Original subtitles

'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! Turn it!

'..and unforgettable experiences.'

It's staggering, isn't it?

Ah!

'This week, my train travels are taking me through Mexico

'and the United States.

'I'm starting in the north of Mexico,

'on a train that begins on the country's west coast.

'I'll visit the remote village of Divisadero,

'the city of Chihuahua

'and the border town of Juarez,

'before I cross into Texas and El Paso.

'I'll finish over 12,000 miles later

'in the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles.

'When I think of Mexico,

'I think of Trump's wall

'and the country's economic struggles,

'but I want to get beyond all that to see how modern Mexico is changing,

'by crossing the north of the country by train.'

This isn't any old train.

This is one of the most luxurious trains in the world.

'I'm on El Chepe Express,

'a new service designed to attract foreign tourists.

'They've aimed it at an upmarket clientele,

'with tickets costing hundreds of pounds.

'There's top-notch dining...'

That's lovely. Thank you very much.

It's gorgeous!

I thought coming to Mexico was all going to be about street markets

and the swirl of dust.

I didn't think it would be quite this luxurious.

'..and a bar with a unique view.'

Margarita in my hand!

You don't get this on the London to Brighton line, do you?

I'm having such a lovely time!

'This is already a view of Mexico I wasn't expecting,

'all these canyons and mountain tunnels

'and some spectacular viaducts.'

I'm in Mexico right now and I'm going up to the USA,

two countries which may seem entirely different

but have got a fascinating shared history and culture.

'In fact, until 200 years ago, the whole area I'm going to travel through

'was all part of Mexico.

'I'm crossing the infamous border that now divides them

'to see what modern life's like in both countries,

'and I'm doing so by train

'so I can visit some places that aren't normally on the tourist trail,

'like the spectacular mountains of Mexico's Sierra Madre.'

It really is lovely in here.

Although, actually, it's not what's inside that really counts,

it's what's outside,

because that could bring tears to your eyes.

'What an amazing landscape.

'Building a train line through it must've been an engineering nightmare.

'An American explorer first had the idea for a train here

'in the late 19th century.

'But the train was so incredibly difficult,

'it took nearly six decades to complete.

'37 bridges and 86 tunnels later,

'the track now climbs 2,400 metres above sea level.

'I'm getting off at the remote Divisadero Station

'with the rest of the tourists.

'Because after eight hours,

'the train has reached its star attraction -

'the Copper Canyon.'

There's no town here,

it's just a load of these market stalls

and, over here, this hotel.

In fact, the only reason that there's a station here at all

is so that people can get off the train

and look at that,

which is a pretty good reason for building a station, isn't it?

'The Copper Canyon covers four times the area of America's Grand Canyon,

'and in some places, the distance from the top to the bottom

'is more than a mile.

'Formed over 30 million years ago,

'it's made up of stunning natural rock formations

'and vast waterfalls.

'But even in this extreme landscape,

'there are people who've made a home here.

'Around 50,000 indigenous Mexicans,

'known as the Raramuri,

'live in and around the canyon.

'Brothers Martin and Nacho are two of them.'

How long have your people been in Mexico?

14,000 years? Yes.

'The Raramuri are among the last native people in North America

'to still live the traditional way of life,

'partly because up here, they've remained so cut off from the rest of the world.'

Why didn't you live in the more fertile lands over there?

'Living in this tough terrain for hundreds of years

'has had an unexpected effect.

'The Raramuri are so fit from just getting around here,

'they've become excellent long-distance runners.

'Running is central to their way of life

'and they regularly beat professionals in ultramarathon races,

'despite a fairly low-tech approach to shoe design...'

They look like a couple of AA men, don't they?

'..which relies on old, discarded tyres...'

Will these be better than if I'd bought a $300 pair of trainers?

'..and a race diet consisting of pinole,

'a natural energy drink

'made of corn, water and chia seeds.

'Still handmade by women like Isabel,

'it's said to give them the stamina to keep running for hundreds of miles.

'That may be true but, my goodness, it tastes dire.'

HE ROARS

I better go and try it out on the track, hadn't I?

