0:00:00 > 0:00:02Now on BBC News it's the Travel Show.
0:00:03 > 0:00:06This time, I do recommend ducking!
0:00:07 > 0:00:10Hello and welcome to the Travel Show.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13This week, we're meeting the predators taking to the skies
0:00:13 > 0:00:15above the west coast of Ireland.
0:00:15 > 0:00:22Also coming up: We're in South Africa on the trail of one
0:00:22 > 0:00:25artist who's helping to change the face of Pretoria's
0:00:25 > 0:00:27repressed past.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Our thirsty explorer is on the hunt for a special
0:00:30 > 0:00:35masala tea in north India.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37And we're climbing the world's highest peaks with our Global Guide.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20Near the west coast of Ireland, just to the south of Galway,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23is an area known as the Burren.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26A striking expanse of rugged cast hills that makes up Ireland's
0:01:26 > 0:01:29smallest national park.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32It's a landscape that remained largely unchanged for the past
0:01:32 > 0:01:373000 years, but there is a key difference.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40If you look up, you will see there are far fewer big,
0:01:40 > 0:01:45beautiful birds of prey in the sky.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51And while Ireland is perhaps not the first place people think
0:01:51 > 0:01:54of when it comes to international bird hotspots, it does
0:01:54 > 0:01:59have a lot to offer.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01It was once the native habitat of several birds of
0:02:01 > 0:02:04prey known as raptors, including the golden eagle
0:02:04 > 0:02:08and the white-tailed sea eagle.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12But hundreds of years of hunting and habitat loss devastated
0:02:12 > 0:02:15the raptors' numbers, and around the turn of the 20th
0:02:15 > 0:02:16century, these birds of prey were completely
0:02:16 > 0:02:22eradicated from Ireland.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Originally it would have been the latter-day aristocracy
0:02:26 > 0:02:28in Ireland would have killed them because they believed
0:02:28 > 0:02:31they were taking their game fowl and their rabbits,
0:02:31 > 0:02:39and they were persecuted to extinction.
0:02:39 > 0:02:44It is only now we are slowly starting to reintroduce them.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Shane O'Neill is part of the Golden Eagle Trust,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56a conservation body that in 2007 started a project to bring some
0:02:56 > 0:03:00of these lost birds back to Ireland.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02The programmes have seen mixed results so far,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05but it seems the white-tailed sea eagles have made
0:03:05 > 0:03:09a particularly triumphant return to their traditional patch.
0:03:09 > 0:03:10The white-tails haven't stayed in Kerry.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12They've spread throughout the country from north
0:03:12 > 0:03:15to south, east to west.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18I guess they are doing what they are supposed to do?
0:03:18 > 0:03:19Yes, exactly.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22They have seemed to have taken it quite well, to be honest.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25The white-tailed sea eagle is the largest bird of prey
0:03:25 > 0:03:28in the British Isles, with a wingspan up to
0:03:28 > 0:03:29a massive eight feet.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33It's also a firm crowd favourite here at the Aillwee Caves,
0:03:33 > 0:03:37a tourism and education centre situated in the middle
0:03:37 > 0:03:40of the Burren's rocky landscape.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42In captivity, hopefully she will live into
0:03:42 > 0:03:43her late teens, 20s.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Here, tourists can have a close look at many different species
0:03:46 > 0:03:49of raptors, both those native to Ireland and those
0:03:49 > 0:03:55from across the world.
0:03:55 > 0:03:56She's hunting now effectively.
0:03:56 > 0:04:12She knows she can beat me.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Seeker weighs five kilos.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Not surprisingly, Seeker, the white-tailed sea eagle,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22is the show's biggest hit.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27She's going to fly this time really, really low over your head.
0:04:27 > 0:04:33This time I do recommend ducking.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39She does appear quite fearsome when she is coming
0:04:39 > 0:04:40at you over the crowd.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Could she do you some damage if she really wanted to?
