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Expedition Africa
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00:11This is big water. Now all of a sudden, the wind's picking up and it's absolutely crazy.
00:24The wind was blowing so hard, we were filling the boat up with water.
00:29We're going to send this boat over, lose our equipment and maybe drown.
00:32Right now, 20 miles off the eastern coast of Africa, these four explorers are sailing into
00:39the unknown. They are headed deep into the interior of Tanzania.
00:45We'll be traveling 970 miles through an extraordinary range of environments and a lot of them extremely
00:52hostile.
00:54Africa's got unbelievable numbers of dangers. Swamps, deserts. But you know, the most dangerous
01:00thing we'll face are the snakes. There are 29 deadly poisonous snakes in Tanzania.
01:07Give me that med kit quick, guys.
01:11Using only a compass and basic maps, they will attempt to recapture one of the greatest adventures
01:17in world history. In the 19th century, explorers were like rock stars.
01:23Dr. David Livingstone is probably the greatest explorer of all time.
01:28Livingstone was one of the best known people in the world.
01:30He was a man who was making the world a better place. He decided to make it his life's mission
01:35to stamp out slavery. So he was a hero of his time. And then he disappeared.
01:44Enter Henry Morton Stanley, an American journalist sent by the New York Herald to find Britain's
01:50lost hero.
01:52You know, he knew adventure, but he wasn't an explorer. He had never set foot in Africa.
01:57He wanted the scoop, this great mystery. Dead or alive, he would find out what happened to
02:03Dr. David Livingstone.
02:04Now, four modern day explorers are on a quest to relive the most grueling parts of Stanley's
02:10perilous journey to find Dr. Livingstone.
02:14Navigator, Pasquale Scaturo.
02:16I've rafted the entire length of the Nile. I've been the first blind guy up Mount Everest.
02:20What draws me to exploration is really complex. It's so deeply embedded in my soul that it's
02:25like a drug. I'm here to find out if what Stanley wrote was fact or fiction.
02:32Wildlife expert, Mireya Mayer.
02:35It's the ultimate challenge. I mean, this is the true test of what we're made of, because
02:40these are essentially, in my world, heroes. We now, as modern day explorers, need to look
02:47within ourselves and say, are we that tough?
02:50Survivalist, Benedict Allen.
02:51I'm someone who's come back from the dead half a dozen times. And on my very first
02:55expedition, I even had to eat my dog to survive. From this expedition, I'll be trying to understand
03:00Stanley, this extraordinary survivor. He really was the ultimate explorer.
03:05And journalist Kevin Seitz.
03:08I think my role in this expedition is ultimately to hopefully resurrect the spirit of Stanley
03:13in some ways. A lot of what I read about Stanley was how nervous he was. He didn't know what
03:19to expect. In a lot of ways, I feel the same way. You know, more than likely, Africa will
03:24conquer me.
03:27The adventure begins here, off the eastern coast of Tanzania, on the exotic island of
03:33Zanzibar, with its clear, beautiful water and dark past. Once the Mecca of the Arab slave
03:40trade, the island was also the jumping off point for all the great African explorers. All four
03:47explorers meet here for the first time, at what was once the British Consulate. This is the
03:53story behind one of the most infamous lines of exploration history. Dr. Livingston, I presume.
04:12Hello. I'm Benedict.
04:13Maria Mayer.
04:14Traveling into the interior together.
04:15Yes, we are. Nice to meet you.
04:17Yeah, good to meet you. What a place.
04:18And what a place to meet.
04:19What a place. Smell the history.
04:22Absolutely.
04:22For us, as modern day explorers, to walk into that building, which smelt of so much history,
04:30the launch pad for these great explorers as they headed off into the unknown, that was
04:36so exciting. I suppose it's something like the Catholic going to visit the Vatican and seeing
04:41the Pope. It's always great to meet in Africa. We have another.
04:44Hello.
04:45Explorers. Hello.
04:47I'm Benedict.
04:48I'm Pasquale.
04:49Look at your hat.
04:52Stanley's hat.
04:52Brilliant. There he is.
04:54Yay.
04:54The last one.
04:55Fellow explorers, I presume.
04:56How are you? I'm Kevin Seitz.
04:58I'm Pasquale.
04:59My pleasure. Nice to meet you.
05:00Yeah.
05:00Hi, I'm Maria. Nice to meet you.
05:02Benedict.
05:03Nice to meet you, Benedict.
05:04What do you, are you a...
05:05I'm a journalist.
05:06You are Stanley, then...
05:07I don't know if I would be as bold as to say that, you know.
05:12I was so nervous going in there. These guys are very accomplished.
05:15I just hope I can offer something of value before this is all over.
05:19I need a lot of expeditions, you know, mountaineering, boating, rafting,
05:23expeditions, the K2 Evers.
05:25Do you see yourself as the natural leader for us, then?
05:27Oh, it's up to you guys.
05:30I guess.
05:30We'll have to see.
05:31I think we're going to have to see how it evolves and what works for us all.
05:34That's all right. Thanks.
05:36Asquale is used to having things his way.
05:38And I'm the sort of person who's not very good at obeying orders.
05:43So if he starts ordering me around, you know, it's going to be a bit of a problem.
05:47But if he can lead the expedition and get us safely there, I'll be... I'll be fine with that.
05:53So what we have is... Let's start here. This is his work map.
05:57The great objective for us is to understand Stanley and his world.
06:01And that's what we must be edging towards all the time.
06:02It took nine months to do. We're going to do it in 30 days.
06:05Yeah.
06:06Yeah.
06:06It's going to be a trek.
06:07It is.
06:07We're going to be moving.
06:08We're going to be moving.
06:09Like Stanley, we're chasing the rainy season.
06:11And that could very well kill an expedition more than anything.
06:14More than anything.
06:16Our goal here is to do an expedition in the spirit of Stanley,
06:20to retrace his expedition from Zanzibar all the way to Ujiji Tanganyika.