Nacho, we're going to do the race. Come on. MAN SPEAKS SPANISH

'The Raramuri record is 430 miles in 48 hours.'

Three, two, one, vamanos!

'That's 16 times the distance of a marathon.

'Never mind racing, I'm really struggling to keep my shoes on.

'Still to come, I go off the rails in the desert...'

Wow!

'..meet a Mexican whose bark is worse than her bite...'

I've actually seen a Chihuahua in Chihuahua.

DOG YAPS Ooh!

'..and make my inner trainspotter's wildest dreams come true.'

I'd be quite happy shooting the whole of the rest of the episode sitting here.

'I'm rejoining the rails

'to continue my journey through Mexico

'and across the border into the US.

'To get to my next stop, I'm swapping the luxury train

'for the normal local service.

'Although Mexico isn't known for its railways,

'in this remote region the train is still a crucial connection to the rest of the country.

'I'm leaving the mountains behind and travelling more than 200 miles northwest,

'towards the Mexican desert and the city of Chihuahua.'

This time, I'm not on a luxury tourist express.

This is El Chepe Regional,

which has been going up and down this line since 1961.

It's the train that everybody uses and it's the only one that goes right to the end of the line.

This is only an ordinary, bog-standard carriage,

but it is in pretty good nick, isn't it?

It's lovely.

Ahh!

'And I'm getting a look behind the scenes, too.

'They've offered to give me a quick peek at the cab.'

Here we go.

We've got to hurry, apparently, before the train starts again. MAN SHOUTS IN SPANISH

"Quick, quick, quick, quick!"

'Yeah, all right!' This way. MAN SHOUTS IN SPANISH

Here we go.

'There's only one of these trains a day,

'but 17,000 people rely on this service every month.'

HORN TOOTS

Are you all right? Are you in? HORN TOOTS

Muchas gracias. This is great. Fantastic.

Oh, my God, we can see out the front, too!

'Forget fancy tourist trains,

'this is what I came for.'

Isn't that fantastic?

I'd be quite happy shooting the whole of the rest of the episode sitting here.

'But that wouldn't be much of a travel show, would it?

'Time for my next stop -

'Chihuahua.

'This part of Mexico is still a bit off the beaten track,

'but Chihuahua is where the Copper Canyon railway ends.

'So thanks to my train journey,

'I'm getting a chance to explore somewhere new.

'Already, it's not what I expected.'

I thought Chihuahua would probably be a tiny little one-horse town, like you see in the movies,

but maybe with lots of little dogs running around.

But it's not like that at all! It's a city like any other,

with a Domino's and a Subway

and a Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Burger King.

And look over there! Chihuahua has a Woolies!

This is what I wanted to see.

I've actually seen a Chihuahua in Chihuahua.

DOG YAPS Ooh!

She's a little bit feisty.

DOG YAPS

'It turns out Chihuahua is a thoroughly modern metropolis,

'with nearly a million residents.

'Because it's so close to the United States,

'this area is now an important centre for mass producing everything for the American market,

'from cars to clothes.

'While this has helped make Chihuahua Mexico's most prosperous state,

'it still isn't well-known to outsiders.

'But a new generation are looking to promote the area and its more home-spun produce

'to the rest of the world.

'I've come to one of Chihuahua's hippest bars

'to find out how one local drink, northern Mexico's answer to Tequila,

'has been given a new lease of life.

'Businessman Juan Pablo Carvajal

'is a native of the city and owner of a brand of sotol.'

It says up there "In Sotol We Trust."

What's sotol? Sotol is the traditional spirit of Chihuahua.

It's made of a plant of the same name that grows in the Chihuahuan desert,

and that's where we're at right now.

Cheers.

Salud.

It's really nice.

I can imagine the people

who like mezcal and tequila... Sure. ..would like this.

I think it's interesting, because Chihuahua had this tradition for a very long time

but it wasn't shown to the world,

so it was kept in small communities, done by people who knew about it for generations.

This is a drink that was home-cooked by the peasantry,

and now we're in this downtown Chihuahua bar,

very hip, lots of young people.

Is that the direction you think it's going? For sure.

