- 6 days ago
Michael Palin in Venezuela - Season 1 Episode 2
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00:01It's time to leave the Venezuelan Amazon
00:06and head to the Caribbean Sea.
00:16I'm flying 500 miles northwest
00:22to an enticing-looking archipelago of coral islands
00:26known as Los Rockes.
00:303, 2, 1...
00:36So...
00:38It's lovely.
00:40Oh well.
00:41I suppose I'll have to stop here for a bit.
00:44Blooming sunshine, blue sea.
00:47This is a sort of destination that makes audiences be lucky, cammy, so-so.
00:54This place looks idyllic.
00:57But as I begin my walk to the hotel, I start to wonder...
01:03Where is everyone?
01:08Venezuela is a country plagued by bad news.
01:11Often described as being the most dangerous in South America, ruled by an authoritarian leader.
01:21Its economy has collapsed, leading to over 8 million people fleeing the country.
01:27But Venezuela is also...
01:29amazing.
01:30Absolutely beautiful.
01:31From the Andes Mountains to the Amazon Rainforest, it contains almost every landscape imaginable.
01:42I see it's all now.
01:48And its people...
01:49And your dress.
01:50Oh!
01:51I mean, wow.
01:52Like my dress?
01:53That is colour.
01:54...are some of the friendliest in the world.
01:56I love to be talking with you, because you ask me things that I have never been asked.
02:00This time, my journey starts in paradise.
02:03What we're coming up to is a pure jade colour.
02:07Absolutely beautiful.
02:08But things soon take a sinister turn.
02:12We might be arrested and detained.
02:17They were threatening.
02:19From today, we are marked men.
02:32I've arrived at Grand Rock, the main island of the archipelago.
02:39Covering less than two square miles, it has no roads and no cars.
02:44This all looks lovely, but despite it being high season, the place is not exactly bustling.
02:55I'm staying at Posada La Gaviota, which is owned by Hermann Olivaria.
03:06Posada?
03:07Posada is a guesthouse?
03:09Correct.
03:10It is.
03:11That's a term.
03:12Not to be confused with the major hotel.
03:14No, no, no.
03:15A Posada is like a family home that receives tourists.
03:19Right.
03:20It has been in my family since 1980, but we converted to a Posada in the year 2003.
03:28Hermann is keen to show me around Los Roques and to explain why this tropical idyll is so quiet.
03:35Look at that.
03:38Look at that bird.
03:39Oh, yeah.
03:40Wow.
03:42For a while, Los Roques was making a name for itself among the international jet set.
03:47But things have changed.
03:51But things have changed.
03:55Not that many airlines fly in now, do they?
03:57No, that's one of the worst things, actually, because there are no direct flights from certain countries.
04:05You used to have more of an international audience than a clientele.
04:10Yes.
04:11Yes, certainly.
04:12Where from?
04:13A lot.
04:14From the United States and Italy, France, Germans a lot.
04:18A lot of Germans came here.
04:20Twelve years ago, there used to be over 60 flights from America to Venezuela every week.
04:27But because of the security situation, there are now none at all.
04:32And the recent election has made it worse.
04:35Some countries could not fly to Venezuela directly.
04:39Like what countries?
04:41Like Dominican Republic or like Peru, for example, or Panama.
04:46Why was that?
04:47It just was because these countries didn't recognise the election.
04:56All of these problems mean that not many people are getting to see how beautiful this place is.
05:06What's really liberating is the glorious colours of the water.
05:10There's some sort of pale, almost lemon over there, and green here.
05:15And then what we're coming up to is sort of jade, pure jade colour.
05:20Absolutely beautiful.
05:22Very clear and very clean.
05:29And, of course, the beaches are not busy.
05:31Yeah, lovely.
05:34Whoa-ho!
05:40Ah, wow.
05:42What a magical place.
05:46It's lovely.
05:48So it never gets crowded here, I suppose.
05:50It's hard not to be seduced by Los Rockes.
05:59Well, this is, this is what it's all about.
06:03You just never really get this moment I'm filming where you're at a beach without anybody here, the sands firm and white.
06:11I do wonder at times like this.
06:14Am I having too much fun?
06:15Is this too wonderful?
06:19There you go.
06:20Lucky me.
06:22Los Rockes is a peaceful paradise.
06:25But Venezuela's reputation for gangs and violence has also been turning travellers away.
06:32People are, like, afraid of our country.