06:25We're going to do the same amount of distance, but we're going to try to do it 30 days,
06:28which means we're going to have to skip those big portions that now are fairly populated.
06:32We want to feel and see and smell and hear some of the most difficult challenges that Stanley did.
06:39The big concern is water.
06:41To me, that is our big thing.
06:43Heat exhaustion.
06:45Yeah, dehydration.
06:45My biggest concern right now, I think, is the snake issue.
06:49The snake thing concerns me.
06:5029 species of venomous snake.
06:52My snake bite kit is simple.
06:54I've got a hatchet and a sharp knife.
06:58Because a lot of times, it's the only way you'll survive.
07:02We're going to sail the boat ourselves.
07:04You know that.
07:04Does anybody here a sailor?
07:06No.
07:08But I don't think we should think about that too much.
07:11I think we should get cracking with our planning because time is short.
07:14And I think we have to get going to get supplies.
07:17We don't have the nine months that Stanley had.
07:19We have to get food, equipment, gear, source a boat, get on the water, get across the channel
07:27to Bagamoyo in an incredibly small amount of time.
07:30All right, let's go.
07:31All right.
07:35Yeah, I think up here is the fourth.
07:37Make it around the corner here.
07:41Juana.
07:42Jumbo.
07:44We need a boat to rent to go to Bagamoyo.
07:46Four people.
07:48One, two, three, four.
07:50Four.
07:51Okay.
07:52Let's look at this boat.
07:53It's Stanley, Livingston.
07:55They sailed exactly these same boats.
07:59It looks pretty solid.
08:00Yeah.
08:00It looks good.
08:01It does.
08:01140 years ago, they got in these dals, and they put their equipment in it,
08:04and they sailed over to Bagamoyo exactly like we're doing.
08:07It's just, it's great.
08:11What do you reckon, Borea?
08:13There was Asquale, um, mentioning in his first sentence virtually that he got up,
08:17helped someone up to the top of Everest and the K2, and...
08:21You mean the way he came across when he said it?
08:23Well, it's like, you know, you're someone who studies primates, and there was a primate
08:27with a lot of display behavior, you know?
08:28I think you guys are going to bunt heads a lot.
08:30That's what I think.
08:32Okay.
08:32So there we have a market.
08:43And then what?
08:44One kilo of garlic?
08:45Resort.
08:45So rice.
08:46Definitely rice.
08:47Coffee.
08:48A total of nine kilos of that.
08:50I'm still not very clear when we're going to resupply.
08:52We're trying to decide how much food to bring with us, because we're trying not to overpack.
08:57At the same time, we're not sure when we can resupply.
08:59There's so many unknowns, and that is...
09:02There's so many unknowns.
09:03That is mind-boggling, I think, 30 days.
09:05Stanley had huge pressures against him.
09:08For him, it was about secrecy.
09:09He didn't want the world to realize he was after this great story, the scoop of a lifetime,
09:14to find Livingston.
09:15So he was shopping at night and so on.
09:17We are pressed for time.
09:19For us, huge pressures as well, but for us, it's about time.
09:23Does that want everybody on the side of this boat?
09:24Yeah.
09:25The boat's here.
09:27Take your personal gear first and put it on the boat, secure, and then we'll come back
09:32and download the group gear, okay?
09:33All right.
09:34Right here, right here.
09:36Okay.
09:37Say goodbye to Zanzibar, guys.
09:40Stanley did this in 1871.
09:41I'm sure it was the same as us.
09:43You don't know what to expect over in Bagamoyo.
09:45You just don't know.
09:46Okay, let's turn it and go.
09:48Ready?
09:49Yeah.
09:49One, two, three, Tatu.
09:53Okay, come on.
09:55Bojambili, Tatu.
09:57Bojambili, Tatu.
09:58The best-case scenarios, things are smooth, but we just don't know.
10:01Come on.
10:02Come on.
10:10There we were on the dhow at the start of our great adventure, and it was just one of
10:15those extraordinary moments, seeing Zanzibar behind us, and then ahead of us, Africa, the
10:21great continent.
10:23That, of course, reminded us of all the explorers and pioneers who've been there in the past in
10:27that same position, launching out across the water.
10:38The wind's picking up.
10:39It's as starting to pick up as it comes around there.
10:43We got wind.
10:44We got crosswind.
10:51Then suddenly it all happened.
10:52Sails started flapping, and there was fear in the eyes of the captain.
10:56And so he began ordering us around.
11:05Sails all the way up.
11:07It needs to be down.
11:08We're trying to get this huge mast with this 500-pound canvas sail rolled down to the deck,
11:15and it's absolutely crazy.
11:18We're not even in Bagamoyo yet.
11:20We're going to send this boat over, lose our equipment, maybe drown.
11:36It had been pretty smooth sailing, actually.
11:38All of a sudden, the winds picked up in such a way that it was making it quite dangerous.
11:45None of us had any experience sailing.
11:48Hey!
11:49Put your head.
11:51Yeah.
11:56Hey!
12:01We're at least 100 meters from shore.
12:03Wind's probably blowing 30 miles an hour, and we're grounded.
12:06Water's about four feet deep.
12:07Either we carry our stuff in, or we try to find a small dinghy, a small boat to float our
12:10stuff in.
12:12So do you want to just test the water?
12:14Yeah, go on.
12:19I think we established a depot on the beach.
12:23Got it.
12:24Anybody need me to carry anything else?
12:26No, you're good.
12:27Go.
12:28Bagamoyo was the launching point for expeditions into the heart of Africa.
12:33Bagamoyo means crushed heart in Swahili, because that would be the last place the slaves saw their
12:38homeland before coming to Zanzibar and the slave markets.
12:47There's more stuff over there?
12:48Uh, yeah.
12:49You know what?
12:49There's like three bags left.
