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Michael Palin in Venezuela Season 1 Episode 1
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00:00After a long flight, the drive from the airport gives me my first glimpse of Caracas.
00:15The thing about Venezuela is that I know very, very little about it.
00:20Apart from the fact, you know, it's had a bad reputation recently.
00:25There's been sort of corrupted crimes and quite serious, dodgy things happening.
00:31Venezuela is still reeling from the controversial re-election of Nicolas Maduro as president,
00:38an election many observers say he lost.
00:41Wow, up there, it's Mr. Maduro up there, smiling with his stache looking reassuring.
00:50With astronomically high crime and murder rates, Caracas has been called the most deadly city in the world.
00:58Many people told us not to travel here, but for the next few days, it's home.
01:09Venezuela, a country plagued by bad news.
01:13It's often described as being the most dangerous in South America, ruled by an authoritarian leader.
01:22Its economy has collapsed, leading to eight million people fleeing the country.
01:28But Venezuela is also a paradise.
01:34It's absolutely beautiful.
01:37From the Andes Mountains to the Amazon Rainforest, it contains almost every landscape imaginable.
01:47I see it all now.
01:49And its people and your dress.
01:51Oh!
01:52I mean, wow.
01:53You like my dress?
01:54That is colour.
01:55Are some of the friendliest in the world.
01:57I love to be talking with you because you asked me things that I have never been asked.
02:02My journey promises to be full of adventure.
02:05I'm 81!
02:06I shouldn't be here!
02:07But as I will discover...
02:09There are very real risks in visiting a dystopian paradise.
02:19We might be arrested or detained.
02:22They were threatening.
02:24There's an undercurrent of threat, which is quite sinister.
02:43Caracas.
02:46The capital city of Venezuela.
02:52Posters of President Maduro are everywhere.
02:56His smiling face dominating billboards across the city.
03:05I've arrived here six months after his disputed election.
03:09In the days that followed, there were huge protests and the authorities' response was swift and brutal.
03:17But evidence has shown that the government stole the election.
03:26All of this has created an atmosphere of fear and menace on the streets of the capital.
03:33Venezuela, it's not sort of the English curriculum really.
03:37I'm meeting investigative journalist, Anna Vanessa Herrero.
03:42As a foreigner, you need to always think that there's always someone watching.
03:48The opposition did prove, the opposition did win on a landslide, basically.
03:58And the government just ignored that fact and they just declared themselves as the winners.
04:05After the election, I interviewed people who were here, actually.
04:10If they flooded the streets, they were just walking and trying to tell the government,
04:15No, no, you didn't win. And if you did, you need to show me the numbers.
04:18So this was a big demonstration.
04:20These were big demonstrations.
04:21A huge demonstration.
04:22But what happened after that was that the government started persecuting pretty much anyone
04:28that they would see on the street.
04:29And they ended up jailing 2,000 people in just a week and a half.
04:35So, I mean, you look around and it looks like any other city going about this business.
04:40I mean, is he hoping that this will be seen as normal?
04:44Is it now seen as normal?
04:46I mean, if normal is high rates of poverty, people fleeing by millions each year.
04:55I don't think there's anything normal here.
04:59Not wanting to stay in one place too long, we decide to travel by metro to the center of the city.
05:06I mean, do you find if you speak out here, make your feelings, well, like you have, would that be dangerous?
05:24Most people wouldn't do that. Most people wouldn't do that.
05:29With state surveillance on the rise, Venezuelans find themselves not sure who they can trust
05:35and who might report them to the government.
05:42Do you ever feel that this is the sort of place where you'd be being watched?
05:46Somebody would be observing you and...
05:50Every Venezuelan needs to be careful now on what they say, where, to whom, because there's a lot of criminalization against speaking badly or against the government.
06:08Under President Maduro, Venezuela has recently experienced one of the worst economic collapses ever seen.
06:23The country has been sort of dollarized, the economy.
06:27Thanks to economic mismanagement, inflation reached an eye-watering 130,000% in 2018.
06:35And its own currency, the Bolivar, became worthless.
