Original subtitles

NARRATOR:In this small village, to the north of Mexico City,

there is said to be a tree which has

an almost magical appeal for butterflies.

Already, we see images of butterflies all around.

Apparently we're on the right track.

We ask the locals whether they know this impressive tree.

(speaking Spanish)

NARRATOR:We set off to find David.

He is the guide who is said to know where the tree

with thousands of butterflies can be found.

(speaking Spanish)

NARRATOR:David is 44, and has spent his whole life

here in the forests. Butterflies have always been his passion.

And they have a very special significance

for all the inhabitants of this region, not just for David.

David takes us to a cemetery, of all places, in order to explain.

It is a very colourful scene here,

because in Mexico, people hold lavish cemetery parties

for All Saints' Day. In this culture

ancestors are part of everyday life

and, according to legends, reveal themselves in nature.

One form this can take is the monarch butterfly.

NARRATOR:Now, in order to find the butterfly tree at last,

we have to head into the mountains,

to the entrance of the nature reserve.

We begin our search at an altitude of over 2,000m,

and David leads us higher and higher.

As we climb we see more and more of the black and orange butterflies

gradually appearing around us.

NARRATOR:Up here the vegetation is very dense.

It is one of the last regions which is virtually untouched,

a paradise for butterflies.

But the butterflies are not always here.

They only come to this place in huge swarms once a year.

Why this particular place?

Up to a billion monarch butterflies are romping around

this nature reserve.

At noon, when the sun is strongest,

they gather their energy on this open space

and drink from one of the few water sources.

They have all come to this place to spend the winter here,

away from the cold temperatures of North America.

To get here the creatures have made an incredible journey.

For most of the butterflies, the trip to their winter quarters

begins in North America and parts of Canada.

They set course for central Mexico,

over 4,500km away.

Despite the fact that their wingspan is just 10cm,

and they weigh half a gram.

The equivalent journey for us humans

would be to travel around the world eleven times.

Incidentally, this amazing flight of the butterflies

is the biggest migration of their species in the world.

Today, biologists can trace precisely

the route taken by the butterflies,

thanks to a simple but efficient tracking method.

This tiny white sticker provides the evidence.

NARRATOR:The combination of numbers and letters on the sticker

reveals that this butterfly set off from Michigan five months ago.

But not all the butterflies that set off actually reach Mexico.

There are many dangers on the long journey.

Spiders are the most deadly threat to the delicate butterflies.

If they are trapped in a spider's web there is no escape for them.

Only butterflies which have managed to glide

most of the way have a chance of completing the long journey.

We still haven't found the butterfly tree from the photograph.

David has brought us this far.

Now, forest biologist Felipe takes over.

He leads us even deeper into the nature reserve,

to areas normally forbidden to the public.

Here, we have to move quietly and carefully.

And, finally, all of a sudden, we see it-the butterfly tree.

Completely covered by thousands of butterflies.

We can hardly make out the branches and leaves.

Only the shape indicates there is really a tree

underneath all this.

What attracts monarch butterflies to these particular trees?

NARRATOR:The altitude of over 2,000m is also perfect.

The majority of these trees are on a steep slope,

and on the southern side in particular,

this means they catch every single ray of sunshine.

In addition, when there are so many trees so close together

it forms a kind of roof. This provides protection

from rain and stormy winds but allows

sunshine and warmth through. The pine wood retains the heat,

so the tree trunks are like hot water bottles for the butterflies.

Ideal winter quarters for little creatures.

When we look more closely we see another curious feature -

the majority of the butterflies don't hang on the tree trunk itself

but on the branches, creating large clusters.

NARRATOR:The butterflies now recovering from their long journeys

are very special. They live three times longer

than their immediate forefathers. Even at birth

they were stronger and bigger than their parents

and grandparents ever were.

NARRATOR:In spring the super generation flies

the first stage of the return journey,

as far as the border between Mexico and North America.

This is where they find the silk plants

where they lay their eggs before they die.

Their children fly the next step,

before they mate halfway along the route, and then also die.

The third generation is the one that makes it

all the way back to North America.