12:50Got it.
12:52Let's open and bring it all together and understand Henry Moulton Stanley.
12:57As you all have seen, I've got the first edition of Stanley's How I Found Livingstone.
13:02What I'd like to do, if you all agree, is have us sign this and write something in the front
13:08at this point as we begin our journey.
13:10And then when we finish our journey, we'll write something at the back of the book.
13:14Here's to discovery, adventure, and exploration.
13:17May we sit around many campfires together for life.
13:21Oh, wow.
13:22That's cool.
13:24You like that?
13:25Yeah.
13:25All right.
13:35Okay, we've got coffee and tea over here.
13:36We've got plenty, I think.
13:38You like your tea strong?
13:39Tea, yeah.
13:40Just like it should be.
13:42Strong and English.
13:43Great.
13:44It's a good cup of tea.
13:47Oh.
13:49That wasn't quite the drink I was expecting.
13:53What do you think, the strategy with the porters?
13:55Do you think we let Pasquale sort them out?
13:58Oh, we have a choice?
14:02Having led 30 years of expeditions around the world, I know absolutely one of the most important
14:07things is a head porter. And he is going to be so important for us to be able to communicate
14:13with,
14:13help us with porters, and the logistics of the expedition.
14:18We've sourced a guy named Julius. He's a Tanzanian. He has lots of experience.
14:22How are you?
14:23I'm good. Are you good?
14:24Good.
14:25How are you?
14:25Maria, nice to meet you.
14:27We've also sourced two Maasai warriors that will help us in the defense of our camps,
14:33and hopefully keep the expedition safe.
14:36Hopefully you will improve your Swahil.
14:37Hopefully.
14:38Good.
14:38Maasai, they know how to live with animals, dangerous animals, and that's why I am with
14:44explorers maybe to help them for dangerous animals or some place like dangerous place.
14:51What a great guy, huh?
14:52I love this too.
14:53Yeah.
14:53They're beautiful.
14:54The Maasai are a proud people. Every man is expected to kill a lion with a spear.
15:02So these are the young warriors that we chose to accompany us on this expedition,
15:06because they are so formidable.
15:11So, obviously, welcome to our team.
15:14Hey, Julius. Do you think that we can put together a team that can carry some of this heavy stuff
15:20for 30 days?
15:21Yeah, it's a challenge, but we are ready for that.
15:25That's why you have me.
15:26As a head porter, my responsibility is to lead porters.
15:31Porters are the people who were carrying stuff.
15:36In an expedition like this, you need to have food, water, and even camping equipment.
15:42So we had to carry all this stuff.
15:44Well, there's a ton of porters here.
15:46Attitude is a big important part of this.
15:48I think we're going to see attitude once they get that bag in front of them and have to pick
15:52it up.
15:53We had a bag really weighing the amount that we were proposing to them they would be carrying,
15:59and had each of them put it on their backs and walk.
16:21And his English is good.
16:25Adam?
16:25Adam?
16:26When you're in such a remote part of the world in Tanzania, it is completely unrealistic for
16:31us to come out here and be able to go almost a thousand miles without employing porters.
16:36We have to count that in, but somebody can take that now.
16:40Empty, no?
16:40Yeah.
16:41I don't know.
16:42We've got to carry water.
16:43We could treat water tonight, too.
16:44But are we going to carry the water on our backs?
16:48Water is absolutely the thing of life out here.
16:51I mean, it's my concern that we need at least 60 liters of water.
16:56That's about five liters per person, which is a good amount of water.
17:00Those are empty right now.
17:01Yeah.
17:02So we're crossing the river until we get to our destination.
17:04But what do we do then after our destination?
17:07Do we never travel with water?
17:08I try to tell him, Kevin, let's fill up some water bottles.
17:11No way he was going to fill up water bottles.
17:13Water.
17:14We need, we need to either carry fresh water or...
17:17Yeah.
17:17I'd like to treat it.
17:18I mean, because sooner or later...
17:20Yeah.
17:21Agreed.
17:21But we could treat it.
17:22There's no question Kevin jumps in on things.
17:25He's definitely a decision maker.
17:27Does he make the right decisions?
17:30My first opinion?
17:32No.
17:32We're like three hours behind already, and we just need to communicate.
17:35An expedition is not a democracy.
17:39All right, guys.
17:40Let's just look at these real quickly here.
17:42So now we're heading north up the coast.
17:44Yeah.
17:45For a lot of the expedition, Stanley took the traditional old Arab slave route into the interior.
17:51But he also would deviate from 10 to 150 miles from that route in order to keep his mission absolutely
17:57secret.
17:58And for us, it's going to be the same.
18:00As we head west through the swamps, five, nine, nine and a half miles.
18:06I'm just going to walk through the heat of the day, but apart from that, it's fine.
18:09Our expedition is starting in Bagamoyo.
18:11Our goal is to go 10 miles to the Ruba swamp, and we're going all the way to Ajiji.
18:22So you're going to be at the back, Kevin?
18:24Yeah.
18:26Okay, guys.
18:26Let's go this way, huh?
18:27I think this is too difficult.
18:29Let's go this way.
18:30Back this way.
18:30No, no.
18:31Let's go back this way.
18:34Can you get through there?
18:37All right, let's get through here and go back.
18:39Keep going inland a little bit.
18:47We're in the reed bushes right now.
18:48I got a compass.
18:49I can't see my way, so I just want to make sure that we're going somewhere due north.
18:54Stanley didn't have a GPS.
18:56He did have compasses.
18:57A compass is a circle, a band, and the circle is broken up into 360 degrees.
19:04And each degree represents a unique direction of the compass.
19:08Right there is where we need to go.
19:09So we were heading northwest, which is, I thought, where we were going, because I can't hear the water.
19:14So we're off direction already.
19:16Okay.
19:17Huh?
19:18Using the compass through a forest is absolutely the most difficult there is.