06:39Adopting the U.S. dollar helped to stabilize things.
06:43That was a very, very complicated time.
06:45A lot of teachers, the elderly, they had their savings in Bolivar, and then it started happening.
06:52The economic crisis was so bad that around 8 million Venezuelans fled their home country.
06:59But during the wars that we faced, you know, millions left, fled the country.
07:05They ran to other countries just to look for food.
07:09So...
07:10Because they couldn't afford to eat.
07:12They couldn't afford to eat. They couldn't find food either.
07:16Things have now improved slightly.
07:19But by most accounts, Maduro has been in charge during one of the worst periods of Venezuela's history.
07:31But back at my hotel, El Presidente is all smiles on his weekly TV show.
07:37Maduro even refers to his recent inauguration.
07:50One month ago, I swore myself into power.
07:58I bet he didn't mean to say that.
08:01With carnival celebrations only a few weeks away, he seems keen to get everyone in the mood to party.
08:10Probably time to stop, but no.
08:13His people are happy.
08:15It's one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen.
08:18My first impressions of Caracas have been of a surprisingly modern city.
08:34But look beyond the tower blocks, and you see the endless roads of the city's notoriously violent slums.
08:51Home to warring gangs, there are concerns for our safety, as we attempt to visit the biggest of them, called Petare.
08:59We're waiting for the guy who's inside, who's going to come out and say it's okay to go in, so we can't just drive in ourselves.
09:18We cautiously follow the motorbike.
09:20Home to around a million people,
09:34Petare is known as the most dangerous slum in South America,
09:39with hundreds of murders a year.
09:43These vast and sprawling neighborhoods are outside the jurisdiction of the authorities.
09:48Really, sort of, houses packed together.
09:54Different shapes and sizes either side of the road.
09:58Motorbikes everywhere, roaring about.
10:03Known as barrios, they grew rapidly in the 20th century.
10:08But despite their intimidating reputation,
10:11my first thought is that there's something rather ingenious about them.
10:24Very steep, as you can see now.
10:28Houses built, you know, little extensions built, one on top of the other.
10:32One on top of the other.
10:34We arrive in a neighborhood of Petare called San Blas.
10:42I love the, erm, the way they've done murals on the walls.
10:46Very bright. There's real pride in this place.
10:48It feels, oddly enough, a million miles from Caracas.
10:55It's its own little world here.
11:01I mean, up there, quite extraordinary.
11:05Each storey is built overhanging the one below.
11:09And this is earthquake country, you know.
11:12I mean, that's...
11:14How do you get someone to put an extension up like that?
11:16But that's...
11:17This is the remorseless way these places grow.
11:22I mean, I'm assuming we're okay,
11:24and nobody's sort of keeping an eye and nudging somebody
11:27and making a phone call, saying, well, foreigners...
11:31Here we go.
11:32Here's the number 37.
11:43You deserve your money being a bus driver up here.
11:48Petare might not be as scary as it's made out to be,
11:52but it has been hit badly by the migration crisis.
11:56Millions of people across the country
11:59found themselves unable to afford food
12:01and left to find work in other countries,
12:04sometimes leaving their children behind.
12:08I'm visiting the home of a woman called Yaya,
12:12whose sister, Yersinia, left Venezuela
12:15and her baby son two years ago.
12:20Hola, I'm Michael.
12:23Ah, hello, hello.
12:24It's very nice to see you.
12:26What you got there, Annie?
12:28How do they run?
12:29I've got little grandchildren about your age.
12:32Oh, look at that.
12:34Can I have a go?
12:39You see, I've got the wrong side.
12:42Nothing at all, but...
12:48That's all I know on the harmonica.
12:50Ali has not had physical contact with his mother
12:53for over two years.
12:55How did Ali come to be here with you, without his mother?
13:00Well, this...
13:02Ella decided to go from the country
13:04for the issue of the country, yes?
13:06And I told her that she didn't take it
13:08because she was going to get into the forest.
13:10And I was afraid of it.
13:12And she told me,
13:13I'll take it because he's my only son.
13:14And I told her, no.
13:15So, she said, well, it's okay.
