All language subtitles for Around the World by Train Series 2 2of6 Ch5 1080p_ENG_Subtitles01

'I'm rejoining the rails
for another epic adventure.'

Are you excited? Who wouldn't be?

'I'm travelling around
the globe again...'

I'm riding some of the most
legendary trains in the world.

HORN TOOTS
'..to experience
more spectacular railways...'

Look at this place!

'..from the Arctic Circle...'

Ooh!

..to the glorious Andes.

'And the heart of Europe...'
Isn't it fantastic?

It's just a ticket hall!

'..to the edge of America.'

Oh, this is amazing!

'And I'll venture off the tracks

'to discover awe-inspiring places...'

England! '..extraordinary people...'

Hey! No!

'..and unforgettable experiences.'

It's staggering, isn't it?

DRAMATIC MUSIC

Ah!

'This time, I'm riding the train
through South America.

'I've never been to this continent
before in my life

'and I'm really excited
to finally make this trip.'

I'm going to be travelling
for thousands of miles

and my first stop is Buenos Aires.

'My journey through South America
is going to take me across Argentina,

'deep into the Andes

'and out to the Amazon,

'before leaving me
at the ancient city of Machu Picchu,

'a place I've been waiting
my whole life to see.'

We haven't even got
to Buenos Aires yet

and already there's
a full-scale party on the train!

I've always wanted to come here

because it's such a diverse place,
so many different peoples.

'But lots of South American countries
are having a hard time at the moment

'with economic
and political upheaval.

'On my journey, I want to understand
what that means for everyday people,

'starting here in Argentina.'

'The shadow of Eva Peron

'still looms large in the capital,

'and tensions are high right now

'as the country moves through
another economic crisis.

'With a few hours in town
before I catch my next train,

'I want to know how the hard-working
people of this city are coping.'

Oh, the tango! Oh, right, OK!

'So I'm meeting up with local
Bibiana Para

'for a whistle-stop tour
of the downtown district.'

Amazing multicolours!

'And there's one thing
we can't avoid.'

Oh, we almost passed! Oh!
Right here!

'Tango was born right here
in the working-class neighbourhoods
of Buenos Aires.'

It's fantastic!
It's a little bit intimate. Yeah.

'It was originally danced
by prostitutes and dockworkers,

'but now it's embraced by everyone
in society.'

We dance 24 hours
because we get addicted to the hug,
hugging each other!

Listen, this... Yeah.

..is your moment for tango.
Are you ready?

SULTRY TANGO MUSIC

Good!

It felt the tango rhythm, anyway!

'I don't have time to nail the moves,

'but one thing I have got...'

Oh! '..is the attitude.'

That's so rude, isn't it?

'Time to sashay out of here.'

This is a little secret of La Boca,

because... What, this restaurant?
Yes.

We're going to sneak the line, OK?
Just go with me! Are you sure? Yeah.

'Obviously, there's only one thing
on the menu for lunch.'

Oh, this is fantastic!

'Steak is another national obsession
in Argentina.'

Well...

Sir, beef and chorizo?
Oh, thank you!

Oh, wow! Look at the size of that!
Thank you very much.

'The average Argentine consumes
three times the amount of beef we do
each year.

'I don't each much meat these days,
but I've got to give this a go.'

That is very good.

What are we going to do next,
because I'd quite like a snooze!
SHE LAUGHS

'Unfortunately, it's the wrong time
of year to be thinking about naps.'

WHISTLES BLOW

Oh, this is amazing, isn't it?

Do you know what this is?

'Carnival season is about to hit
South America.'

I just love it! 'And right now,

'it seems like there's a dance troupe

'rehearsing around every corner
of the city.'

Boedo! Hey!
What does that mean?

Boedo is the neighbourhood!
Oh, right!

'The Boedo Troupe

'are one of the very best
in Buenos Aires.

