All language subtitles for Ed.Staffords.Rite.of.Passage.S01E04.Inner.Mongolia.HDTV.x264-NGP 650

I'm feeling it.

I'm very aware of what I'm about to
enter.

This isn't just beating your chest and
showing off and showing how alpha male

you are.

This is a vehicle for growing up.

I guess that's the essence of rite of
passage, isn't it?

I'm Ed Stafford. As an explorer and
survivalist, I've made a career out of

mucking about in the wild.

If I'm honest, I've never really grown
up. Look at that!

So now... Ready, guys?

I've set myself a mission to see how
cultures across the world navigate the

messy business of becoming an adult.

I believe many of us in the modern world
have lost our sense of identity.

But I'm hoping by immersing myself in
the often extreme trials that young

face, I can figure out how these rituals
make us better members of our

communities.

I've never experienced anything even
comparable in terms of pain.

By joining them on their journey, I hope
I'll learn to become a better man.

Maybe even grow up. Okay,

he wants me to jump out and we'll jump
out.

And successfully pass my own right of
passage.

in the far north of China, in Inner
Mongolia.

It's wild open country and rough terrain
spreading out in all directions.

I'll be travelling to a remote region
located in the expansive grasslands of

Xilinguo League, where I'll be spending
a week with a Mongol family.

The nomadic Mongols have led a
traditional pastoral lifestyle on this

since the time of Genghis Khan.

From what I know about their rite of
passage, their training to become a

fearsome Mongol warrior is as much a
part of their ancient culture as it is a

rite of passage.

It involves three manly games.

Horse riding.

Archery.

And wrestling.

Skills once essential on the
battlefield.

Today, Mongolian men are still expected
to excel in these sports to pass their

rite of passage.

At a traditional festival of games
called Nadam.

It's all about technique and strength.

And perhaps the truest form of showing
that strength is Mongolian wrestling.

With just seven days here, wrestling is
what I've chosen to focus on. So

basically, I've got a week of being
thrown around and battered and bruised,

which should be fun.

At the end of my stay, my wrestling
skills will be put to the test at the

Nardum Festival.

If I can put up a good fight and beat an
opponent, I reckon I will have earned

my stripes in this Mongol rite of
passage.

This really is in the middle of nowhere.

I can't help but notice that while
remote, we aren't far from the comforts

the modern world.

I'll be staying on an isolated farm with
Tamil, who is the head of the family

out here on the grassland.

Hello. Oh, Tamil!

Nice to meet you. My name's Ed.

This your son?

Not at all. Hi.

Hi.

Temel invites me to meet the rest of his
family in their traditional yurt,

known as a gher in Mongolian.

Since Temel and his family now live in a
modern house, the gher now serves as a

comfortable area to socialize.

His family will be hosting me for the
following week.

His wife, Dauren Tuya.

His brother, Erden.

His two sons, 23 -year -old Nacho and 13
-year -old Amuri.

How do you make a living here? Is it all
from livestock?

And how many animals do you have?

How much of this land around us that we
can see is yours?

Wow,

that's a huge amount.

Okay, so pretty much everything we can
see is yours.

You might be asking how old you are.

49,

same as me.

Same as me, we're the same age.

Temel's son Nacho is a professional
Mongolian wrestling coach and he's

considered a champion of Shilingor
League.

And do you think that 49 years old is
too old to wrestle?

Would you be able to teach me how to

wrestle?

Good.

I'm a little bit nervous, I have to say.

Before training officially starts, the
guys decide to size me up.

Okay, 49 -year -old against 49 -year
-old.

You let

me win there. You let me win.

You're a very good host. Thank you.

Good game.

You've got a strong son.

Strong son.

Boyed up by beating a 13 -year -old,
it's time to take on the big gun.

Oh my goodness me.

Wow. Okay. You're strong.

You're strong.

Okay, that's quite sobering.

It's clear that I've got some serious
catching up to do with my new coach.

Seemingly not one to waste any time,
Nacho cracks the whip and starts my

training immediately.

Oh well,

that joke definitely got lost in
translation.

When entering the fighting ground, the
wrestlers perform a ritual dance to

signify their confidence and readiness
to do battle.

With the movement supposed to symbolize
powerful animals.

Like a Mongolian.

Okay, it really is quite simple, isn't
it?