13:16I'll leave it to you.
13:17I told her, I'll take it.
13:18I told her, I'll take care of it.
13:20Llega's sister's journey
13:22took her through the Darien Gap,
13:24a notoriously treacherous area of forest
13:27that connects Panama and Colombia.
13:30It's one of the wildest parts of the world,
13:33that little connection between South and North America.
13:36Is it...
13:38She survived,
13:39but was it very, very difficult
13:40to get through the Darien Gap?
13:43Horrible.
13:44My sister was giving her a stop.
13:46And I told her, you know,
13:47it's worth it not to take you to Llega
13:48because maybe they would have taken her
13:49on the road in the moment
13:50that you left without air.
13:52Where is she now?
13:53She's in Florida.
13:55So she...
13:56What will she do in the next few years?
13:58Will she stay there?
14:00Will Ali go with...
14:02to see her?
14:03Right now, with the tron set,
14:04I think the possibilities
14:05that he will go is impossible.
14:08So we've already talked about
14:09that from four to five years,
14:11he will come back.
14:13Thankfully,
14:14Ali can still contact his mother.
14:17Yes.
14:18Come on.
14:19Mom, call your mom.
14:21Diego!
14:23Hello.
14:27Hello.
14:28There are some strangers in your house.
14:30Hello.
14:31Hello.
14:32Hello.
14:33Hello.
14:34Hello.
14:35Hello.
14:36Hello.
14:37Hello.
14:38Hello.
14:39Hello.
14:40Hello.
14:41Hello.
14:43Bye, Ben.
14:44Bye-bye.
14:45Bye-bye.
14:46Ciao.
14:47Ciao.
14:49Oh.
14:51She's very bubbly.
14:53Like you, she's got lots of energy.
14:55energy.
14:56Si.
14:57Si.
14:58Yeah.
14:59Si.
15:00Thank you very much.
15:01And I should say goodbye to Ali.
15:03Oh, he's in bed, is he?
15:04Hello.
15:05Hello.
15:06Harmonica practice.
15:08Adios.
15:09You're very good.
15:11Now you're a film star.
15:14You're a film star in England.
15:17Yes, exactly.
15:18Outside, I talked to Emi, a Venezuelan member of our production team, who herself left the country,
15:26aged 17.
15:28I mean, things were really bad, and they still are, but we had a huge food crisis, shortages.
15:35You could not find food to eat, you could not find toilet paper.
15:38I mean, it was extremely, extremely bad, to the point that people were starving, looking in the trash for food.
15:43I mean, I saw it with my own eyes, and just forced to migrate and leave their families behind, because it was the only way, really, to move forward.
15:53I mean, it affected you as well, didn't it?
15:55Yes.
15:57I left the country back in 2014, in a much more privileged position than many people in the country have.
16:04I was lucky to have education abroad, but I did not want to stay abroad.
16:09I'm currently living outside of my home.
16:11My whole family lives here.
16:14It's hard.
16:15Yeah.
16:17Ali and Emi's stories are just two of those from millions of people, whose families have been shattered by Venezuela's migration crisis.
16:26Things must have been really, really bad for people to take these risks and to leave the country.
16:36You know, you just try and project it onto your own family or your own children.
16:41You just may not see them again.
16:43It's pretty intolerable, really.
16:46All of this is a far cry from Venezuela's decades of glory, when this oil-rich country was celebrated as the most successful in South America.
16:57But there's still an upscale side to Caracas, and I'm heading to a place where, for some, the party never ended.
17:05In 1914, oil was discovered in Venezuela, and by the 1950s, it had become the richest country in South America.
17:29Some of this wealth was used to construct grand architectural projects across the capital.
17:37And one of the most ambitious was a hotel built on top of the Avila mountain.
17:47It even has its own cable car.
17:52And, of course, El Presidente is here to welcome me.
17:59Up, up, up and away.
18:02It's the exciting bit.
18:05Climbing 2,000 metres, the cable car offers great views of the city.
18:12Yes, that's fantastic.
18:17Wow.
18:18See the city settle in the valley.
18:24The size and scale of it looks very impressive.