And it is there that the last - the super generation -

is born. Scientists believe this generation is born

with a kind of genetic compass which guides them back.

Back here, to the forests of Mexico.

Climatic change, pesticides and deforestation

have caused severe damage to the butterfly migration.

Nobody knows how much longer this natural spectacle will continue.

But this year, too, a few million monarch butterflies

have managed to reach this magical forest.

We find our next mysterious place in America, in the state of Ohio.

There's supposed to be a commune called Skatopia here,

founded by skateboarders, without rules or prohibitions.

Instead, featuring wild parties and a casual attitude towards life.

What awaits us there? Total freedom or more like total chaos?

The road to Skatopia takes us through the provinces

of the American state of Ohio.

Finally, it appears in front of us - Skatopia.

Despite the warning signs, it's open to everybody.

There is no barrier at the gate.

We're inside, and waiting to greet us is the Boss in person.

- You are?

(barking)

- Where do you want us to park? - Oh, come on. I'll show you.

NARRATOR:This is Brewce Martin, the founder of Skatopia.

Here he has made his dream come true.

A dream of life without rules, laws or troublesome conventions.

Anarchy of the sort everyone wants to experience at some point.

Brewce, a former professional skateboarder,

is extremely proud of what he has created here.

- When I bought Skatopia, this was all multifloral roses.

NARRATOR:Brewce converted the farm buildings into skate parks.

- I've been building skateboard ramps since I was

probably 12, since I won my first skateboard.

And I've been just building ramps.

Quarterpipes, halfpipes, bowls.

This is one I built.

NARRATOR:Outside are the next huge bowls.

Though there aren't any skateboarders.

Brewce himself was once a big name in the sport.

He won tournaments and set records, some still standing.

But he never learned a profession.

Instead, in 1995, he bought an old farm

and transformed it into the legendary Skatopia.

A place where he created his own order.

A place where he can live with his friends

and have fun, undisturbed.

20 years later, his attitude towards life is still the same.

- We just wanna be free, OK.

We just don't want people telling us what to do, you know.

We don't want people telling us what to do.

That's the whole problem with life,

is everywhere you go, there's a group of people,

"You gotta do this, you gotta do this, you gotta do this,

you can't do that, you can't do that, you can't do this.

You gotta do that." And you know what?

People don't wanna hear that their whole life.

NARRATOR:For 20 years now Brewce has done everything

for his dream of a commune. Skatopia costs just under $2,000 a month

to run. Electricity, tax, water, fuel.

How does Brewce finance it all?

In the ground floor of his house he runs a skateboard shop.

PRODUCER: The business you make is enough to kinda keep

- this place going, or...? - No.

(laughs) I wish, no.

No, it's just...

It's just on the side.

NARRATOR:We discover the main business just alongside.

And here, everyone is working hard.

A small printing company producing political stickers

for amateur anarchists around the world.

They produce and sell a good 5,000 stickers per month here.

This is how Brewce finances his dream of life without conventions -

perfect freedom. We discover that there are 12 permanent residents.

And then there are people who move here for several weeks at a time.

Remy, for example, who arrived here with her friend

a couple of weeks ago.

- So, how long do you typically stay?

- Like, depends, honestly. Whenever I run out of food,

whenever I run out of energy...

You gotta do to help out a little bit.

Whenever you're tired helping out we get out.

NARRATOR:With this attitude, it's surprising anything at all

gets done here. But that's the deal Brewce makes with everyone.

Only if they help maintain Skatopia

can they stay here free of charge.

58-year-old Timothy is one of the permanent residents.

His task today is to clear up the trash scattered all around.

- Brewce, a lot of times, has to do things by himself.

You know, there's some help here, not a lot of it.

Cos the people that we bring in here are mostly kids.

They're children, they need to be taught.

Most of them don't know how to use a hammer,

or you know, simple things, so I feel like I'm more needed

in an area where I can teach people basic things.

NARRATOR:Timothy moved here from California two years ago.

His home - a discarded mobile home.

- I'm very minimalist here. I got a skateboard, my computer

and I'm outta here.

