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Expedition Africa
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TravelTranscript
00:01Previously on Expedition...
00:04It doesn't take very long for the harsh realities of Africa to set in.
00:08Come on, that's done.
00:10Give me that med kick quick, guys.
00:11I will never not push on an expedition.
00:14Pascuali?
00:14Yeah?
00:15We know where we're going. Come on.
00:16Twenty.
00:18You know there are things at home in that environment
00:21and that you're sort of walking into a trap.
00:24I don't want to get caught out of here. Seriously, it's fine.
00:28Do you think Pascuali knows where we're going now?
00:30No.
00:31Hey, dude, don't keep telling me which way to go, guys.
00:34I know where I'm going.
00:35Oh, God.
00:37And now on Expedition...
00:38The minute it starts raining, you find yourself no longer tracking,
00:41but suddenly surviving.
00:43Until you've taken a teammate that you love
00:45and wrapped their body in a tarp,
00:47then you don't understand it.
00:53When the world's greatest explorer, Dr. David Livingston,
00:57vanished deep in the heart of uncharted Africa,
01:00a young journalist, Henry Morton Stanley,
01:03began a desperate search that would become
01:05one of the greatest adventures of all time.
01:09Now, using only a compass and basic maps,
01:11four modern-day explorers are on a quest to relive
01:15the most grueling parts of Stanley's 970-mile journey
01:18to find Dr. Livingston.
01:29it새.
01:48It's starting to sprinkle.
01:56for you guys.
01:57We've got out of the Makata Plain just in time.
01:59We're lucky to get out of Makata Plain.
02:00Yeah.
02:01Because these cigars, it looks like from the sand,
02:03these cigars probably rock.
02:05I would say it's more rock than mud up there.
02:06It looks so dry though, doesn't it?
02:08I think we'd be lucky if we had this rain up there.
02:10I wouldn't be lucky, I don't like rain anywhere.
02:13Any expedition, I don't like rain.
02:14We've got a ticking clock
02:16because if the rainy season catches up to us,
02:19it may cost us the rest of the expedition.
02:28We're lucky to stop raining.
02:29So let's take a look at this map.
02:32See what's in store for us here.
02:34If you look at the distances,
02:36we've covered about a quarter of the distance
02:38of our expedition.
02:40Just imagine that, what we've been through.
02:41Uh-huh.
02:43For Stanley, coming into the cigarros
02:45was the point of no return for the expedition.
02:47Stanley decided this was his do or die.
02:50If he got through the cigarros,
02:51he wasn't going to turn back.
02:52He was only going to go forward.
02:54So basically, we are right here.
02:56But it does look like, you know,
02:58we've got about five miles to the pass at 4,900 feet.
03:01We've got some elevation tomorrow.
03:03We do.
03:03We've got to think about resupply
03:05because we're pretty well out of one of our essentials.
03:09How far to the first village, then?
03:11It looks like it's a small village right here.
03:14Looks like a camp.
03:15We should probably get some provisions.
03:17Another thing to think about here, too,
03:19it's not a straight line,
03:20and there's no compass coordinates on it,
03:22which means that we really can't.
03:23We're going to need a local guide.
03:24We're going to need a local guide.
03:26When I start getting to the mountains,
03:27I can no longer use that compass bearing
03:29because the trail is just weaving all over the place,
03:31and there's hundreds of trails.
03:33In that instance, a lot of times what I'll do is
03:35I'll ask directions from a local or get a local guide.
03:37Everybody ready?
03:39Yeah.
03:40All the early explorers used a guy named C.D. Bombay,
03:43who was a local Tanzanian.
03:44He was their main man, their head porter, their guide.
03:51Can we look at these trees?
03:52I know we're moving, but...
03:54You know, it's...
03:55Oh, they're just a part of the group.
03:57Sorry for Squally.
03:57It's just such a sight, isn't it?
03:59What are they?
04:00The euphobia.
04:01Yeah, it's euphobia.
04:04Look at this latex.
04:07This white sap pouring out of this tree.
04:09It looks poisonous, and it sure is poisonous.
04:14You can get into trouble if you put a bit of meat on,
04:17you try and roast that meat over a fire using this wood,
04:20then that wood will poison the meat.
04:24This euphobia is a prime example of why it's important
04:28to smell the trees, take in the environment,
04:31and spend time moving through it so that you can get to know it
04:33and see it as less of a threat and more like a friend.
04:37Okay, duende.
04:42Jesus Christ.
04:44Guys, I know it's beautiful, life's good,
04:46but, you know, we can't keep going off our bearing.
04:50Throughout the expedition, we've had to hold up
04:52for five minutes here, ten minutes here,
04:53to constantly stop the expedition.
04:55Can we look at these sausage trees?
04:57I know they keep moving, but...
04:59Because of the need of Benedict to dawdle.
05:03Sorry for a squally, it's just such a sight, isn't it?
05:05What are they?
05:06Sausage tree.
05:07It's, uh, they're fruity bodies,
05:09but unfortunately they're useless.
05:11You can't eat them.
05:12You can't use them as a gourd.
05:13They look great, don't they?
05:14All right, let's go.
05:16Yeah, yeah, yeah.
05:19Stanley had pushed so hard through the Makata Plains
05:22that it really became a situation
05:24where his men really started to hate him at that point,
05:27both the porters and his white compatriots.
