All language subtitles for M.P.S01E07.1080p.WEB.h264-BAWD_track3_[eng]

NARRATOR: The island of Belitung.

At first sight it is paradise.

But for most of the inhabitants

life on the island
is everything but,

because they work in an industry

that is very mysterious to us...

The tin mines.

With bare feet and just their hands
the men rummage around

in knee deep mud
searching for tin in the toxic mud.

This search doesn't only
destroy the island

but also their bodies.

But it is their only way
of making money.

The small Island
off the coast of Sumatra

has 160,000 inhabitants

and almost half of them
work in the mines.

Like most others here,

Ivan and his family
live in a sheet metal hut.

His pride and joy
are his mobile phone

and his motorcycle.

That both of them are cheap replicas
doesn't bother him

and he isn't aware of the fact

that maybe he himself
one day quarried for the tin

in these machines
at the risk of his own life.

Ivan is 22 years old,

but his skin and hands
look a lot older,

as Ivan works in the tin mines
of Belitung.

IVAN: (in Indonesian)

NARRATOR: Like almost all miners,
Ivan is self-employed,

but self-employed
the Indonesian way.

This means, that he only gets paid
if he finds tin.

But he can't decide himself
where he wants to dig for it.

He has to go
to the big tin companies' mines

and even there he can't just search
for the precious metal

anywhere he wants.

A kind of foreman allocates
three-to-four-man teams

to a designated area
and during the course of the day

checks whether everyone
is really working

where they are supposed to.

With the help of just water
and their bare hands

the workers dig up to ten-metre-deep
and thirty-metre-wide holes

and search for tin in them.

IVAN: (in Indonesian)

NARRATOR: This is no surprise,

as the demand for tin
is ever-growing.

But for most consumers,

where it really comes from
is a mystery.

After China,

Indonesia has the biggest
tin reserves in the world.

In 2009, the island state
produced one third

of all the mined tin
in the whole world.

The companies in Belitung
have already cleared

most of the 5,000-square-kilometre
island of all its trees.

IVAN: (in Indonesian)

NARRATOR: Their only tools,
two old and rusty diesel pumps.

Ivan and his co-workers
have to pay for the fuel themselves,

but without this machinery,
mining here would be impossible.

The principle behind it is simple.

One pump pumps water out of the hole
they are digging

and another pumps fresh rainwater
back into it under high pressure.

Through the power
of the jet of water

the lumps of earth turn into mud,

and this makes it much easier

to forage for tin stones
using just your hands.

IVAN: (in Indonesian)

NARRATOR: To be completely exact,

the men are actually looking
for cassiterite,

a mineral that tin is made from.

For the untrained eye,

it is barely distinguishable
from a regular pebble,

but the miners know immediately.

Ivan is paid by weight.

He earns five to ten euros
per kilogram.

So two little stones by themselves

are almost worthless.

The men will have to find
a lot more.

But for now they have only found
shards of glass, stones, and scrap.

There are no set positions
or jobs here.

Everyone has to do everything.

With their hands,
they rummage around in the mud.

And the tropical heat
doesn't help either.

If they don't find anything
they won't get paid.

And the search is tedious,
as tin stones are rather small

and hidden deep in the ground
of Belitung.

They are often even smaller
than a pebble.

It is the famous search
for the needle in the haystack here,

but the men will not give up.

Always driven by the dream
of hitting the jackpot.

Ivan still speaks fondly
of a lucky find he once made.

IVAN: (in Indonesian)

NARRATOR:
Inexplicable blisters, deformations,

and a skin like leather.

The list of ailments is long.

Ivan is 22 years old

and the average life expectancy
for a miner on Belitung

is 43.

Most die young from cancer
or respiratory diseases.

But the long-term effects
are just one aspect.

Another is the acute danger

that the miners
are constantly faced with.

The water loosens the ground
around them wherever it can.

It seeps into
and under-washes the sidewalls

that can then collapse.

Sometimes this is what the workers
try to do on purpose,

but it can also quickly become
very dangerous

when the sidewalls are in motion.

IVAN: (in Indonesian)

NARRATOR: When a six-metre-high
wall of earth is in motion

there is no escape.

Just in this mine alone,

ever year ten miners die
due to landslides.

IVAN: (in Indonesian)

NARRATOR: But when they are standing
inside a hole

it is nigh on impossible to notice
if something is about to happen.

