All language subtitles for Ch4.Great.Canal.Journeys.Series.10.2of2.Asian.Odyssey.720p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org

My name's Timothy West, and this
is my wife, Prunella Scales.

We are a pair - a pair of
actors of a certain vintage.

Basil.

All the world's a stage,
and in our time, we both played

many parts, but as we head
towards the final curtain call,

there are still a couple of
parts we like returning to.

The captain...

Cast-off, please. Aye aye, sir.

And his mate.

Pru's memory is not what it was.

GLASS BREAKS

Oh, my darling, I'm so sorry.

I didn't cast you off.

It's true. Some days I don't know
whether it's Monday or Lewisham.

But exploring canals and waterways
is something we can still share...

Something we both love...

And together, we've travelled
up and down Great Britain

and across the world.

So now it's time to head
for waterways anew.

We embarked on one last
great overseas adventure...

Mekong Delta, here we come.

An epic voyage through the
waterways of Southeast Asia.

The river is everything.

And in the second part
of our journey,

we've come to southern Vietnam...

It's beautiful.

Yeah, there's a rice field.

..to navigate the mighty Mekong,
travelling north through

what was once dangerous waters.

At one time, this would
have been seen as an unwise,

if not very foolhardy, expedition.

We're bound for Cambodia...

This is Phnom Penh,

called by the French
"The Pearl of the Orient".

We'll explore a region where
waterways are still part

of daily life...

Lovely plums. Four for 6p,
ten for a bob.

As they have been for
countless centuries.

I'm a princess of Angkor being
carried aboard her royal barge.

Of course you are.

Enjoying its rich and
ancient culture...

I want one.

We'll also discover the scars
left by a troubled past.

So out of 18,000
people who came here,

11 survived? Yes.

For a couple of ancient
mariners like us...

Today's cargo, two actors
of a certain age.

It might seem a voyage too far.

Not easy. Not easy.

But the rewards...

Nothing quite prepares you for this.

..promise to make this a
journey of a lifetime.

Magnificent.

Extraordinary.

So far, we've navigated
the waterways of

North and Central Vietnam.

Stunningly beautiful.

But it was a mere warm up for
the long voyage that lies ahead.

As we embark on a journey
along jungle-lined rivers

and across vast lakes to the heart
of the world's second largest delta.

There she is, the Bassac,

our home for the next few days.

Rather splendid, isn't it? Yeah.

Is it traditional?

Yes, it was once a rice barge
carrying cargo all the way

through the delta, right the way
down to Saigon, and now converted

for passenger use.

Today's cargo, two actors
of a certain age.

Two explorers of the
inland waterways,

of an uncertain age.

And our first moment of uncertainty
- getting on board.

It's a big step. Mind your head.

Jumping on and off boats

is a little harder
than it used to be.

I'm getting really excited.

Our home for the next few days,
the Bassac, bears little resemblance

to her humble origins as a rice
barge, having been completely

overhauled from bow to stern.

And today, she's a rather swish,
twin-decked river cruiser.

Let's have a look. Yeah.

Very nice.

It's enough room, isn't it?

We have a wide variety of
digs in our business.

Yes. Sometimes a five-bunk
bedroom, sharing a loo

with the rest of the company,
but nice double bed, adjacent loo -

I think it will do very nicely.

Yeah, we'll be all right here.

And they've left us a flower.
It's very nice.

Mekong Delta, here we come.

Extraordinary.

The Bassac will take us all the way
to the frontier with Cambodia.

It's river all the way, isn't it?

Not quite. It's a mixture
of rivers and canals that make

up the delta. Any locks?

No, no need for locks. This is all
flat, but if you took all the canals

in the delta together, in one
line, it would be longer

than the Great Wall of China.

Which is how long?

It's very long indeed.

What Tim wants to see is that there
are an estimated 50,000 miles

of canal crisscrossing the delta,

four times the length
of the Great Wall.

The Mekong Delta flows from
Cambodia into southern Vietnam,

which is where we will
begin our journey.

From Cai Be, we'll cross to Can Tho

and then navigate our way upstream

on the Bassac River.

At Chau Doc, we'll cross the
border into Cambodia.

We'll explore the Cambodian capital
of Phnom Penh, before making our way

to the huge lake of Tonle Sap.

We will end our journey at one
of the truly great marvels

of human civilisation -

The temple of Angkor Wat.