18:26Especially, especially from up here in the heavens.
18:33A few minutes' walk away from the cable car station is a building that is something of an icon in Venezuela.
18:43This is the Humboldt Hotel.
18:45Opened in 1956, it was intended to showcase Venezuela's new oil-rich prosperity to the world, as well as incredible views from the Avila mountain.
18:59And, walking inside, I feel like I've been transported to a Venezuela from a bygone era.
19:12The Humboldts lay derelict for decades, until presidents Chavez and Maduro spent millions bringing this luxury hotel back to life in 2018, just as the country's economy was imploding.
19:30I mean, this is, it must be quite expensive to stay here.
19:40Yeah.
19:41How much is a room at night?
19:42I would say it's expensive because it's a luxurious hotel.
19:45But I'd say it is in the realm of luxurious hotels, I would say it's still affordable.
19:50A one-night stay is $340.
19:53Alejandro Jimenez works at the hotel.
19:56So, it seems, you know, at the moment, that there's two sides to Venezuela, really.
20:02Right.
20:03What I'm beginning to find out is this very comfortable sort of restaurant affluent lifestyle, alongside, you know, barrios where people live in one room with three children.
20:16Right.
20:17I think, like, anywhere in the world, it still has a lot to go forward.
20:21It still needs to go forward in a lot of ways.
20:23But I would say, I mean, I do say we're surviving.
20:27Even though a lot of people complain, a lot of people are living through hard things.
20:31I'm not denying that.
20:32But I would say we do, we do have it good.
20:35With the average wage under $100 a month, this hotel is very much for the elite.
20:42But it's also a reminder of the prosperous country Venezuela has been, and maybe can be again.
20:49It's my last night in Caracas, which also happens to be the 14th of February.
20:58So, I've come to the historical neighborhood of El Hatillo for a Venezuelan Valentine.
21:07Valentina, it's very nice to be with you here.
21:10Well, especially because it's Valentine's night and you're Valentina.
21:14Yes.
21:15And I know that you're a legend here.
21:17I'm meeting Valentina Quintero, who's one of the most famous people in Venezuela.
21:23Valentina is a writer, traveler, and broadcaster.
21:30And she's very passionate about Venezuela.
21:33And Venezuelans seem equally enthusiastic about her.
21:37I feel like I'm your security man waiting here in case they mob you.
21:42Okay, there you go.
21:49The atmosphere here feels celebratory, which is quite heartening given the challenges Venezuela is facing.
21:57All these people here, they see someone like you who has achieved rather a lot.
22:02They have a great response.
22:04People smile.
22:05It's lovely, you know.
22:06We're really pleased to be here despite all the problems.
22:10Yes, we decided about four years ago, okay, we cannot take the dictatorship out
22:17because these people doesn't want to go because they don't want, they don't have any place to go.
22:23And we say, okay, we are going to make our life.
22:27And what I feel is like people in Venezuela have this resilience.
22:34We decided to do what we have to do and build the country now, okay?
22:43Did you ever in your wildest dreams ever consider leaving the country yourself?
22:48No, no, no.
22:50Because see what I feel.
22:52This is my country.
22:54I was born here.
22:55All what I have been doing, I have done it here.
23:01And I say, if I love my country well, if I really love my country, I care about my country.
23:08Why am I going to leave?
23:10The ones who have to leave are the people for the dictatorship, not me.
23:16Because I love the country.
23:17I care about the country.
23:18You love the country.
23:19I fight for the country.
23:20Yes.
23:21I love a lot.
23:22Because you know why I love my country?
23:24Because I know my country.
23:28Venezuelans might not be able to change the political situation, but they seem determined
23:33to carry on with their lives.
23:36People in Venezuela like to drink.
23:38They like to drink?
23:39Yes.
23:40They like to drink.
23:41They like to drink with the meal.
23:44They like to drink without meal.
23:46They like to drink to celebrate whatever.
23:49They like to drink.
23:50People in Venezuela like to drink.
23:52Cheers.
23:53Okay.
23:54Cheers.
23:55We eat something to start with?