06:35And, as you have seen, Venezuela's a beautiful country.
06:37It's a wonderful place.
06:39Yeah.
06:40It's sensationally beautiful and there's so much to see here.
06:43Hermann believes Venezuela is now safer, partly due to the migration crisis.
06:49It isn't the same Venezuela now as it was in 2014 or 2017.
06:57Some people left, some good people left, but also thieves and robbers and assassins.
07:05Despite this, most countries are still telling their citizens not to travel to Venezuela.
07:12So it seems surprising that President Maduro has claimed tourism is the country's secret weapon.
07:19And returning to Grand Rock, we passed several modern hotels on the waterfront.
07:24Built in the last five years, it's claimed the owners have close ties with the Venezuelan government.
07:29The runway was also extended for larger plains, with conservationists claiming its construction destroyed wildlife habitats.
07:39Some fear Los Rockes' delicate ecosystem is being sacrificed to make way for mass tourism, a claim the government denies.
07:47This is the most beautiful place, I mean, by any standards.
07:53And you have Maduro saying, oh, we must show off the country, we must bring people to Venezuela, it's a wonderful place, and yet stopping planes from getting here.
08:04So I don't quite understand what the game is.
08:07The other thing is that I can see that there are quite a number of places unlike the little one we stayed in.
08:13That are new, modern, big places. Obviously a lot of money has been spent there by somebody.
08:18So, many, many contradictions. That's Venezuela really for you.
08:33The next morning, it's time to leave Los Rockes.
08:37And at the airport are two faces I'm seeing a lot of in Venezuela.
08:41The late president, Hugo Chavez, and his successor, Nicolas Maduro.
08:48Do you want this, or should I keep this?
09:01We're heading back to Maiketia Airport, near Caracas.
09:08Oh!
09:09Venezuela!
09:12In the airport car park, we pack up for the 1,000-mile road trip that lies ahead.
09:19Well, we've come back now from Los Rockes, back to the airport, and here we're loading up for what's going to turn out to be a mega road trip into the northwest of Venezuela.
09:32Fuel shortages are commonplace in Venezuela, so our cars are carrying plenty of spare.
09:42The first stage of my road trip is going to take me to a rum distillery.
09:46Then I'll travel deep into the agricultural heartland of Los Llanos, before heading high into the Andes and the city of Merida.
09:56It's nice to be back on the road again. We've been an hour or so out of Caracas, heading for Santa Teresa where we're staying tonight.
10:09Once again, the smiling face of President Maduro passes us as we head inland.
10:18And his official superhero, Alter Ego, then appears at a toll booth.
10:24Maduro again.
10:25It's a cartoon, I think.
10:26Yeah.
10:27Super mustache.
10:29Super bigote.
10:30Super mustache.
10:31As the sun starts to fall, we pull off the main road and arrive in the small town where we're staying tonight.
10:49These streets here are kind of real Venezuelan everyday life.
10:56There's nothing you're paired with Los Llanos.
11:01This is also the heart of Venezuela's gangland.
11:05The next morning, I wake up in Aragua state, birthplace of the feared Trend Aragua gang.
11:25With young Venezuelans often finding they have few job opportunities, the lure of gangs is hard to ignore.
11:33It's a path that often leads to a vicious cycle of prison and re-offending.
11:46But the owner of this local rum distillery is trying to break the pattern.
11:52This coach has come to the grounds of the distillery from a local prison.
11:57On board are around 30 prisoners who've been given day release to take part in a rugby match.
12:08Guys from the local penitentiary, pretty tough place, they've come here with their guards in order to change and play rugby.
12:20So heavily guarded because they are still prisoners.
12:24I think they look happier than the guards, I must say.
12:28This match is part of Project Alcatraz, which was started by the owner of Santa Teresa rum, Alberto Vollmer, after a local gang attacked his distillery.
12:45So back in 2003, a gang broke into the Hacienda, to this property.
12:53And what we did was we basically had to hunt them down because the police wouldn't do it.
12:58So then we gave them two options to either work, to make up for what they had done or to be handed over to the authorities.
13:05We've been recruiting gangs ever since for the last 22 years and then that took us to jails.
13:15So now we're in 33 jails. We visit them weekly and we teach.
13:20Actually what we teach are the values of rugby.
13:22We focus on five values that are important for the pitch, but also in life that are respect, teamwork, humility, discipline and sportsmanship.