NARRATOR:But, much to our surprise, Timothy has Internet

reception in his mobile home. He is responsible

for keeping the Skatopia website up to date.

But of course, only when he feels like it.

- There's no real...schedule.

Like, right now I could just go grab my board and skate.

I don't cos I wanna work but the thing is

is that I'm allowed to do whatever I want, when I wanna do it.

I can go play drums at two in the morning.

That's the best thing about this lifestyle.

NARRATOR:We want to discover more about the people who live here.

But many of them are sceptical about the media.

After all, from their perspective, we are among the "conformists"

who lead the conventional lives they have rejected.

In the American media, residents of Skatopia

are generally portrayed as wild, violent and chaotic.

In fact, so far everything here has been completely calm and peaceful.

- Anarchy is not like, "Destroy everything

and burn it! Burn it!" That's what everybody, you know, anarchy,

"Burn it!" Nah, dude, how about build it?

We're not taking any government handouts. Why don't you build it,

there's anarchy. No government. If you don't need government to do it

and you're creating something, you know what I mean,

there's your anarchy right there. There's your little community

where each person does their own thing

to help a greater good, which is helping everyone.

NARRATOR:A place where everyone can do what he wants.

Can that really work in the long run?

During summer, in particular, it often gets really full in Skatopia.

Generally, things are calm,

but sometimes there are thefts and fights.

However, for the anarchists this isn't a reason

to introduce any rules here.

- It shouldn't be on a piece of paper and told to you.

You should know how to treat people,

how to treat your surroundings with respect,

everything with respect.

NARRATOR:Life without rules, without structures or hierarchy.

It sounds tempting, but what does that mean in concrete terms

when it comes to living here?

- What's gonna be for lunch, dinner?

- We have a menu, there's like a menu here, right?

Today it's like spaghetti with meatballs, a slice of garlic bread.

NARRATOR:The only person who is living his dream here

seems to be Brewce, and he has to push the others to do things.

- How you guys doing up there?

OK. I got stuff I need done here.

The bowl has to be mopped with all down strokes.

You wanna mop from the top down

all the way to the bottom cos it's gonna be slippery.

NARRATOR:Tomorrow a major party is scheduled for this place.

Which means, this afternoon, everyone has to clean up.

- I just know it's my son's birthday, it's his 30th birthday.

There'll be a lot of people here.

It'll be a mellow night, it's not gonna be that big of a deal

but it's gonna be fun.

NARRATOR:The following day, everything here is still very calm,

almost idyllic.

But then, early in the afternoon, the first guests arrive.

Most of them are from nearby.

Out here in the countryside there isn't much to do.

A party in Skatopia is a major event.

The party begins with a chorus of Happy Birthday for Brandon,

Brewce's son. He has grown up in Skatopia,

although his mother moved away from here long ago.

# Happy birthday, dear Brandon

# Happy birthday to you #

- Brandon

wants to move out here in a house made of glass bottles

and get completely off the system.

- You'll always be in charge here, Skatopia?

- No, I won't always be in charge. I think my daughter will be

the next one to take it over.

NARRATOR:That could take a while. Brewce's daughter is ten

and lives with her mother.

11 at night, the party is in full swing.

And we finally see somebody skateboarding for the first time!

The youngsters from the surrounding area love the commune.

- Nobody judges, nobody cares what you do.

Nobody cares what you are, nobody cares anything.

NARRATOR:It's just after midnight. Soon it will be time

for another Skatopia tradition - a huge bonfire.

The burn the trash from the last party.

The fire is a symbol that here, absolutely everything is allowed,

just as long as it's fun.

MAN: Yeah!

(dog barking)

NARRATOR:Suddenly, there are fireworks everywhere.

Are we now gonna see the dangerous side of Skatopia after all?

- What is all that stuff?

- Little bit of everything combined.

Water, bottle rockets... (explosion)

- Whoo!

- Is that gonna happen right now?

- I wanna throw it all in the fire and just let whatever happen.

- Do it!

NARRATOR:Doing crazy things, defying convention,

getting out of line. Here, all that is simply the norm.