For the long voyage ahead,
we need to take on provisions.

So we've joined the crew
aboard the Bassac's tender

for a shopping trip,
with a difference.

Not quite Sainsbury's, is it?

I've never seen anything like it.

Girang is the biggest floating
market in the entire delta.

I suppose the nearest thing we
ever had in London was the

barrow boys in Soho.

"Lovely plums. Four for 6p,
ten for a bob.

"Come on, buy your
strawberries here."

They'd do very well out here.

If they had a boat.

Oh, look. Magic flowers.

Bow to stern. Gorgeous.

What are the sticks on
top of the boats?

In a floating market, the sellers
will hang their products on a

bamboo pole so we can recognise
what they're selling. Oh, right.

People come from neighbouring
provinces around here and they bring

their special products in their home
town to the market for selling

and then they'll stay here until
they sell out of the products.

About one week or two weeks.

So we see that the boat
is not only just the boat,

but also their residence. I see.

A transport vessel that
doubles as a home.

Sounds familiar and looks it, too.

In a way, they make you think
about narrow boats,

because it's roughly the same shape.

And they use the space as much
as possible for the goods

that they're carrying.

So living quarters are minimal.

Ha! Very skilful.

Won't do to drop any.

You like watermelon?
Yes, they're lovely.

Maybe we can prepare some
watermelon juice for lunch.

Great. Some new ones, yes? OK.

Here is a lady.

How many will you need? Four? Four.

How much are these melons each?

40,000 dong.

So what did that cost?

About a pound each.

All right, fair enough.

Thank you.

That guy in his hammock waved at me.

Provisions safely stowed
aboard the Bassac,

our voyage into the depths
of the delta begins in earnest.

My first experience of canals
was a few hours on the Oxford.

It'd go 7mph and we used
to enjoy it very much,

in the English countryside,
coping with the weather.

And now here I am in Vietnam.

I can't believe it.

It's very exotic.

Instead of oaks and beaches
and some reeds.

it's mango trees and palm trees,
you know, as far as the eye can see.

Wonderful.

For me, the Mekong evokes feelings
of unease, of mystery, even danger.

Never did I imagine that I'd find
myself navigating its waters.

This feels like a proper expedition
into the depths of the Mekong.

Bound for the jungles of Cambodia.

At one time, this would
have been seen as an unwise,

if not very foolhardy, expedition.

You never know what might be around
the next bend in the river.

Well, no. Let me read you this.

"An empty stream, a great silence,
an impenetrable forest.

"The air was warm,
thick, heavy, sluggish.

"There was no joy in the
brilliance of sunshine.

"The long stretches of the waterway
ran on, deserted, into the gloom

"of overshadowed distances."

Joseph Conrad,
The Heart of Darkness.

It was the basis of the
film Apocalypse Now -

A group of American soldiers
fighting their way up the Mekong.

Set during the Vietnam War, the film
captures the horror and brutality

of river warfare.

Battling with the
Communist Viet Cong,

the US-backed forces sought
control of the delta's maze

of narrow canals and waterways.

But ultimately, in an environment
ideal for guerrilla tactics,

American technology and overwhelming
firepower failed to win the day.

But the war ended over 40 years ago.

Peace has returned to the delta.

It's wonderful to see all these
people living on and because

of the river, not just for trade,
but grain, rice, fishing...

Visiting friends...

Wonderful. The river is everything.

Exactly.

Cheers. Cheers.

For us, too, it's been a 50-year
love affair with waterways.

And thankfully, here we are,
still travelling them together.

Night-night, sleep tight,

mind the bugs don't bite.

We're in Vietnam, on an epic voyage
through the Mekong Delta,

heading towards Cambodia.

We are cruising up the Bassac River,
through an area that has become

one of the world's biggest
rice-growing regions.

Today, with crew member Hang,

we're leaving the mother ship
to head up one of the canals,

bound for the rice fields
of Can Tho.

The welcome in the Delta
is legendary,

and we've been invited
to visit a family

who've been rice farmers here
for generations.

It must be quite a hard life here.

No?

Very good.

Yes.

That's a very beautiful hat.
I love it.

Can I try one? Yeah.

I want one.

Yes!

Yes, a fan.

Access from the canal
is a little precarious.

Please mind the step.

Especially when one's balance
isn't quite what it was.

Not easy, not easy.

Oh, right. Ah!

Oh, right.

Mr Six and his wife
make excellent hosts.