'This looks like modern street dance
to me,

'but carnival parades were actually
started in the 19th century
by the Africans

'who were brought to Argentina
as slaves.'

The African cultures
in Buenos Aires,

they were the outsiders,

the slavery type. Yeah.

In the carnival,
they can express their freedom.

'Once a year, before Lent,

'slaves were allowed a day of revelry
on the streets.'

Even the church allowed people
to do everything they wanted!

Oh, the church allowed it, too!

'But apparently,
this became more than fun.

'The slaves began to dress up in
wacky suits and top hats, like these,

'to mock and slight their masters.'

CHEERING

'Carnival became a protest,

'and today, parades like this one

'are still used to express dissent.'

Even they have lyrics.

They protest about things that
are not good in the society... Yeah.

..with a very sarcastic humour.
We call it humor negro,
the black humour.

'This year, the economic crisis
is sure to be the topic
on everyone's lips.'

Oh, Sam, have you seen these ones?
These little kids!

'It's a powerful way
to make yourself heard.

'Good on you, little man.

'These guys really epitomise
what Buenos Aires is about for me -

'people coming together
to have a good time,

'regardless of the circumstances,

'whether that's through food
or football or dancing.

'I'd love to party into the night
with this lot,

'but I've got to dash
to Retiro Station now

'to catch my next train.

'I'm leaving behind
the hustle and bustle of the city
to head into Argentina's mountains.

'I'm going there
to find a famous old railway,

'known as the Train to the Clouds.

'The line out of Buenos Aires

'travels 800 miles north
to the city of San Miguel de Tucuman,

'but then things get tricky.

'Argentina was once home to the tenth
largest rail network in the world,

'but after the economic struggles
of the last century,

'the railways
started to fall into disrepair.

'The train no longer travels
any further than Tucaman.

'It's all old track
and ghost stations from here on.

'So I have to use four wheels
to get to my final destination,

'but it's worth the effort.

'The Train to the Clouds is one of
the highest railways on earth

'and I'm desperate
to experience the thrill.

'Coming up,

'I find out what train travel
at high altitude really feels like...

'..things get a whole lot better
on a five-star train...'

Ooh, that is so gorgeous.

'..and Peru stakes a claim
as party capital of South America.'

Yay! Peru! Peru! Peru! Peru!

'I'm on an expedition
through South America.

'From Buenos Aires,
I've travelled 1,000 miles

'into the north-western corner
of Argentina

'and finally arrived
at the departure gate

'for the Train to the Clouds.

'Today, this is one of the most
desolate parts of the country,

'but things weren't always this way.

'100 years ago, silver
and other precious metals
were discovered in these mountains

'and a gold rush erupted here.'
Hello. Hello.

'But years ago, the last piece
of silver was pulled from the ground

'and everyone packed up and left,
leaving only this,

'the mine's old railway.'

ANNOUNCEMENT IN SPANISH

'Today, people come
from all over the world

'to ride the so-called
Train to the Clouds

'because it's an experience
like no other.

'This is one of the highest
railway trips on earth.'

Excuse me.

'We're already at 3,800 metres
above sea level

'and we're about to ascend 400 more.

'This kind of altitude
can do interesting things
to the human body.'

I'm having to walk
a bit slowly and carefully

going down this corridor

because apparently people chuck up
on this train

because of the movement
and the acceleration

and, most of all,
because of the lack of oxygen.

'So I'm exploring the train's
unique selection of onboard services

'to find something that might help.'

Oh, this is good. Little shop!

'Not sure a t-shirt is the cure.'

Look, nice selection of booze.
'Or that.'

MAN SPEAKS SPANISH

They've got a
"sala asistencia medica",

a first-aid cabin,
a whole emergency unit,

with its own nurse
and its own doctor.

Hello. Hang on,
I've got the crew behind me.

Sean, how are you feeling?
A bit drunk!

Really? You genuinely feel wobbly?
Yeah. All over the place.