0:04:43 > 0:04:45She definitely could do you some damage.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48She can fly into you.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51If she comes down with a bit of speed, she can definitely
0:04:51 > 0:04:52knock you over.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55If she beats out her wings, she can probably break your nose.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57She can do a little bit of damage, but it's usually your own fault.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02So who do we have here?
0:05:02 > 0:05:03This is Juan.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06He's a Harris hawk, a species found in the southern US states
0:05:06 > 0:05:09all the way through Central America into Peru, Chile
0:05:09 > 0:05:10and Argentina.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Hola, Juan.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15He's got a fierce beak, doesn't he?
0:05:15 > 0:05:24Your elbow comes tucked into to your hip, and then your
0:05:24 > 0:05:25wrist slightly higher.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28You will always walk to the highest point that is safe.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31I would like to say you are going to bond, but you are
0:05:31 > 0:05:33somewhere for him to sit.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37And as long as you are a good perch, he is going to be quite content.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39I am going to pop him on.
0:05:39 > 0:05:40Are you ready?
0:05:40 > 0:05:41Be gentle with me.
0:05:41 > 0:05:42Just like this.
0:05:42 > 0:05:42Hello!
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Please don't peck my eyes out!
0:05:45 > 0:05:48The centre conducts guided hawk walks, where tourists can explore
0:05:48 > 0:05:51the surrounding woodlands in the company of a feathered friend.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54What we will do is walk on a little further, and then we
0:05:54 > 0:05:58will let him off to fly and get him to fly to you.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01How do we make sure that he comes back to us
0:06:01 > 0:06:02and doesn't go flying off?
0:06:02 > 0:06:05He is trained, so that helps, but there is no guarantee.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08He could hunt up here, there are furry things running
0:06:08 > 0:06:10around and distractions.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12He is opportunistic, he will take any
0:06:12 > 0:06:14opportunity he can of food.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18So if it's us, he'll return, but if he can find his own,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21he'll do that, so there's no guarantee, really.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24In addition to providing a rather thrilling chance to see
0:06:24 > 0:06:27these birds up close, the walk is one of the activities
0:06:27 > 0:06:31designed to augment bird conservation efforts.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Our goals really are absolutely to raise awareness.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35I think it is critical.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38We also help with monitoring birds of prey here in Ireland
0:06:38 > 0:06:45and raising awareness about the reintroduction programmes.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48And just the fact that you can have this so close
0:06:48 > 0:06:51to a member of the public, whether it is a schoolchild
0:06:51 > 0:06:54or yourselves during your visit here, it inspires, I think,
0:06:54 > 0:06:56and it raises awareness about what they are.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58So do I get to send him off?
0:06:58 > 0:07:04I'm going to pop him onto your fist right now.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Hold him just as you were before, so your elbow down.
0:07:07 > 0:07:08He's ready to go now whenever.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11While it will take considerable time and effort before
0:07:11 > 0:07:12Ireland's raptors return in strong numbers...
0:07:12 > 0:07:13It's so cool.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16I never get bored of seeing him do this stuff.
0:07:16 > 0:07:17Nice and straight.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Are you ready?