But I'm moving more like I belong at the
bottom of the food chain.

With

the

dance over, each wrestler raises his
hand as his name is called.

Nacho and his brother Amuri have already
wrestled at Nardum, so this week, it'll

only be me that's really going through a
rite of passage. But before I start...

i'll need my gear one of the most
important parts of a mongolian

uniform is called a joe dag an open
-chested jacket used for

gripping opponents during matches

Okay, the lesson one is all about
gripping.

That can't be too hard. Yeah, very easy.

Quite a drunk one.

Basically, I need to seize my opponent's
grip points.

And break free when he takes mine.

Nothing seems to be working.

Breaking free from Nacho is just
impossible.

Thank you for watching.

Can we stop for half an hour?

Not five seconds, half an hour.

My brain's fried.

Obviously, this is an intensive period
of training.

If I don't have time to mentally digest
it and physically recover, I'm not going

to advance.

That's my take on it.

I think the thing that's holding me back
at the moment, which you're pointing

out very clearly to me, is that...

I'm trying too hard all the time, and
then because I'm trying so hard, I'm

exhausting myself within seconds.

Currently, it's day one.

I'm at the very beginning of my journey,
but if I was to enter it today,

I wouldn't do well, would I?

This must be one of the toughest rites
of passage I'll be faced with. Right

I'm not sure if I could throw anyone at
the Nardum Festival.

I need to raise my game, fast.

Felt like the princess and the pea last
night.

The guys don't seem to have mattresses
here. So I'm on a hard wooden board on

nine blankets, basically.

And yet there was a lump just underneath
my chest.

Wrestling this morning.

Joyous.

I knew there'd be a catch.

Outside the gare, Nacho has already set
up the gym.

Morning, mate.

Right, I'm looking forward to this. What
are we doing?

Okay, great.

Are we headbutting them?

No. No, no, no. Okay.

All right. Good.

Good. Okay. Good.

Good.

All right.

It's already starting to burn.

Are you counting?

I thought you were counting.

It's a lovely way to spend the morning.

142. This is not my usual gym workout,
but I can see how it builds the strong

grip needed in Mongolian wrestling.

Not hurting, but it's obviously quite
wearing on the arms.

No one likes to show off, you know?

Okay, 200.

Needless to say, I don't do a lot of
this in everyday life.

230.

Time to get hard actually.

Okay, that's 400.

99.

500.

Have you ever heard of the concept of
recovery with an exercise?

It's okay.

Nacho tells me that we have to spend the
day doing farm work instead of doing

any wrestling training.

But to be honest, I'm not sure this is
the best use of my time out here.

especially with Nardum quickly
approaching.

Cool, let me have a crack at this then.

So you want all the soil that way?

Story of my life, isn't it?

I've noticed that out here they don't
really use any farming machinery.

It seems like it's all done by hand.

And I'm starting to think this is all
part of Nacho's plan.

Right, where are you at?

Well, the hare notoriously always wins
the race, doesn't he?

So Nacho's approach is a bit more slow,
a bit more conserving energy.

I could go on all day. It's almost
tantric. It's almost tantric.

But yeah, there's such a contrast
between his approach to life and mine.

How old were you when you started?

And what would you, I guess, what would
you...

like to achieve in your life? What do
you aspire to? What would be the

goal for you?

And is that possible, do you think?

Love your confidence, mate.

So I'm being trained by the best.

Therefore, I've got no excuses, have I?

It's fun. It's fun to learn from
somebody who's not like you.

That's actually probably where I'm going
to grow the most. This is already

beginning to be fascinating just in
terms of what I'm going to learn, not

about farming, not just even about
wrestling, but about how to approach

For the Mongols out on the grassland,
one of the most legendary natural foods,

which is believed to help them keep
fighting fit, is a nice big glass of

fermented horse milk, known as irag.

Traditionally, irag is made by Mongolian
women in family workshops like this

one, with the Mongol women adding a
vital part to their economy this way.

Today, Nasi's eye rag goes beyond family
gatherings.

It's also sold in local shops and
markets.

Does horse milk therefore cost a lot of
money?

I've never really seen a horse's udders
before.

And do you put a lot of your

strength? down to drinking horse milk.

I think I might start marketing it in
England.

Horse milk for bodybuilders and
wrestlers and rugby players.

And we'll share the profits.