19:23Why?
19:23Because I can't see anything.
19:25I can't see distant landmarks.
19:26In that situation, what I do is I go almost tree to tree.
19:37Where is the scholarly leading us?
19:39I noticed they went that way, and then...
19:41I see feet this way again.
19:44Sure, yeah.
19:45And there's some this way too.
19:47We lost the expedition already.
19:49You better pick it up a bit.
19:51Yeah.
19:52Almost immediately, the swamps of Bagamoyo turned out to be a very, very confusing place.
19:56It's like a labyrinth of vegetation.
20:00Let's go this way.
20:01Just follow this firm.
20:03I was wondering about Pasquale's navigation skills, whether they're up to this or not.
20:07We seem to be all over the place.
20:08I just don't want to keep going on the swamps, huh?
20:11I think we've lost them.
20:22Can I hear Pasqualee?
20:28Scarley, give me a...
20:29Let's show you where we're at here, huh?
20:30Back on 290 now.
20:32How do you know when Ops fits all?
20:33We could very well be, so I thought we would just keep heading this way.
20:37So there we are, day one of the expedition, just a few miles into the journey,
20:41and we've already lost a way.
20:44You know we're missing, don't you?
20:46And suddenly, I realized we'd lost Kevin.
20:50Where is Kevin?
20:52Kevin!
20:54Did he get behind us somehow?
20:56Did he...
20:56Yeah, he was behind us, but he didn't...
20:59He wasn't that far behind us.
21:00He's gonna naturally hit north, I think.
21:03Because Pasqualee's just off and running.
21:07Kevin's gone.
21:08This is the last guy you want lost out here, the one with the least experience.
21:12He's gonna panic, he's gonna overreact, and that is the last thing
21:16that you can do in a situation like that.
21:26We've also now realized that we've lost Kevin.
21:29Lost Kevin?
21:30Yeah, we really have lost Kevin.
21:33Wow.
21:33Did he get behind us somehow?
21:34Did he...
21:37Mangrove this thick, we should be moving very slowly.
21:41Waiting for the last team member.
21:43So there's Maasai with him, there's...
21:45At least one porter in Maasai with him.
21:48You don't see him in there at all?
21:50Nothing back there?
21:50Okay.
21:52I may just give a whistle or go in there, send the Maasai in there.
22:01He's heading, he's gonna naturally head north, I think.
22:03Yeah, that's stay in the same direction.
22:05We're heading in that direction.
22:09Can you hear me?
22:13We should try and get closer to Kevin if he's heading that way.
22:17Kevin!
22:22Looks like we found our missing explorer.
22:25Perfect coordination.
22:26No.
22:27This way.
22:28All right.
22:28You get into that mangrove swamp and you guys can't even see back at us.
22:31No, not at all.
22:32We're gonna have to be much more disciplined and keep tighter together
22:35and work as a sort of platoon, an army outfit.
22:41The river, I think, is here, huh?
22:43The river's over here.
22:44You want to give him five minutes here?
22:46Yeah.
22:46Let's give him five minutes.
22:47Five minutes break.
22:47Five minutes, huh?
22:48This is not the river.
22:50The river is actually on the other side.
22:52I bet you 10 to 1 when the tide finishes going out that this may even be empty, huh?
22:57It could be a muddy, nasty creek.
22:58A muddy little, nasty little creek.
22:59I think that whether, even if we don't get to this target,
23:03I think we've got to just make camp in daylight today.
23:06Yeah.
23:06We've just got to get back control.
23:08Yeah.
23:08Did we get them water because they're asking for water?
23:10I know.
23:11Uh, we have, uh, our canteens are empty.
23:13Yeah.
23:14I'm really frustrated because I was vetoed on the water situation 15 times in Bags Moyo.
23:20Now, is there a place anywhere along there we can get them water?
23:23No.
23:24We have no water.
23:25Yeah.
23:25We took off without water.
23:28It was a stupid, I was completely opposed to it.
23:31We got there, we had a water disaster.
23:33I was pissed off because I told Kevin we need to fill up water.
23:37This is like a critically dangerous situation.
23:40We've got 16, 20 people out here without water.
23:43Yeah, there's a bomb.
23:43Yeah.
23:44So that's probably a whale.
23:45Yeah.
23:46Should I take Ramadan and just see if there's water there?
23:48Okay.
23:49Yeah.
23:49Water is the ultimate concern, you know?
23:52And you'd think, right, but you're surrounded by water.
23:54But the problem is, is that water isn't usable to us.
23:57The water comes inland from the ocean.
24:00So it's salt water.
24:01We can't drink that.
24:02And that's what Stanley faced during his expeditions.
24:18Hopefully, we're going to be okay here.
24:22Hopefully, Kevin should get water back to us soon.
24:29Kevin!
24:31The man of the moment.
24:36I'm coming.
24:37Yeah.
24:38It's delicious.
24:39Water's got to be first.
24:40I'm not leaving this camp without water.
24:41We learned on the first day.
24:43So yeah, we got to be really careful not to do that one again.
24:46Let's kind of, you know, make a pledge on this.
24:48We don't go without 60 liters, right?
24:52It's a safety margin.
24:53I just don't want to end up in that situation again, okay?
24:57We should have had water when left.
24:59But people convinced that it was going to be clear water rivers along the way.
25:05And I just, there are no clear water rivers in Africa, hardly.
25:08We were in too big a hurry to get out.
25:21We're in too big a hurry.
25:30Oh my gosh.
25:33What?
25:34There's a spitting cobra.
25:39This is so exciting.
25:40Camp is right over here.
25:43I think it's the most beautiful of the cobras.
25:45It's certainly one of the most dangerous of the cobras.
25:47They can spit with phenomenal precision.
25:50It lifts its body two-thirds of the way up before aiming right at the eyes.