I think sotol and Chihuahua, they're opening to the world

and I think it helps us understand that the new generations have something to bring to the table.

Hopefully, we can show the world that this is a fun place to be, with a fun, spirited drink.

'Juan Pablo might be keen for sotol to take off outside Chihuahua,

'but at the moment it's still very much a local drink.

'Unlike tequila and other popular spirits,

'it isn't yet mass-produced.

'It's made in small-scale distilleries out in the countryside.

'Like this one, owned by Gerardo Ruelas,

'who's showing me how it's done.

'The inner core of the sotol plant is roasted for three days

'and then crushed and left to ferment in the open air.'

So it's all mushed up,

it goes in here and this is where it gets fermented?

Oh! Ed! Ed, come here!

Can you put your mic to that and listen to that? BUBBLING

You can hear it, can't you? That is so fermenting! HE LAUGHS

Yes. All right, you can go now! Thank you!

'The sotol is then distilled twice

'and it's ready for sale.

'Just like any spirit, there's all sorts of variations available.

'But apparently, one of Geraldo's blends

'contains an unusual ingredient.'

This has got marijuana in it? Yes.

'Of course, Geraldo's got permission

'to use marijuana in his sotol production.'

Presumably, you only have a very, very little bit of marijuana?

Mm.

That's marijuana?

Look at that! It's a flipping brick!

If I did this in England, I'd go down for about 150 years!

Good Lord! Don't do it. Don't do it. It's not worth it.

'After I've slept off the sotol, it's time to hit the road again.

'But I'm going to struggle to find a train.

'Although there are over 12,000 miles of tracks in Mexico,

'the vast majority of the network is only used by freight.

'Faced with crumbling infrastructure and declining passenger numbers,

'a number of years ago

'the government pulled the plug on almost all long-distance services.'

I need to head off in that direction to get to the border with the US,

but there is a little bit of a problem.

20 years ago, I could've just jumped on the train

and, bang!, I'd have been there.

But now, El Chepe, the train that I took in order to get to Chihuahua,

is the only long-distance passenger railway line left in the whole of Mexico,

which makes filming a train-based television series

just a little bit of a challenge, doesn't it?

'Especially given pretty much the entire route to my next stop is through this,

'the Chihuahuan Desert.

'It's the second largest desert in North America

'and these are the Samalayuca Dunes.

'It's a dry, unrelenting, lifeless place,

'and I'm really struggling.'

HE PANTS Until the railways and the roads came,

these dunes were a massive barrier for anyone

who wanted to travel from the south to the north.

And you can see why.

There's no-one around at all. There's no water.

Just sand and sand and more sand.

OK, I think we got it there.

Which car am I in? 'Oh, come on, I'm not actually going to trek across the desert, am I?'

ROCK MUSIC

'I need to get to the city of Juarez,

'so to make it across part of this 140,000-square-mile desert,

'I'm hitching a ride with Quique Chavez.'

It seems like this is a lot of fun.

It is a lot of fun! How long have you been doing it?

For 30 years. 30 years? Uh-huh.

And I'm here every single time I can.

'He runs 4x4 tours for some of the growing number of tourists

'and extreme sport enthusiasts

'attracted to this dramatic landscape.'

You're going to have a chance to drive my car.

You're going to let me have a chance? Oh, wow!

Suppose I roll the car? I don't care. You're Mr Sir Tony Robinson!

You can do whatever you want here in Mexico!

'He might feel differently in a minute.'

Partner!

Let's hear it. ENGINE REVS

Oh! What a gorgeous noise.

Here we go. Uh-huh.

I can hardly see over the windscreen

because I'm so little and it's so far back!

Whoa! Here we go!

Oh, Jesus!

Here we go. Here we go!

Waaay! Oh!

Follow this, this, right here, and then go...

OK, turn right. Turn right. Right, right.

Hey! Turn it! THUDDING

Oh! It was to the right. It was to the right.

'I've survived the dunes and made it to Juarez.

'It's my last stop in Mexico

'but it's right up against the border.

'In fact, Juarez is part of the world's biggest bi-national neighbourhood.