Thank you so much for the wonderful
spread you have got for us.

Yes. Lovely.

What is this, please? It's lovely.

It's coconut.

Coconut? Shaved coconut? Yeah.

It's a fruit. Very, very impressed.

Darling, why don't we have things
like this in our garden?

I can grow cabbages

and a few potatoes. Yes.

But nothing as exotic as this.

Very nice.

We love canals, British canals,

but tell us what it is like
to live beside the Mekong Delta.

Do you have to work very hard
when the rice harvest comes?

Yes. Yes.

And do the young people help
very much?

Not really, because young people
go to the big city.

They like to work in the city? Yes.
Oh, right, yes.

Behind the house lies the family's
paddy fields.

Their small plot of just over
an acre

provides them with 15 tonnes
of rice a year.

It's beautiful!

Yeah, this is a rice field.

You are in the Mekong Delta

and, you know, we're called
the rice bowl of the country.

Ah! Because we produce 60% of rice
for the country.

Because rice and needs water
and heat to grow.

In the raining season, we have water

and dry season, with the irrigation,

we can have water in the field.

So, the network of canals
irrigate the land?

Exactly, yeah.

Like that, we can have
three harvests a year.

Three harvests a year
through the irrigation, yes.

Yeah. Excellent.

So, this looks as if it's about
ready to be harvested now. Is it?

Yeah, in two weeks,
it must be ready.

A-huh. You can open one rice.

It's hard. It's hard inside?

It's not yet ready. Not quite.

Yeah. It's going to be wonderful.

They're nice earrings now, but...

Yes. You are right.

But in two weeks' time,
it'll be quite nice rice pudding.

Mm.
THEY LAUGH

Rice pudding! Good idea!

Mr Six and his family
are part of the 17-million people

whose lives depend on the delicate
ecosystem of the Mekong Delta.

But this, the second-most biodiverse
area in the planet,

is now under threat.

Beginning life high in
the Tibetan Plateau,

the river runs through
five countries

before it arrives in the Vietnamese
section of the Delta.

Recent developments in these
upstream areas

are starting to change
its natural rhythm and flow.

Professor Tuan of Can Tho University

is concerned about
the Delta's future.

So, how is the Delta changing?

River sediment that once flowed down
to the Delta

is now being held back
by giant dams.

No longer reaching its destination,

the gap left by this sediment
is being filled

by the gradually-encroaching sea.

So, how much land has been lost
and is being lost?

As river banks crumble, houses
and farmland are lost to the waters.

So, are people having to move
their residents away from the water?

Yes.

And this will go on happening?

That's terrible!

Yes.

Good. Yeah.

It's been a fascinating voyage
so far.

And thankfully, Pru seems
to be enjoying it as much as ever.

Although her condition is,
of course, getting worse,

she hasn't lost her knack
for picking up foreign languages.

Can I teach you Vietnamese?
Yes, yes. Yeah. OK.

When we want to say "hello"... Yes?
..we say, "xin chao".

BOTH: Xin chao. Xin chao?

Yes. It means, "hello"! Xin chao.

Xin chao. Yes, xin chao.

And how we say "goodbye"... Yes?

We say, "tam biet".

Tam biet? Tam biet. Tam biet.

Xin chao and tam biet.

POLLY CHUCKLES
Yes.

And when we're going to say,
"hello, darling" to the men, we say,

"xin chao em yeu".

Xin chao em yeu.

Yes. Hello, darling!

Is that your real name, Polly?

No, it's just my English name,
just for fun.

My name is Zhin.

Zhin? Zhin. It means treasure.

Well, you are a treasure.
You are a treasure.

Thank you. Lovely. Yeah.

THEY CHUCKLE

We're approaching
the international border now.

And at this point in our journey,
we'll need to change vessels.

You know we think of 4mph
as being about the right speed
to travel on water?

Well, yes, that's quite fast enough
for me, thank you.

Well, we've got quite a long way
to travel today,

so I've booked us into something
a bit faster.

Oh. Looks like a large speedboat.

Well, I'm told it's
very comfortable...I think.

You're not going to be at the helm,
are you? Not on your life.

We'll be travelling the next
80 miles of our journey

at the breakneck speed,
at least for us, of 18mph.

We're bound for a country
that was, for decades,

virtually shut off
from the outside world.

Next stop, Cambodia.

We're on a voyage through
the waterways of Southeast Asia.

