Original subtitles

(enigmatic music)

NARRATOR: We are visiting Doha, the capital of Qatar.

Here we are driving right through the desert,

on our way to meet one of the most influential families

of the richest country in the world.

For a whole year we tried to set up an interview with the inhabitant.

Today we finally get exclusive access to his home.

This weekend residence has the size of three football fields

and can't be found on any map.

- Wow. - Thank you so much.

- Hello.

NARRATOR: Inside the estate, a huge collection of cars and motorbikes.

The 80 hand-picked vehicles have an estimated worth

of over 100 million dollars.

And the owner? Omar Alfardan.

He is an absolute Ferrari fan.

MAN: I have one page called the super car.

Starting from the GTO which is over there,

F40, F50, Enzo and La Ferrari,

- which are the supercar of Ferrari. - And you own them all?

- And I have them there as a collection. I bought them.

NARRATOR: Omar Alfardan deals in luxury items, like cars and watches,

and is also a hotelier.

He owns probably the most impressive Ferrari collection in the world,

including a speed boat.

Sports cars with lots of horsepower are his personal hobby.

20 full-time staff take care of the multi-millionaire's car collection.

Interior designers, mechanics, waiters, cleaning staff,

and of course security personnel.

Everything has to be up to scratch

for when the owner comes by for a spontaneous visit.

Omar Alfardan had this super modern hangar

especially built for his collection.

To protect his valuable car collection

he doesn't only have security personnel

but he has also has cameras and laser barriers installed.

The Alfardans are one of the few families which have been granted

exclusive trading rights by the Emir of Qatar.

This means, that in Qatar

some luxury items may only be sold and imported by them.

- We represent many brands, over 60 brands of European watches

in Qatar and the region of Saudi Arabia and The Gulf.

Also we represent seven brands of the automotive industry,

which is the BMW Group, BMW Mini, Rolls Royce,

Jaguar, Land Rover, Range Rover and Ferrari and Maserati.

NARRATOR: Omar doesn't want to show us his private home

which is just around the corner, but he is happy

to show us his private zoo.

On an area the size of two football fields,

over 2,000 animals and over 100 different species are at home.

The choice of animals represents the owner's personal taste.

Seven different kinds of the heraldic animal of Qatar,

the antelope, can be found here.

We move on. About 40 km outside the capital Doha

camel races take place every week.

The first start is at 6am today.

Camel racing is traditionally a favourite sport

of the Qatari upper class

because getting up this early can be worth it.

- The owner of the camel, he took one of the cars.

Sometimes they have Bentley or Lamborghini.

NARRATOR: First prizes worth six figure sums.

Here, drivable prizes altogether worth more

than $30 million are parked.

The camels used to be ridden by children in order to save weight.

But this has been banned by the Emir

and feather-light, remote-control, riding robots

have taken over this job.

- There are a lot of people in the cars outside,

and they have "talkie-walkie."

And when they press the button,

the robots start to hit the camel to go faster.

NARRATOR: The trainers are also sat in the cars

and speak to the camels in order to calm them.

The race is broadcast live on television.

- (commentates in Arabic)

NARRATOR: By the way, it isn't possible to bet on camel races.

That would be gambling,

which is highly illegal under the laws of Islam.

Close by is the Khalifa stadium,

one of the biggest and most important arenas

for the upcoming football World Cup.

The bad working conditions on these building-sites

are often heavily criticised,

so we want to see for ourselves at the scene

and have fought for a shooting permit for a long time.

Unfortunately, interviews are not allowed.

The organisers show us the entire construction site.

We're allowed to film wherever we like.

Safety issues are not to be found here today.

More than 2000 workers are on duty every day

at this stadium construction site.

Lunch is served in two sittings.

Off camera one of the organisers proudly tells us

that here it is possible to feed

1,500 people in just 20 minutes.

It is eerily silent.

No conversations, no small talk.

Most of the workforce come from India, Pakistan or Nepal.

In Qatar, they make about $400 per month,

much more than at home.

Most of their pay is sent home,

and it seems as if the workers have gotten used to these circumstances.

A one hour break and many have had to queue for lunch for 15 minutes.

Then it is back to work because time is of the essence.

For now, Qatar mainly consists of the capital Doha;

the rest of the country is predominantly desert.