It is already early afternoon

and the men have only found
a couple of grams.

But then suddenly
chaos spreads all around.

(man shouting)

Like a shot, everyone drops
their primitive tools

and begins to run.

(diesel pump stops)

(man shouting)

A man's shouting stops the work.

IVAN: (in Indonesian)

NARRATOR: The foreman that allocates
the miners to the holes

has noticed something.

When we take a closer look
it becomes clear,

the men have dug dangerously close
to the next hole.

It is completely filled with water,

and it is pushing against
the thin wall of soil

with all its might.

In many places, the water
is already seeping through,

and the walls are becoming
increasingly unstable.

It's only a question of time
until the dam breaks.

For today, nobody is allowed
to work in the hole anymore.

Ivan and his colleagues
are disappointed.

They have only found
a couple of grams,

far too little to sell.

IVAN: (in Indonesian)

NARRATOR: Since he was 15 years old
Ivan has been working in the mines

and, on average,
only finds ore every three days.

On days like this,
when he hasn't earned anything,

Ivan has to save where he can.

This is home-made petrol.

When Ivan gets home there is no time
for affection or kind words.

He is too ashamed
in front of his wife and family

for not bringing home
any money again.

IVAN'S WIFE: (in Indonesian)

NARRATOR: The men in Indonesia
see this differently.

Here the man
has to provide for his family

and if he cannot do so,
he is regarded as a failure.

This happens in many homes here,

evening after evening.

NARRATOR: A new day dawns.

Maybe today will be THE day

where Ivan makes money in the mines.

Overnight, most of the water
has trickled away.

The workers aren't allowed
to carry on working in this pit,

but they turn on the pumps once more

to suck out the remaining mud.

IVAN: (in Indonesian)

NARRATOR: Tin is heavier
than sand and soil.

The suction pipe
runs uphill on purpose

so that the pieces of ore

are collected
at the bottom of the pipe.

Now the men
turn the pump up to full power.

With extremely high pressure
they clear the pipe.

The water
then pushes the tin stones out

and the men collect it at the top.

IVAN: (in Indonesian)

NARRATOR: The water
is coming out of the pipe

at full pressure now.

After the hard
and strenuous work yesterday

it's now time for the more
delicate part of the job.

First the men hold back the tin
with shovels

while the lighter sand
is carried away by the water,

then with their hands and feet.

In the end, they can actually fill
a small bag with tin stones.

But there is still sand in the tin,

and it is impossible
to sell it like this.

But this is about to change
at Ivan's friend's house,

because only good quality
guarantees a good price.

Every grain of sand has to go.

An unpleasant and laborious task,

where every grain counts

as the purity decides
the price of the tin

and therefore how much
the men will earn.

The middlemen here
are relatively rich.

They buy the raw material
for a very low price

and then sell it to big companies
with a huge mark up.

Ivan is anxious.

The bag weighs over four kilograms,

but how much pure tin is inside?

IVAN: (in Indonesian)

NARRATOR: With the help of scales,
water, and a calculator

the middleman can exactly determine

how much pure tin is in the bag.

The better the workers
know the middleman,

the less they are cheated by them.

This is because they are not able
to double check his calculations.

MIDDLEMAN: (in Indonesian)

IVAN:

NARRATOR: About nine euros
per kilogram.

That means they almost get 36 euros
for their four-kilogram bag.

This is not only an extremely good
wholesale price

but, for Indonesian standards,
also a lot of money.

But the three miners
have to share the profit

and for two days of incredibly hard
and life-threatening work

13 euros doesn't seem that much
in the end after all.

But it will be enough
for Ivan to feed his family

for a couple of days

and also to treat himself
to a hot meal.

IVAN: (in Indonesian)

NARRATOR:
The tin mines of Indonesia.

We use
what is dug out of the ground here

every day
in our technical appliances.

A mysterious place,

that does have a lot to do
with our daily lives after all.

Our journey continues
to a mysterious place in England.

We've caught a plane
and are travelling to Manchester.

From there, our journey continues
for another two hours

until we reach the small town
of Knaresborough

with its 15,000 inhabitants.

Apparently, here we will find
a magical spring

and a strange wall of rock,

which are also the oldest
tourist attractions in the country.

Our search leads us past a cave

which is surrounded by legends.