05:29And there was almost a mutiny.
05:31In fact, one of Stanley's own compatriots, Shaw,
05:35actually tried to shoot Stanley in his own tent.
05:38So it was a difficult time, a turning point for Stanley,
05:41and I wonder if it's gonna be the same for us.
05:46Okay, it's steep up here.
05:49Together we shall climb.
05:51Hey, you know, here's a local.
05:53Let's see if he knows the way.
05:55Hujambo.
05:56Hujambo.
05:57Hey, Hujambo.
05:58Ask him if he lives here.
06:00Where is he?
06:01Hey, he lives here.
06:03Would he mind helping just guide us through this part
06:05where we don't know where we're going?
06:07Hmm?
06:07What do you want to go?
06:08We'll go to the other side.
06:10Okay, Santa.
06:13And he knows exactly, right?
06:15He won't get us lost in the mountains.
06:16No.
06:17Do you know where we're going?
06:18Yes.
06:24I just felt some drops.
06:26Me too.
06:27Yeah, I'm gonna have to scrabble for kindling in a sec.
06:31Usually it starts with big winds.
06:33It's not the wind I'm worried about.
06:37It's gonna pour here in about...
06:39Okay, I'm gonna stop and get kindling.
06:41Yeah, it's gonna pour in about three minutes.
06:42Yeah, I just have to get kindling because about a fire
06:44we're gonna shiver away on the mountainside.
06:47In any survival situation, you've got to try and remain dry.
06:51If your clothes get wet, you're in trouble.
06:54You need fire to warm yourself up.
06:56So I'm gathering kindling before the downpour.
07:00Otherwise, we're not gonna get a fire.
07:05It's getting chillier already.
07:06Cold as cold as we call it.
07:08Does anybody want to get their rain gear out?
07:10What about our guys?
07:11I don't think they have anything.
07:13We did notice when we were going through the cigars,
07:15a lot of our pourers didn't have rain gear.
07:16We are very concerned about those things.
07:18Should we secure a tarp and just put our stuff under it now?
07:22Um...
07:22And just see if we can brace ourselves for this?
07:24I'm afraid it's gonna come down.
07:25Probably it's gonna pour here just shortly.
07:27And they got nothing to keep them dry.
07:29Yeah, the winds are coming now.
07:29The winds will start coming.
07:30Does that mean we can just wait it out for a little bit?
07:32I want to make sure that we're gonna take care of our guys,
07:35so that means getting up a rain shelter as quickly as I can.
07:38So what we've done is we've pulled the tarp,
07:40we've piled all the gear in one center pile.
07:42We're all just gonna get under it and just take shelter
07:44and kind of wait out the rain strong here.
07:47Is there enough room under here?
07:49Everybody grabbing in for a second?
07:50I think this is gonna be more than a small shower.
07:53I think we're gonna get stuck here because it's getting late.
07:56We've got a major rainstorm blowing in.
07:58You can see the big black clouds,
07:59and the question we have now is do we continue on
08:01and just try to get to camp,
08:03or do we go ahead and bundle down here,
08:05maybe let the heavy of the rain pass?
08:07All right, I just want to make sure
08:08that there's enough room for everybody.
08:10None of our bags are waterproof,
08:11so everything will get soaked in there.
08:15It just feels funny to stop now when it's not raining yet,
08:18and then be stuck here.
08:20That's the problem.
08:20Let's get the rest of the backpacks under there.
08:23Mariah thinks it's a mistake.
08:24We should go on.
08:25Guys, give me your package.
08:26We can get these under there.
08:27I think here in the Sagara Mountains,
08:29we don't have the luxury of time to wait for the rains.
08:33We need to race through here.
08:35We need to get to a camp and try and beat these rains.
08:43Hold it down, guys.
08:45Hold it down.
08:45You're going to get some big wind here.
08:49The minute it starts raining,
08:51you find yourself no longer trekking,
08:52but suddenly surviving.
08:54Let's break this out for a second.
08:56I feel like we should push through.
08:57I don't know, man.
08:58Look at this scene coming in through here.
09:00Once this stuff gets wet, they're going to be cold.
09:02I didn't realize that.
09:03If we get stuck out here,
09:05it'd basically be impossible to camp.
09:07I'm just saying we're going to be here a long time.
09:09That's all.
09:09Yeah, we might have to be here.
09:10We might be staying here.
09:11Well, let's see what happens.
09:12We need to get dark.
09:13We have no light.
09:14You're completely exposed.
09:16You can't set anything up.
09:18The terrain is muddy.
09:19You just can't do it.
09:20You can't even start a fire out here.
09:21We're going to get stuck here,
09:23because it's getting late.
09:23I mean, it'd just be a dire situation.
09:38It's a little bit crowded in there.
09:39I mean, we're going to keep the gear dry
09:40and the guys that don't have any rain gear at all.
09:44Let's get out of here after that.
09:45As soon as it lightens up, let's take off, let's take off.
09:49That's what my fear was.
09:51We were hurting for water before.
09:55Now, I don't know which is worse.
09:59I wonder if this is the beginning of rains.
10:02Well, they say it's building ports from the west.
10:04Seemed like it. Seemed like it.
10:06Once the rainy season begins, it just doesn't stop.