25:57At night, these guys are looking for a warm place to sleep,
26:00and our tarps are very comfortable places for them to burrow into.
26:05You guys, right over there, there's a spitting cobra.
26:08Oh, my God.
26:08Yeah, a spitting cobra. It was beautiful.
26:10And it's, you know, it doesn't spit, but it's sprayed a whole lot.
26:14It goes for the eyes.
26:15It's not necrotoxic.
26:16It goes for the eyes.
26:17If you don't wash them out right away with water or milk,
26:20permanent blindness.
26:21Like, it's not pretty.
26:23Tell me when you see one.
26:24It's very easy to get distracted by the beautiful landscape,
26:27but at all times, you've got to be aware that these guys
26:30could be right next to you, and you're just not seeing them.
26:36So, we're at this.
26:38We're at the first of these tidal creeks.
26:40So, we're going to cross the Ruvu River,
26:41and then at that point, then we're going through the swamps.
26:44Is it all mangrove swamp today?
26:46Except for the last mile.
26:49So, I figure we got four-ish miles.
26:52Pascal, this is a son.
26:54He's a fisherman.
26:56He was just trying to explain.
26:58This kind of water, rather than to cross the Ruvu,
27:02it's very dangerous for croquets.
27:04So, there are lots of crocodiles at the Ruvu,
27:07and we need to cross this river during the nesting season of all times
27:11when crocs are at their most aggressive.
27:15All right, guys.
27:16You ready?
27:16Let's go.
27:17Do it down.
27:26Water's hot, huh, guys?
27:30I think it was a couple days after Stanley left Bagamoyo,
27:33where, I mean, initially, he's enthralled with Africa.
27:37He's like a kid in a candy shop.
27:38It doesn't take very long for that to go away,
27:41for the harsh realities of Africa to set in.
27:43And they set in quickly, and it's the same thing with us.
27:48Oof.
27:51This is the Ruvu.
27:52The Ruvu.
27:53This is the Ruvu.
27:53How many crocodiles does the Ruvu have?
27:55Hundreds.
27:56All right, let's get up here and get the river crossing done.
28:01Wow, that's a lot bigger than I thought it was.
28:04I don't know, for some reason, I didn't think it was this big.
28:06This river's too deep to cross, right?
28:08Yes, yes.
28:09It's a too, too big a river.
28:10Well, let's get up here.
28:11Let's try to get a canoe, huh?
28:12Right.
28:13Is there a boat up here?
28:14Salam alaykum.
28:15Salam alaykum.
28:16He wants to talk about crossing.
28:17No, just explain to him about it.
28:19He's willing to.
28:20He's willing to help us with the canoes.
28:21Yes.
28:22You know, crocs are a really big problem here for the villagers.
28:24Villagers need the water near where they live
28:27for washing and cleaning and to drink.
28:31And oftentimes, they go down to the river's edge
28:33and get eaten by a croc.
28:35This is quite a good crocodile country, isn't it?
28:37They like it with smirky water.
28:43Everybody, listen up for a second.
28:45We're going to load the canoes one person at a time.
28:48Who amongst you can swim?
28:51Raise your hand.
28:55Not very many.
28:56Don't stand up in the canoe, OK?
28:58We don't want you to tip over the canoe.
29:01You ready, guys?
29:01Ready?
29:05There's two dangers here.
29:07One is that there are crocodiles.
29:09And second is that there's a real risk of drowning,
29:12partly because these canoes are just dugout canoes,
29:15not very stable.
29:16And secondly, the porters largely can't swim.
29:24Careful.
29:26Yeah.
29:29OK, master.
29:33Come on, master.
29:45OK, master, OK, whoa.
29:52Well done, then.
29:53I'm impressed.
29:56OK, guys.
29:57Go on, dear.
30:00Oh, here we go.
30:02Is it mud?
30:05Uh, yeah, I would say that.
30:07Like this side.
30:09Trekking through mud, the worst mud you can imagine,
30:12up to our knees.
30:13It's 110 degrees.
30:15We have packs that weigh way too much.
30:17And we're trying to go perfectly straight
30:19just on a compass needle.
30:21Let me make some steps.
30:22You guys try to follow me in my steps, all right?
30:24I'm going to kick steps in the mud.
30:25And I'm doing everything I can to keep this course straight
30:29because otherwise, at the other end of that trek,
30:31I will never find what we're going to find.
30:35Oh, Lord.
30:38Yeah.
30:39I'm not sure they're going to be able to make that.
30:41Yeah, this stuff just sucks you down.
30:43If you're carrying 20 kilos on your back,
30:45you're going to sink really deep.
30:47Guys, come down this way, OK?
30:49Yeah.
30:49This is the thickest, thickest of something yet.
30:54I got you a load.
30:55I got you a load.
30:56Oh!
30:57Woo!
30:58That was no fun.
31:01Yeah.
31:02Cool, man.
31:03OK, here we go.
31:03It's a very fearful leader.
31:09Pasqualee, will you agree we pull over and forward?
31:11No, no, hold on a second.
31:12Let's go to drag us.
31:14This habitat, the mangrove swamp,
31:17is just about the worst possible environment for a camp.
31:21But part of the reason for that is this is totally uninhabitable
31:24because this is a flooded area.
31:26I'm glad when we get out of this muck for good.
31:28Yeah.
31:29And soon the tide is going to be rising
31:31and water's going to start creeping in.
31:33And it's not a place you can escape quickly.
31:36So if we're caught here,
31:37it's a secretion of climbing trees
31:39and waiting till the tide goes down again.
31:45This is the turn, Julius.
31:48Right here is the turn, huh?
31:52This is better, huh?
31:53Yeah.
31:54It's good to get out of that sucking mud.
31:56We've got to keep on, uh, keep the pace up.
31:59I'm liking this.
32:00Yeah, this is nice.
32:02Hey, give me this map.
32:04I'd like to get up into here.
32:06You see, if we veer it this way...