How about you, Chris? I've got
a bit of a headache coming on.

You see, this is real!
We need these guys!

Does someone get ill
every single trip?

Are you feeling all right
or a little bit dizzy?

I'm a little bit wobbly!

'No chances are taken
at this altitude.

'The oxygen in the air up here
is in shorter supply,

'so some of us
need a bit of extra help.'

Some trains I've been on,
the height of luxury

is a bottle of champagne
or some nice canapes,

on this one it's oxygen at my hooter!

Thank you!
Bish-bosh-bash, I'm going back!

Goodbye! Goodbye! Adios!

'This sky-high railway
was originally built

'to transport minerals
from the mountains down to the coast,

'but building train tracks through
such steep terrain was no mean feat.

'Construction took a gruelling
27 years to complete

'and inspired some of the most
ingenious railway engineering
of the 20th century.

'They had to carve curves,
zig-zags and tunnels.

'And I've hopped off the train
with conductor Cecelia

'to witness something pretty neat.'

Why do we need another engine?

It's the same engine,
we just changed place of the engine.

Oh, so it was pulling it... Exactly.
..and now it's going to push it.
It was pulling the train.

'Halfway through the ascent, the
train stops and the engine swaps ends

'so it can push the carriages
up the final stretch.'

I love being able
to get on and off trains!

That kind of manoeuvre is exactly
the thing that gets me going!

'Back on the train, we're reaching
a dizzying 4,000 metres now.

'And it seems I'm not the only one
feeling giddy.'

Why did you decide to come on it?
I wanted to propose to her...

Propose to her?
..a very special present.

Fantastic! Whoa!
Can we join you? How lovely!

So, you've only known
for about half an hour that
you were going to be man and wife?

Well, gladly, yes!

Did you go down on one knee?

Two knees!

'Everything's so much more romantic
in Latin America!'

Did she say yes straight away?

I think yes. I don't know!

Because you were so nervous!

LAUGHTER
Well, congratulations, guys!

Yes! Congratulations.
Thank you very much.

'There's a buzz of excitement
sweeping through the carriages now,

'as we reach our peak altitude
of 4,200 metres

'and I finally get my first view
of our end's destination -

'the Polvorilla Viaduct.

'This is one of the highest
railway bridges on earth.

'Today, this is where the line ends

'and us railway tourists
are turfed out to buy souvenirs.'

Yes, you're very beautiful!

I think I'm in love!
HE LAUGHS

The trains used to go thousands
of kilometres in that direction
to Chile,

and also to extract
the mineral wealth down there

and transport it to the sea
in that direction,

but that was long, long ago.

Now there's no passenger trains
any further than here,

no freight trains,

just an awful lot of railway track.

'So much of South America's railway
network doesn't join up any more

'because the lines
have fallen into disrepair.

'That's not only a problem
for travellers like me,

'it's also stunting the trade of food
and other goods across South America.

'But there's one railway business

'that's doing very nicely
in this part of the world...'

ROUSING MUSIC

..the high-end tourist train.

'I've crossed the Andes into Peru

'to find South America's
first luxury sleeper train,

'the Belmond Andean Explorer.'

This is a train!
It's actually a train!

'Well, more like a five-star hotel
on wheels.'

Ahh! There's so many little things
to look at!

Ooh! That's a window.

'Cabins are decked out with every
home comfort you could ask for.'

You've got a whole chest of drawers.

Yeah, they're really soft.
Not the old rubbish Lenny Henry gets.

'Mind you, it costs ya!'

Lots of pretty postcards.

'A two-night journey in this suite
will set you back over £3,000.'

I know what I'm going to look at,
is the toilet.

I like a nice toilet.

Ooh!
HE LAUGHS

Oh, look at that! Beautiful shower!

'Oh, I'd happily spend
the rest of the trip in here.'

The fittings are so good!

'But there's so much more to explore.

