Episode 32 The Travel Show

Over the past six months,

we have travelled the globe to bring you stories from all over the world.

Now, this week, we want you to sit back, relax, as we bring you

some of our favourite adventures here on The Travel Show.

It feels so devious.

OK, I think that's close enough.

This is my chance to get really close to the sun bears.

I'm very glad to be wearing this.

Um, a gremlin with one toe.

Um, Roger, the hairy armpit.

Hello and welcome to The Travel Show with me, Ade Adepitan, from

Royal Greenwich in London, home to a World Heritage Site,

Britain's first ever urban cable car,

and the famous Greenwich Meridian line,

the marker that traditionally splits east from west for map-makers

and navigators across the globe.

Now, so far, the team and I

have racked up some serious air miles to bring you

the best stories from around the world -

from Japan to New York, Borneo to South Africa,

from Jamaica to Australia, as well as from here in the UK.

First up, though, here's Carmen's trip to China where she set about

one of the most iconic monuments in the world with a spray can.

It's a breathtaking sight,

an historic wall stretching as far as the eye can see.

It spans almost 9,000 kilometres from the east to the west of China.

Built over more than 2,000 years,

construction first began around 220 BC

and continued up until the Ming dynasty

when the wall became known as the world's largest military structure.

It was key to protecting agriculture and resisting the cavalry

of the Huns and other warrior tribes from the north.

But look closely and you will see that the wall is under attack

again from visiting vandals.

The Chinese government has adopted a kind of "if you can't beat them,

"join them" type of approach.

Here at tower number 14, tourists have been given free rein to

graffiti the walls in hope that it will stop other areas being defaced.

The Chinese tradition of writing messages on bricks,

rocks, and trees is almost as old as the wall itself.

The technique was used by scholars in the Han dynasty

in 206 BC.

But modern-day graffiti is relatively new

and China's first dedicated shop opened here in Beijing's

hip 798 Art District just two years ago.

Graffiti in China is very young.

I started graffiti from 2005,

and the more and more graffiti on the street now.

A local graffer will usually leave his tag, a shortened

version of their name, in English, like Andy is teaching me now.

-I've never used a spray can like this before.

-Just try it. It's OK.

I feel so devious.

So, now I'm ready to write my name on the Great Wall of China.

So, I think the spray can is a bit overkill.

I probably would have been better with a felt tip pen, but here goes.

The Chinese government is monitoring the project

and if it's a success, they plan to open more graffiti zones.

So, there you go, Carmen showing her wild side

and getting busy with a spray can at the Great Wall of China in May,

and it's not just Carmen

that's dipped her toe in the art world on The Travel Show.

Henry, last month, smartphone in hand,

learnt some new tricks on how to take

the best travel snaps here in London.

But, first, let's see what happened to Christa

when she headed to Germany to visit an exhibition that's

as controversial as it is unique.

If you're of a squeamish nature, probably best to look away now.

Since it first launched in 2004,

Body Worlds has attracted more than 38 million visitors worldwide.

Crowds pay handsomely to see preserved human

and animal bodies artfully displayed with exposed bones,

muscles and arteries, or thinly sliced into cross sections.

But it's at this old factory, that Body Worlds has made its home.

This is where many of the bodies, all freely donated, of course,

undergo the process of plastination.

That's where fat and water are removed and replaced with silicon

so the bodies can be preserved indefinitely.

For tourists, this place offers an utterly unique attraction -

not only can they walk through a permanent exhibition,

but they can see teams at work in the dissection room and those with

strong stomachs can, believe it or not,

take up the scalpel and join in.

I'm very glad to be wearing this. I think this is a good idea.

Some visitors are more enthusiastic than others, it must be said.

'The doctor shows me how to remove connective tissues to reveal

'muscle fibres which will eventually be displayed.

'It's a very strange and disquieting experience and I'm mainly

'trying to keep my hands from shaking.

'The process of plastination was developed by the man nicknamed

'Dr Death, Dr Gunther von Hagens.

'Now at the age of 69, he's living with Parkinson's disease and is

'handing over control of Body Worlds to his son, Rurik, among others.

'In fact, Dr Hagens says his last unresolved ambition is to see

'a blue whale plastinated.

'I think he's going to need a bigger warehouse.'

East London has long held the crown as the hip part of town.

It's awash with street art.

So what better place to take a photography class?

But there are no £1,000 cameras here,

oh, no, we're using our smartphones.

It's a really powerful camera.

We're so used to seeing people using their phones all the time.

That kind of buys you a ticket to get into small spaces,

full of lots of people, crowds, or taking images of people

doing stuff that maybe

if you went in with a big camera that might not work in the same way.

'It's through these little lenses that the tour hopes to show us

'a new side of the city,

'but, first, we had to learn how to get the best out of them.'

The light's at the window there.

'A few more hints and tips later and we hit the streets.'

So we've been unleashed onto the streets of London,

not quite sure what I'm going to take photos of,

but everybody seems to be pointing in the direction of these walls.

I'm missing something. Ah!

You've got some good lips there.