Having navigated our way through
the Mekong Delta in South Vietnam,

we've now switched boats
and crossed into Cambodia,

where we're following the
Bassac River north for 80 miles,

to the capital, Phnom Penh.

Just a few years ago, this would
have been a journey

that no-one with any sense
would have dared to make,

as our skipper confirms.

It must have been a dangerous
voyage at one time.

It used to be because
there was a civil war

and the Cold War
between Vietnam and...

Cambodia. ..Cambodia. Yes, we know.

That's the reason.
Ah, yeah. We're all friends now.

Yes, we are safe now, we are happy.

Yeah. The country is happy.
Very good.

Times have changed,

but the memory of a brutal civil war

and the genocidal regime
of the Khmer Rouge that followed

have left deep scars
on this country.

I'm feeling a bit disorientated.

I got used to the idea of being
in Vietnam

and now suddenly,
we're in another country.

Yes, it was a bit sudden.

This is Phnom Penh, called by
the French, the Pearl of the Orient.

The city was the capital of
the French Protectorate of Cambodia

until the early 1950s.

And for many centuries, Phnom Penh
has been a cosmopolitan port.

Today, it's more dynamic and busier
than it's ever been.

And with what looks like
a lively nightlife to match.

But for these two weary travellers,
it's definitely bedtime.

We are waking this morning in the
exotic, bustling Cambodian capital.

Phnom Penh may feel like
a modern Asian metropolis,

but it still retains many of its
19th-century European buildings,

reminding us of its colonial past.

Cambodia still has a royal family,

whose splendid palace,
at the heart of the city,

is a particularly fine example
of Khmer architecture.

For all its rich heritage,
this city is yet to fully recover

from a dark chapter in the nation's
recent history,

the fanatical and brutal rule
of the Khmer Rouge.

Do you remember the Khmer Rouge?

Um...well, no, I don't,
but those words, Khmer Rouge,

they mean something awful,
don't they? Yep.

It was just over 40 years ago

when the black-clad Khmer Rouge
marched into Phnom Penh.

Led by the notorious Pol Pot,

they were radical communists
determined to transform

every aspect of Cambodian society.

For three years, eight months
and 20 days,

they ruled with terror and paranoia.

Exterminating anyone who
could challenge that ideology.

Intellectuals and the urban classes
were almost entirely wiped out.

Tuol Sleng Prison,
also known as S-21,

was the regime's notorious
interrogation centre.

Today, it's kept as a museum.

A warning to future generations.

This is the regulation which Khmers
made for their prisoner to know

while they were getting
interrogation, or torture. Right.

Our guide is Han Le Sai.

READS: How to conduct yourself
under torture.

READS: You must immediately
answer my question

without wasting time to reflect.

If you disobey any point of
my regulations,

you shall get either ten lashes

or five shocks of electric
discharge.

Chilling!

Appalling.

Between 1975 and '79, almost
one third of the population died

from starvation, disease,
forced labour and execution

in the notorious killing fields.

And around 18,000 people passed
through these interrogation rooms,

where the regime's henchmen
would extract confessions.

So, everyone who came in here died?
Nobody got out alive?

So, out of the 18,000 people
who came here...

..11 survived?

Yes.

One of the survivors
from that last day

is 88-year-old Chum Mey,

whom we have the privilege
of meeting.

We are honoured...
Great honour to meet you.

I have a picture here.

You recognise?

THEY TALK IN NATIVE TONGUE

That's you, yes?
You're a handsome man, you are.

Chum Mey has dedicated his life
to telling his story.

Good. Yeah. Very right.

Tell us exactly where you were
in here. Can you show us that?

Chum Mey was a mechanic
under the regime,

but on October 28th, 1978,

he was suddenly arrested
and brought here to be interrogated.

And why were you arrested?

Why did they suspect you,
especially?

Were they killed because
they were your relations,

or for some other reason?

Thank you for telling us your story.

Thank you very much.
And we will tell everyone.

Yeah.

It's so awful, I mean,
the history of what happened here,

that I don't think I can...

I can't sort of take it all in,

the...the...the agony
that people went through

and the cruelty
and the horror of it all.

Man's inhumanity to man
is constantly surprising, isn't it?
Yes.

But we must see it... Yes.
..and remember it. Yes, yes.

Make sure, if possible,
that it never happens again.