'This train winds a spectacular path
through southern Peru,

'between the cities of Arequipa
and Cusco.

'Right now, we're making our way to
one of the world's greatest lakes -
Titicaca.

'The entire route
covers more than 400 miles

'and takes three days.'

Isn't that the most beautiful bar
you've ever seen? Look at this.

A piano!

'That means there's plenty of time
to get your money's worth
of the onboard services.'

Ooh, that is so gorgeous!

This is so weird!

I'm in not THE spa treatment room,

but one of the spa treatment rooms
on this train.

But the weirdest thing of all is,
I've never, ever had a massage before

in front of a donkey.

DONKEY BRAYS

'This actually sums up the odd thing
about this trip.

'I'm in a five-star spa,

'travelling through
a pretty desolate part of Peru.

'Away from the big cities,
many Peruvians still earn their keep
farming the land.

'The average salary here
is about £30 a day,

'so at thousands of pounds a ticket,
it's only tourists that can afford
to travel on this railway line.

'Our train is pulling into
its first stop now -

'Lake Titicaca.

'Situated four kilometres high
in the Andes,

'this is one of the world's
most iconic stretches of water.

'But it's not the geography
that interests me here.

'I've come to meet some local people

'who've somehow built a life
on this water.'

Oh, you've got a little baby fish.

What's that? This is the kingfish.

'I've been invited fishing
with Omar and Isiah,

'two members of an indigenous group
called the Uros.'

It's a trout, isn't it?
Yeah, definitely a trout.

'The Uros have been living off
the fruits of Lake Titicaca

'since the 1400s.'

I've got another fish! He's massive!

Hooray! Look at that!

'We caught that just in time
to go home for lunch.

'But it's not land
we're heading back to,

'because, remarkably,
the Uros live right here
in the middle of the water.

'This floating network
of manmade islands

'is a place 2,000 people call home.'

Oh, that's great.
Am I safe to get off?

'Thank you, matey!'

Shall I give this to you?

Mum, will you have that?

'Staggeringly, the islands
are made entirely from reeds

'which grow around the lake.'

You called this island a raft.

Is it completely manmade? Yeah.

Wow! So we make the islands here.
We use this plant.

And would it be possible,
if there was a big storm,

for the island to break free
and start floating off into the lake?

We had a problem
with the rainy season

and sometimes the rafts,
the synthetic nylons are broken

and the islands crush
to another island.

'The Uros originally moved
from land to water in the 1400s

'when an enemy group
expanded onto their territory.'

Could I have a look inside
one of your houses? Yeah, yeah.

'But today, living on the lake

'has also become a means of surviving
Peru's rising land
and property costs,

'which are making life tricky
for the poor.'
How many people live in this house?

Six people.
And they all sleep in this big bed?

'It's summer at the moment,
but I can't imagine
what it's like here in the winter,

'when temperatures can drop
as low as minus seven.'

CHILDREN SING

'I'd love to spend all afternoon
with this lovely lot,

'but my train is about to depart.'

Goodbye, everybody!
Thank you for having us.

'I'm so glad we stopped off here.
This community doesn't have it easy,

'but they're still in high spirits
and it's so infectious.

'It seems as though a lot of South
America lives by this philosophy.

'My train leaves
in just 30 minutes...'

UPBEAT MUSIC

'..but the crew and I are struggling
to make it to the station

'because there are a lot
of very jolly people in the way.'

SHE SINGS IN SPANISH

# La-la-la-la-la #
SHE CHEERS

'We've stumbled on a Peruvian
carnival parade.'

WOMAN SHOUTS IN SPANISH

Apparently,
this isn't even the real parade!

That starts next week.

This, believe it or not,

is just the rehearsal.

'Titicaca's town actually puts on
the third biggest carnival party

'in the whole of Latin America.'

Yay! Peru! Peru! Peru! Peru!

'It's a raucous display
of dancing and costume.