32:09The problem is that we're going to take, uh,
32:11one, two, five hours to get there.
32:13Oh, Lord, really?
32:15Well, this is the deal.
32:16Well, no, that's exactly it.
32:16Exactly, no, exactly it.
32:17My vote is, um,
32:20start looking for camp at one hour
32:23and go no further than two hours.
32:24Will we find something this nice,
32:25maybe an hour?
32:26You guys, there's no indication
32:28that there's anything like this
32:29which we know will work
32:30anywhere up there.
32:32We've found this great camp.
32:34There's a river right next to us.
32:36There's places that we can set up shelter.
32:37We're under trees.
32:39This is the place where we need to camp,
32:41and Pasquale just wants to keep going.
32:43We're still not going to reach
32:44where we want to go,
32:45so why don't we just take advantage
32:46of the fact that we can set up camp early?
32:49You have to know how to lead,
32:50and you have to know when to follow.
32:52That's my big thing,
32:53and, you know, right now,
32:54this is not the situation to follow.
32:56We need to camp here
32:56despite what Pasquale wants to do.
32:58Right, right, so I vote we stay here
33:01for a lot of reasons.
33:02If you feel strongly, that's fine.
33:04We'll camp here and, um,
33:05get up properly tomorrow
33:07and leave,
33:08as Stanley did at 6 in the morning,
33:10and none of this 10 o'clock rubbish tomorrow.
33:12I think the fellows will be happy about this.
33:14Yeah.
33:14Yeah.
33:14All right, is there any problem
33:15with, uh, snake issues or anything like that?
33:17No, these are just all termite mounds,
33:18is all these are.
33:19This is fine.
33:20Yeah, no.
33:21Good camping site.
33:21Termite mounds are fine.
33:23All right, I'm going to get my guys tarping out.
33:24We just sent that over there.
33:25I, uh...
33:26You can eat those.
33:26I knocked one over there.
33:28I didn't think they were termites,
33:29but I thought they were termites.
33:30I didn't eat them.
33:31Did you just eat that?
33:32Yeah.
33:32Did they come up?
33:32Really?
33:33Yeah, have a nibble.
33:35At first sight,
33:36it seems absolutely ridiculous
33:37camping where there are termites
33:39and ants and so on,
33:41but the great thing about termites
33:42is that they don't like water
33:43any more than we do.
33:45That's a big dart.
33:46That's a big dart.
33:47Yeah, it's nice.
33:48And it means that
33:49although we're so close
33:52to a tidal river,
33:53we stand a very good chance
33:54of not being flooded ourselves.
34:00What I generally do then
34:01is I generally come to camp,
34:02I lay down,
34:03and I lay down on my thing
34:04and start reading a book
34:05because I haven't worked
34:05in my journal the whole trip.
34:07You know what I mean?
34:07I was thinking the same thing.
34:09I really wanted to keep
34:10a very detailed journal.
34:12Like Stanley,
34:13I'm a war correspondent
34:14and probably the most important
34:15aspect of my job
34:17is to be a bridge
34:17for other people
34:18to see other cultures.
34:21And like Stanley,
34:22I'm keeping the journal
34:23on this journey,
34:24but unlike Stanley,
34:26I'm videotaping them.
34:28We're day two
34:29into this journey so far,
34:31and today I have to say
34:32it was a tough one.
34:33We had to cross the actual river,
34:34which was filled with crocodiles.
34:37It's kind of interesting.
34:38Stanley had his own experience
34:39with a crocodile
34:40where he went down
34:41to the banks of the river,
34:42and just as he was about
34:43to go for a swim,
34:45a crocodile lunged out
34:46and snapped at him,
34:47and his reactions
34:49were fast enough
34:49he was able to pull out
34:50and not get bit.
34:52We're not doing it
34:53exactly like he did it,
34:54but we're doing it close enough
34:56that we relive
34:57some of that history.
35:06Water's pending, guys.
35:07We're critical with water.
35:09So I figure we got
35:10about 20 liters
35:11of carried water
35:12besides what's on us.
35:13And we went through 80.
35:1580, probably close to 80 yesterday.
35:17That's a pretty dire situation.
35:19Is everyone drinking,
35:21you know, pacing themselves,
35:22drinking a little bit at a time
35:24so that we don't run
35:25through the water very quickly?
35:27Yeah, I've been explaining
35:28them this week.
35:29But are they doing it?
35:30Have they been doing it, though?
35:31Yeah.
35:32Yeah?
35:33No, we didn't have it.
35:34It was more water,
35:36but they tried.
35:37Where do we think
35:38the next definite water is?
35:40Don't know.
35:41Don't know.
35:41If there isn't water,
35:43then we totally dehydrate.
35:44This is the first time
35:46that I've been scared
35:46this entire expedition.
35:48Water is a huge issue.
35:50You have to keep drinking
35:51or you could die.
35:53I mean, you could end up
35:54dead from dehydration.
36:02You know, let's really put out
36:04today and let's push
36:05to right here.
36:06And if we reach right here,
36:07we could probably get water
36:09there tonight.
36:10See, this is the deal.
36:11We're walking the thing.
36:12Here it is.
36:14So we've still got to walk
36:16on this track.
36:16We've still got to walk
36:17another quarter mile.
36:19Then we need to turn 220
36:21and we can go to the southwest.
36:23So how are we going to estimate
36:24that distance with our journey?
36:26I'm going to step it off.
36:27Yeah, we'll pace it off.
36:281,750 steps per mile,
36:30my steps per mile.
36:31What the SES do is that
36:32everyone does it silently
36:33to themselves.
36:34Yeah, that's right.
36:34And you all compare at the end
36:36of the day.
36:37Yeah.
36:38She doesn't know exactly
36:39what her step is.
36:40She doesn't know exactly
36:41what her step is.
36:42My step is.
36:43Well, ask Maria.