Around the World Cup stadiums new high rises are being developed

and an underground subway system

will connect the sports venues and central locations.

Around $ 200 billion dollars are being invested in infrastructure

up until the World Cup.

800,000 foreign construction workers work in Qatar.

In the mornings they are driven to the building sites

and in the evenings taken back to their collective accommodation.

We've asked the organisers to show us the accommodation.

In an SUV this government employee picks us up.

Time and again there are reports

of the desolate conditions in these accommodations,

and Amnesty International has also published a very critical report.

We are obviously being shown the brand-new,

state-of-the-art facilities.

First we are shown an image video.

Then the whole delegation of clearly high-ranking employees

visits the apartments with us.

This meeting takes place in the early afternoon

and almost all the workers are still at the building sites.

- This is a typical room for four people.

Basically, a bed...

and they hang their coats, and also they've got a key...

to every unit, so they've got a key.

NARRATOR: 100,000 employees live in this complex,

which consists of hundreds of identical buildings.

Here, breakfast and dinner are served.

Everything is very clean, almost sterile.

We meet one of the inhabitants, but can hardly communicate with him,

as he speaks almost no English.

CORNEL: Do you live here? - Hm?

- You live here, huh? - Yeah. Yes.

- Do you like it here?

- It is good? Enough space for you? - Yeah.

- With your friends living here?

- Are you happy?

NARRATOR: After many negative reports about old, dirty

and overcrowded housing the organisers seem to want to show us

through this sterile block of flats that they take criticism seriously.

This complex definitely meets international requirements,

but if all construction workers in Qatar have this standard of living,

or if this is just the insight that is given to our camera team,

is still the question.

Khaled Abdelfattah was born in Iraq and has lived all over the world.

For a while now he has been working in Doha as a real estate agent,

and his speciality is luxury property.

Today his client is looking for a pent house apartment

with at least 500 square metres of living space.

- (they speak Arabic)

NARRATOR: This complex has over 60,000 units

and has almost been completed. The Pearl, as it's called,

is a completely artificial island.

A flat is between $500.000 and $5 million.

A spa area, a fitness centre and a huge swimming pool

are, of course, part of the amenities.

- The Qatari is 28 years old

and his family make their money in the construction industry

and on the stock market. Their total fortune - over $100 million.

The family already owns multiple real-estate properties.

- The most important thing - your romantic view.

For you and your family.

NARRATOR: The balcony alone has a size of 100 square metres.

The client takes pictures, which is a good sign for the estate agent.

Hopefully, there is some interest.

On the third terrace the sales agent gets down to business.

- We have the best price in town. Therefore...

I promise you this is something you are buying

as a good investment for you and for your family for the future.

This property will never lose its price.

You are buying an investment. Shall we go to the next penthouse?

This way, please.

NARRATOR: Is the wealthy Qatari really interested?

In the summer months temperatures can reach up to 50 degrees.

Because of this Qatar's capital Doha

only comes to life after sundown.

At the weekends the locals leave the city.

We have to drive far into the desert

where the dunes are up to 70 metres high.

With expensive SUVs the wealthy offspring speed through the desert.

Some like to show off their skills, others prefer to watch.

There are no women present. This hobby is another total male domain.

- (they speak English)

NARRATOR: Just one moment of carelessness and the car topples

and plummets down the sand mountain.

Back to the artificial paradise island, The Pearl.

Estate agent, Khaled Abdelfattah,

shows his affluent client the next luxury flat.

This pent house also spans over two floors

and dazzles with its gigantically large rooms and high ceilings.

A special highlight - the bathroom.

- Your own steam room. For your own privacy.

At the same time it's a shower and a steam room.

NARRATOR: An old estate agent trick:

lure you customer to the nicest area of the property

when the price needs to be discussed.

Are you ready for the price? You will be very surprised.

(speaks English)

So when you see a difference between this one

and the other one, how do you feel?

- (they speak English)

NARRATOR: If you want to do business here,

you first of all have to get used to the local customs,

just like estate agent Khaled Abdelfattah.

That's the way it works in Qatar, the richest country on Earth.

NARRATOR: And from here we are travelling on

to Santo Stefano di Sessiano in Italy.

For 50 years this remote village in the Italian Abruzzi was abandoned -

a derelict ghost village.

Now it is an exceptional hotel.

Not only a single building, but half the village is part of it.