This time next year, we'll be
millionaires.

No problem.

Excellent.

According to many experts, fermented
horse milk really is a great lactose

alternative. It's high in vitamins and
minerals and has immune -boosting

compounds to boot.

Once the milk is collected, it's taken
straight to the nearby gare to begin

fermentation.

And this in here, this is all fermented,
yeah?

Smells sharp.

It's not nice. It's tolerable, I would
say. You know, it's the sort of thing

that you wouldn't naturally eat or drink
unless it was good for you.

This will be the first time trying
fermented horse milk.

Oh, it's got a tang to it.

Would this have been drunk in the time
of Genghis Khan?

So

to

really take my wrestling skills up a
notch, Nacho takes me to the nearby city

Shilin, Hauteu, to train alongside a
group of young semi -pro Mongolian

wrestlers.

I

think

they're the guys who have been selected
as young potential professionals.

They should be quite an elite group of
wrestlers, then, yeah, it'd be

interesting to see what I can learn from
this.

So in terms of level, how do they
compare to you?

There's that confidence again.

I bet Nacho would actually make a pretty
good lawyer back in England.

After watching for a while...

It's time to quite literally throw
myself into action

Okay,

I mean smashed, but he did pick the very
best of the entire group. Let's go

up against me.

All right, we've got a smaller guy now.
Let's see what I can do.

Looks like my training with Nacho is
starting to pay off. I just

hope I'm doing him proud.

I don't think the word rest exists in
Mongolian. So the concept of timeout

definitely does not exist in Mongolian.

All right, let's go.

Grass on concrete.

There's no give in this astroturf.

I did see dives at that point, but he's
half my size, so I had to get up and

carry on fighting.

Ahead of tomorrow's Nardum, there's one
last place Nacho says we should visit

for some spiritual preparation.

Ovu's are cans made out of piles of
rocks that serve as both territorial

and ritual altars for the Mongols.

You've brought your wrestling kit up
here. This is part of preparation for

nadam?

Nacho's now cleansing literally the
wrestling equipment that he's going to

as well, so that everything is pure,
everything is ready.

The reason Nacho's brought me up here is
to give me an understanding of just how

this ritual isn't something individual.
It's not just for...

a wrestler who wants to win tomorrow
it's it's tying it into a bigger

significance of an understanding that
we're all part of something a lot bigger

you know

For me, this is a less conventional rite
of passage. There is no ceremony. He's

not jumping over a bull or putting his
hand in gloves full of ants.

However, if you look at what he's
learning through doing what he's doing,

know, through aspiring to be the best in
his country at wrestling, he is

confronting his own demons. He is
learning about responsibility, about

discipline. He's becoming stronger. He's
having to mentally be confident and

mature.

All of the same qualities that are
nurtured in a person to a rite of

ceremony are also being nurtured in the
young wrestlers through their sport.

And maybe it's actually a more
translatable thing to Western world

take part in sports. We do take part in
physical endurance events.

And maybe they can be used as a kind of
rite of passage, as a way of developing

yourself.

I don't think a rite of passage has to
be a ceremony.

I don't think, almost, I don't think it
has to be a deliberate rite of passage.

If you're going through something which
allows you to transition from, for

example, a young, immature, selfish boy
into a mature, responsible, community

-orientated man, then that's a rite of
passage.

As a traveler through these lands,
Paying respects at the Obu is seen as a

sign of respect, one which will
hopefully give me safe passage as I

journey.

Thank you.

While I've been lucky to experience the
famous Mongol hospitality during my time

here, this is really quite special. It
signifies for me

turning a corner.

being accepted to an extent by the
family. And Nacho is, you know, softly

at first, but he's warming up now.

It really took me back when Nacho was
saying to me, he was like, you're

wearing yourself out. You know, you're
trying too hard.

There's no bit of you that's relaxed.
You're just on 100 % of the time. And it

was as if he was...

Being a life coach to me rather than a
wrestling coach, he couldn't have been

describing better my life, you know.

I've come here to learn about a culture
that has a rite of passage for me, but I

do genuinely feel like this is helping
me at my time in life.

I turned 50 this year and, you know,
I've stopped having kids now, you know.

This is a new chapter in my life, a new
phase.

It's extraordinarily relevant to me and
it's really...

causing me to address certain parts of
my life and consciously evolve through

them, I think, which is exactly what a
rite of passage is meant to do.