10:09The rain doesn't let up.
10:11It's 24-7 rain, or at the very least, rain all day
10:15with tiny little spurts of dry moments,
10:18but never sunshine and never dry enough
10:21that you actually dry out or that anything else dries out.
10:24Really, there's nothing worse than an expedition
10:27during the rainy season.
10:33Squally!
10:34It looks like it's clearing over that winter.
10:36Yeah, it is.
10:36Okay, guys, come on out.
10:38Ready?
10:38That was totally the right call, though, you guys.
10:42I was very impressed with Calvin,
10:45because he had just a great idea.
10:49The rain stopped and we are all dry.
10:53Cap, what do you think, dude?
10:54Yeah, it feels good.
10:55Want to try to get it?
10:56Cap?
10:56It's important that the firewood stays dry.
10:58We've got maybe two hours tops of daylight.
11:01We've really got to get going.
11:03Everybody ready?
11:04Okay, it's one day.
11:05Let's go.
11:05Nanda, nanda, nanda.
11:06All right.
11:15Be careful.
11:17It's going to be really nasty hiking.
11:19I know it is.
11:20With this .
11:21Just sliding down trails.
11:24Hoping to stop running.
11:26Okay, river crossing.
11:33We have 45 minutes of light.
11:34We definitely, in one of these villages,
11:37need to get water, food, and resupplies.
11:40Going through the cigaros,
11:41lots of the villages are simply just mud huts.
11:44And the whole thing is just,
11:46it's really remarkable to me.
11:48People with very little to their names
11:50going about their daily lives
11:52with no special comforts or anything like that.
11:55I've got an estimate as to how far it is.
11:58There's a potential campsite right over here.
12:01So this is the camp?
12:02Let's go looking.
12:03It's not bad over here.
12:04We've got to have a tree.
12:05A huge baobob.
12:06Yeah, well, there's a huge baobob here.
12:08Hey, Pasquale?
12:09Yeah?
12:10There's a village right there.
12:12I'll just go look and see what they got, huh?
12:14It's clouds.
12:14You know what I mean?
12:14We've just found a pretty good place to camp,
12:16and there's a village right over here
12:18that we're hoping we can get our supplies at.
12:23You know what?
12:24Looks a bit abandoned.
12:28Listen.
12:28There's a woman there.
12:30Because we're so limited
12:32in how much we can actually carry
12:34through the expedition,
12:35and we have no time to go fishing or to hunt,
12:38we're totally relying now on the villages
12:41in order to get the food we need.
12:53So there's no food here.
12:55It's a little concerning
12:56because we haven't been eating properly.
12:58All of us have lost weight,
12:59and when you come into a village,
13:02you might just be meeting three or four people
13:04with a stack of five tomatoes,
13:06which is not nearly enough to feed all of us.
13:09Hey, guys.
13:11Let's move the bags in tight
13:12in case we have to tarp them again quick.
13:17Everybody okay?
13:18You all are getting hungry, right?
13:19No, I'm not getting hungry.
13:19We're going to get some good food?
13:21Yeah.
13:21We're really only eating one meal a day.
13:24We're subsisting on sugary tea,
13:27handfuls of dates and nuts.
13:29You know, occasionally we can buy a chicken.
13:31There hasn't been a whole lot to look forward to.
13:33Again, it gives us a really good appreciation
13:35for what Stanley went through on his journey.
13:39Better keep an eye on these pods again, guys.
13:45It looks like there's another small village up here.
13:49I am starving.
13:52Jumbo.
13:54We're looking to buy some food.
13:59Come with me inside here.
14:03Is that meat in there?
14:04Beef?
14:05Yeah.
14:06Oh, you're kidding me.
14:07Oh, my God.
14:08Oh, we need meat.
14:09Listen, we're all losing a lot of weight.
14:10This would be really good.
14:11No, I've got that sweet.
14:13Do you have barbecue sauce?
14:15I was just so happy.
14:17I was overjoyed, actually.
14:19We finally were able to buy some food,
14:21and we now have sort of a reason to celebrate.
14:25Well, guys, we tried to find a hamburger for you.
14:29We couldn't find any hamburgers.
14:30They didn't have any hamburger,
14:31but we did do one better.
14:33We got fresh steak.
14:35We're going to barbecue tonight.
14:39Guys, it's built the biggest fire you've ever seen.
14:48Hey, Julius, it's going to pour in a little bit, isn't it?
14:51Oh, yeah.
14:53To make a fire in that pouring rain,
14:55three grades of firewood is what you need.
14:56The most important one being the straw type,
14:59because what you've got to do is build up heat.
15:01So straw is the easiest thing to catch.
15:03Then you need the slightly bigger twigs,
15:05and then you need the heavier stuff.
15:06These other chunky ones,
15:08you can always break off the bark
15:09and get the wood underneath.
15:16It's a race against time, though.
15:18You've got to shove on the bigger damper twigs
15:21so that it starts building.
15:23We have fire, Maria.
15:27That's a great fire.
15:29People think that because you're in Africa
15:31you'll be absolutely fine,
15:32you won't get hyperthermia or anything,
15:34any colds,
15:35but actually it's not true at all.
15:37A sudden downpour of rain
15:38makes it absolutely sodden,
15:40and the fact of the matter is,
15:42water conducts cold 25 or so times quicker than air.