One of the Khmer Rouge mantras was,

"better to destroy
ten innocent people

"than to let one enemy go free".

Finally, in 2018,

two of its former leaders
were found guilty of genocide.

Khmer Rouge doctrine decreed
all literature and art
as unrevolutionary.

Including a dance form that dates
back to the era of Angkor Wat.

The elegant Apsara dance,

which lies at the very heart
of Cambodian culture, was targeted.

Its practise banned
and its dancers killed.

Vong Metri first learnt Apsara
at the Royal Palace

when she was just five years old.

As a dancer,
she's a rare survivor of the regime.

CHILDREN SING

Beautiful. Thank you very much.

APPLAUSE

TRANSLATION: If our hands
looked really smooth,

Khmer Rouge would consider
us an intellectual

and they're going to take us
somewhere to be killed.

When finally the war was over,

what led you towards
thinking about dance?

Yes.

In defiance of the Khmer Rouge,
Professor Vong became a teacher

to pass on her knowledge
to the next generation.

Her charitable dance school offers
free lessons

to children from poor families.

CHILDREN SING

Did you ever do anything like this?

No. It's another world completely.

Do you think we should do it
every night?

Not at night.
I think perhaps in the morning,

after we've had breakfast maybe.

Well, let's see
if I can learn a few moves, then.

Thank you.

Of course, it always pays
to look the part.

Apparently, Apsara is always danced
in Cambodia's version of a sarong,

a sampot.

PROFESSOR SPEAKS IN NATIVE TONGUE

Yes.

Each intricate movement
has its own meaning.

What is that? Small fruit. Fruit?

Yes. Often representing nature.

Bravo! You're a natural...nearly.

APPLAUSE

Thank you.

How many years do I have to train

to learn to be an Apsara dancer?

I haven't got that many years left!

I haven't got enough life left.

We are on a voyage through
the canals and waterways

of Vietnam and Cambodia, bound for
the ancient capital of Angkor.

But to reach our final destination,
we must navigate the Tahas River

and the vast Tonle Sap Lake -

the largest body of fresh water
in South East Asia.

A lake which performs an amazing
annual transformation.

It's hard to believe this is
a lake - it feels like we're at sea.

And apparently in the rainy season
the lake covers 4,500 square miles.

I can't get my head round that.

Here to explain this extraordinary
phenomenon is our guide.

So we see all these little islands
dotted around.

They're permanent, are they -
they're there all the time?

The islands are actually on land,
but when the water fills up

it becomes like islands.

Yes. Oh, right.

So during the dry season there
is much more area, is there?

Exactly, yeah.

Because in the rainy season
the water fills up the lake,

so they can come and do
their fishing.

When the dry season comes
they need to do their farming,

like crops and plants. Yes.

So that's how they earn their living
between the seasons here.

Fed by the Mekong River,
during the rainy season

this lake swells to five times
its original size,

submerging all the land around it.

Whole communities are forced
to take to the water,

creating temporarily floating
villages.

And for those who remain on land,

they have had to adopt some rather
extraordinary architecture.

The water goes very high,
doesn't it?

Does it go all the way up to the
edge of the stilts of the houses?

It does. It does.

Unbelievable.

Yes. Every six months, like...
Every six months?

Yes.

And it comes from where -
from the Himalayas?

Yes, it does.

So the villages are built up on
stilts to survive the rainy season?

Yes.

I wouldn't fancy my chances of
getting to the top of

one of these ladders.

We're on our way to the heart of
Khmer culture,

and one of the largest
religious complexes on Earth.

For this final leg of our journey,

we're on our favourite type
of waterway, a canal.

One that's at least five
centuries old.

I'm a princess of Angkor, being
carried aboard her royal barge.

Of course you are.

And very regal you look, too.

Thank you.

It was the 19th century
French explorer Henri Mouhot

who put Angkor back on the map.

In his journal of 1863 he wrote,

"One of these temples -
a rival to that of Solomon

"and erected by some ancient
Michelangelo - might take

"an honourable place beside our most
beautiful buildings.

"It's grander than anything left
to us by Greece or Rome."

And the temple that he was referring
to, of course, was Angkor Wat.

Unknown to the Western world before
this enticing account,

the temple does not disappoint.

Ah...

Ah!

Well, of course I've seen
photographs,

but nothing quite prepares you
for this, does it?

So, at the end of our epic voyage,

this is our reward.

So was it worth it?