13:33How long are the sentences of some of the people here?
13:40So we have everything from short sentences to long sentences.
13:45Most of the guys who play rugby are homicide cases.
13:48I actually prefer the more difficult ones because they're actually the ones that have to make a bigger effort to make up with life.
13:58And one of the things we tell them is, this depends on you. We only open the door. You decide if you walk in.
14:06And that walking in, that decision means you have to basically make peace with your past.
14:12Venezuelan gang members are often depicted as being pure evil.
14:22But seeing these young men playing rugby, supported by their families, it casts them in a very different light.
14:29And when one of the prisoners gets to meet his child for the first time, all I can see is humanity.
14:43What was life like for you when you were young and you first got involved in crime?
15:06My mother, although I didn't have bad values for me, I didn't have a father.
15:12So I've always been with her up and down.
15:15This led me to see the needs that we both had together.
15:20And I wanted to help.
15:23And I committed a lot of mistakes in that process.
15:26I entered into a criminal world.
15:27At least I involved with people from the corner of my neighborhood.
15:30In my neighborhood, I committed a grave crime and stopped in the prison.
15:36Aged just 19, Jose Gregorio was sentenced to 10 years in jail for murder.
15:45In the prison, I lived a lot of things.
15:48Sometimes I had to fight to sleep on the floor, to eat.
15:53And I had to understand that the sun was like a photo in the sky through the small window of my cell.
16:0118 months into his sentence, Project Alcatraz arrived at his prison.
16:07But I also saw a man with a rugby ball.
16:13It was also very difficult.
16:16In the place where I was, it was very dangerous.
16:19And if I did it bad, I could lose my life.
16:23I wanted to approach me and I met the rugby.
16:29From there, it was 10 years of rugby and it became my best relationship.
16:34Jose was released from jail after serving his sentence and is now employed at the hacienda.
16:41If there hadn't been rugby or the opportunity to play rugby, how would your life have turned out?
16:49Look, if I had met with rugby, I would have been dead, you know?
17:01And I know that it's not easy, but all the struggles that the rugby gave me,
17:08it taught me to stop all the bad things I had done, to breathe and to be happy.
17:18Well, there we are. Moved by rugby.
17:30Surrounding the rugby pitch are the fields of sugar cane that have made Venezuelan rum some of the best in the world.
17:38So, when Alberto offers to open a cask for me, it seems rude to say no.
17:44This is a cathedral of rum. This is pretty impressive. What's happening now here?
17:51So, here we have many years of aged rum. We have light rums, heavy rums and artisanal rums.
17:57I feel slightly off balance already. Exactly. So, we're going to open one of these barrels.
18:03It's my first time opening a barrel. So, let's see how that goes.
18:07Mmm, that's a good strong barrel. So, this is American oak.
18:13American oak, yes. From where?
18:15From Kentucky. Oh, I see. Look.
18:17Okay, one second. Here we go. Fantastic.
18:25Oh, a rum shower.
18:29That's fantastic.
18:31Okay.
18:32Very well done.
18:33So, it wasn't too messy.
18:35Yeah.
18:36Oh, great.
18:37And it smells, smells delicious.
18:39Yeah, yeah, yeah.
18:40It smells delicious.
18:41So, I would say that the magic of Santa Teresa, 1796, is the combination of three types of rums.
18:50Mmm.
19:00Oh.
19:01Well, I think I'll need the afternoon off.
19:05It does have the feeling of a sort of religious...
19:08It does. I love the fact that you call it a cathedral.
19:11Yeah, it feels like a cathedral. Yeah, yeah.
19:13Cheers.
19:14Cheers.
19:15Thank you so much, Michael.
19:17Sadly, we must leave the hacienda behind and continue with our journey.
19:28We're heading inland, towards a place our security team has warned is politically sensitive.
19:37Well, we're now travelling south.
19:40This is called Los Llanos.
19:42And it's the big agricultural area of Venezuela.
19:49We're heading to a town called Sabaneta, which has strong links to the president who came before Maduro.
19:56This busy little town is the birthplace of Hugo Chavez, who probably came more to change Venezuela in the last century, I suppose.
20:13The death of Hugo Chavez came to power in 1999, elected on a promise to take money and power away from a corrupt elite and redistribute it among the people, improving public housing, health and education.
20:33He died in 2013, but still has local support here.
20:39So what did Hugo Chavez mean to you?
21:03What were your feelings when you heard of his death?