'The dainty bowler hats
the ladies are wearing

'couldn't look more Peruvian to me
but, actually,
they're a British import.'

Do you see all these women
with bowler hats?

Apparently, 100 years or so ago,

the British guys who were building
the railways, the navvies,
loved bowler hats,

so when they came over here,
the rail authorities...

HE CHEERS

..they shipped over
hundreds of bowler hats,

but when the hats got here
they realised they were too small
for the navvies,

so the railway authorities
sold them to the local women.

The women bought them and they loved
them and they've been wearing them
ever since.

MAN SPEAKS SPANISH
Thank you.

Peru! Peru!
Do I smoke this or shove it up...

I am from Peru! ..somewhere!

'I think it's time
we got back on the train.

'This place is pretty incredible.

'The area around Lake Titicaca
is one of the poorest in Peru,

'suffering from widespread poverty,

'and yet the people here
throw one of the biggest parties
in the continent.'

It feels a bit odd.

I'm standing on this luxury train
as we pull out of Titicaca,

and I've spent
the most wonderful time

with people who live really tough,
much more rudimentary lives

than all the cocktails

and nice little nibbles
I've got here.

CARNIVAL MUSIC
It kind of makes me feel
a little bit guilty.

'Coming up, I travel deeper
into the mountains...'

Look, I've got my first view
of the foothills of the Andes.

'..I face my fears in the Amazon...'

I know the trick is not to look down.

Agh!

'..and board a special train
to Machu Picchu.'

This is the life!

'I'm on a railroad adventure
through South America.

'I'm currently in the wilds
of southern Peru,

'on one of the most luxurious
sleeper trains on earth.

'As the sun begins to set
and our train chugs into the Andes,
dinner is called.'

It says in the brochure
that dress code in the restaurant car

is smart casual
with a touch of understated elegance,

so this is what I've...

..chosen.

I think that fits the bill,
don't you?

'These wagons actually started life
in Australia

'as the great
South Pacific Express Train.'

Hello.

'In the late '90s, this locomotive
faithfully transported passengers

'between Sydney
and the Australian rainforest,

'before eventually
running out of steam.'

Thank you.

'For ten years,
the carriages languished, unloved,
in a railway workshop

'until finally, Peru shipped them
halfway across the world

'and gave them a new home
as the Andean Explorer.'

Time for bed,

in, really,
a bed that you couldn't believe

would ever be on a train!

Night-night.

'Over the course of the evening,
we make our way higher into the Andes

'and by morning we're approaching
our final destination,

'the mountain city of Cusco.'

Come in!

Oh, thank you, Carolina.

Thanks.

Ah, lovely.

I had a great sleep last night,

and now look,

I've got my first view
of the foothills of the Andes.

'To get a better look,

'I'm heading out to the observation
car with train manager Arnaldo.'

The Andes is the second largest
mountain range all over the world.
Yeah.

It covers seven countries
in South America.

What a great place
to put a luxury train!

It is.

Now, I woke up this morning
in the siding

and I looked out of the window

and literally
a couple of yards away from me,

there was an old lady,

with a massive sack on her back,
walking past.

It did feel a little bit weird.

Actually, you know what,
these people, they actually like
the way they live.

They don't really want to go
to the big cities
and live in a big building.

They are happy with their houses.
They have their farm
right outside their houses.

So that's the real life
of the people around this area
and they're not unhappy.

There are, look, there's a couple
of donkeys there, aren't there?

There are farms
right outside your window.

Corn is actually growing
right there, in front of you.

Part of our many areas,

it actually comes from here.

Oh, really? Yeah.
The menu that we had yesterday
was made of corn, you know?

'It's been such a privilege,

'and really eye-opening, travelling
through Peru's countryside like this.

'But the fanfare
is drawing to a close now

'as we pull into Cusco Station

'and applaud ourselves
on a successful journey.

'Either that, or this lot
are pleased to see the back of me.'