The refurbishment of this former lost place cost around $10 million,

and this was all possible without building any new structures.

It was the aim to preserve the old buildings as much as possible.

Everything was supposed to be just like in the good old days.

Due to the tourists, normal residents have returned

and have done their old family homes up again.

The aim of the hotel owners: to bring the village back to life.

The guests are supposed to live door to door

with the real inhabitants and get to know the old Italian traditions,

for example, in a baking course.

Two days before, we are on our way to Santo Stefano di Sessanio

and we want to know, what is life as a guest here like?

The first port of call, as in every hotel, is Reception.

It is located in a former cattle shed.

Hotel manager Nunzia gives us the key;

probably the biggest room key in the world.

We will meet Nunzia again later.

Our rooms are in this converted shed.

Of course we want to see them first.

The former shed is now a suite with a living room and two bedrooms.

It costs about $500 per night.

But there is no sign of luxury.

In here it feels as if we had travelled back in time.

There is no television, radio or mini bar.

And plastic can also not be found here.

Even the light switches are, like in the old days, made from porcelain.

And the shower gel seems a little odd, too.

But our Albergo Diffuso wants to offer even more than the others.

The guests have the chance to meet real Italy from the olden days.

Financier and owner Daniele Kihlgren has even higher goals set.

He has invested almost all of his inheritance in the hotel project,

and was financially successful with his endeavour.

At the moment he is in Africa as an aide worker,

so it is only possible to speak to him via Skype.

- (he speaks Italian)

NARRATOR: When Daniele isn't there, Nunzia is the boss,

although till just a little while ago,

she didn't have a clue about the hotel industry.

Nunzia used to be a scientist in a museum.

Because she knows a lot about history

and is originally from the mountains,

hotel owner Daniele offered her the job as manager.

Her most important task - to make sure that everything is and stays

as authentic as possible, just like in the old days.

Even down to the scent in the rooms.

- (she speaks Italian)

NARRATOR: Because the people used to throw lemon peel

into the fire as a natural air freshener.

The spray is all natural, just like everything else here.

- (she speaks Italian)

NARRATOR: This explains the seemingly split shower gel.

It hasn't gone off, this is just the way soaps

and shampoos without any added chemicals look.

On purpose the hotel beds are just like in old times;

hard and with woollen blankets that take two months to make.

- (she speaks Italian)

NARRATOR: Nunzia shows us her favourite suite,

as here you can see especially well how the people used to live.

- (she speaks Italian)

NARRATOR: But the expensive designer bathtubs

aren't the only luxury in the rooms, as we now notice at second glance.

There are upscale fittings...

..minimalist designer lamps,

and to the relief of our freezing team,

under-floor heating everywhere,

even in this old sheep stable.

And we find the well-hidden switches for it as well.

So not everything is as it was hundreds of years ago.

Otherwise the guests would probably stay away.

- (she speaks Italian)

NARRATOR: The hotel operators are especially proud

that, thanks to the Albergo Diffuso, many real inhabitants

are returning to the village.

So we set out to find them,

and we end up finding this cafe.

The owners want to show us

how coffee was drunk in the good old days

before fully automatic coffee makers began to pop up everywhere.

This brown creme is sugar whipped up with coffee.

The insides of the little cups are covered with it.

Then hand-ground espresso is poured into them.

And on top, extremely sweet, whipped cream, not frothed-up milk.

We ask the coffee shop owner Massimiliano what he thinks

about the Albergo Diffuso.

- ( he speaks Italian)

NARRATOR: At her wool shop Valeria shows us

how she dyes sheep's wool red with wine from the region,

just the way it has been done here for hundreds of years.

She, too, loves the hotel project, which is no surprise,

as she has multiplied her turnover by ten in the last couple of years.

And she likes the tourists that come here.

- ( she speaks Italian)

NARRATOR: Really experience what it means to live here:

that's exactly what we want to do now.

Sheep's cheese and wool used to be

the most important sources of income here,

and shepherd is still a very well-respected profession.

Therefore, a visit to the local sheep herder Mimi and his family

is part of the programme at the hotel.

For him, this is a good side earner.

- Mmm.

- (speaks Italian)

- (She speaks Italian) - (friend laughs)

Oh! Ha ha ha!

NARRATOR: We understand what he means while milking the sheep.

The milk only begins to flow after a little udder massage from Mimi.