I'm going to steal your bit.

'It should be said that at £45, the tour is not that cheap,

'but you do get expert advice for an hour

'and a glass of wine at the end.'

So are we comparing now, is that how we do it?

'And whilst I can't say that I came away with much insight

'into the history of East London, I certainly had a lot of fun

'and took notice of a lot of things that would normally pass me by.'

Henry turned smartphone photographer here in London last month.

Now one of my scariest but also funniest moments

here on The Travel Show happened in New York, back in March.

Now it didn't involve any wild animals,

or crazy adventures, or sports.

Trust me, this was far more terrifying,

as I was forced to face my fears in a comedy improvisation workshop.

This one still brings me up in a cold sweat. Why did I do it? Oh-h!

Hundreds of comedy gigs are put on here every week,

from nervous first timers taking their early tentative steps

to pros packing out huge venues.

With that in mind, the team are sending me to a comedy improv class.

Let me tell you, scared didn't even start to cover it.

Come down here.

Get close to my sweaty pits.

'Improvisation in its simplest form

'is the art of creating a scene or play

'with absolutely no preplanning.'

We all are in unfamiliar territory.

'I've come along to the Pit in Manhattan to give it a go myself.

'The venue offers classes for first-time tourists as well as

'a place for more experienced comedians to hone their craft.'

-Rrrhh!

-Brrrgh!

'To kick off, we did some warm-up exercises.'

OK, I'm really nervous.

I'm about to get a category and I've got to name seven different

types whilst patting my legs and rubbing my stomach.

They're coming, they're coming!

'Trust me, with the pressure on, it's not as easy as it looks.'

-Seven creatures that make bad house pets.

-OK, a grister...

-One!

-..a gremlin with one toe...

-Two!

-Roger, the hairy armpit...

'Right, game's over.

'Time for the comedy to start. I let the pros go first.'

-I'm running for president.

-Yeah, I know.

'A key part of improv is supporting your scene partner

'and building on their ideas,

'something these guys have down to a T.'

-You probably know that, too, right?

-I do.

-You must be Joan.

-Joan, yes. Joan Collins, future president of the PDA.

Nice to meet you.

These guys are really good. It's just like...

It's great to actually watch them at work.

But this is just like... this is too much.

'And before long, it was my turn.

'With knots in my stomach, I took to the stage.'

You asked for a seven-storey bronze statue of yourself. That's modest?

I mean, you had a school and a hospital levelled

-so you could put this here.

-It's beautiful, though.

-It is beautiful, don't get me wrong.

-No, no, I'm coming round to it.

-I would think you would, it takes a long time...

-You're a genius!

-..just to get around it. Er...

-Good!

APPLAUSE

'All right, so the other guy definitely

'put in most of the work, but I gave it my best shot.

So, verdict time - how did I do?

Ade did great!

I know he was so concerned before the class. He was very worried.

Yeah, that was truly terrifying.

I hope you enjoyed that a lot more than I did.

I think I'll stick to the day job.

Still to come here on our look back on the year so far,

Carmen faces her own demons in Japan...

If one of these came flapping about my head, I think

I'd scream the house down.

It's pretty close to me now.

..and Rajan comes face to face with hungry crocodiles in South Africa.

When they snap...you get very scared. They snap.

Now, in the last six months,

we've reported from over 50 countries around the world

and we've seen some spectacular wildlife, lots of which,

sadly, needs protecting from poachers and traffickers

and back in June, Christa headed to Sydney to visit a zoo that's

developed a novel way to protect animals under threat.

For the people here,

this place offers the chance for an encounter with an exotic creature,

but, for some, animals like these represent big business.

'The trade in rare animals

'and products has long posed a threat to endangered species,

'but the past decade has seen a surge in illegal wildlife trafficking.

'Much of this activity is carried out by well-organised criminal

'networks and the recent increase in activity has been largely

'driven by rising demand.

'Here at Taronga Zoo, efforts are under way to bring a new

'army of recruits into the fight against trafficking - tourists.

'The zoo has launched a world first free app created in concert

'with the wildlife trade monitoring network, Traffic, which allows

'people travelling abroad to report on suspected illegal activity.'

Wildlife crime hotlines

are in regions around the world, but they're in different languages,

they use different phone numbers

and it's hard to know who to report to, especially as a tourist

when you're travelling around, so we thought why not use the technology

that's available these days,

get smartphones and turn them into wildlife trade reporting tools?

If you just hit "Make a report"...

'Tourists who see suspected wildlife crimes,

'such as rare animals in a cage at a market for products like ivory

'being sold can take a photo with their phone

'and upload it via the app.

'Then the information will be reviewed

'and referred to local enforcement agencies.

'Tackling international wildlife trafficking is an enormous task,

'but the makers of this app hope a simple snap

'on a tourist's camera phone

'could help ensure the future of these incredible animals.'

Christa there reporting from Sydney on ways that we can all,

armed with technology, help fight animal trafficking.