21:22Though Chavez still has his defenders,
21:25some say his leadership became increasingly brutal and suppressive,
21:29a situation that has become much worse under his successor, President Maduro.
21:36And as we drive close to the centre of Sabaneta, the atmosphere changes.
21:45This looks lively here.
21:48We're a bit careful as we drive around, in case we're being watched.
21:52We arrive at the town square to film a statue of Chavez,
21:59but the crew are told to stop recording.
22:02That's my guard.
22:07After we ask a local National Guard for permission to film the statue,
22:12a group of four heavily armed officers arrive at the square.
22:18They tell us to drive to a nearby car park.
22:23I don't put the camera down, sorry.
22:25They are from the notorious and feared Government Intelligence Service, Sebin.
22:31They want to search all our equipment and personal luggage.
22:38They take our passports.
22:40We each have our photo taken,
22:42and it's made very clear we are no longer free to leave.
22:48Several hours pass.
22:49Eventually, word comes through that we are to be released, without charge.
22:57Our fixer, Freddie, tells me a Government Minister became involved,
23:02and has passed on his apologies.
23:05Good. Have a good day.
23:10We all good?
23:15We're all good now.
23:16Do you think we're okay now, Freddie? Are we good?
23:19Kind of.
23:20That's good.
23:21One man starts it, then two people come, then three, then four,
23:25and then five with rifles, guns.
23:29I was a little scared.
23:31They were threatening. I thought we might.
23:33The real problem was they were so nervous about the last things happening around here.
23:39Some people tried to attack the last statue of Chavez.
23:43We now fucked people.
23:45Are we going to be more worse?
23:46Yeah, we're going to be tracking them, of course.
23:48They got my phone number.
23:50They got my phone number.
23:51And actually, I tell them today that we share our position every morning.
23:55They check all our equipment, they check everything, so they know exactly what we have.
23:58Yes, they do, actually.
23:59This is life in Venezuela, isn't it?
24:00Yeah, everything is calm, but it's tense, and you have to delete stuff from your phone.
24:07You have to make sure you don't say too much the way that we are expressing ourselves, the way that we're walking, how the equipment is left out, what we're filming.
24:14I mean, this is not just like, you know, any other country.
24:21Yeah.
24:22Okay, right.
24:23Well done, everyone.
24:25Still unable to film the statue of Chavez, we leave Sabonetta as quickly as we can, and the reality of what has happened starts to sink in.
24:37It all escalated rather quickly over a period of about an hour, an hour and a half, and suddenly there were men from the intelligence services with guns.
24:47It feels like this has been a turning point in my journey.
24:52It's not a joke.
24:53It's not a slight thing.
24:54These were people who were really intimidating.
24:56And the problem is that having done that, the way these things happen here apparently is that the minister, people at the highest level now know exactly where we are, what we're going to do, where we're going to film next.
25:09And they're going to keep an eye on us.
25:10So in a way, we are, from today, marked men and women.
25:17It may mean nothing, but there's an undercurrent of threat, which is quite sinister.
25:26The next morning, I wake up with a brighter outlook in Los Llanos, the agricultural heartland of Venezuela.
25:41Covering almost 100,000 square miles, many say this area is the soul of the country.
25:48Los Llanos is also renowned for its wildlife, including the world's largest snake.
25:58The anaconda, yeah, legendary, yeah.
26:01Anaconda, do they poison you or do they squeeze you?
26:05They squeeze you, do they?
26:07Yeah, yeah, yeah.
26:09Park ranger Armando Mercado found an anaconda on their road and wants to release it back into the wild.
26:16I've never seen one, and I think I've got a feeling I'm going to see one.
26:21That's good you haven't seen one.
26:22Yeah, yeah.
26:24You keep looking down.
26:25Because this one right there, he just saved one from the...
26:28In his backpack.
26:29In the backpack.
26:30Mammoth an anaconda in his backpack.
26:31Save one crossing the road.
26:32That's a first.
26:33Should I be a bit careful here?
26:36I mean, this is going to be...
26:37Yeah, we have to be careful because he catch it when he's crossing the road.
26:40Yeah.
26:41She's been in the rucksack for a few times.
26:42Yeah.
26:43So it might be a little bit aggressive, but they're not dangerous.
26:45I mean, it's not the poison or anything.
26:46Yeah.
26:47Armando assures me the anaconda is safe in his bag.