'A combined population of 2.5 million Mexicans and Americans live side-by-side,

'here and next door in the US city of El Paso.

'But for people on this side of the fence, life can be a struggle.'

This is a city that's had more than its share of troubles.

It was once known as the murder capital of the world

because of its record-breaking homicide rate.

In one year, nearly 4,000 people were murdered

because of the cartels

trying to get control of the lucrative drugs trade to the US.

'At the peak of the violence in 2010,

'the murder rate here was higher than in Baghdad.

'Thankfully, crime has now fallen.

'But Juarez still has to deal with being alongside

'one of the most notorious borders in the world,

'the 2,000-mile boundary between Mexico and the US.'

This is the border right here. I'm in Juarez.

Over there, you can see the buildings of El Paso.

You can cross this bridge.

That's the actual crossing point there.

You can see the Mexican flags and the US flags.

Down here is the railway. Sadly, though,

it's only for freight nowadays.

The passenger line's closed. WHIRRING OVERHEAD

Can you hear that?

That's the border control.

'There's been a border crossing here for 170 years,

'but recently it's taken on a new significance.

'President Trump has made it harder to get across.

'He says that the US needs to stop illegal immigrants

'arriving from Mexico.

'I want to get beyond the headlines.

'So before I make my own crossing, I'm going to meet some locals

'who found their own way to bring a bit of peace

'to this much-maligned part of the world.

'YS Yoga run regular classes

'right next to the border.

'The group's founders say the aim is to demonstrate the need for harmony between the two nations

'and its hope for a world without walls.

MAN SPEAKS SPANISH

ALL: Omm...

'For an old hippy like me,

'this is just what the doctor ordered.

'But I want to know what these people get out of it.'

It's always a pleasure,

it's always moving for everyone.

It is moving, isn't it? Why is it so moving?

Why did both you and I feel that?

Maybe because it's a difficult time for everyone here. Yes.

We come in peace and, basically, we are the same, you know?

We love our family, we love our friends,

we like to eat food and enjoy...

You certainly do that one! THEY LAUGH

The world think here in Juarez it's just murder and violence.

It's not true.

It's great for me to come here, to a place which I thought was just very scary,

and to find ordinary working people

who have such a passion for their city and are so proud of it

and just want to go like that... at the border!

Yeah, yeah! I thank you

and I really appreciate that. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you.

'These people have really helped me see another side of Mexico,

'not the one that normally makes the news.

'They're taking a stand, just in the most peaceful way possible.'

I feel a bit emotional about this.

I think it's one of the loveliest things I've ever seen.

I don't want to be all hippy-dippy. I know that doing a yoga class

in front of that ghastly metal and barbed wire obscenity isn't going to make it fall down,

but there's something about the assertion of hope,

the balance, the clarity,

the meditation on offer here

that gives you a bit of hope

in quite difficult times.

'Coming up, I make it to the US of A,

'where I rejoice in a retro piece of public transport...'

It's not just about transportation, is it?

This is about the culture of El Paso.

'..wrestle with a Hispanic hobby

'and come out fighting.'

I'm actually 30 years older than your father

and I still whipped your ass! ALL: Ohh!

JOLLY MUSIC

'I'm halfway through my journey from Mexico to Los Angeles.

'After more than 500 miles, I've crossed into the United States and El Paso

'via its Mexican sister-city Juarez.'

Well, I finally managed to make it across the border

and I'm now in the US of A.

We weren't allowed to film the actual crossing point,

security is really, really tight,

but, quite frankly, I don't think you'd have been that interested in watching me queue for 2.5 hours.

'Life here is more than two times more expensive,

'and in stark contrast to Juarez,

'the Texan town has been named one of the safest cities in the US

'and the strict border controls help to keep the cities firmly divided.

'Sadly, there's no longer any passenger rail services that connect them.

'But on the outskirts of town, there's evidence that crossing between Mexico and the US

'didn't always used to be such an ordeal.'

Look at these, tucked away at the back of the bus depot.

Three old hulks.

Trams.

What the Americans call streetcars.

And they didn't just pootle around in El Paso.

These were international vehicles.

They crossed the border every day into Juarez

and then came back again.