Thank you, guys.

That was, without doubt,
one of the greatest train journeys
I've ever been on

in my entire life.

Viva el Peru!

See, it says it over there,
Viva el Peru!

It's brought me to the ancient city
of Cusco,

which travellers from all over
the world use as a stepping-off point

if they want to visit
the Sacred Valley,
which is over in that direction,

or the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu,
which are over there.

But I want to go
somewhere slightly different.

This is probably the nearest
I'll ever get to the Amazon basin,

so I'm going to go over there

to the rainforest.

'I've never been
to the Amazon before,

'so I'm slapping on the mozzie spray
and heading just east of Cusco,

'to the jungle.

'The Amazon is the largest rainforest
in the world.

'It spans nine countries
across South America.

'After Brazil, Peru has got
the second largest portion of it.

'This is where ten percent
of all known species on earth live,

'making it the most biologically
diverse place on the planet.

'And that's exactly why
I've come here.

'I'm spending some time
with conservationists

'from the Inkaterra Association.'

Monkey alert! Monkey alert!

'I wanted to discover some of
the amazing and rare creatures
that live in the Amazon

'and the work that's being done
to protect them.'

Sam, can you see that one
right up there? He's right up high!

They are hoatzins.

"Watsons"? Yeah. Hello, Watson.

'Conservationist Hugo Boluarte
has agreed to take me upstream

'to get acquainted
with the wildlife.'

Oh, over there, is that an alligator?

Yeah, a Caiman.

Oh, God, I can see his eye,
bright and shiny!

Wow, that's beautiful!

So we've got all this activity
going on

by the side of us,

but below us,
all I can see is muddy brown water.

What is below us?

Here we have piranhas.

Four species of piranhas,

like yellow piranha
or golden piranha...

'I wish he'd stop saying piranha.'

..the white piranha
or silver piranha,

red piranha and black piranha.

'I hope that's all.'

We have anacondas, electrics eels,
stingrays,

we have leeches.

So just about every bad thing
you can think of...

Yeah. ..that lives in the water,

is under us right now.

Yeah, in this water, you can find
almost all the dangerous animals

that are in the movies
about the Amazon.

I don't know why
I've got a life jacket on.
I think I'd rather die quickly.

'Feeling like a piranha out of water,

'Hugo sent me off
to meet his colleagues,

'to learn more about how the wildlife
here is being protected.'

OK, we have one bird here.
Oh, where?

Just follow me.
Oh, it's all tangled up!

Is that OK? Is that a fair catch?
Yeah. It's OK.

'Biologists Juan and Noe

'are responsible
for monitoring animal life
in this part of the rainforest.

'Today they're focusing
on the birds.'

I don't quite understand. Is this a
mistake or is this meant to happen?
No, this is the process.

The bird is totally fine.

'They've hung nets around the forest

'to catch a sample of birds
to check in on their health.'

That's it. Well done.

So you could grab it here

and try to avoid...

Wiggling it about.
..the movements, yes.

I think I ought to sing to it.

'Wildlife here in the Amazon

'faces the constant threat
of habitat destruction.'

It's still fluttering a bit
but not nearly as much as it was.

'Industries like farming,
logging and mining

'are the main sources of income
in this part of the world...'

Okey-doke.

'..but they require the rainforest
to be cleared,

'meaning animals lose their homes.'

So this is...

..45. 45 grams? 45 grams.

A little thing.

'By checking the bird's health,
the guys are assessing
if human activities round here

'are affecting the wildlife.'

No wonder she likes that.
I think I would!

'Thankfully, in the year 2000,

'this part of the Amazon
was named a protected area.'

And the other thing is
to do the measurement of the wings.

'Since then,
the wildlife here has flourished.'

It looks quite healthy, doesn't it?
Yeah, it's healthy, huh?

'Year on year,
the guys are actually recording
increasing numbers of bird species

'in their section of the forest.