It is said
that in this mysterious place

the fortune-teller Mother Shipton
was born in the 15th century

and allegedly she predicted
the big fire in London.

At the end
of the 104-acre-large park

we're meeting Fiona Martin,

the owner
of the so-called magic spring.

- So, I'm looking
for the origin of this picture.

- That's just down the steps.

Erm, and at the front
of the petrifying well

the water coming down here...
- Mm-hm.

- ..which is a mile underground,

it's supposed to be a hidden lake,

and it travels along, up an aquifer

and down, and produces massive
amounts of calcite.

- OK. Let's go.
- OK.

NARRATOR: For a long time,
the spring was regarded

as a mystical place.

Many of the locals
didn't dare go near it

because branches and birds
turned to stone there.

- Ah, so there is it!

NARRATOR: We've made it.

Here we are
at the 6,000-year-old spring.

In just a few months,
all kinds of objects ossify here.

In a dripstone cave
this would take centuries.

The teddy bear tradition
has developed over time.

SIRI: Is that a real lobster?
FIONA: No.

SIRI: (laughs) Could you tell me
something about the tradition

of hanging teddy bears over there?

FIONA: I wasn't around in 1630,
when it was first opened.

They used to hang
visitors' items up there.

And they used to have a tag
with a number on

so they can relate
to who's was who's

but sometimes it does flood,

and it all collapsed down

and the items were swept away
along the river.

NARRATOR: Even some VIPs
have hung up a personal item here.

And it is possible to admire
the most famous people's fossils

in a museum next to the spring.

Like John Wayne's hat,
or queen Mary's shoe, for example.

In the past years, many other stars
came to the spring, too.

- So what is the most
famous thing hanging there?

- At the minute, it's, erm, a cap,

which was left by a man
called Sy Liebergot

who was the mission controller

who took the call, "Houston,
I think we've got a problem"

NARRATOR: In theory,
the teddies are stalactites.

A little memory aid:
stalactites look like drops of water

and they hang off the ceiling
in dripstone caves.

- So, could we have a look
at the bicycle?

Yeah, sure.

- It's really impressive.
Did someone get stuck in there?

FIONA: Well, this was placed
about a year and a half ago

because we had the Tour de France
that came to Yorkshire

which was a massive deal
for England.

NARRATOR:
So the extremely mineral rich water

is the secret to this place.

Apart from calcium,
magnesium, and sodium

the water also contains
limestone and iron.

And all these are the reason

for the turbo fossilization
that takes place here.

- It will get covered with the water

and then as it drips down,

the calcite
will remain on the teddy bear

and then over time, it will harden.
- Wow.

How long would it take?
- A good nine months.

The longer you leave it on there,
the better,

the thicker it will become.

NARRATOR: Everything
that touches the water fossilizes.

For the little teddy, the process
will take about three months.

Of course, we too place a Teddy
in the fossilizing spring.

And after just two weeks
in the "magic" water

it has almost become
a piece for eternity.

Here in China, there are some
very odd holes in the ground.

Apparently,
they are meant to be houses.

We have to find
this mysterious place.

But the first houses we see
are all above ground.

We've arrived in Miaoshang

and really, this is where
the underground houses are!

This is one of 40 villages
of its kind

and there are about 10,000 of these
cave-like structures in China.

Here, Guan lives with his family.

GUAN: (in Chinese)

NARRATOR: This small tunnel
is the only entrance.

Guan dug it with his own hands.

GUAN: (in Chinese)

NARRATOR: While it is
38 degrees Celsius outside,

the inner courtyard
is relatively cool at 26 degrees.

And yes, it's true, the walls
are made completely of soil.

GUAN: (in Chinese)

NARRATOR: The bed made from cement
is maybe a little hard,

but Guan likes it that way.

The only real problem
is the television reception

which often isn't great
due to the extremely thick walls.

The signal unfortunately
doesn't come via cable.

But still, Guan likes it here.

GUAN: (in Chinese)

NARRATOR: His house has eight rooms

and only cost 150 euros to build.

Guan lives here with his parents,

his sister, her husband
and his two nieces.

In the centre of the courtyard
the family grows vegetables.

Tomatoes, chillies, and grapes.

This means that they only have to go
to the market once a week.

GUAN: (in Chinese)

NARRATOR: 12-year-old Ren,
Guan's niece

also lives
in the subterranean earth house.