26:51Yeah, how big is it?
26:52I mean, for the size of that, it looks like three meters or something.
26:55Three on four meters.
26:57Yeah.
26:58Twice my height.
26:59Okay.
27:00Respect.
27:01Yeah.
27:02Be very careful.
27:03Okay.
27:04You've got your sandwiches in there as well.
27:06Yeah.
27:07Okay.
27:09Ready?
27:11The snake sits up front, while we're relegated to the back of the bus.
27:24Showing off.
27:25Yeah.
27:26Yeah.
27:27Yeah.
27:28He's a young man.
27:29With two old guys.
27:30Yeah.
27:31Yeah.
27:38This lacun is the place of the anacondas.
27:42The freedom of our anaconda.
27:45This is where they like...
27:47They like wet land, do they?
27:49Yeah.
27:50Yeah.
27:51Right.
27:52Okay.
27:53Swap.
27:54Anacondas mostly live in water and marshes, where they can move much faster than on land.
28:04This is...
28:05This is good.
28:06This is quite something.
28:07Yeah.
28:08Quite exciting.
28:09Yeah.
28:10Yeah.
28:11There you go.
28:12Beautiful.
28:13Yeah.
28:14All right.
28:15Hello.
28:16This is the green anaconda.
28:17Yeah.
28:18Yeah.
28:19Yeah.
28:20Yeah.
28:21Yeah.
28:22Yeah.
28:23Yeah.
28:24Yeah.
28:25Yeah.
28:26The green anaconda can grow up to nine meters in length.
28:29And weigh up to a somewhat intimidating 250 kilos.
28:34Okay.
28:35Okay.
28:36Here you go.
28:37Take the middle.
28:38Oh, there you are.
28:39Wow.
28:40All right, man.
28:41I can feel...
28:42I can feel the muscles.
28:43Yeah, yeah.
28:44Very muscles.
28:45Very, very strong.
28:46Yeah.
28:47Very strong.
28:48Oh, really.
28:49Moving around.
28:50Yeah.
28:51Oops.
28:52Hey.
28:53Squeezy.
28:54I know you've been in a backpack for a while.
28:55No wonder you're a bit squeezy.
28:56Come on.
28:57Here we are.
28:58Say a little prayer.
28:59Go to the freedom.
29:00Okay.
29:01You're free at last.
29:02Wow.
29:03Heading straight under the water.
29:04Goodbye.
29:05Goodbye.
29:06Wow.
29:07Beautiful.
29:08That must make you feel good.
29:09You've saved an anaconda.
29:10Yeah.
29:11It's my favorite part.
29:12Yeah.
29:13Yeah.
29:14It's my favorite part.
29:15Yeah.
29:16Yeah.
29:17Yeah.
29:18Yeah.
29:19Yeah.
29:20Yeah.
29:21Yeah.
29:22Yeah.
29:23You've saved an anaconda.
29:24Yeah.
29:25It's my favorite part.
29:27Yeah.
29:28So it's just that muscly body.
29:30Yeah.
29:31You can feel the strength.
29:32Yeah.
29:33Smart.
29:34That's right.
29:35If that got around you, I mean, that'd be it.
29:37That'd be it.
29:38That'd be it.
29:39You're a very good swimming device.
29:41Exactly.
29:43Do they have pythons here?
29:45Yeah.
29:46Here, no.
29:47Where are the pythons?
29:49Probably like somewhere quiet with like a swimming pool.
29:53As in many countries, wildlife is under threat in Venezuela.
29:59None more so than the Cayman.
30:01Stop.
30:02Stop.
30:03This one is in captivity as part of a breeding program.
30:08Is he happy at the moment being out of water or?
30:11When feeding, it's very happy.
30:13Yeah.
30:14Yeah.
30:15In Venezuela, name it Cayman or Inoco.
30:18Cayman, not Orinoco.
30:20Yeah.
30:21But it's really a crocodile.
30:23Crocodile.
30:24A crocodile.
30:25Yeah, it looks like a crop.
30:26Okay.
30:27And critically endangered of extinction.
30:31I've arrived in time for lunch.
30:34He looks millions of years old.
30:37You know that?
30:38Yeah.
30:39I mean, I know I look old, but...
30:40Yeah.
30:41Yeah.
30:42Yeah.
30:43Yeah.
30:44Yeah.
30:45Yeah.
30:46Yeah.
30:47Yeah.
30:48Yeah.