Oh, I think so. It's magnificent.

It is. Extraordinary.

Angkor Wat lies at the centre
of what was a medieval megacity.

With a population of over a million,

it stretched across
150 square miles.

But how the Khmer built their temple
back in the 12th century -

the stones weighing up to 1.5 tons
- was for many years a mystery.

But new research has revealed
that it was all down to canals.

Of course.

Our guide, Chang, is an expert
Angkor's history.

When the Angkor people built
this extraordinary temple,

they made great use of canals,
didn't they,

in the construction?

Yes. They transported their stone
on their bamboo rafts. Yeah.

It floated on the canal from the
mountains, almost 60km from here.

So they had to dig the canal first,
or was the canal there already?

Yeah, they had to dig the canal
first.

The Angkorians were very clever
hydro engineers.

As well as a network of
transport canals,

they also built huge reservoirs
to store water

for the immense city's population.

And they made great use
of water in the temple itself.

Those coming here to honour the
gods would first have to purify

themselves in four cleansing ponds.

Four ponds were used as symbols
of four elements.

It's water, air, earth and fire.

Well, it's a shame there's not
any water in there now,

because I personally could do with
a dip. Could you?

It's very hot.

Among Angkor Wat's great treasures
are the intricate carvings

of the dance form so central
to Khmer culture -

Apsara.

Yes, remember?

When you were being taught
the dancing...

Yes. ..manoeuvres?

The shapes. Oh, right, yes, it...
Yes.

Oh, no, you're much better at it
than I am.

Well, practice makes perfect.
Mm.

There are more than 3,000
Apsara dancers on these walls,

every one of them different.

Apsara, it means female divinities.

It's the heaven ladies.

They used them for performing,
for dancing,

in the royal palace.

And this was for entertainment,
was it?

Yes, and also concubines
of the kings.

Ah. Right, yes.

And this lady has bare...

..boobs. Boobs, yes.

Naked on top - we call topless.

The ladies are beautiful.

They don't need to wear so much.

No.

Right. That's fair enough I think.

Yes.

In our culture, we start wearing
the clothes on top

after French colonies,
in about 1860.

Yes. If they were a slave,
they wear like this.

Aha. Yes, of course. Yes.

There is no written record of how
the people of Angkor lived,

but within the walls of the ancient
city there lies a clue.

Housed in the spectacular Bayon
temple are carvings that stretch

for almost a mile, each frieze
telling a story of everyday life

in the 12th century.

This is the war on Tonle Sap Lake...

Oh, a battle.

Yeah, a battle between the...
Oh, right.

..you can see the peoples have
spears, have knives, on the boat.

Yeah. Amazingly vivid, isn't it?

Yeah.

There's a crocodile.

The poor guy's being eaten by it!

Yeah, that's what happens.

What's going on there?

Yeah, this is this the lady -
they're trying to pick up the lice

from this girl.

Ah! Oh, nit-picking, yes.

You used to do that for the boys,
didn't you?

Yes.

Did they have any lice?

I can't remember.

Well, thanks to me, no.

This is a graphic record of
everything happening

in the town, really. Yeah.

And you could make this into a play
or a novel.

All the stories are there.

It's wonderful.

The story of Angkor, lost for over
600 years, until the 15th century

when suddenly the city is abandoned
almost overnight.

Why remains a mystery.

It's been a truly epic voyage.

Along the way, we've seen how
the story of this region is entwined

with its waterways.

From North and Central Vietnam,

to the Mekong Delta,
we've discovered a rich history,

the warmth of its people,
and how rivers and canals are

still the lifeblood of nations.

And here at Angkor, we've learned
how canals nine centuries ago

built one of the ancient world's
greatest civilisations.

It's extraordinary where our love
of waterways has led us.

When we borrowed a narrow vote
for a friend on the Oxford Canal...

50 years ago. ..50 years ago.

As we pottered down that pretty
English canal,

I remember thinking,
"You know, this is pleasant.

"I wouldn't mind doing it again."

No, and here we are, all those years
later, in Southeast Asia

on a canal that was built by a
civilisation mobile 1,000 years
ago.

Mm.

If it had been cold and rainy
on that first narrow boat excursion

on the North Oxford, we might not
be here today.

Oh, I don't know.

We've always shared the things
we've loved.

And you've always been a pretty
ready co-conspirator, haven't you?

Yes, I suppose I have.

Thank you.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media