24:00We should have, we should have Tequeños.
24:01Tequeños.
24:02Tequeños, yes.
24:03Teques.
24:04Tequeños are deep fried sticks of cheese and are a national institution.
24:10Mmmm.
24:12Mmmm.
24:14Ha this cheese cut.
24:15That's really nice.
24:16I mean because it's, the sort of batter around it is well-fried.
24:21It's also this cheese. It's not strong cheese, but it's just right.
24:29It's Valentine's night. I mean, our Venezuelan's good lovers.
24:40We like to be in love, and people are romantic.
24:46I love to be talking with you, because you ask me things that I have never been asked.
24:53You said to me earlier that the great thing about travelling is you learn things about yourself.
24:58You didn't know, and I love travelling, because I probably wouldn't ask that question to people in England,
25:02unless I knew them very well. But here, I'm a dummy foreigner. They can say anything they want.
25:09I've enjoyed my time in Caracas, but Venezuela's real appeal lies outside its capital, and it's time to explore.
25:22And that means a very early start at the airport.
25:25They're not letting us take the lenses and the camera with us in the plane.
25:32So, no, we're going to figure it out, but these things in Venezuela take a while.
25:39I notice a poster in the terminal offering a $100,000 reward for the capture of Edmundo Gonzalez,
25:47the opposition leader, who many say won the election, and is the rightful president of Venezuela.
25:57We're flying south-east into the heart of the Amazon rainforest.
26:04On board is a very glossy magazine.
26:08Oh, here he is again.
26:09Devoted entirely to Nicolas Maduro.
26:14He even has his own comic strip.
26:17We call him super bigot.
26:20Rushing all his enemies.
26:26There are all his enemies.
26:29America.
26:31That's the opposition leader who's wanted posters for him all over the country.
26:35It's all quite subtle stuff.
26:42Can't wait for page two of super bigot.
26:46Despite Venezuela's dangerous reputation,
26:49I'm looking forward to exploring what some say is the most beautiful country in the world.
27:06After a slightly heavy landing, I walk onto the airstrip in a place in the middle of the Venezuelan Amazon, known as Canaima.
27:16And just a few minutes' walk away is a place called the Canaima Lagoon.
27:22Fantastic.
27:24I've got to see this.
27:25Oh.
27:28This is...
27:30Wow.
27:32It's this marvellous sight.
27:33Marvellous sight.
27:34I love waterfalls anyway.
27:35I mean...
27:36Great style.
27:38One of the great views of the world, isn't it?
27:40What do you say?
27:42I love waterfalls anyway.
27:44I mean...
27:46Great style.
27:48One of the great views of the world, isn't it?
27:50What do you say?
27:51One of the great views of the world, isn't it?
27:53What do you say?
27:57I think this is the retirement moment, isn't it, really?
28:00I'm sorry we've gone seriously, but I'm not doing any more.
28:03I'm just going to retire now.
28:05Here.
28:06There's a nice seat.
28:07Just sit down.
28:10Oh.
28:11Practice retirement.
28:13This is what it is.
28:14Oh.
28:18Nowhere better.
28:19That is absolutely terrific.
28:20And the big mountains of Te Pui is in the background.
28:28I believe it's all real.
28:30Anyway.
28:31Cheers.
28:33I mean, you can get stock film to finish the thing, but...
28:38Go on. Bugger off.
28:41Venezuela may have more than its fair share of challenges,
28:44but it's also a country blessed with spectacular natural beauty.
28:53Well, I mean, I'm quite excited to go and see it, touch it, you know?
28:59The waterfalls are so enticing that I'm tempted to take a closer look.
29:04Created by water from the mighty Karau River, these waterfalls hold spiritual significance for the local Pemong people.
29:15They're also immensely powerful.
29:16Now, this is...
29:17I'm not going too close because they're fierce.
29:19This is real fierce water.
29:20It's not just the speed of the water, the weight of that.
29:21The water is like the walls coming down.
29:22I can feel water hitting the side of my face now.
29:23And then we stop off to get even closer to the Al Acha waterfall.
29:24And then we stop off to get even closer to the Al Acha waterfall.