'At their peak in the 1960s,

'the streetcars transported hundreds of thousands of people each year

'between the US and Mexico,

'until the service was abruptly cancelled.'

But that was in 1973,

and now, a few months ago,

a few of these beautiful retro machines

started riding the roads again.

'In 2015,

'a $97 million project

'began construction on five miles of track

'and 27 new stops.

'Six of the old streetcars were refurbished

'and now service downtown El Paso.

'Local politician Peter Svarzbein

'was one of the residents who campaigned for their return.

'He's still passionate about what they symbolise to his city.'

It's not just about transportation, is it? This is about the culture of El Paso.

And celebrating and bringing back something

that was part of the heart and soul of this community.

But, but, but, but, but...

..it still doesn't go to Juarez any more.

Not yet. It doesn't cross the border.

Not yet. It reaches the border and just bounces back!

But you know, the thing about it is that it has now pushed that conversation about

not if we should go back, but when do we go back into Mexico? Yeah.

You're visiting here, and the thing that somebody may not get

is that you have families that cross every day,

business students that cross every day.

There's a million different reasons that we cross both south and north and north and south.

'Illicit immigration may make the headlines,

'but more than 50,000 people cross the border legally here each day.

'Kids from Juarez

'cross to El Paso to go to US schools,

'and Americans travel to Juarez to look for a bargain

'in the cheaper Mexican shops.'

So when we look at this university,

you have close to a third of the 30,000 students here

crossing from Mexico, they're Mexican national students,

that are coming to study here.

So, how do we go and get those people over safe and efficiently?

Everyone else I've spoken to

talks about the border as just something awful and bleak and black and horrible,

which, frankly, it is,

but you're saying, "Hey, it's an opportunity!"

The border is a place where both of us come together.

The border isn't something that separates us, the border is something that brings us together.

That's what this trolley used to help to do so many decades,

it helped people get across.

'Mexico and the US are much more connected

'than they might first appear to be.

'And maybe that's not so surprising when you consider their history.'

If I'd been standing here 200 years ago,

I wouldn't have been in the US, I'd have been in Mexico.

I'd have had to have walked a few hundred miles in that direction before I came to the border.

But all that changed dramatically in the middle of the 19th century.

'When a war broke out between the US and Mexico in 1846,

'it was over whether the Americans had the right

'to annex Texas from the Mexicans.

'But it didn't take long for the US to decisively defeat its southern neighbour.

'They didn't stop there, though.

'Soon, American troops had marched all the way to Mexican-California,

'giving the US the boundaries we know today.'

Mexico had to hand over huge swathes of land.

500,000 square miles were added to the US,

with the Rio Grande as the new southern border.

'Today, 80 percent of El Paso's population is Hispanic.

'There's a colourful Latino culture on display in the city.

'These guys are practising lucha libre,

'an icon of Mexican pop culture.'

What does lucha libre mean?

It means pro-wrestling or freestyle.

Why? Because you can use chairs, you can use tables,

you can use your fist, your hand, knees.

There's no rules for lucha libre.

'Andreas Ontiveros and his brothers

'started their own lucha libre show in El Paso in 2012.'

So when you get into the ring with another guy,

do you know who's going to win?

Actually, to be honest, yes.

It's predetermined.

It doesn't matter, though! It's a show! It is!

And most of all, a lot of guys are going to hate me for this,

but it is predetermined because it is acting.

And will you always be the same character every week?

I have one character and I always do that character.

'Lucha libre is half martial arts

'and half theatrical performance.

'It's highly stylised,

'involving choreographed battles between goodies and baddies.

'The costumes and masks are crucial to getting into character.'

'Time to embrace my secret alter ego...

ROUSING MUSIC

'..El Train Man.'

I can't see a thing in this bloody mask!

CHEERING

Hey, Tony! Why don't you come in?

We won't hurt you, OK?

Do a flip! Do a flip! There you go!

Do you want to become a luchador?

I do. I do. All right.

Let me teach you a move, OK? Yeah.

We call this move "la caponesa".

So, you're going to be in front of your opponent

and you're going to grab him from the shoulder blades. Yeah.