15:47So you've got to be able to dry yourself
15:49in any survival situation.
15:50It's one of the absolute keys.
15:51So we need to make sure that we protect the firewood.
15:55Yes, exactly.
16:02So should we do a toast?
16:04Yeah, guys.
16:05To a successful trip?
16:06To new bonds and friendships?
16:09Cheers, guys.
16:10One more thing I may add.
16:12Our incredible porters and Julius and Masai.
16:15Here's to our Tanzanian brothers.
16:18I think the porters really revived the spirit
16:22of the Stanley Expedition for us in so many ways
16:24that it would really be incomplete if they weren't here.
16:27There you go.
16:29Stanley wasn't quite as caring or concerned about his other guys.
16:32He tried to beat them, but our guys are important to us,
16:36and I think they respond and respect that.
16:39Do you think the rain's going to come in tonight?
16:41Yeah, and I think the rain will come from that way,
16:43unfortunately.
16:44Yeah.
16:44Through the side of the tent.
16:45The rains are a huge problem for us
16:48because when we sleep we've got this one tarp up,
16:50but the truth is it's so exposed on the sides
16:53that if the wind can suddenly change
16:55and the rain starts pouring in,
16:57all of our gear gets wet.
16:59It's a real potential to get hypothermia out there.
17:02I mean, if it does really come in, I could drop another tarp up.
17:06No, no. The front's already blown through.
17:07If it rains, it'll just come down.
17:10I think it could.
17:11Yeah.
17:12Musquale comes from mule right.
17:13It will not rain.
17:14You do?
17:15Musquale is a big character, forceful character,
17:18and, in my mind, a dangerous character.
17:20He makes assumptions all the time,
17:21and sometimes I wonder about his judgement.
17:24I think we're in good shape.
17:31Musquale.
17:33Musquale.
17:33You know I said the rain was going to come in this way,
17:35and you said it coming in the way.
17:36Yeah, it's just a lot of cops.
17:38They're really ready.
17:40The rain is coming in this way.
17:43Musquale doesn't listen,
17:44or at least certainly doesn't listen to me.
17:47I can't help thinking a lot of it is to do with ego.
17:54And a little bit of me certainly thinks
17:58we're paying the price for his ego.
18:07Nothing's worse than wake it up in rain.
18:09I just hate it.
18:13Hey, guys.
18:14I'm going to try to get a cup of coffee up for us, all right?
18:19Yeah, there it is, see?
18:20See, the wood's dry here.
18:22Yeah, huh?
18:23Breaking the little tiny piece.
18:25See?
18:26Yeah.
18:27It's all dry.
18:28Generally, I get up about 4.30,
18:29and I generally make coffee, tea for the group.
18:31We have a team that's tired, cold, and wet.
18:35Now's when we need to get a little bit of hot in them.
18:38Miracle we got this fire burning.
18:41Mmm.
18:43Musquale took out my power that I've been nurturing.
18:46It's used some of the most vital bits of kindling
18:48and exposed the rest of the rain.
18:51I'm a bit fed up, actually,
18:52because it doesn't matter whether you start off the day with tea or not.
18:55I think Musquale was misguided there.
18:58Actually, what you need in terms of survival
19:00is to get through the day and have a warm meal in the evening.
19:05Because we're going to get wet, whatever happens today.
19:08Now we're at risk of not having any fire this evening at all.
19:11Okay, we've got coffee and tea over here.
19:13We've got plenty, I think.
19:15Yeah, I'm a bit worried, I have to say, about my firewood.
19:17I was...
19:17Your firewood's fine.
19:19I'm just worried.
19:20I mean, there were a few precious little straws there,
19:22and those are absolutely key.
19:24There's tons in there.
19:25I used virtually nothing.
19:27Not even a handful.
19:28Well, if we don't get a meal tonight, it'll be your fault.
19:32Benedict pissed me off.
19:34The team concept of this thing, the expedition concept,
19:39is different than his solo survival concept.
19:42But, you know, I've learned to hold my tongue.
19:45I can be a lot more outspoken.
19:46They think I'm outspoken now.
19:48You guys better keep that bird, and I leave when the fire dies.
19:52Oh, you got it?
19:52All right.
19:53It hasn't gone unnoticed that the Sagara Mountains
19:56is the place where Stanley was shot at by his own team members.
20:00You know, they wanted to kill him.
20:02I wonder how close Pasquale is coming to meeting his death.
20:13I think we're just going to have to march through the rain
20:15and get out of the mountains.
20:17Let's give it another hour.
20:19This could be the lightest of the rain.
20:21It could get much worse.
20:22The longer we wait, the wetter the trails get,
20:25the harder it gets to move across it anyway.
20:27I mean, it's really a catch-22 whether we wait it out or keep going.
20:30Yeah.
20:31Never leave good shelter in any climate weather,
20:34in really, really bad weather.
20:35Why? We're dry.
20:36Everything's dry.
20:37Our boots are good.
20:38There is a risk of height to go.
20:40But there is a risk of height to go.
20:41These guys are cold over there now.
20:42Yeah.
20:43Especially when there's a little wind, too.
20:44Yeah.
20:44You know, it just wicks that heat right off.
20:48They might seem to go against logic to walk through the rain,
20:52but it's actually the best thing you can do
20:53because it gets your body temperature up.