0:07:20 > 0:07:22He's watching you, so he's going to return.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24..hopefully, with conservation and awareness campaigns taking place
0:07:24 > 0:07:26in regions like this, these skies will one
0:07:26 > 0:07:29day be full of graceful birds of prey once again.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33And it's not just here in Ireland where conservationists are making
0:07:33 > 0:07:38strides to keep birds of prey from disappearing forever.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52And it's not just here in Ireland where conservationists are making
0:07:52 > 0:07:54strides to keep birds of prey from disappearing forever.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Some species globally are starting to make a comeback
0:07:58 > 0:08:00from near extinction.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Here is the Travel Show's pick of some of them.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09The national bird of America, the bald eagle, was almost wiped out
0:08:09 > 0:08:12back in the 1950s when only 400 nesting pairs were recorded
0:08:12 > 0:08:16across the whole of the country.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Things thankfully changed with the introduction of the bald
0:08:18 > 0:08:20eagle protection act, which banned trapping
0:08:20 > 0:08:23and killing the birds.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Now there are an estimated 70,000 bald eagles in
0:08:25 > 0:08:28the whole of North America.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33The peregrine falcon was removed from the endangered
0:08:33 > 0:08:41species list back in 1989.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Peregrines have suffered illegal killing from gamekeepers
0:08:43 > 0:08:46and landowners, and have been a target for egg collectors.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48But better protection and control of pesticides which indirectly
0:08:48 > 0:08:50poisoned birds have helped the population to recover.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54The strongholds of the breeding birds in the UK are the uplands
0:08:54 > 0:09:01of the north and west, and rocky sea coasts.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04The California condor is a new world vulture, the largest
0:09:04 > 0:09:08North American land bird.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10They almost became extinct in the wild in 1987,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13but the species has been reintroduced to northern
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Arizona and southern Utah.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17The species is still listed as critically endangered,
0:09:17 > 0:09:31but thanks to conservation, the numbers are slowly on the rise.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Next, we catch up with our thirsty explorer.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38This week, he visits northern India in search of the best chai,
0:09:38 > 0:09:43which is a special masala tea that locals just can't do without.
0:09:43 > 0:09:53During the British Raj, tea plantations are India supplied
0:09:53 > 0:09:55supplied the leaves needed for for UK's classic afternoon ritual.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58But it wasn't long before Indians made tea their own,
0:09:58 > 0:10:00adding extra milk, more sugar and often spices,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03creating what is now known the world over as chai.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Proper chai may have started in British-founded plantations,
0:10:05 > 0:10:09but it takes work to turn the leaves into the drink that is the centre
0:10:09 > 0:10:11of virtually any social activity and important discussion.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14For an authentic cup, I took the train to Varanasi,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17one of the oldest cities on earth, and the holiest for Hindus,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20where virtually every aspect of making chai is done
0:10:20 > 0:10:21in the traditional way.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41I am more scared of them than they are of me.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58That feels like real milk.
0:11:19 > 0:11:28Ginger.
0:11:46 > 0:11:46Gritty.
0:12:13 > 0:12:14Good one.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15Good one, no?
0:12:15 > 0:12:16Yes.
0:12:26 > 0:12:32Still to come on the Travel Show: We're in South Africa,
0:12:32 > 0:12:36where art is being used to dress the streets of Pretoria as it
0:12:36 > 0:12:39becomes fast known as the capital of sculptures.
0:12:39 > 0:12:44And we're checking out retro modes of transport in our Global Guide.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52The Travel Show, your essential guide wherever you're heading.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Hello.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07I'm Michelle Jana Chan, your Global Guide with top tips
0:13:07 > 0:13:12on the world's best events in the coming months.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15The London to Brighton veteran car run happens November 6th,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17beginning in Hyde Park.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19This 60-mile journey is about properly old autos
0:13:19 > 0:13:22built before 1905.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Astonishingly, 500 cars take part, revving their engines at sunrise
0:13:26 > 0:13:31before travelling down to Brighton on the south coast.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34They will hope to arrive late morning, but there may be
0:13:34 > 0:13:36stragglers, given the age of these beasts.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40The event marks a change in the law at the end of the 19th century,
0:13:40 > 0:13:44increasing the speed limit from four miles per hour to 14 mph.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48It will be a different pace in Queensland, Australia,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52for the world's biggest triathlon on October the 30th.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55The Noosa Triathlon begins with a 1500m swim at Laguna Bay off
0:13:55 > 0:13:59Noosa Main Beach, followed by a 40km bike ride along
0:13:59 > 0:14:02the Noosa Cooroy Road, and then it's the final gruelling
0:14:02 > 0:14:1010km run through Noosa Sound to the finish line party.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13It's in fact a five-day event, the Multi-sport Festival,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16which begins on October the 26th with a mix of fun runs
0:14:16 > 0:14:17and charity events.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21In the USA, the Festival of the Dead plays in Salem,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24Massachusetts, through October.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27There will be seances, a dinner with the dead held in total
0:14:27 > 0:14:30silence, and a Witch's Halloween Ball.