You're going to push him as hard as you can this side.

So it's going to look like this...

HE GRUNTS

Give it a try, OK?

Shoulder blade... Shoulder. ..push him.

Ready? Push him! And go. Nice.

Good job.

One more time.

Good job, Tony! You have it! I do have it! Let's go!

DRAMATIC MUSIC Let's go!

THEY GRUNT

Come on!

Agh!

SHOUTING & GRUNTING

Nobody messes with an English wrestler!

I beat you all! Good job, Tony. Thank you.

I want you to know,

I'm actually 30 years older than your father

and I still whipped your ass! ALL: Ohh!

Ah, get out of here!

'I'm moving on towards my final destination.'

This is El Paso Union Station.

As you can see, it's pretty grand and fairly wonderful.

That's because, back in the day, it was America's only international railway station.

'At the turn of the century, there were so many stations in El Paso,

'it was confusing passengers.

'So the railway companies got together to build this large one

'to serve all their different trains, hence the name.

'But sadly today,

'there's only one train every couple of days.'

Could I have a one-way ticket to LA, please? Yes.

Thank you.

Thanks a lot. Bye.

'This is the Sunset Limited.

'It's already travelled more than 1,000 miles from New Orleans

'and it's heading for my last stop, Los Angeles.

'Coming up, I fall in love with the busiest train terminus in the Western US...'

It's one of the most beautiful railway stations I've ever seen.

'..and clown around with some unusual entertainers.'

This is such amazing stagecraft.

It's so electric!

'I'm on the last leg of my railway odyssey through Mexico and the US.

'It's an 800-mile journey on Amtrak's Sunset Limited,

'across New Mexico and Arizona,

'to reach California.

'When America gained this huge chunk of land in the mid-19th century,

'it was the railroads that brought immigrants to settle here

'and helped the now vast United States

'to feel like one country.

'After this railway line was built in the 1880s,

'a journey that used to take weeks

'could be done in a matter of days.

'But things haven't moved on much since then

'and it still takes 16 hours to reach my final destination - Los Angeles.'

GLITZY MUSIC

Look at this!

'LA's Union Station

'is the biggest terminus in the Western US,

'serving over 100,000 passengers each day,

'making it nearly as busy as London Paddington.'

It's one of the most beautiful railway stations I've ever seen.

'Built relatively late in 1939,

'it's become known as the Last of the Great Railway Stations.'

It was designed as an expression of the Californian lifestyle

and they really went to town, didn't they?

When it was first opened, there was a star-studded three-day celebration

attended by half a million people.

Only in LA!

'In the previous two decades, Los Angeles had doubled in size,

'transforming as Hollywood boomed

'and the city became the entertainment capital of the world.

'It's now the second largest city in the US

'and 50 million tourists, like me, visit each year,

'in search of some of that old movie-star magic.

'From the boutiques of Beverly Hills to the sun-soaked beaches of Malibu,

'LA remains the home of A-list attractions.'

I've only just arrived here and what's the first thing I see?

They're making a movie!

'And thanks to all those Hollywood trendsetters,

'this is a place that's always at the forefront

'of the newest fashions and fads.

'I'm going to grab some of this California cool for myself. And I'm hungry!

'So I've come to Grand Central Market,

'a very trendy food hall.'

We're going to have Jackie make you an old school.

'I'm having a hipster take on a peanut butter and jelly - or jam to you and me - sandwich.

'Payvand Salehi's business makes these classic American sarnies with an LA twist,

'offering quirky combinations of different nut and fruit fillings.'

Jackie, will you make the Elvis, please?

Do you like bananas, sir? What did you just ask her to make?

The Elvis. The Elvis!

Now, the Elvis is made with peanut butter,

but we make our own banana jam and a house-made bacon.

Here's the catch. The bacon has no pig in it.

It's a plant-based bacon,

made with rice paper.

'This one's based on Elvis's favourite meal,

'but in true LA health-food fashion, it's a vegan take.

'They only use organic and plant-based ingredients.'

So here's the Elvis. Here you go.

Here we go.

It's crunchy from the bacon,

it's very sweet from the banana.