20:56And that hypothermia that could set in
20:58from just sitting there cold in the rain,
21:00waiting for hours for the rain to pass,
21:03could be detrimental.
21:17Look at these strong men from Bagamoyo.
21:20You look strong.
21:22You must be from Bagamoyo.
21:25People don't understand that the porters have families.
21:27They need this job because they have to work.
21:29There'll be nice ladies up along the road, huh?
21:33They'll be waving at us.
21:34And I'm really big on the fact that these are real individuals
21:37with real hearts and real souls.
21:39We need to take care of them.
21:40We're all in this together.
21:41I like Bagamoyo, guys.
21:45Basically, we have about a seven mile,
21:47seven and a half mile day today.
21:48It'll be one of our best days.
21:50Yeah.
21:50Can you ask how high this pass is?
21:52There's a mountain ridge?
21:59Just because we have a guy doesn't make it any easier.
22:02He's within a kilometers village.
22:03He knows everything.
22:04Once he gets five kilometers away,
22:06he probably doesn't know a whole lot.
22:07We have 4,000 foot paths to cross,
22:09so let's definitely try to get here.
22:11We've got a stream crossing.
22:12If we can get 7.2 miles today,
22:14I guarantee you the attitudes of everybody is going to be great.
22:16Yeah, I agree.
22:17Every time we start, we start cooling down.
22:20I think people just separate.
22:21Yeah.
22:22I mean, it's kind of letting up.
22:28Okay, let's go.
22:29Twin date.
22:30I am a student of African history.
22:32I've read the books.
22:33I've read what these guys have gone through,
22:35and I want to experience it.
22:37All right.
22:38It's rough.
22:38The cold and the shivers and the mud and the wet feet
22:41and the blisters and the bug bites.
22:43It's going to be in our souls and our hearts.
22:45Yeah, and I love it.
22:46That's why I do it.
22:46I want to see if we're as tough as these guys are.
22:49Oh.
22:50Let's go this way, huh?
22:52Sayori!
22:54Okay, Twende.
22:55Okay, Twende.
23:05Oh, you guys, look.
23:06Go this way, here.
23:07Pasquale.
23:08Pasquale.
23:08Look.
23:10Remember.
23:12This is one of the deadliest snakes out here.
23:14It's a baby, which actually makes it more dangerous than the adults
23:18because they don't have control of their venom,
23:20so don't let the size fool you.
23:21Okay.
23:23You know, we're in snake country,
23:25and as we're going through the Sagara Mountains,
23:27this is the sort of creature that we need to be so alert
23:30and on the lookout for because its bite is actually so venomous
23:35that I could actually kill you within 30 minutes.
23:39So watch out for those boys.
23:41This is as real a danger as danger gets, and there's no anti-venom.
23:54You have to stop raining for very long, did it?
24:02What I don't want to do is get anybody hypothermic by slowing down
24:07because the border is starting to freeze.
24:10It's cold.
24:11The wind's blowing.
24:13It's really uncomfortable.
24:14In fact, it's almost deadly now.
24:16Okay, mud.
24:17Be careful.
24:18It's downhill.
24:19Really, this one's muddy.
24:21Doesn't look good, does it?
24:22No, it doesn't look good.
24:23It's going to be steep for them.
24:25Yeah.
24:26Hey, .
24:29You okay?
24:30Everybody okay?
24:31I'm scared.
24:33The border's good?
24:35Yes.
24:36You're climbing this mountain, and really that's hard enough,
24:39but then you add buckets of rain on top of you,
24:42and the trails are so slippery.
24:44You're just slipping and sliding.
24:46Your boots are muddy.
24:47It's really hard.
24:48The ground just seems to slip away from you
24:50as you're treading through it.
24:54We've got at least two kilometers.
24:56He says he thinks this is good up here.
24:57Ask him if there's a camp.
24:59Okay, yeah.
25:00Okay.
25:03Yeah.
25:03I'm wondering if we're walking around a bit too fast to the north.
25:06Well, he keeps leading us on.
25:11Um, well, guys, between the rainstorm across this thing,
25:15I've lost track.
25:17I've gone at least two kilometers.
25:18Two kilometers to go?
25:20Right.
25:21Let's go up a little further.
25:23What do you think?
25:24This way?
25:29Yeah.
25:32Yeah.
25:33That's where we're going, guys.
25:34Yeah.
25:36You've got some coffee in Mduzi.
25:41Wait.
25:41It's steeper, but it's festive?
25:44But that's not on the route.
25:46Which is the direct route we're going to Mduzi?
25:49In my experience of traveling through Africa for all these years,
25:52I've been lost more with guides than without.
25:54Just to confirm, though, we're sure this is a shorter route?
25:58Well, it's cross-country.
26:02I haven't taught this guy.
26:03He's really flaky in certain directions.
26:05He really is.
26:07He's flaky.
26:08You said he's very accurate.
26:09Well, I was very accurate at the time getting here.
26:12But as soon as I got here, I've asked him ten times about food.
26:15What's the downside?
26:16Is it just steeper or something?
26:17Yeah.
26:18What did he say now?
26:19Yeah.
26:20Follow him.
26:21Okay.
26:21One hour, right?
26:22One hour.
26:23But now he's going the other way.