30:49Yeah.
30:50Yeah.
30:51After decades of being hunted for their skins, for clothing, there are only around 1,500 Cayman
30:57left in Venezuela.
30:58But breeding projects such as this should help increase numbers.
31:03Wow.
31:04That could have been me.
31:08You certainly can't accuse Venezuela of being boring.
31:12Arrested by the police one day and the next day holding an anaconda.
31:13Not normal London behaviour.
31:14Quite exhilarating now, isn't it?
31:27Life in Los Llanos feels laid back and serene.
31:34Good luck with all your work and your studies.
31:37But my journey continues at pace, so it's back on the road.
31:42We're driving 100 miles northwest from the lowlands of Los Llanos towards the highest part
31:49of Venezuela.
31:50Well, now, quite suddenly, we're off the plains of Los Llanos, making our way into a very,
32:02very different environment up into the mountains at the Andes.
32:06This is the Trans-Andean Highway.
32:13Stretching for over 5,000 miles, from Venezuela to the southernmost tip of South America, the
32:22Andes is the longest mountain range in the world.
32:28Sensational scenery.
32:29It's just the size and scale of the slopes.
32:33It makes you feel very, very on the edge in this little road.
32:38This is adventure, I think, isn't it?
32:43We're now around 3,500 to 4,000 metres.
32:48So, very high, over 10,000 feet, suddenly, above the plains.
32:53And a marine thick cloud.
32:58We make it to a mountaintop hotel just as night starts to fall.
33:04Next morning, as the Andes reveal themselves to me in their full glory, I get the distinct feeling that the hills are alive.
33:17Here we are with this stunning views of the Andes.
33:22And this is kind of one of the great attractions of Venezuela.
33:25I have to say, if you like a bit of adventure and you like things to change as you go along, this is terrific.
33:33After breakfast, we head to the capital city of the Venezuelan Andes.
33:38These are the streets of Merida, going through at the moment, Venezuela's Andean mountain city.
33:48Sunday morning, it's a little bit quiet.
33:51Over 400 years old, Merida's origins stretch back to when Spain ruled Venezuela.
34:00Historically, it's also been a centre of anti-government protest.
34:05But in recent years, the authorities have introduced draconian measures to silence their critics.
34:20Nestling in the Andes, at over 5,000 feet above sea level, Merida has a very relaxed atmosphere.
34:29I'm meeting Diana Hernandez, who's in her final year of studying criminology at the local university.
34:36Tell me a little bit about it. It seems rather different from anywhere else we've seen in Venezuela.
34:42Well, I was just talking a few days ago that Merida is a city for studying and for retirement.
34:49I think those are the two stages of life perfect for this city.
34:54It's very calm in the city.
34:57It feels quite relaxed. It's not quite as brash as Caracas.
35:01Diana thinks of herself as an activist.
35:04But in modern Venezuela, that's both difficult and dangerous.
35:09Do people get detained, arrested? Is that anything that happens here?
35:14Or is it more gentile?
35:18No, it has happened. It's not gentile at all. It hasn't been gentile at all.
35:25What do you feel about that?
35:27That's really sad and unfair. And, you know, there's a thing, I mean, I can talk about many things, because we don't have that much freedom of speech.
35:42I sense from Diana's reticence that discussing politics on the streets makes her feel uncomfortable.
35:54She suggests we continue talking at her house, where we can speak more freely.
36:00Diana's also asked if she can be joined by some friends.
36:04They're keen to talk to me about the repressive culture that has become normal in modern Venezuela.
36:13If I am at a protest, I am very careful, because sometimes I don't know if anything can happen to me if I share my photographs or my videos.
36:25So I feel very scared.
36:29What might happen to you? What are you scared of?
36:33Maybe I could go to jail.
36:36You can be accused of promoting hate for publishing anything that goes against the government interest.
36:46Someone told me that there was a new app used by the government.
36:51Yeah, yeah. I mean, there's something called BenApp.
36:54You can wear it to report, like, there's a hole on my street. I need the authorities to come and fix it and stuff like that.
37:06It also has a special tool. You can report if someone is doing something, like perturbing the public peace.
37:16It can be used to report if you have a neighbor or you see someone, like, protesting or something.
37:24Days after his controversial election, President Maduro encouraged people to use the Venn app to report anti-government behavior to the authorities.