36:44Maybe Maria doesn't make
36:45these assumptions.
36:46Do you know what your step is?
36:47Yeah, I do, actually.
36:49Okay.
36:49What's your step?
36:49But I'm not sure
36:50why you would assume that.
36:51It's just a bizarre comment.
36:53You know, I know exactly
36:54and you won't,
36:55so I'll just do it.
36:55My apologies, Maria.
36:57Pasquale seems to be
36:58treating me like I'm
37:00this little girl out here
37:01who doesn't have any experience,
37:02who can't possibly handle
37:05the simplest of tasks.
37:06And it's getting so annoying.
37:08It's like when you make a comment
37:09that flat out, you know,
37:11I'll just do it
37:12because you obviously
37:13haven't done it.
37:14I just wish you'd ask me
37:14because I do have experience
37:15doing that.
37:17I could grab that compass
37:18from him and lead us
37:19to where we're going,
37:20but it's about respect.
37:21You know, I don't want him
37:22to see me as a girl out here.
37:23I want him to see me
37:24as an explorer.
37:26Okay, guys.
37:28Here we go.
37:30Why don't we just go around?
37:32Should we do that?
37:33Yeah.
37:37Why don't we stick to the riverbank
37:38because that's where
37:39the line is anyway?
37:42Isn't that just a waste of energy?
37:44Are we cutting back that way?
37:45I have a route.
37:46I have a map
37:47with a route on it.
37:48Yeah, I know you have,
37:49but we also know
37:51that we have a sure
37:52navigational aid in the river.
37:5916, could you do me
38:00a big favor?
38:01Yeah.
38:01If I could tell you 100,
38:02could you just keep track of it?
38:03Aspoli?
38:04Yeah?
38:04How are we doing
38:05on the bearing?
38:06Good.
38:06We're perfect
38:07on the bearing, dude.
38:08How can you take
38:09a bearing in this?
38:11Well, I got a compass bearing.
38:13I just keep on the compass bearing
38:15where I can't see ahead of me.
38:16Yeah, baby.
38:19We'll stay in the tufts, eh?
38:23To be absolutely honest,
38:25I'm just a bit frustrated
38:26because we'll be going
38:27through very, very tiring
38:29back mangrove swamps.
38:30I don't think it's necessary.
38:32We've got a very clear
38:32navigational aid,
38:33which is the river.
38:34We don't want to follow
38:35every meander of it,
38:35but it's looking like
38:37much better, drier going
38:39along the riverbank.
38:42So, can I make a suggestion
38:43when we tack back to the river?
38:45Well, let's carry this
38:46tack a little bit further,
38:47I think, and then we'll...
38:50These are just the back swamps.
38:52Yep.
38:53Can I make a suggestion
38:53that we head south to the river?
38:59Yeah, good suggestion.
39:01What do you think?
39:02Yeah, it is a good suggestion,
39:03but I think if we go ahead
39:04and head this way,
39:05we'll catch these next
39:06two drainages,
39:07and then hopefully
39:08it'll start clearing up
39:08a little more.
39:09Okay?
39:09You know what I mean, though?
39:10This is like a back swamp.
39:13You know, the hardest thing
39:15about leading an expedition
39:16is biting your tongue
39:19because everybody thinks
39:21they know how to lead
39:21an expedition.
39:22It's like going grocery shopping.
39:25Are you counting steps?
39:27Yep.
39:28All right.
39:31Okay, this way.
39:33And it's really
39:34so much more complicated
39:36than that.
39:36It's so much more difficult,
39:37especially when you're
39:38in an inhospitable land
39:39like Africa
39:41where anything and everything
39:42can go wrong.
39:45This is impossible.
39:46Yeah, hold on.
39:47It's unbredential over here.
39:50Can I suggest we tack
39:52just 10 meters that way?
39:55Hold on.
39:56Let me just look, huh?
39:59Yeah, I think around to the
40:02right, just around there,
40:04just to make a little bit
40:04of headway.
40:06I think it's going to have
40:06to zigzag, you know?
40:07Yeah, we are.
40:08We're zigzagging plenty, dude.
40:09I know, but we've got to be
40:11pragmatic about it
40:12and just bend with the vegetation.
40:15Just not bad.
40:17The same.
40:18No.
40:19But here.
40:20So just come on with me.
40:21Just come on behind me.
40:22Why?
40:23And then it's going to open up
40:24over here a little way.
40:25Completely open right here.
40:27It's going to open up here.
40:29I think we just have to go
40:29with the flow.
40:31You know, there might be
40:32one through here, too.
40:33Right here.
40:33I'm through here.
40:35You're through?
40:36Hold on, hold on.
40:36There's a trail here, too.
40:39I came through.
40:40Yep.
40:41Oh, yeah.
40:42Is it completely open?
40:43Yeah.
40:44All right, hold on a second.
40:45Let's go that way, then.
40:47I'm not sure how long
40:48it goes this way.
40:58The problem with Pasquale
40:59is that he's like
41:00a loose cannon out here.
41:02And loose cannons
41:03make dangerous decisions.
41:05You can't just blunder
41:07your way through Africa
41:08and think you're going to be okay.
41:10I'd say we should try to bear,
41:13keep on our bearing,
41:13otherwise I'm losing track now.
41:16Right, that's what I'm worried about.
41:17If I'm starting to lose track
41:18and get high ground
41:19so we can make a better time,
41:20and then I can at least start
41:21to go get back on trail
41:22and find out where we're at.
41:23Because right now,
41:24we don't know.
41:24We're all of a sudden
41:25with 12 different directions.
41:27Now I'm lost.
41:28I'm not lost,
41:29but we've got to get lost.
41:31So let's do this.
41:32Yeah, that scares me.
41:33If you say we're lost.
41:34We're not lost,
41:35but what I'm saying
41:36is that with people
41:3712 different directions,
41:38let me go ahead
41:39and keep my wits about me
41:40without 27 people trying to...