But soon the poor sheep is fed up.

- (she laughs and they speak Italian)

NARRATOR: In the end, there is just enough

to make a small sheep's cheese.

For this, the shepherd's wife adds rennet to the warm milk.

This is an enzyme that makes the milk curdle.

After an hour of work,

the cheese made from the milk we collected is ready.

WOMAN: Ah!

NARRATOR: Right after this, it's on to the hotel baking course

in an original, reconstructed kitchen.

Course leader Gabriella is also responsible

for breakfast at the hotel.

In baking courses she shows the guests

how to make the classic Italian bread focaccia.

The dough only consists of flour, water, yeast

and lots and lots of olive oil.

In the olden days the thin flatbread only used to be a test

whether the oven was already hot enough for big loaves of bread.

So, focaccia was technically just a by-product of this test.

After about 20 minutes in the oven, it is ready.

The course leader is satisfied with us,

or at least that's what she says.

- (they speak Italian)

NARRATOR: A life very different to the ones most of us lead...

..and a trip into the past that is really worth it.

Deep in the Indonesian jungle is something

which doesn't belong there:

a chicken.

What is a chicken made of stone doing in the middle of the jungle?

It's situated on the island of Java.

The owner of the chicken told us to go to Borobudur

and ask our way through from there.

We learn that the chicken is supposed to be a house of prayer.

After a short while, we can already see its head.

An enormous chicken.

We have an appointment with the man who built it - Daniel Alamsjah.

What was his idea? Why did he shape the house in this way?

- (he speaks Javanese)

- (she speaks English)

- (he speaks Javanese)

NARRATOR: But Daniel didn't even want to build the dove:

In 1989 he had a divine vision during his prayers.

He was appointed with this Herculean task.

Daniel had neither money, nor property,

nor any idea of how to build a house.

But miraculously he was able to purchase this plot of jungle

for only $190 Dollars.

All of the villagers helped carry the stones.

In 1994 the dove opened its doors.

The dove is a symbol of peace, unity and truth.

It is 30 metres tall and almost 50 metres wide.

Today the bird looks a bit decrepit

due to the humid climate and vandalism.

We are curious to see the inside.

And we discover...

..nothing. No altar,

no benches or any kind of furniture.

Just an empty hall with a great hole in the floor.

- (he speaks Javanese)

NARRATOR: He wants to show us the prayer rooms in the cellar.

People of different nationalities are invited

to withdraw for meditation.

In Daniel's dove everyone is welcome to pray,

no matter which religion they follow.

The rooms are dark chambers with no light.

Daniel used to give therapy sessions here, too.

Now, at the age of 68,

he is busy just covering up for the expenses of his dove.

We haven't seen a single soul praying,

even though the place is crowded with tourists this afternoon.

- (people laughing)

NARRATOR: They ask Daniel the same question every single day.

- (they speak English)

NARRATOR: And this goes on and on all day long.

- (they speak English)

- Oh, the dove. - The dove!

- (they speak Javanese)

NARRATOR: Daniel stays calm. He doesn't have a choice.

- (speaks English)

NARRATOR: As long as the tourists give donations.

Donations are the only way Daniel is able to sustain the dove.

We have the honour of being shown around the upper parts

of the six-floored building.

There is a lot to be done here, too.

Renovating is expensive.

(tranquil Buddhist cymbal music)

- (she speaks English)

- (he speaks Javanese)

NARRATOR: And so Daniel will have to go on explaining

for many years to come

that his famous Chicken Church is really a dove.

From the deep jungle we travel on to the Russian capital Moscow.

Russia's capital, 12 million inhabitants,

a pulsating metropolis.

What only few Muscovites know,

beneath the surface their city is riddled with tunnels

and secret pathways.

We only dare enter Moscow's subterranean world,

accompanied by our guide Mikhail.

- (speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: We are meeting Mikhail, or just Mischa.

- (they speak Russian)

NARRATOR: Absolutely essential for the descent are a helmet

and a protective suit.

- (they speak Russian)

NARRATOR: And what if the toxic water were to hit you in the face?

With an uneasy feeling in our stomachs

we follow Mischa into the abyss.

- (he speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: The entrance is only 40 centimetres high and 30 metres long.

- (he speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: On all fours we crawl down the narrow tunnel.