It's got the peanut butter, too.

It's very nice.

I would sing Love Me Tender right now

but we can't afford it because we haven't got the rights to the music!

'Riding on rather a large sugar high,

'I'm ready to explore some more.

'What better way to do it than by hopping on a train?

'The traffic in LA is notoriously awful

'and commuters here spend an average of 128 hours each year

'stuck in their cars.

'This extension to one of the metro lines was opened a few years ago

'to try and offer them an alternative.'

So today,

Angelenos can get on a train and go straight down to the beach

for the first time in a generation.

'In fact, they're expanding the metro network in all directions in LA.

'But the beach will have to wait because now I'm heading to South LA,

'a part of the city off the tourist trail.

'This is an area that's been infamous for its gang culture,

'and local Jesse Warren knows too well

'the dangers that can bring.'

Are there still a lot of gang issues in LA now? Definitely. Definitely.

I had a couple of friends shot, killed.

I almost got shot just hanging out one day

and that kinda was a turning point in my life.

Man, you've got to find better, you've got to do better.

'Jesse's turning point took him in an unlikely new direction.'

So now you're becoming your other self.

The one, the only, if there's another he's a phony, I'm becoming...

..Roc'co Tha Clown.

'Jesse is now a professional clown

'but with a difference.' We are hip-hop clowns.

We bring that energy, that hip-hop, that vibe,

the dancing, we bring that all to whatever occasion you're having.

The joy, the laughter, the jokes, the magic, the balloons, the face-painting.

'Jesse leads 20 young dancers in his League of Clowns,

'whose performance centres around a special type of LA street dance.

'Hired to entertain at parties,

'they're one of several clowning troupes working in LA today.'

You know what I love about what you do so much?

You're a clown at children's parties! It's crazy, man!

Out here in Los Angeles, California, I would definitely say it's one of the biggest things.

A lot of kids love to dance out here,

but they may not want to go do the ballerina, like...

Sure. Yeah, they don't want to get into tights! The classical dancing!

They hood, so they like to, you know, vibe and pop-lock and breakdance,

so it's like, "OK, where do I go do that?"

'As well as offering a creative outlet,

'clowning has helped young locals avoid the gang culture.'

How has clowning helped you?

Oh, wow, clowning has changed my life tremendously.

Out here in LA, most people wanna be looked at as "the man".

A lot of people fall into the gang violence or into the hood mentality

because you get the, "He from over there, man! Watch out because he don't play no games!"

Now, on the clowning side, you get the same aspect -

"He was doing this stuff, he was dancing and I seen him over here,"

so you get the same spotlight but now it's on a positive tip.

LAID-BACK HIP-HOP MUSIC Let's go!

It changed my life.

I just thank God that I was able to become Roc'co Tha Clown!

'A key part of a clowning experience is audience participation.

'So I better join in!'

SOULFUL HIP-HOP MUSIC

All # Whoa! #

Let go! Let go!

Hey!

Hey, hey!

WHISTLES BLOW

This is such amazing stagecraft.

I love the way that they so enjoy what they're doing!

They so enjoy supporting each other.

There's a real feeling of comradeship out there. It's so electric!

MUSIC & WHISTLES

'I've loved my time in this corner of the States.

'As the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean,

'this seems the perfect place for it to come to an end.'

I knew I'd be intrigued by El Paso

and I was sure I'd enjoy LA

because it's so edgy and weird and entertaining,

but I was really surprised

by how much I warmed to Mexico and the Mexicans.

They often get such a bad press

and yet I found them really courteous, really friendly,

really charming.

So that's it, from the mountains of Mexico to Venice Beach!

Not a bad little old journey.

'Next time, I continue my journey through North America,

'where I find out what it takes to be a true Canadian...'

Don't be nervous. I am nervous because I don't want to hurt you.

'..I board one of the world's most luxurious trains...' Are you excited? You bet!

'..which takes me to the famous Rocky Mountains...'

This is the view that everyone hopes they'll see. Whoa!

'..and swap my train for a plane...' This is beautiful up here, isn't it?

'..to encounter Alaska's magnificent glaciers.'