26:24Wait, wait a minute.
26:25No.
26:26From a lot of years of mountain exploration,
26:28my hardcore rule is once darkness hits,
26:31there's really no options in the mountains.
26:33It's too dangerous to go.
26:34So if you're not already at a camp, there's a good chance of death.
26:38You know, I've got to have direction,
26:39or I'll do it myself.
26:44We just want to make sure that that is a shorter route.
26:48Okay, what did he say now?
26:50Yeah.
26:50Follow him.
26:51Follow him.
26:51Okay.
26:52One hour, right?
26:53One hour.
26:55That's what happens.
26:56My face and the guy all of a sudden goes like that.
26:59Come on, guys.
27:00Let's walk.
27:01Let's go.
27:03There is no such thing as a second place.
27:05Just first loser.
27:08My philosophy is that if you're in bad conditions, get out of it.
27:13You know, I just draw on my 30 years experience is all I do.
27:16It's gut instinct for me.
27:18One day.
27:20One day.
27:20One day.
27:20One day.
27:21One day.
27:21One day.
27:21There's no intelligence involved.
27:22It's just wisdom.
27:23I've had two team members die on expeditions.
27:26So I know what it's like to carry the team.
27:28I know it's like to carry the bodies of my teammates off a mountain and down a river dead.
27:35You know?
27:36So that colors how I do things.
27:44Come on this way.
27:46And it may seem controlling, but until you've taken a teammate that you love and wrapped their
27:52body in a tarp and carry him out for three days, then you don't understand it.
27:58When you got a guy's blood on your hands because his head's crushed nothing from falling 400 feet,
28:05you know, than because he was with you on your rope that you didn't tie the knot off on the
28:14bottom,
28:14you know?
28:16That's why.
28:18So.
28:24Okay, guys.
28:25Keep coming.
28:25This may be the summit, guys.
28:27We're real close to it.
28:29Let's go this way, huh?
28:30This is hard.
28:34It's raining.
28:35It's clearing up a little bit here.
28:37We're all shivering.
28:38We're all really cold.
28:39We want to make sure and take the opportunity right now while it's not raining to set up a
28:44camp, get the fire going.
28:45We've got to get something hot in us and just wait for the rain.
28:51Check out the bear bobs.
28:52It's a great tree.
28:54Really nice.
28:55Isn't that a great view?
28:56It's a great sight, yeah.
28:59How old is that?
29:00They're really beautiful ancient trees.
29:02It's a good spot.
29:07That would have been here when Stanley, Livingston, Burton's feet, all these people pass through.
29:14Bear bobs.
29:15It's known as the tree where man was born because it looks so mysterious.
29:19Miraculous as a tree.
29:20You slash it, it'll just bulge out again and heal itself.
29:26And it's one of the few trees that can withstand the battering from an elephant.
29:30The great thing is the bear bobs are resistant to fire.
29:33Amazing trees.
29:34Absolutely glorious.
29:37So what's down here?
29:39There's some animal that live here.
29:40You see it?
29:41This is a clean area.
29:42Yeah, yeah.
29:43Snakes.
29:44Little rabbits or something?
29:45Yeah, maybe.
29:46Maybe a snake.
29:48I've been in the bush.
29:50I've been with animals.
29:51I've been with animals in the ground.
29:54You don't know whether there's a snake there.
29:56Maybe you can do something wrong and then you can be guided.
30:01Snakes are too dangerous?
30:02Yeah.
30:02If something were to happen...
30:05Yeah.
30:05That's a perfect place for a snake.
30:07I think we should...
30:08Bury it.
30:09Bury it.
30:10I don't think burying a snake is such a good idea, actually.
30:13No, I don't either.
30:14Shall we just try one of the other bear bobs?
30:17They're a nice looking camp for me.
30:18As we come to our campsite, it's my job to assess the dangers.
30:23It's very rare that you find that perfect campsite.
30:25I mean, this is classic snake country.
30:27A lot of cover.
30:29I always look around, obviously, for snakes.
30:31It's like a whole...
30:32But most snakes will just disappear.
30:36Great.
30:36It's a good tree.
30:37Let's find a place.
30:38Let's find a place for the porters.
30:40Oh, okay.
30:40Well, it might as well.
30:41It's just better safe than sorry, you know?
30:44Because...
30:46I was talking to you, actually, Pasqualee.
30:49Yeah.
30:53So this is the camp?
30:54Yeah.
30:55I'll do the tarpen.
30:57This tree's gonna be a little bit of a challenge for shelter.
31:00We've got these high branches.
31:02That means some tricky rope work, and we'll see how that works.
31:07I'm putting up the shelter and stringing ropes over a baobab tree, which is hundreds and hundreds
31:14of years old, and I had never really done stuff like that before.
31:22I don't want to be the guy that's not pulling his weight.
31:26This American toss.
31:27Here we go.
31:29For his place in the Olympic finals.
31:32Oh, no!
31:33I cut my foot!
31:34Yeah.
31:35No place for second place.
31:37You can't put too much.
31:38Nice.
31:39Here we go.
31:41Yeah!
31:42Yeah!
31:49It's not that settled, this weather at all.
31:55It's all damp.
31:57It's all damp.
31:58It's all damp.
32:00It's all damp.
32:02It's all damp.
32:02Uh-huh.