REN: (in Chinese)

NARRATOR: Guan's mother Zhang

has quite a different opinion
to 12-year-old Ren.

For her it is unimaginable

to ever move out
of her house in the ground.

Every day in the kitchen
she cooks in the same way

as the people here did
200 years ago.

With the help of her ancient stove.

It is, like everything here,
made of soil too.

With an old bellows made of wood

she constantly
has to pump air into it.

GUAN: (in Chinese)

ZHANG:

GUAN:

ZHANG:

GUAN:

ZHANG:

GUAN:

NARRATOR: The only use
for the room now is storing tools.

GUAN: (in Chinese)

NARRATOR: The new toilet
is now located at the surface.

GUAN: (in Chinese)

NARRATOR: Altogether, 35 families
live in this subterranean village.

Each of them in their own house,

which are all built
according to the rules of Feng Shui.

Guan is a professional
Feng Shui master,

and he knows exactly
where it is possible

to build a new earth-hole house.

GUAN: (in Chinese)

NARRATOR: The men know this
all too well.

In the past, houses have collapsed

and these accidents always bring
lots of casualties with them.

Therefore,
they work extremely precisely.

With the help of cords
and the Feng Shui compass

they are able to plan
the new dig incredibly precisely.

GUAN: (in Chinese)

NARRATOR: With the help
of his geomancer compass

Guan measures
the energetic quality

of the soil on the new property.

The alignment of the new structure

is incredibly important
for Feng Shui.

GUAN: (in Chinese)

NARRATOR:
But regardless of Feng Shui

the ravages of time
are gnawing away at the houses.

Cracks keep appearing in the walls.

GUAN: (in Chinese)

NARRATOR:
Because if it rains heavily here,

the inhabitants have a big problem.

But they try to manage.

GUAN: (in Chinese)

NARRATOR: The underground water tank

has a holding capacity
of 2,000 litres.

But when it rains heavily,
it can still sometimes overflow.

GUAN: (in Chinese)

NARRATOR:
Guan and his brother in-law

have to mend the damaged walls

before the whole house
starts to crumble.

The mixture is easy to make
and doesn't cost a penny.

Soil is simply mixed
with straw and water.

The reason for the straw

is that it makes the soil
stick to the wall more easily.

Normally the muddy mixture
is a fix for about two years.

But the weather here
is getting more and more extreme,

and the population
have to somehow deal

with the consequences.

GUAN: (in Chinese)

NARRATOR: Guan loves his life
in his subterranean house.

Especially when the whole family
gathers in the courtyard

in the evenings
to have dinner together.

GUAN: (in Chinese)

NARRATOR: But the Chinese government
wants to preserve

at least some
of the subterranean houses

and use them as hotels
for adventure seeking tourists.

So in the future,
everybody will be able

to sleep underground
for at least one night.

NARRATOR:
Probably everyone is familiar

with our next mysterious place,
Rio de Janeiro.

The town where probably

the biggest party in the world
takes place.

The parties in the streets of Rio

are backbreaking work
for many people.

For some, even dangerous.

And a wild party
almost without any rules.

The carnival in Rio already begins
in the early hours of the morning...

..in the small alleys and backyards

like here for example.

Alina already starts to prepare

for the biggest party of the year
in the morning.

And that first of all
means getting into her costume,

as "little red samba riding hood".

Alina is a real "Carioca"

that is what the inhabitants of Rio
are called.

And almost all of them

transform themselves
into their dream character.

ALINA: (in Portuguese)

NARRATOR:
Apart from gleaming colours

and a fancy outfit

even little red riding hood

needs to take
some very worldly things along

such as a phone,
cash, and condoms.

It is best to carry all these things
as close to the body as possible

so that no one who shouldn't
can get to them.

ALINA: (in Portuguese)

NARRATOR: Now fully equipped

it's time to head
to Rio's city centre.

- (conversing in Portuguese)

NARRATOR: Alina's mother
knows that at the carnival

anything can happen

and hopes that her daughter
will be safe.

- (laughing)

NARRATOR: Alina's destination?

The so called "Bloco" party.

In one hour she wants to be there.

At the same time, the first visitors
who are already there

are slowly beginning to warm up.

But not everything that looks like
a costume really is one.

Bumba's outfit is real!

He is in charge of cleaning up.

But there's always a little bit
of time for some partying.