29:27And then we stop off to get even closer to the Al Acha waterfall.
29:28Wow!
29:29That is amazing.
29:30That is amazing.
29:31I'm not going too close because they're fierce.
29:32This is real fierce water.
29:33And then...
29:34It's not just the speed of the water, the weight of that.
29:37Water is like the walls coming down.
29:40I can feel water hitting the side of my face now.
29:45And then we stop off to get even closer to the Al Acha waterfall.
29:50Wow!
29:51That is incredible.
29:52Oh, wow!
29:53Ha!
29:54Never, ever, ever seen anything like that.
29:55Well, it's so close.
29:56Boy!
29:57It's like the whole world is sort of collapsing.
30:13I decide to do something I've never done before.
30:19And walk into the waterfall.
30:29I find myself in a cave-like area.
30:32It's overhanging roof protecting me from a torrent of cascading water.
30:43Boy!
30:44It's just incredible.
30:47I mean, it's like being...
30:48Well, it's an avalanche of water.
30:50It's like this whole wall coming down!
30:52And the wind blowing!
30:54And you feel man smirred with power!
31:03Nature at her best!
31:04Whoa!
31:05庭!
31:06Whoa!
31:07Whoa!
31:09Water up!
31:10Up!
31:11Far, go!
31:12Water!
31:14Up!
31:15Water!
31:16Gun!
31:17It's good!
31:18Gun!
31:19Gun!
31:20Word!
31:21Gun!
31:22Got his son.
31:23The sheer volume, sound and speed of the water is incredible!
31:25The sheer volume, sound and speed of the water is incredible.
31:35Why am I doing this?
31:38I've never been near to such colossal power, that's all I can say.
31:43This is just absolutely majestic.
31:45It reminds me every now and then that there's a lot of water going down there.
31:50A lot of it, it's reasonably warm, but it's just a few steps ahead, wham, you go.
31:58It's really footsteps here.
32:01I'm 81, I shouldn't be here.
32:05I should be in bed.
32:12I'm starting to see the real appeal of Venezuela.
32:16It's a hidden treasure waiting to be found.
32:20Canaima is the land of the Pemong people, one of the many indigenous tribes in Venezuela
32:31that make up around 2% of the population.
32:36I've come to the village of Camerata to have lunch with a local English teacher, Arturo Berti.
32:43I'm ready for lunch.
32:45Yeah, welcome.
32:46And take a seat, please.
32:47Where should I go?
32:48Over here?
32:48Yes, here, please.
32:49Here.
32:50Lovely.
32:50Okay, thank you.
32:52Whoa.
32:54This is Pemong food.
32:56Yes, I'm going to show you now.
32:57This pot is made with clay.
33:00Special pot from Camerata.
33:02What's in there, yes?
33:03It's a kind of spice.
33:05Soups.
33:06There is a fish from the river.
33:09Hola.
33:10My wife.
33:10Nice to meet you.
33:12Yeah.
33:12Arturo is keen for me to try some local delicacies.
33:17This one is a worm from the palm tree.
33:21Worm from the palm tree.
33:23I've never had them before, so I will have some.
33:25Oh, I'm going.
33:26I'm going.
33:26You're going.
33:26You're going.
33:26Mm-hmm.
33:27Okay.
33:28You have to...
33:29Mm-hmm.
33:32Crunchy a bit there.
33:33I don't know what that crunch is.
33:34Mm-hmm.
33:35It's like an eyeball, but I know it isn't.
33:37Mm-hmm.
33:39Fine.
33:39Yeah.
33:39Good.
33:40So this is a sort of special dish.
33:41This is special, yes.
33:42Thank you very much.
33:44I'm going to have a second worm.
33:45I've never said that ever before.
33:48Mm.
33:49Mm-hmm.
33:50Pemon are traditionally farmers, but in recent years, many young people have been tempted to
33:57work in illegal gold mines, increasingly common in this part of Venezuela, and having a devastating
34:03impact on their land.
34:06Is gold mining a big problem for you?
34:08Yeah.
34:09Yeah?
34:10Problem.