32:02Oh, God.
32:04Come on.
32:12Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
32:18It's okay, we have fun.
32:19Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know how to do that.
32:30Okay, today's day 13 of the expedition, and we're in the Cigaro Mountains.
32:34What was interesting is that Stanley came to Africa not as an explorer, but as a journalist.
32:40I came to Africa not as an explorer either, as a journalist, and I'm learning so much along the way.
32:45I don't know if I'll be a complete explorer by the time this thing is over,
32:48but I'm certainly understanding a lot more about Africa and Tanzania,
32:52and then perhaps I'll be a little more comfortable in it.
32:57Everyone, I've got a little treat for this evening.
33:00This is something the locals eat. It's called sondo.
33:03Yummy.
33:04Yeah, I thought you'd say that.
33:09It's got a neat little pakkari.
33:10Oh, no, they're moving around.
33:13Yeah, that looks just tasty.
33:17I'm always on the lookout for anything we can eat as we go along,
33:20any sources of nourishment to supplement our expedition.
33:24And a local guide handed me this pod, and he said, this is a local delicacy.
33:29So it's a pie full of maggots.
33:30Yeah, these are larvae.
33:32It's very much a survival rule that larvae are edible.
33:36Their pod is packed full of essential growing juices.
33:40There's one thing is that they're hairy,
33:43which makes me think probably should we keep them raw.
33:46They've already got hairs on them,
33:48so they could be creating some kind of defense.
33:50Yeah.
33:51Toxic.
33:51So I don't know whether we can eat these raw or not.
33:54Or we should just eat them raw.
33:55No, let's cook them if we're going to eat them.
33:57I like mine well done.
33:58Yeah, me too.
33:59I want to cook them well done.
33:59I like my larvae well done.
34:01Thanks.
34:02They're pretty well dead now.
34:03Should we have a little one?
34:04It's not okay that it still has all the hair?
34:06Yep, eat up.
34:08Go on.
34:09Uh-oh, that's going to be in a while.
34:11Ah, it's good.
34:13Did you hear that?
34:14Oh, don't you.
34:18I just thought I heard a little beep.
34:21It's saying goodbye.
34:23Now bite it.
34:24Bite it.
34:26Oh, you could hear the crunch.
34:27It does.
34:27I'll take this one.
34:31Oh, did you hear it squashed?
34:34It's more than squishy.
34:36It explodes in your mouth.
34:38I mean, you know, let's be real.
34:39We eat eggs.
34:40We eat chicken eggs.
34:41And we eat caviar.
34:42It's just another fish eggs.
34:43Kevin knows the bacon.
34:44Yeah.
34:45So in a lot of ways.
34:46Yeah, I don't really like caviar.
34:47I don't either.
34:49Yeah.
34:50I don't like it.
34:53Kevin, you're like Mr. Eager Beaver.
35:14I feel really guilty about what's happened.
35:19Essentially, I didn't listen to my instincts.
35:20I saw the caterpillars were hairy.
35:22That was a bad sign to me.
35:23Potentially, I put the whole team at risk.
35:27Hey, Kevin.
35:28Are you OK?
35:32Hey, Kevin?
35:35Kevin?
35:37Benedict.
35:38We might almost have sacrificed the expedition for larvae.
35:42It seemed like a foolish thing to do.
35:44Kevin!
36:00The tea dude.
36:01Yeah, you'd love some.
36:02Oh, thanks, man.
36:03You're a star.
36:10Kevin is really sick from having eaten those hairy caterpillars.
36:14And we can't help but feel so guilty because, you know,
36:18we should have protected him in a sense.
36:20You know, he is the young one in experience out here.
36:24And we sort of led him to the wolves.
36:27You know, it's funny.
36:28I feel totally fine this morning.
36:30Maybe, you know, they eat when you eat fine.
36:33Maybe that's the problem.
36:34Maybe they should have been deep fried, huh?
36:36No, I don't think they should have been eaten.
36:38They were too hairy.
36:40But that is extraordinary wonder if that's true.
36:44Something went badly wrong.
36:50You guys want to go ahead and go over this map, huh?
36:52Yeah.
36:53We've gone from the lowland coastal plains up to the Cigar Mountains, which actually,
36:59that uplift goes all the way down to Tanzania almost.
37:04Today, we want to get all the way to Lumum.
37:06In Lumum, it's going to be about the same distance as we trekked yesterday.
37:10And we're in these foothills, these ranges of foothills.
37:12So you go over the mountains and we drop into the plains.
37:14So now we're higher.
37:15All right.
37:15We're just going to go up and down.
37:16Rollercoaster.
37:16Yeah, it's a rollercoaster right down.
37:18As we come down a little bit, we're going to be going to the Bahi Swamp salt flats.
37:30Did you like the Cigar Mountains?
37:32I did, actually.
37:34Once we start walking, I'm a-walking.
37:38We are heading out of the Cigaras now.
37:42Things are looking much better than yesterday.
37:44Generally, I think, we feel a little bit relieved to be out of all that wetness
37:48and all the problems that wetness brings about.
37:52Our pace has picked up, and I think that's probably because we have a sense of our own mortality,
37:58in a way.
37:59We're realizing how much we're wearing down.
38:01I think we feel it's important to keep moving while the going's good.
38:05Isn't that a great view?