I want to say thank you to all of you
for your support.

Today is finally the big day.

Today is the Nardum.

Because I'm taking part in the NADAM,
which is a festival of sports,

I have to wear this traditional garb.

The wrestling's good. I'm good with it.

If I get two rounds, two, for me, that's
a win.

For me, that is above, probably, my
expectations.

If I don't embarrass Nacho, then that's
also a win.

And just as the festival is about to
start, the heavens open.

The horses apparently have been spotted,
so...

They're 12 kilometres away, they
started, which is apparently a 15

And this is the finish line.

There you get four seasons in one day in
Mongolia. I'd like to experience some

other seasons right now. Thank you very
much. We've done the wet bit.

Look at that, look at that, look at
that.

They're all children.

It's ridiculous, isn't it?

Half an hour ago, poofing it down with
rain, now glorious sunshine.

Worried about sunburn.

So we've had the horse racing. This is
the archery being set up behind me.

As the archery event draws to an end,
the wrestling is about to begin.

And in Mongolian wrestling, its winner
stays on until a champion is crowned.

many people are wrestling today?

While most people will be watching the
men compete, there is also

a junior tournament, which Nacho's
brother, Omori, will be vying to win.

I'm here. The sun's out. Might as well
enjoy it.

I'm feeling it.

I'm very aware of what I'm about to
enter.

Thanks, Tim. I appreciate it, mate.

I'll do you proud, I hope.

Going in.

first with the two experts. This
signifies that they're very good.

do wonder about my own mental health.

Crikey.

Here comes the moment of truth.

First round, done.

I'm so relieved that I've proven that
I'm not a total failure and can continue

this rite of passage.

It's round two. My name has just been
called.

Thank you very much.

May God bless you.

Okay, I don't feel comfortable about
that. Are they deliberately giving me

opponents?

This

is

now

round three.

It feels quite surreal to be in this
position.

This is actually the quarterfinals.

It's down to the last eight people.

Fingers crossed that I have to wrestle
Nacho this round.

Oh, the big lad.

This guy also looks like a bit of a
brute, and he's in it to win it.

I just need to relax and not do anything
stupid.

You could feel he could have put me down
at any moment there.

Thank you.

Got my earnings.

Very good.

600 RMB, which is 60 quid.

So I can get the kids some presents on
the way home. That's nice.

I got to round three, which is
extraordinary and far beyond what I

going to achieve.

Okay,

so it's the semi -finals.

Nacho's in with a good chance. He's in
with a good chance.

He's up against the guy that beat me.

Come on, son.

Yes, he's won.

He's won.

Very cool that we've got two brothers in
the final. Murray and Nacho.

You know, you could have two winners.

The Nacho's up against the biggest
Mongolian I've ever seen in my life.

Come on, mate. Come on.

Say, I'm Murray's one.

That's cool.

He might be a little shy around me, but
clearly he's on track to follow in his

brother's footsteps.

And now we focus on Nacho.

Last thing longer than anyone else's
life is against him.

He's doing well.

He's trying to lift him up.

Sorry,

Nacho is on the floor.

And that is the end of a dream for the
day.

Never mind.

The beast won.

Well done, mate. Well done. Never mind.

You can tell he's disappointed, isn't
he?

I think Nacho really wanted to win that
one.

Champion.

Champion. Congratulations.

Cool. I just want to say thank you all
for having me today.

You've been an amazing family.

It's been such a privilege to live with
you, to train with you, but just to take

part in the whole thing. So thank you
very much indeed.

The main thing for me though was what
I've learned along the way and the key

thing has been to relax.

You know, going like a bull in the china
shop through a fight but also through

life. isn't doing me any favors um and
nacho has taught me that i really do

to relax i

think it's definitely something

i've taken to my wider life because it
is true i do try too hard and i think

it's all well and good when you're young
going a thousand percent all of the

time but as you get older and i am going
through my own rite of passage this

year this year i turned 50 and and you
can't carry on living like that into

elder years therefore my lesson is relax
enjoy enjoy the moment enjoy the

game that is life

It's good.

Lo and behold, I've been entered into
the fermented horse milk drinking

competition.

That's

much

harder to drink than you think. And
also, my false tooth was like waggling

as I was drinking and dipping down.