37:35I mean, that's quite different from holes in the street. You're informing on friends. Do you feel that things are going to drift more in that direction? Or do you think there'll be more of an opening up of the country now?
37:50I think it's not safe for anyone to come here with this political situation. I mean, Venezuela has a lot of beautiful places, but it's very dangerous. Also, there is a big chance that you get detained.
38:11I know that. We have experienced that. When we were in Chavez's birthplace, Sabaneta, and they took an exception to us. In the end, they let us go, but it was men with guns.
38:28Yeah, publicly recording, it's an issue, usually.
38:33Yes. I suppose you've talked about some of the things which you criticize about your country, but the good things, what would you say?
38:44Oh, I would say that Venezuela has a place for literally everyone. And I would also say that we are still a country full of wonderful people. We are a country of friends. We're a country of panas.
39:00Everyone is a what? A pana. A pana. Pana, it's like a common way of saying friend.
39:06Well, I mean, that's great. I know everything's not absolutely wonderful, but there's enough here. I would recommend many people to come and try and see the place, talk to people and let people know what Venezuela is.
39:22This is what I'm learning about Venezuela. For all its problems, there is so much that is good here. And Merida is a stunning city, set in a valley of the Andes, surrounded by cloud-capped mountains that stretch high into the sky.
39:44The highest is Pico Bolívar, which rises almost three miles above sea level.
39:53And that is where I'm going next. And what I'm told is the tallest cable car in the world.
40:00Buenos dias.
40:02Because I'm that very rare thing in Venezuela, an international traveller, my nationality must be noted.
40:09My ticket costs $40, twice what a local would pay.
40:17First built in the 1950s, the cable car system is an impressive feat of engineering and will take me nearly 16,000 feet above sea level.
40:28It's so spectacular, because we are going very, very high, and we're swinging out over gorges like, you know, 1,500 feet below us, or sort of 800 meters of sheer drop.
40:45And then you go to the cloud, and you think, you're a god. You're one of the gods looking down on this world you've created.
40:51And, wow, there's still more to go.
40:55As we near the summit, I'm very aware I'm now three miles high.
41:01I've been very sort of elevated, which is a bad time, by the whole experience.
41:09It's a wonderful, wonderful thing to do. Ah, look.
41:12We finally reach the top of the cable car run, and I step out on the roof of the Venezuelan Andes.
41:24Well, it's not often you get a summit of a mountain like this, even though I've done it the easy way, it's still incredibly impressive.
41:34And, and high too, 15,000 feet high. I haven't done that very often in my life.
41:46And there are people walking up. Ahaha, push me in my plate.
41:52Oh, no, they're walking down. Yes, well, that's sensibly. Run down all the way.
41:56Being up here is undeniably impressive. But my mind is still preoccupied with the contradictions of life in Venezuela.
42:09I've seen a dazzling amount of your country. It's truly magical, a lot of it.
42:15And, and seen at the same time, you know, undercurrents of dissatisfaction.
42:21Yeah, I think, um, everybody that lives here, um, can say that they're always living between two worlds.
42:31The beautiful country that we see, but also this thing that we call the tense calmness, where you're not really sure what could happen to you or your family on a certain day, on a certain week.
42:45So we try to live as best as possible, but traverse cautiously.
42:53So people are frightened, really, of, of saying what they feel sometimes.
42:59Yes, we used to be people that would express ourselves very freely, uh, without fear.
43:05And that has slowly changed in the past, uh, more so in the past six months, definitely.
43:14So this sums up Venezuela.
43:17On the one hand, they have what appears to be one of the most repressive regimes in the world today.
43:22But on the other, it's impossible to ignore how extraordinary this country and its people are.
43:30So what now for Venezuela?
43:34As I enter my final week, I hope to get a sense of what its future holds.
43:41Next time, I journey to Venezuela's disappearing floating villages.
43:48They put a line out with chicken heads.
43:52This is not a thriving village at all, is it?
43:55Discover what led to the country's downfall.
43:58The collapse of our country and because all of our energy was focused on oil.
44:03And it's carnival time!
44:06They throw sweet till they spray you with stuff.
44:08And you can see that next Tuesday at nine.
44:16Follow one of their most daring and terrifying rescues' brand new series, Coast Guard SOS.
44:22Search and Rescue starts tomorrow at nine.
44:24A builder's shocking discovery starts a forensic jigsaw puzzle for detectives in brand new true crime,
44:30buried secrets, the body in the carpet.
44:32Next.
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