34:10Uh, I hate the, uh, the activities.
34:15Do they make any money from the gold, do you think?
34:19More people only use for drinking, or for, for a simple thing.
34:24Yeah.
34:24Yeah.
34:26The problem with the gold mining, the illegal gold mining, because people don't have any
34:30money.
34:30They don't have, they feel they've got no other resources.
34:34Is that right?
34:35It's all, this is just helping them out of poverty or not?
34:38We don't want to know about the money from the miners.
34:43Do you have any sympathy with the people who have gold miners?
34:48No.
34:49No.
34:50No.
34:50No.
34:50No, I can tell that.
34:51That was a daft question.
34:52Yeah.
34:53I sense this is an awkward subject for Arturo.
34:58Gold mining is controversial among the Pemón.
35:00But these illegal mines are becoming a huge environmental problem in Venezuela, so I asked Freddy Vergara,
35:09my local friend and fixer, to show me one.
35:11And just a few miles from the village of Camerata, is a vast area of polluted and now barren land
35:21that was once a gold mine.
35:24Considering, you know, we're in the middle of a national park and a lovely rainforest, this
35:29is really a grim place.
35:30Yeah.
35:31It's hot.
35:32The sun reflects off the sand.
35:34I mean, what's, what's, why is it like this?
35:36This is, this used to be rainforest.
35:38Yeah.
35:39It's been not used for years and you can see it hasn't recovered at all.
35:43Yeah.
35:44The trees never grow because when they, when they do the miner, they just digging all trees
35:48out, roofs, everything.
35:50Everything.
35:51So just taking everything away, washing away, that's, that's, that's the result.
35:55I mean, what's the government's view on this?
35:57Do they have a view?
35:58Do they, they don't seem to be too many security people around?
36:02No, there should be more, more security around here, but it's not.
36:06Some say the authorities turn a blind eye and even profit from these illegal mines.
36:13But it's local Pemón people who often do the actual work.
36:17It's destroying a lot of their land, isn't it?
36:19That's right, yeah, exactly.
36:20They're very divided.
36:21Poisoning the land.
36:22They're very divided about it.
36:23Yeah.
36:24Because actually, when you get like, when you're into the village, for example, and you
36:28ask it to someone, who's a cold miner?
36:29Yeah.
36:30They'd never tell you because they feel, they feel shame a while.
36:32Yeah.
36:33But this, this is never going to grow again.
36:35It's never going to become a forest.
36:36I mean, yeah.
36:37It's kind of weird.
36:38And fairly polluted the soil, I suppose, because they use a lot of minerals.
36:42I know they use mercury.
36:43They use mercury, yeah.
36:44So the water, the river's not far away, is it?
36:47No, the river's just there, 100 meters, 100 meters away.
36:50Yeah.
36:51And then, the problem is that the mercury is getting into the fish.
36:54Food chain, yeah.
36:55Food chain, yeah.
36:56That's a big deal.
36:57That's pretty grim, really.
36:59It's thought there are thousands more illegal mines across Venezuela, causing environmental
37:06havoc over an estimated 3 million acres of rainforest.
37:12But with Venezuelan gold being worth an estimated $2 billion a year, the destruction is unlikely
37:18to stop.
37:20I suppose one thing, of course, is, is, is why do we need gold?
37:26I mean, people see, you know, gold rings and watches and all that sort of thing.
37:30And they want gold-plated cars and all that sort of stuff.
37:33And yet, no one knows where the gold's coming from.
37:36Exactly.
37:37Everyone wants gold, you know.
37:38Yeah.
37:39Since, I mean, since the ancient times, gold is always like, you know, we're looking for
37:42gold and gold.
37:43Yeah.
37:44But the truth is that this is the cause of the world.
37:46It's not what you're paying for a gram in a jewelry shop.
37:49Yeah.
37:50It's the real cause.
37:51Yeah.
37:52Venezuela is a country of jarring contrasts.
37:56One minute, you're surrounded by natural beauty.
37:58The next, facing environmental destruction.
38:02But hopefully, things will take a more positive turn tomorrow as we try to get to the world's
38:07tallest waterfall.