'Health check complete,
it's time we let this little fella
fly back to business.'

Right, little one, ready to go?

Ready, one, two,

three.

HE CHEERS

That's such a lovely thing to do!

I'd like to do that all day long!
HE LAUGHS

'After a day on the jungle floor,

'I'm heading up to the canopy

'to find my digs for the night,

'something that's much easier said
than done
when you've got a fear of heights.'

Agh!

I would happily

spend the night with a rat,

but I really don't like walking
across things like this very much
at all.

It does look rickety
and I've got an ant on my hand.

But if I get to the other side,

my reward is
that I get a night on my own,

away from the crew,
in a little cabin lodge.

But it seems to be taking
for-bloody-ever.

Yay! I did it!

I did it! I did it! I did it!
I did it! I did it! I did it!

What have I got here? I've got a bed.

And most ridiculously of all...
HE LAUGHS

..what do I need that for?

That's not going to make much
difference if I go hurtling down,
is it?

Ah!

Ooh, I've just remembered!
There's something else

which is supposed to be here.
In fact, it is.

It's this. It's a walkie-talkie.

There's nobody around, all right,

but if there's any danger,
like if howler monkeys try to get in,

or if a snake pushes its way
through the door,

then what I can do is press this.

Hello? Testing, testing?

Hello? Testing, testing?

I don't think it's working.

'Up in the treehouse,

'I pull myself together
to face a night alone.'

Can anybody tell me
the Wi-Fi password?

'And down on the jungle floor,
the creatures of the dark
start to come to life.

'This is a place where ocelots
and pumas jostle for space.

'I don't think I've ever been
anywhere so jam-packed with wildlife.

'I can see why the guys here
work so hard to protect it.

'The next morning,
I head back to Cusco

'for the final leg of my
train journey through South America.'

I loved the Amazon, of course,

but I'm really glad to be back
in Cusco,

not least because
I want to get on another train

with all that glorious
air conditioning!

'I'm finally making my way
to Machu Picchu.

'This set of ruins,
found high in the Andes,

'is a place I've been waiting
my whole life to see.

'There are no roads
to the famous archaeological site

'but thankfully,
this old railway line
still runs through the mountains.

'The locomotive I'm boarding
to get there

'is named after the American explorer

'who discovered the ancient wonder.'

Look at this!
The Belmond Hiram Bingham.

'Machu Picchu is one of the official
Seven Wonders of the World.'

Morning.

'But it was only last century,

'when adventurer Hiram Bingham
came here,

'that we all found out
about its existence.'

Which way shall I go? That way.

'I'm going to be following
in his footsteps to find it.

'Coming up,

'the train takes me
high into the Andes...'

Oh, look up there!

Storming!

'..I join the herd
to complete my pilgrimage,

'and Mother Nature
speaks to us at Machu Picchu.'

THUNDEROUS RUMBLING
Wow! It's an avalanche!

'I'm voyaging high into the Andes

'on the last leg of my journey
to Machu Picchu.

'I've boarded a train
called the Hiram Bingham,

'named after the American explorer
who discovered the ancient ruins.'

Look at this beautiful polished wood.

All these fixtures.
Lovely tables, all laid out.

Oh, look! I'm getting dotty
about these! Luggage racks!

It must be the old age showing!
"Luggage racks!"

'The train follows the same route
that Bingham trekked back in 1911.'

Now, where am I? 25.

25!

'But his travelling conditions
were a world away from the niceties
of this train.'

Oh, look up there!

Storming!

'Bingham was quite
the Indiana Jones character,

'an American historian
who travelled to Peru

'searching for a lost city
he'd read about in a chronicle.

'He spent days and days
hacking his way through this brush,

'until finally
he came across a local farmer

'who knew of some ruins
on top of a mountain.

'Bingham was intrigued.

'But to see them,
he'd have to find his way
through these treacherous peaks.'