0:14:30 > 0:14:37In New York City, the Village Halloween Parade happens
0:14:37 > 0:14:39in Manhattan, kicking off at 7.00pm on October the 31st.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Tens of thousands join the costumed parade through Greenwich Village,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45starting at 6th Avenue by Canal Street and leading up
0:14:45 > 0:14:46to 16th Street.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49And down in Louisiana, the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience
0:14:49 > 0:14:52takes place in City Park in New Orleans over
0:14:52 > 0:14:52the Halloween weekend.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56October the 28th through 30th.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Music ranges from R to electronic dance to rock, and the line-up
0:14:59 > 0:15:05this year includes Tool, Arcade Fire and the Weekend.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Between concerts, there will also be Creole food and carnival rides.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14The red carpet will be rolled out in the Italian capital.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17From October the 13th to the 23rd it's the Rome Film Fest,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19with screenings, master classes, tributes and retrospectives.
0:15:19 > 0:15:25Sneak previews include American Pastoral by Ewan McGregor,
0:15:25 > 0:15:347 Minuti by Michele Placido, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep
0:15:34 > 0:15:36in Audience, and Oliver Stone discussing US politics.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39It happens in the Auditorium Parco Della Musica just north
0:15:39 > 0:15:41of the Centro Historico, as well as other venues
0:15:41 > 0:15:46across the city.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49From bright lights to night skies, in Canada,
0:15:49 > 0:15:53the Jasper Dark Sky Festival lasts through October the 23rd.
0:15:53 > 0:15:59Offering stargazing experiences on the shores of Lake Annette.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Watch out for the mobile planetarium and rocket launchers.
0:16:04 > 0:16:10Back in Australia, Sydney's Bondi is not only about the boho
0:16:10 > 0:16:12lifestyle, there is another reason to come here.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Sculpture by the Sea, an outdoor art exhibition on the two
0:16:15 > 0:16:17kilometres trail from Bondi to Tamarama Beach, sweeping around
0:16:17 > 0:16:22the stunning sandstone cliffs.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25It will be live from October the 20th to November the 6th,
0:16:25 > 0:16:26with over 100 sculptures by artists from Australia and beyond.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Finally, back in the UK, from November the 17th to 20th,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34the Kendal Mountain Festival in the Lake District is
0:16:34 > 0:16:38a celebration of outdoor adventure.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40There will be international screenings, film-makers' talks,
0:16:40 > 0:16:44literary events as well as climbers and adventurers on the podium.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49Plus a forum for young film-makers to share their wildest adventures.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51That's my Global Guide this month.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Let me know what's happening in the place where you live
0:16:54 > 0:16:55or where you love.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57We're on e-mail and across social media.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Until next time, happy travelling.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11And to end this week, we're in South Africa to meet
0:17:11 > 0:17:14an artist who's aiming to change the face of Pretoria
0:17:14 > 0:17:16with his decorative and eye-catching sculptures.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20There is even room for locals to join in.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28I sort of find myself in an interesting situation
0:17:28 > 0:17:32as a third-generation sculptor.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36I knew how to mix plaster of Paris by the time I was three.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Some of my early childhood memories are art galleries and art
0:17:39 > 0:17:41exhibition openings.
0:17:41 > 0:17:47Studying sculpture was just the logical thing for me to do.
0:17:47 > 0:17:53A lot of my work ends up being something that was a style
0:17:53 > 0:17:55of work that was very popular in the '70s,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57direct metal sculpture.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00We literally just work directly in the steel and you are guided
0:18:00 > 0:18:05by the steel as you're working, by the process.
0:18:05 > 0:18:11It gives the work a lovely sort of spontaneity and immediateness.