38:12It's my last day in Kanaima.
38:20Yeah.
38:21I think the way we want to be, you can see it in that window, over that side.
38:25But we've saved the best for last.
38:28The reason most people come here is to see the ancient Teppui rock formations and Angel
38:35Falls, the world's tallest waterfall.
38:38Wow.
38:39Here we go.
38:40Here we go.
38:41Yeah.
38:42After 30 minutes of flying along the Karau River, we enter the ancient world of the Teppuis.
38:55The Teppuis are around 2 billion years old and are some of the oldest geological formations
39:09on the earth.
39:10Fantastic.
39:11Fantastic.
39:12My job for the teacher at school, you know.
39:15If you could see me now, you wouldn't be very jealous.
39:19Yeah.
39:20Once a plateau, this area is known as Aoyan Teppui and covers over 270 square miles.
39:27Ooh.
39:28We've got a cloud coming down.
39:29Hopefully, out of the clouds.
39:30Yeah.
39:31This great rock emerges.
39:32Oh, actually, that's impressive.
39:33Oh, God.
39:34Woo-hoo-hoo.
39:35And as the clouds start to clear, I get my first view of the falls.
39:52Wow.
39:53We're right alongside the Angel Falls.
39:58What a great view.
39:59That is extraordinarily impressive.
40:02Wow.
40:03It's so close to it now.
40:07We can't touch it.
40:10Well, we're going down.
40:13So, we're going straight into the falls itself.
40:17Freddie had told me we were going to try and land close to Angel Falls.
40:22But as we approach and get lower and lower, I start to realize we're not landing close
40:29to it.
40:30We're actually landing in the middle of it.
40:32Well, this is tight.
40:34Wow.
40:35Wow.
40:36Wow.
40:37Wow.
40:38Wow.
40:39Wow.
40:40Wow.
40:41Wow.
40:42Wow.
40:43What a skill.
40:44Ooh.
40:45Ooh.
40:46Ooh.
40:47Ooh.
40:48Ooh.
41:01The landing spot is so confined that the pilot keeps the rotor blades whirling so the helicopter
41:08doesn't fall backwards.
41:10And then it takes off.
41:20And we suddenly find ourselves all alone.
41:25Oh, God.
41:26I've seen it all.
41:27I've seen it all now.
41:28That's amazing.
41:29Amazing that it can land here for a start.
41:30It's almost landing in a sort of torrent of water.
41:32But there we are.
41:33God.
41:34We really are at the bottom of the...
41:35Angel Falls.
41:36Absolutely extraordinary.
41:37That's the longest single drop.
41:38That's the longest single drop ever.
41:39I've seen it.
41:40It's amazing.
41:41It's amazing.
41:42It's amazing.
41:43It's amazing that it can land here for a start.
41:44It's almost landing in a sort of torrent of water.
41:45But there we are.
41:46God.
41:47We really are at the bottom of the...
41:48Angel Falls.
41:49Absolutely extraordinary.
42:02That's the longest single drop of water on earth.
42:08One of the watery wonders of the world.
42:11The boulders and everything scattered around here.
42:18It's cataclysmic, really.
42:19But it's also very, very beautiful.
42:22This is amazing.
42:25Looking up, I can see the water cascading over the top,
42:30almost a kilometre high.
42:32And behind me, the water keeps going,
42:37spilling over rocky ledges until it meets the river below.
42:46Where I am now is normally completely inaccessible.
42:54And it's a huge privilege to see it this close.
43:06I don't think I've ever done anything more dangerous in my life than coming here.
43:10You do feel that you're really on the edge of nature.
43:15And it's actually spellbinding to be here and to look at it.
43:23Venezuela is one of the most stunning countries I've ever been to.
43:28And my journey is only just beginning.
43:31But for all its natural beauty and welcoming people,
43:35I know there's a darker, dystopian side to this country.
43:40And while I'm excited about what is to come,
43:43I also find myself feeling somewhat uneasy.
43:47Next time, I go to paradise.
43:52See how rugby is tackling Venezuela's gang culture.
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