38:07A great sight, yeah.
38:08Lovely view, yeah, yeah, yeah.
38:12Wow.
38:12I like how it overlooks that Green Valley.
38:15At last, we see the Bahi Swamp ahead of us.
38:19We think we're in the clear, but the Cigara Mountains had one more trick up their sleeve.
38:25The booty!
38:26What the hell?
38:27The booty!
38:38What's up, man?
38:40What's up?
38:45One of the porters, Stanislav, collapses with malaria.
38:49You're starting to feel like you're burning up.
38:52Yeah, he's really hot.
38:53Well, you start hurt all over, sore.
38:56Huh?
38:57Mm-hmm.
38:59Malaria is an infection of the blood carried by mosquitoes.
39:02The onset is rapid.
39:04The deterioration is rapid.
39:05Delirium can set in.
39:07Malaria and AIDS are the number one and two killer.
39:09They are huge health problems in Africa today.
39:13Are you feeling achy?
39:18Does his head hurt?
39:20Yeah.
39:20Yeah.
39:22I mean, we need you to get better.
39:23Yeah.
39:24Your health is the most important thing at this point.
39:26And I know you're not feeling like you want to carry a pack for the next seven kilometers,
39:30do you?
39:30You know, carrying 25 kilos on your head and trekking every day is not the treatment for malaria.
39:36You know, that's a death sentence.
39:38But you cannot treat him and get better just today.
39:40No, no, of course not.
39:41His health is the most important thing.
39:43No, of course not.
39:44Unfortunately, that's what happened to a lot of Stanley's porters.
39:46Started off with 192, ended up with 50.
39:49Lots of them died.
39:50Lots of them died from malaria, smallpox, dysentery, all of those things.
39:54Stanley wasn't quite as caring or concerned about his other guys.
39:58He only stopped when he was sick, and he tried to beat them into continuing when they were sick.
40:03We weren't going to let that happen on our expedition.
40:07Yeah, this is not your fault.
40:09You know, it could have happened to any one of us.
40:10We could have been struck down by malaria.
40:20Squally and I, we've had malaria, and we know what it's like.
40:22You feel like you're dying.
40:30It's a serious disease.
40:32You can die, so it has to be treated.
40:40The mood is devastation.
40:42It's as if he's died.
40:44The other porters are in tears.
40:45They're holding their heads.
40:47They're turning away from each other.
40:49They're absolutely devastated,
40:51and I think it's because expeditions either make or break people,
40:55and for the porters, at least, it's been making them.
40:57They've been binding together.
40:58They had a commitment that they were going to keep on going,
41:00whatever happens, as a unit.
41:02I know you're worried about him, but he's going to be good.
41:04He's going to get some good medical attention.
41:07He'll be well taken care of.
41:09He will be.
41:12He's going to keep on going, and he's going to keep on going, and he's going to keep on going,
41:13and it's been a shock seeing him fall, but I think it's also made them realize that they're vulnerable out
41:19here, too, and they may be next.
41:22I'm going to have to let you go with the medics and just get treated.
41:25We weren't going to leave him behind.
41:27We're not going to do that with any of our porters.
41:29We wanted to get him medical attention, and luckily, there was a medic in that village that we were passing
41:34through,
41:34and we were able to get him the proper attention.
41:37He's had malaria in the past, so we think it might be malaria, but we're going to have to have
41:42him go with you,
41:43and if you can treat him, you know, okay.
41:49Guys, we've got to leave Stanislav here because we've got to keep on moving on.
41:53Okay, fun day, huh?
41:59Say goodbye, then.
42:01Stanislav.
42:02You've been a great, strong member of the team.
42:05Thanks so much.
42:06Yeah, get well.
42:08Yeah?
42:13Hey, they're our brothers.
42:14We're all in this together.
42:16We need to take care of them.
42:17If we promise them, we're going to take care of them, go to a Gigi,
42:20and we need to keep that promise, or we don't need to make that promise.
42:24The fact that he went down affected our morale.
42:26Okay, go on to...
42:27All right.
42:30It makes me sad.
42:31It makes me angry.
42:31There's so many emotions that are going through my head.
42:34No, there isn't.
42:36Fortunately.
42:37Yeah.
42:38Ready, guys?
42:43You know, this is what can happen in Africa.
42:46Malaria is still a very serious illness, and we have to be careful.
42:50You know, the same thing can happen to any of us here.
42:53Stanislav was the first.
42:54He may not be the last, and I'm concerned about that.
43:10Oh, finally, huh?
43:12Yeah.
43:13Stanley made his journey in nine months.
43:15We're going to make that 950-mile journey in 30 days.
43:18We're checking the most difficult parts of Stanley's journey,
43:21but we're skipping over the more populated areas.
43:23Are you ready?
43:25All right, let's get out of here.
43:28To get to the points that really give us the Stanley experience.
43:38Next time on Expedition...
43:40Where's Benedict?
43:41Where's Maria?
43:42Temperatures and tempers hit the boiling point.
43:45What the f***?
43:46What the f***?
43:47He's angry.
43:47Are you kidding me?
43:48Exploration is more than about arriving at a goal.
43:51It's the normal way it's done in the mouth.
43:53That's fine, then.
43:54Then he stopped there and you don't need the water.
43:56But the goal is, you do not stop.
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