0:18:18 > 0:18:25This is my PPC Cool Capital public bench project.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28And being a public sculpture, it has taken a little bit of a knock
0:18:28 > 0:18:30in the last two years.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Its leg has come under.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36So I need to get it fixed up and get it back to town.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43I took my inspiration from Snor Stad or Moustache City,
0:18:43 > 0:18:47which is sort of a derogatory nickname for Pretoria from years
0:18:47 > 0:18:51past, where government workers had moustaches,
0:18:51 > 0:18:56and the more senior you were, the bigger your moustache was,
0:18:56 > 0:19:00so there was this whole stereotype of the Snor City.
0:19:00 > 0:19:07In 2010 at the Venice biennale, a friend of ours, or a friend
0:19:07 > 0:19:11of Pretoria we should probably say at this stage,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Peter Matthews, an architect, drew at the American Pavilion
0:19:14 > 0:19:18the poster that said that one should claim your spaces,
0:19:18 > 0:19:25and the American Pavilion was all about that.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27It was all about small interventions, it was all
0:19:27 > 0:19:29about the idea of people owning their space.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33And he decided to put a biennale together in Pretoria,
0:19:33 > 0:19:38and then ran straight into the bureaucracy.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42And then a bunch of people came up with the idea of why,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45why do you need the permission?
0:19:45 > 0:19:48The whole concept was for people to own their own spaces.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51And that was the birth of the Cool Capital biennale,
0:19:51 > 0:19:56the first DIY guerilla biennale in the world.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59I remember the original meetings, the first meetings, people
0:19:59 > 0:20:02would come to the meeting and say, but what can I do?
0:20:02 > 0:20:03What must I do?
0:20:03 > 0:20:06And every time, the answer would just be, you can
0:20:06 > 0:20:09do whatever you want.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Try not to break the law, try to be reasonable within health
0:20:12 > 0:20:14and safety parameters.
0:20:14 > 0:20:20There ended up being so many activities and events and film
0:20:20 > 0:20:23festivals and music showings on the top of buildings and film
0:20:23 > 0:20:27festivals in the basements of derelict mid-city buildings.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Slowly but surely, there is a new phenomenon that has stepped
0:20:31 > 0:20:35in where Pretoria has always had a lot of nationalist sculpture,
0:20:35 > 0:20:42as all countries that were under some form of a fascist
0:20:42 > 0:20:46or nationalist government, and I think what the Cool Capital
0:20:46 > 0:20:51project also did, it with us claiming Pretoria as a sculpture
0:20:51 > 0:20:57city, and to show that you could have public sculpture
0:20:57 > 0:21:03that is not necessarily ideological, but that is aspirational.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Aspirational public sculpture, and public sculpture coming back
0:21:05 > 0:21:08into the fore again, and people are willing to put money
0:21:08 > 0:21:12into it, and I think that is a very exciting era that Pretoria
0:21:12 > 0:21:15specifically is moving into.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Pretoria is becoming in itself a really beautiful, vibrant,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21artistic, creative destination for people to stay and to visit
0:21:21 > 0:21:31and to see and experience.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33It kind of makes me proud to be in Pretoria
0:21:33 > 0:21:35and as a sculptor in Pretoria.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43That's it for this week's show.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Coming up next week: Henry's in Singapore trying out top-notch
0:21:47 > 0:21:50food at market store prices, and discovering why its famous
0:21:50 > 0:21:52hawker centres are once again thriving following a
0:21:52 > 0:21:58shortage of young chefs.
0:21:58 > 0:22:05We're a well-oiled machine here, but I'm feeling the pressure.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10So, do join us then if you can, and let us know about your travels,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and keep up with what we're doing on our social media feeds.
0:22:13 > 0:22:14Details are on the screen now.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17But for now from me, Christa Larwood, and the rest
0:22:17 > 0:22:19of the Travel Show team here in Ireland, it's goodbye.