BUMBA: (in Portuguese)

NARRATOR: During the carnival,

tonnes of rubbish
have to be cleared away,

so aside from all the hard work
during the carnival

for Bumba and his colleagues

at least they get
to have some fun, too.

- (upbeat carnival music)

NARRATOR:
Little red riding hood Alina

has almost arrived at the party.

ALINA: (in Portuguese)

NARRATOR: Alina is meeting
her friends at the station.

Rio's trains are relatively safe,
but during the carnival

one should always
be on the lookout for pickpockets.

- (squealing, laughing)

NARRATOR: So that Alina
and her friends can feel safe,

15,000 police officers
are on duty during the carnival.

One of them is 32-year-old Rafael.

He's been a policeman
for five years...

..in this town where gang wars

cost over 6,000 people
their lives every year.

RAFAEL: (in Portuguese)

NARRATOR: Police officer Rafael
has learned over the years

that during the day
it is mostly peaceful.

It only gets really dangerous
in the evenings

when pickpockets and drug dealers
begin to roam the streets.

For now it's party time!

All in all,
there are about 5 million visitors

that come for the festivities
each year.

- (indistinct chatter)

- (Alina and friends cheering)

NARRATOR: Last stop the corner shop

because drinks at the party itself
are twice as expensive as here.

Two buckets of ice,
a cooling box Brazilian style.

- (upbeat music)

NARRATOR: Now the group is ready
for the party of the year.

Time to join the crowd and dance!

- (crowd singing in Portuguese)

NARRATOR:
But parties and festivities

also mean a lot of rubbish
on the streets.

Officially there are fines
of up to 115 euros for littering

but in reality,
almost no one is ever fined.

BUMBA: (in Portuguese)

NARRATOR: 2,000 road sweepers

bring as much waste as they can
to the collection points

for the dustbin men
to collect later.

400 million litres of beer

are sold during the carnival.

That means
a lot of bottles and cans,

and means a lot of business.

For example, for Andreia.
Since lunchtime,

business has been booming
for this drinks vendor.

ANDREIA: (in Portuguese)

NARRATOR: In her normal life,
Andreia works in a call centre

and makes about 200 euros per week.

During the carnival,
she earns the same amount in a day.

When she has sold her last can

she has to get more
from the supply lorries.

But the queue is long.

ANDREIA: (in Portuguese)

NARRATOR: Andreia stays cool

but some vendors
are not at all happy about the wait.

- (shouting in Portuguese)

NARRATOR: Meanwhile,
the street party

is really starting to take off.

- (singing in Portuguese)

- (whistles)

During the carnival,
the overflowing streets and alleys

provide perfect opportunities
for pickpockets.

You have to be very vigilant,
as Alina knows.

ALINA: (in Portuguese)

NARRATOR: Officially,
there are around 8,000 cases

of theft and robbery
during the carnival in Rio.

Road sweep Bumba has also found
some sinister things in Rio's bins.

BUMBA: (in Portuguese)

NARRATOR: It is no surprise

that Bumba and his co-workers
went on strike two years ago

in order to receive
hazardous duty pay.

Since then the road sweepers make
400 instead of 180 euros per month.

In the meantime, Alina is busy
practising her flirting skills.

ALINA: (in Portuguese)

NARRATOR: In such a big crowd
it's always easy to meet new people.

For drinks vendor Andreia,
the tables have turned.

The carnival is the biggest
money maker of the year for her.

Road sweep Bumba is in a good mood.

And Alina is thoroughly enjoying
the carnival season.

So everything is in perfect order?

We will only know after sunset.

In the city centre of Rio
the samba schools of Rio

are presenting themselves
in all their glory.

And in the streets,
police officer Rafael

is still hunting
for small time criminals,

prostitutes, and drug dealers.

RAFAEL: (in Portuguese)

NARRATOR: They are
the white knights of the carnival.

Drunk party-goers
are the smallest problem here.

Whereas conflicts between gangs
are quite the opposite.

But today,
everything seems to be calm.

On the whole at least.

- (woman screams)

RAFAEL: (in Spanish)

WOMAN:

RAFAEL:

WOMAN:

RAFAEL:

NARRATOR: Rio de Janeiro
roughly translates

as "The City of God"

and tonight he seems
to be watching over his town...

..at least until the next morning,

when Bumba gives it his all again

and starts cleaning the streets.

And with the next day
of carnival dawning

everything starts over again.

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