where it all began, with guided tours around the house

that he was born in.

He was the third of 13 children, the first boy...

In an exhibition for this anniversary year,

you can also see a copy of the first publication of Shakespeare's plays.

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

Romeo, Romeo!

Wherefore art thou Romeo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy name;

Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,

And I'll no longer be a Capulet...

COMIC RECORD SCRATCH SOUND

Well, if you put it that way, love, I'll be up there.

400 years on this year and still going strong,

William Shakespeare - although I'm not sure

what he would make of my acting.

I did give it a little bit of depth, though!

OK, well, that's it from us for another year, and we'll see

you again next year, and I do hope you enjoyed

following us on all our travels in 2016.

But for now, in the meantime,

from me, Ade, and all the team, we wish you a happy and healthy 2017.

Happy New Year!

Hello again.