MAN: Yeah!

- That was a little crazy. The fireworks

right by everybody.

- That's perfectly normal.

- Just a normal day. - That's so normal.

This is actually pretty mellow.

NARRATOR:But if everyone could do whatever he wants,

would utopia lose its appeal?

- Skatopia's famous for fire and burning stuff,

what is that all about?

- Skatopia is famous for coming here and being free

and not being a slave to the system.

Look at these people.

How many of you people wanna be part of the system?

- What? - None of them.

- Yeah!

NARRATOR:Presumably Skatopia wouldn't survive for long

without Brewce's involvement, because without clear rules

nobody here cares about anything but himself.

So it remains to be seen how much longer

this mysterious place remains intact for its inhabitants.

NARRATOR:Our journey now takes us to Siberia.

Winter in north-east Russia. The village of Oymyakon

is deep in the Siberian taiga.

It is the coldest inhabited place in the world.

The record dates back to 1926 - -71.2 degrees Centigrade.

For the 500 inhabitants, winter lasts almost eight months.

Among them is the Petuchov family.

Nikolai, the father, is a woodcutter.

His wife, Oksana, is a nurse in Oymyakon's only hospital.

And the three Petuchov children attend school,

unless it's closed because of the temperature.

But more of that later.

The smoking chimneys of Oymyakon -

clearly life here is shaped by the cold.

Nikolai's first trip is to the cowshed.

Like every morning, he has to feed the cows.

For eight months on end the animals eat nothing but hay.

Fresh grass only grows from May to August.

(speaking Yakut)

NARRATOR:And the cows can only be milked in the summer.

Now, in winter, when it is -5 degrees Centigrade in the cowshed,

the cows have the same task as the people -

to survive. Nikolai brings ice back to the house -

water for the cows.

At eight o'clock in the morning in Oymyakon, it is still pitch black.

Oksana wakes her children for school.

It is 20 degrees Centigrade inside the house,

which explains her summer outfit.

(speaking Yakut)

NARRATOR:In the houses of the world's coldest inhabited settlement

two things are always on - the heating and the TV.

So people in Oymyakon know what's happening in the outside world.

A temperature difference of over 60 degrees between outside and inside

means constantly taking off or putting on layers of clothes,

tiring but unavoidable.

Breakfast is quite heavy, black tea and fried pastry.

In this temperature, plenty of calories is a good idea.

Nikolai and his family are Yakuts, of Turkish and Mongolian origin.

These people have been living in Siberia since the 12th Century.

NARRATOR:Just before 8:30 the children leave to catch

the school bus. But not without hats.

Their Mum is strict about this.

Pasha and Etschiman have to walk about 200m to the bus stop.

When the temperature is -43 degrees children shouldn't stay outside

for more than half an hour. So children use the bus

to reach school or go on foot, if they live nearby.

A quarter of an hour later, Oksana also has to leave the house.

She doesn't get a lift.

NARRATOR:It takes 20 minutes. There is only street lighting

in the middle of the village.

In the school bus the heating is on full,

so it's a comfortable five degrees inside.

To make sure the bus doesn't break down

the driver has a heated garage - a luxury in Oymyakon.

The school is only closed if it's really cold.

Here in Oymyakon, younger pupils can stay at home

when it gets below -54 degrees,

and when it's below -58 degrees

the school is closed for everybody.

Nikolai's most important task in Oymyakon -

the capital of cold weather - is to keep the house warm.

He has to fetch firewood every day for this.

In the dry Siberian air wood kept outside will burn just fine.

In any case, it doesn't often snow here during the winter.

This is because the mountains to the west protect Oymyakon

from the warmer winds, laden with snow,

while there is no obstacle to the Arctic stream of air

from the north east.

To keep the house warm, Nikolai has to burn up to 60 cubic metres

of wood each winter.

NARRATOR:118 pupils attend the school in Oymyakon.

There are no different educational systems here.

The pupils learn Russian as a foreign language,

because here, everybody speaks Yakut.

(bell rings)

NARRATOR:During a break the pupils are given a warm meal.