41:42No, you're not here
41:43what I'm saying.
41:43I just can't believe
41:44how much time and energy
41:46is spent on getting lost,
41:48on arguing with one another,
41:50on just trying to make
41:51the simplest of decisions.
41:52The only thing I'm asking,
41:53and this is the one thing
41:54I wanted an agreement on,
41:55are you going to take me
41:56an hour away from the water source?
41:57You know, that's the only thing
41:58I'm asking.
41:59No, no, no, no.
41:59Look, the original plan
42:00was I want to touch that river.
42:02That was my original plan
42:03to get the water source.
42:04Now why would I change that?
42:06Guys, you know,
42:06let me guys tell you guys something.
42:09Navigating by committing democracy
42:11is getting really hard.
42:13It's a question of being inclusive.
42:14I agree it's simply inclusive,
42:15but I look and say,
42:16this is the way we're going,
42:17we have these options,
42:18but Navigating by democracy
42:19is getting tough.
42:20And we all agreed
42:21that we weren't going to let
42:22what happened happen
42:23on the first day,
42:24that we don't get more
42:25than an hour away
42:25from the water source,
42:26so at least we can get water.
42:28Can we...
42:29No, can we at least agree on that?
42:30A sensible compromise,
42:31which would be...
42:32Leave everyone here.
42:33Why don't one of us
42:34go ahead with one Maasai
42:35and just very, very quickly
42:37go out there.
42:38The Maasai will have to get back.
42:40Guys, one of the Maasai,
42:41come with me.
42:42Okay, enough.
42:42That's good.
42:43I'll go with one of the Maasai.
42:45And one other of us.
42:46And I'll call ahead
42:46and we'll call ahead.
42:47And one of the other of us.
42:48Come on with me.
42:49And then, of course,
42:50everybody starts talking.
42:52Everybody's got their opinion
42:53of which way we should go,
42:55how we should do it.
42:56And here we are early on
42:57and already this thing's
42:58starting to fray.
42:59And it's a dangerous situation
43:00because we are well into the swamp.
43:02There's no turning back
43:03out of the swamp.
43:04So we either find out
43:05how we're going to get
43:06across this thing,
43:07make the right decisions,
43:08or we sleep in the swamp.
43:10Pasquale?
43:11Come on through.
43:12Go through?
43:13Yeah, go through.
43:24I'm not saying, you know,
43:25you've got to find a solution to this,
43:27but we can't travel without water.
43:28I mean, we did that before
43:29and then just shut us down completely.
43:32There's different rays of light
43:34coming from different directions,
43:35and I think that we're going
43:36to find openings.
43:38You think it's good?
43:38Yeah, I do.
43:41It just looks like it's open
43:42over there, doesn't it?
43:46Yeah, you know what?
43:47There's good trail up here.
43:49Good job.
43:50We've just found a spot.
43:52I went up ahead over here,
43:54and it looks like the trail
43:56is actually quite good
43:57relative to everything else.
43:59So I think it's time
44:01that we get the guys together.
44:03So is it okay
44:04if we send one of the Maasai back?
44:07Ah, here we are.
44:10Maasai returns.
44:11Yeah, good.
44:12Any luck?
44:13Yeah, 20, 20, 20.
44:14Wee.
44:15Yeah.
44:16So what's it like?
44:18Is it open?
44:19Yeah, it's open.
44:20A little bit.
44:21A little bit?
44:21Yeah.
44:22Yeah.
44:23Maybe we can go to Yutara.
44:52Oh, God.
44:53No, this was the right decision.
44:55This will get the porters
44:56through easily.
44:56It'll make the journey easier.
44:58We've got to reassure Kevin
44:59that we're not going to run out of water.
45:01We're going to be all right.
45:02I'm not sure how far down we are.
45:02But we can't have the river on the leash,
45:04and we have to.
45:05I mean, that's what makes us
45:07more than tourists, right?
45:08We're explorers.
45:10There's just, there's no choice.
45:11Are we going to head back?
45:12Might as well head back to Sanzibar,
45:14then.
45:14There's lots of water there.
45:15I'm agreeing with Pasquale
45:16because I actually think he's right.
45:18You know, everybody takes a jab
45:19at him every once in a while,
45:21but the fact is,
45:22I think that his decision to leave,
45:23everybody behind and go up ahead
45:25and try and find a better path
45:26is better than returning
45:28to the safety of the river.
45:29I kind of wish he was like this
45:31all the time because then
45:31I could agree with him more.
45:33But, yeah, I like this Pasquale.
45:37All right, everybody ready?
45:39To end date!
45:41To end date!
45:42To end date!
45:51It's beautiful out here.
45:52Nice to be out of that lodge.
45:53It's too quickly.
45:57Keeping space.
46:00Fine, Leah.
46:02We struggle out of these swamps
46:04at last.
46:06Africa
46:07right out there,
46:09reaching beyond the horizon
46:11to the west
46:13and realise
46:14that we've only covered
46:15nine miles.
46:17We've got 940 to go.
46:20How are we going to cope?
46:22How are we going to manage
46:24with so many porters,
46:26so much luggage
46:28and so little ability
46:29so far
46:30to show that we can make it
46:31really as a team?
46:41Next time
46:42on Expedition...
46:43Slow down!
46:44What about you
46:45going in trunks?
46:46No, no, no.
46:47It's under control, dude.
46:48He just takes charge
46:49in such a way
46:50that you want to take charge back.
46:51I will never not
46:52push on an expedition.
46:54We know where we're going.
46:54Come on, Twendi.
46:56We've got a porter down.
46:57How serious is it?
46:58Serious.
46:59The expedition comes first.
47:06The expedition comes first.
47:09all those soldiers
47:10We've gotchas
47:11to discover
47:11could then see
47:11to be a brother!
47:12She's seen
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