It's pretty impressive, isn't it?

'My train pulls into the foothills
of those same mountains,

'and just like Bingham did,

'I have to hike to reach the site.

'And it's not just backpackers
I share the path with.

'When Bingham arrived here
100 years ago,

'the ruins the farmer spoke of

'were thickly overgrown
with vegetation.'

All you could see was a farm
with loads of crops and animals,

higher, another farm,
higher, another farm,

but then,
when he got really close to the top,

he revealed stone walls

and he revealed steps.

And gradually, even though
the whole place was, at that time,

90 percent covered in greenery,

he realised that he was in the middle

of one of the great sacred buildings
of South America.

So he took loads and loads of photos

and went back to the United States.

'He showed the evidence
of his astonishing discovery
to National Geographic and Yale

'and it wasn't long
before money was gathered

'to uncover the true extent
of Bingham's find.'

Years later, they got a team together
of 50 people to come back here

and this...

..is what they revealed!

Look at that!
DRAMATIC MUSIC

I've always wanted to see this

for the whole of my adult life!

Excuse me if I'm getting
a little bit teary
but, to me, this is a bit like

watching the World Cup Final
and having...

..Adele sing at your birthday party
all in one!

'It's not just me that gets emotional
at the sight of this place.

'Today, Machu Picchu is the most
visited tourist attraction
in South America.

'And the man responsible for this
whole operation is Jose Bastante.'

How many visitors do you get a year?

Er, 2019, around 1.5 million.

HE GASPS
And how many would you like?

Zero. Yeah, of course!
Of course. Of course.

The idea here is conservation.

The most important thing is, er,
we can maintain Machu Picchu

and we can leave it
for future generations.

'But preserving this place
isn't easy.

'As well as tourists,

'the site's susceptible
to earthquakes and landslides.'

Why would you build it here?

It seems to me like the most
impractical place to build a city.

The idea of building the place
right here

is because of the sacred geography.

It is a point of connection
with the gods.

You can see that, actually,
can't you, just standing here?

You can see this great
circle of gods,

if that's how they saw
the mountains there,

and then right in the middle of it

there's this single mountain
rising up.

'It's thought that Machu Picchu
was built as a summer retreat

'for the great emperor
that ruled this part of the world.

'But construction
was hugely difficult.

'Vast terraces had to be
cut into the sides of the mountain
to stabilise it

'before they could
even start building.'

This is the same today, isn't it?
There's no shops and...

THUNDEROUS RUMBLING

Wow! It's an avalanche!

Sssh!

ROCKS CLATTER

That was quite big, wasn't it? Yes.

Does that happen very often?

This is a perfect example

of how the Incas managed
to stabilise the mountain

and build Machu Picchu.

Oh, I see what you mean.
So there was a little avalanche,

but because of the stabilisation
processes that took place
all those hundreds of years ago,

it didn't turn into a big avalanche

that wiped out
all the tourist coaches
down the bottom of the mountain!

ROUSING MUSIC

'What a remarkable place!

'I've had the postcard picture
of Machu Picchu in my head
the whole way round South America.

'But now I'm actually here,
there's one thing that strikes me -

'this landscape alone
is enough to take your breath away,

'but what humans have added

'has made it even more beautiful.

'I think I can say the same
for the rest of South America, too.'

All the colour and all the food,

and the highest trains in the world
and the poshest trains in the world,

but I've always wanted to come
to Machu Picchu.

Believe me, it doesn't disappoint!

'Next time, I'm starting in Mexico

'on a truly spectacular train
line...' Isn't that spectacular?

'..before I cross the border
into the US.'

It's so electric!

'I meet some extraordinary people
along the way...' I think it's one of
the loveliest things I've ever seen.

'..go off the rails in the desert...'
Ow!

'..and wrestle with Latino culture.'

..30 years old than your father

and I still whipped your ass!
ALL: Whoa!