Top-rated
Sun, Feb 10, 2008
A Capricorn adventure - Programme One The Tropic of Capricorn runs around the southern hemisphere for about 22,000 miles, crossing some of the most remote and unexplored regions of the world. Simon Reeve has embarked on an epic new adventure. In the first leg of Simon's journey across the Tropic of Capricorn he starts in Namibia, on a remote beach in the Namib-Nauklaft National Park. The spectacular desert scenery makes this area, like much of this huge country, a huge draw for adventure tourists. Simon's first stop is Swakopmund, Namibia's second largest city, and a place with strong German connections, where Mein Kampf and photos of Hitler are still on sale in the local curio shop. Namibia used to be a German colony and the country has a dark past - German colonisers killed tens of thousands of locals in a forgotten genocide, which Simon learns about from a local historian whose relatives suffered in German "concentration camps" in Namibia. Following an amazing encounter with a pack of hungry cheetahs and a French conservationist nicknamed "Catman", Simon arrives in the capital Windhoek, where he meets prostitutes infected with HIV (Namibia has one of the highest infection rates in the world) and witnesses at first hand the growing influence of China in Africa. Traveling across the vast interior of the country, he meets members of the Herero tribe, goes out on horseback to round-up cattle, and witnesses the Herero Holy Fire ceremony. Botswana confounds many of the stereotypes of poor Africa. Well-run, with cattle-patrols that keep stray cows off the roads, Botswana is making a fortune from tourism and a natural resource that never seems to lose its luster. The world's largest diamond mine, just south of the Tropic of Capricorn, produces millions of dollars worth of stones every week, funding universal education and extensive health care. The mining firm has forked out on anti-AIDS drugs to keep its workforce functioning in a country where HIV rates have rocketed up to 40%. Not all Botswanans are benefiting from the national prosperity, many of the legendary Bushmen of the Kalahari (or San people) have been moved out of the desert into depressing resettlement camps by a government that says it wants them to be part of the modern world. The government has provided basic huts and schools for them, who are among the poorest people in southern Africa, but many of the San are having difficulty adapting to the modern world. In a spectacular journey into the heart of the Kalahari Desert, Simon seeks out the remaining San who are still living in the desert alongside their lion "cousins". Some San have won a legal battle, and plan to return to live in their Kalahari homeland - but as Simon finds out, life can be tough in this beautiful, brutal environment.
Top-rated
Sun, Feb 17, 2008
Simon discovers that since the end of Apartheid, South Africa's new order is far from safe anymore, yet attracts desperate immigrants from Zimbabwe, now a dictatorial ruin. Neigboring Mozabique is totally wrecked by civil war and hardly rebuilding. Despite considerable natural resources, the ecologically unique island of Madagacsar with its rare ethnic mix is a place of dire struggle for survival. IN all those countries, Simon also considers the worries and benefits of wildlife conservation interacting with local population and tourism.
Top-rated
Sun, Feb 24, 2008
A Capricorn adventure - Programme Three The Tropic of Capricorn runs around the southern hemisphere for about 22,000 miles, crossing some of the most remote and unexplored regions of the world. Australia In the third programme presenter Simon Reeve follows the Tropic of Capricorn as it cuts through three regions of Australia (Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and Queensland) and the vast wilderness of the Outback. This is not the Australia of Neighbours and Home and Away. It is the heart of Australia, a remote and spectacular place populated by extraordinary people and wildlife - and the scene of some intractable and unexpected social problems. Simon witnesses the unforgettable sight of female whales nursing their calves before the long trip south to Antarctica, but their pristine sanctuary may be under threat from plans to build a vast salt pan nearby. Western Australia is rich in natural resources, but this has not always been a blessing. Heading east to beautiful Karijini National Park, nearby Wittenoom Gorge is a region with a sinister history and was the location of Australia's biggest asbestos mine. Thousands have died after working at the mine, and the authorities, believing it is the worst asbestos-contaminated site in the world, are demolishing the nearby town. But a few stalwarts have refused to leave, including a tough Outback couple determined to stay in the ghost town. Next, Simon hops aboard a three-car road-train which powers its way across the Outback to Newman, the site of the world's largest open-cut mine, which sends millions of tons of ore to fuel China's booming economy. Newman is attracting workers from across Australia, drawn by huge salaries. This is the last town before the unpopulated deserts of central Australia. Simon's next stop is Alice Springs, a remote town in the Northern Territory, but also the world centre of Aboriginal art. Many Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory are in a desperate state, in societies troubled by violence, child abuse and poverty. Simon arrives at a crucial moment: a powerful government taskforce has been established to retake control of communities. In the shadow Uluru (Ayers Rock) an Aboriginal community lives in Third World conditions. In Queensland, Simon arrives in cattle-country and stays with a couple whose 183,000 acres have not seen significant rain for seven years - they live in a dustbowl of biblical proportions. Some experts say this is the first time climate change has had a serious impact on a developed country. He heads east along Capricorn to stunning Heron Island, home to one of the world's pre-eminent marine research centres. The island is at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, where climate change threatens to wipe out the coral and the rich wildlife which thrives on it.
Top-rated
Sun, Mar 2, 2008
Simon starts in Souther Chile's huge Atacama, the world's driest desert, by copper export train and the Altiplano, about 4km above sea level, yet with tropical lakes, where natives explain their and the environment's plight. Next over the Andes to northern Argentina's comparatively lush vicuña breeding country. Nearby, tribal Wichi natives' culture is threatened by brutal deforestation. Then over the border to Paraguyan capital Asuncion, for a Catholic fiesta and Stroessner torture museum. Alas Paraguay's Atlantic Forest in nearly completely turned into soybean fields. Finally over the Brazilian border, smugglers paradise, to super rich Atlantic port metropolis São Paolo, yet also abounding in poverty and crime.