The smaller ones in particular need lots of energy to combat the cold.

Pasha is shy but ambitious.

(speaking Yakut)

NARRATOR:And then to return to Oymyakon

because like everybody here, Pasha is very fond of her home.

Nikolai sets off. It's two and a half hours on foot,

and the temperature is still -40 degrees.

Nikolai is only permitted to cut wood far out in the taiga.

He makes the journey there and back three times a week.

NARRATOR:Although almost everybody in Oymyakon has a car,

few people can afford a heated garage,

or the fuel to keep the car running constantly from October to May.

In these temperatures, when a car stops,

there's a very real danger it won't start again.

Oksana has been working as a nurse in the little village hospital

here for 23 years now. She is responsible

for attending to the patients, taking their temperature,

dispensing medicine and giving injections.

And nothing else happens in this hospital.

NARRATOR:And that is 500km away.

Here, that means at least a day's journey.

But at least this hospital is comfortable.

NARRATOR:Houses are usually heated individually here,

with wood stoves. But heat is supplied to the hospital

along these insulated overground pipes.

Underground pipes would burst in these temperatures.

At the moment Oksana is kept busy.

There is an outbreak of influenza here.

It's lunchtime now.

Although the sun is shining, it doesn't provide any warmth.

After two and a half hours marching through the bitter cold,

Nikolai has reached his workplace.

First, he warms himself up in the little tent.

Pyotr, Nikolai's colleague, is already here

preparing the chainsaws. In extremely low temperatures

they can cause problems.

The most important thing here is the heating oven,

a homemade model. It warms up the two half-frozen men

from time to time and thaws out equipment.

(speaking Yakut)

NARRATOR:At -45 degrees Centigrade the fuel oil

becomes thick and glutinous. By adding a little petrol

they get it back to the right consistency.

Both men lost their jobs as teachers

when there were cutbacks at the school.

NARRATOR:Nikolai and Pyotr supply wood not only to their own families

but to the whole village. Every two weeks

a truck struggles through the Siberian taiga

and brings back the timber they have cut.

The chainsaws are unreliable.

Pyotr has to repair them with his bare hands,

when it's -45 degrees Centigrade.

They have to work quickly to make sure

they get home before night falls.

NARRATOR:In the coldest inhabited place on the planet

temperatures in summer can climb to 30 degrees Centigrade.

In school, Etschiman has Russian class.

Russian is the language of state offices,

so the children start Russian lessons in first grade,

also so they can communicate with the rest of the country.

After school Pasha and Etschiman have to hurry.

The school bus picks the children up again.But if anyone misses it,

he has to walk, and it's -47 degrees Centigrade.

At two in the afternoon temperatures start to fall,

and the children aren't yet as resistant to the cold

as their parents.

When they get home, their first task is to do their homework.

In the icy winters, children spend the majority of their lives indoors,

in the warm house. Outdoor activities just don't happen.

Late in the afternoon their parents get home.

Nikolai first plays with his youngest child.

Meanwhile, Oksana is attending to the housework.

She has to be careful about using the water.

NARRATOR:There's no question of having underground pipes here.

Each household has large containers which are topped up as needed.

The driver supplies the houses with water,

which he pumps up from the river.

When temperatures get below -55 degrees Centigrade

even the insulated truck freezes.

Then, people have to thaw out blocks of ice,

as Nikolai does for his cows.

People who live closer to the river lead their cows down to the water

twice a day. The water is taken from a hole in the ice.

NARRATOR:There is one single shop that sells groceries,

household goods and clothes.

Otherwise the families have to be self-sufficient.

Nikolai caught the fish himself. While Oksana prepares dinner,

the children have time for their favourite activity - computer games.

In winter children don't have many hobbies.

It's just too cold to go outside if you don't need to.

The wood-burning heating oven is also used for cooking.

NARRATOR:Fish is the main source of protein and vitamins.

Nikolai catches them in the autumn.

NARRATOR:Life in Oymyakon -

the extreme cold is a challenge for the people here,

but they have mastered it.

The Siberians love their country though,

their winter and their way of life.

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