Now, back in July, Henry went to Borneo to see conservation in action

at a new sanctuary that's been specially built

to protect endangered sun bears,

but, first, in August, Carmen had tea with slightly tamer creatures

in Tokyo, where she reported on a growing new trend there.

'Tucked away in an unassuming building in a suburb in West Tokyo is

'a cafe with a difference.

'24 cats leisurely lounging on sofas and chairs in this tiny establishment

'are the main attraction.

'It's one of hundreds of neko, or cat cafes,

'popping up across the country.'

Now, to some of us, this might seem like a strange context,

paying as much as ten US dollars an hour

to hang out with a bunch of cats.

'Once I'd brushed all that car fur off my clothes,

'it was time for a bit of lunch.

'But this, too, is no ordinary eatery.

'Five birds of prey are just a few steps away, watching me like a hawk.

'In fact, there are three hawks, one falcon and an owl.'

OK, now I must admit, I'm actually quite terrified of big birds

like this and if one of these came flapping about my head, I think

I'd scream the house down, but, fortunately, they are kept

in this enclosure here so customers can enjoy their meal and just admire.

'Japan's lax animal regulations have allowed cafes like this to

'flourish around the country,

'but Tokyo has begun to crack down on public displays of creatures.

'An animal protection law was revised recently to enforce

'curfews on cat cafes that operated around the clock.

'But, it seems, the restrictions haven't deterred the customers.'

I think it's a great idea.

It's difficult, maybe here people have very small houses,

don't have a garden and...

but many people like a cat

and here you can enjoy time with a cat.

# What's new pussycat? Woh-oh-oh-oh-oh! #

'Sun bears are the smallest of the bear family,

'almost resembling cuddly dogs with short snouts and soft paws...

'..and that's where one of the many problems lie.

'People take them as pets, add to that poaching and loss of

'habitat, and those little creatures don't have much going for them.'

Sun bears, you know, are the most arboreal bears in the world.

They are very, very good tree climbers.

All of our bears were captured as very little cubs

and then kept by humans as pets, and due to a point that the owners

realised that, "Oh, this baby bear cub used to be very cute.

"It's no longer cute any more,"

and in the end, those bears will be killed, yeah?

They will sell to a restaurant, for example.

So, this is very exciting indeed.

I think this is going to be my chance to get really

close to the sun bears, especially when I'm holding loads of food.

That is absolutely amazing.

They are literally probably about seven to ten metres away,

just munching on the sugar cane and the sweet corn.

Henry reporting from the new sun bear sanctuary in Borneo

back in July.

Now, to finish this week, you've already seen me

face my fears at that comedy improv class in New York.

Now it's time to see Rajan sweat as we decided to send him

into a tank of man-eating crocodiles in South Africa,

back in April, but not before he'd been off to feed some

sharks off the coast of Cape Town.

All in a day's work for a presenter here on The Travel Show.

'The main attraction here is the great white shark, the lion

'of the sea, "the apex predator" as our tour operator called it.'

In order for a white shark to pass the cage, we have to interact

with it by attracting it with the decoy and the tuna head.

Stand by. Down, down! Down!

I'll say! WHOOPING

'It's big business in Cape Town now,

'but surfers and environmentalists argue that luring

'sharks into shallower waters and then giving them

'no food puts both the sharks and local swimmers and surfers at risk.

'There have been only seven attacks reported in the last

'year in the whole of South Africa,

'so it's important not to exaggerate the problem.

'But you can still see carved into this surfer's feet the reason

'why sharks and people don't necessarily mix.'

One jaw was on this side and the other jaw was on that side.

Obviously, it's increasing the shark population, especially in Falls Bay.

'This is a world's first experience.'

OK, I think that's close enough.

'Never been open to the public until recently, I'm told,

'which is...reassuring(!)'

And our friend here is beginning to move a little bit.

'Jason and Hannibal seem pretty chilled out today,

'so snacking on a common or garden BBC presenter didn't seem high on

'their priority list,

'which was a bit insulting in a funny kind of way.'

It's really close to me now, er,

I mean, if you look really closely...

..they're actually remarkably beautiful, really.

They live to 120 years old...

..but when they snap, you get very scared.

They snap.

..animals, maybe not necessarily crocodiles, but...

'Craig has worked at the ranch for 12 years and he says, unlike sharks,

'crocodiles see humans as prey and are therefore much more lethal.'

Crocodiles are unforgiving,

and they'll take you out on the river edge.

Crocodiles will sneak up quite close to the water,

especially in the wild where the water's a bit murky

and they can get right up close to their prey without their prey

knowing that they're there and then, all of a sudden,

they lunge out, grab their prey, pull it back into the water.

Massive respect to Rajan for getting in that tank in South Africa

back in April. I wouldn't have done it.

Well, that's it for us this week on The Travel Show

and I hope you've enjoyed reminiscing

and taking a look back at the last couple of months and,

don't forget, you can follow us on all our travels

along the road by signing up

to our social media feeds,

and you can find all the details on your screens right now.

But, from me, Ade Adepitan,

and all The Travel Show team here in Greenwich, London, it's bye-bye.