The 5 kilometre-long labyrinth is a deserted quarry.

Mikhail has an old and ragged tunnel plan.

With this we can find our way down here,

or at least that's what we hope.

20 metres under Moscow the air is extremely humid.

We can literally see our breath.

- (they speak Russian)

NARRATOR: Mischa has been independently exploring

the underground city for 15 years.

Already, as a child, he discovered his passion

for the sewage system, and today the 30-year-old

is regarded as an underground expert

and the responsible Ministry of Environment works together with him.

- (they speak Russian)

NARRATOR: Mischa's assistant has brought bread,

cheese and dried sardines, a Russian speciality.

- (they speak Russian)

NARRATOR: It tastes salty and...interesting.

After the hearty snack we want to cover 2 kilometres to the next exit.

Mischa warns us of other lurking dangers.

- (he speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: Opposed to many young people that come down here,

Mischa knows where the tunnels are relatively safe.

- (they laugh)

- (he speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: Why some Russians want to experience

dangerous adventures under the ground remains a mystery.

But it is a fact that more and more people in Moscow like to climb down

into the sewage system in order to discover

the hidden part of their city.

- (they speak Russian)

NARRATOR: Mischa looks for dangers and defects in the tunnel system

and reports them to the authorities.

They trust him and are grateful for his help.

In exchange for this he is allowed to lead guided tours for newcomers.

But, of course, this is at his own risk.

As a guide in the sewage system,

Mikhail makes the necessary money in order to be able to survive.

- (he speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: Our walk in the tunnel under the famous Gorky Park

seems pretty unspectacular at first.

- (he speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: Opposed to what many would expect,

no rats live in this sewage canal.

There is nothing to eat here for them.

But instead there are lots of bats.

- (speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: At a junction in the canals a tunnel leads to a bunker.

The rooms are especially popular with junkies

who hide their drugs here.

- (speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: The Soviet bunker was built during the Second World War

and wasn't used as a bomb shelter back then.

- (speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: Hundreds of bunkers are hidden beneath the city. Apparently,

ten thousand people live underground in Moscow,

but he exact number isn't even known to the authorities.

The tunnel inhabitants are here illegally,

and as soon as they see strangers, they either attack or flee.

Many homeless here know and like Mischa.

Here Andrej and Natascha have their living room.

- (speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: It is said that over 100 kilometres

of accessible tunnels exist in Moscow.

But even Mischa can't say exactly.

Many passages, for example under the Kremlin,

have been blocked up.

- (speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: So we'd better keep our distance.

NARRATOR: Andrej and his wife still live in the tunnels,

undiscovered by the authorities. To protect the two,

we're not showing the exact surroundings of their home.

- (they speak Russian)

NARRATOR: Andrej and Natascha's passports were stolen,

and so they couldn't return to their home town of Minsk.

- (speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: The couple have been living off the mega city's waste

for two years now.

- (they speak Russian)

NARRATOR: Andrej and Natascha are often sick.

But in Russia people like them are often not treated by doctors,

so we leave the couple some money for essential medicines.

Hopefully, there will be a way out of this tragedy for the two.

The next day we continue our tour

through Moscow's mysterious, hidden, subterranean world.

- (they speak Russian)

NARRATOR: First of all we have to overcome a water rapid

in order to reach a ramp.

- (speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: From here the tunnel leads further and further underground.

And it is getting more humid by the second.

- (Mikhail speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: And they smell terrible.

And are quite brittle, too.

For Mikhail the walk in the sewers almost has a somewhat romantic feel.

There are new instructions.

- (speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: Far beneath the surface of Moscow there is no mobile reception.

What if it starts raining above ground?

- (speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: In the boat we continue our journey further down the tunnel.

By now we are 40 metres beneath the surface.

- (speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: And, really, the air keeps getting stuffier

and unbearably humid.

- (speaks Russian)

NARRATOR: And now, how do we finally get out?

- (they speak Russian)

NARRATOR: This is hard on the legs, and it takes a whole hour.

And then we even have to carry the wet and heavy dingy.

- (they speak Russian)

NARRATOR: No, thanks. We've seen enough.

For the visitors the tunnels and bunkers

are an adventure park.

For the homeless, life under the surface of Moscow is harsh reality.

(enigmatic music)

Subtitles by Sky Access Services