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Race Across the World: The Detour - Season 1 Episode 5 - TBA
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00:00Hello Backpackers, I'm Tyler West and welcome to Race Across the World, The Detour.
00:04This is your travel buddy for the show that's got us all feeling a little bit thirsty.
00:08Give me your vodka.
00:10Give me your vodka.
00:13Contemplating life.
00:14Will you build a building for me when I die?
00:17Must be jerky.
00:18And really getting up close and personal with a different culture.
00:21It's the strangest sausage I've ever seen.
00:23Yes, isn't it?
00:24Very old sausage.
00:27Yes, it's the show where you'll hear the latest chat on Series 6 of Race Across the World,
00:31plus some travel tales, fails and tips from our special guests.
00:36And at the end of each episode, we have an exclusive clip from the next episode of Race Across the
00:40World.
00:41So get in there.
00:41And once that's all over, there's still some more for you to enjoy.
00:45Just search on BBC Sounds to hear our bonus episode, Travel Buddies,
00:48where we'll be inviting one of our guests to choose their ideal race partner.
00:52So help yourself to a slice of mystery meat,
00:54wedge yourself into that bunk bed,
00:56and join us for Race Across the World, The Detour.
01:03Right, we've got some top-notch guests in this episode.
01:05So who has signed in the book this week?
01:07From Radio One, it's Melvin O'Doom.
01:10Yo!
01:10What's going on, guys?
01:12And comedian Maisie Adam.
01:15Yes!
01:16Come on, this is it, guys.
01:17Now, I think it's also time to say hello again to our resident travel expert.
01:21He couldn't tell you what a VHS tape looks like, but he could get you from Brighton to Birmingham in
01:27record time.
01:27It's Alfie Watts, everyone.
01:29Hello, hello.
01:30Thanks, mate.
01:31Do you know what VHS tape is?
01:33Yeah, there we go.
01:34Move it up, move it up, move it up.
01:36It's harrowing.
01:36And as always, I'll be delivering my ideal route for this leg of the race.
01:39It'll be a pacey trip, but we'll also include some unmissable detours.
01:43Wicked.
01:43Now, before I go any further, if you're still drinking wine in Tbilisi and haven't yet reached Zamin National Park,
01:49then stop what you're doing, go and watch on iPlayer, and then just come straight back here.
01:53Now, what a turnaround this has been for our races, and it shows how quickly things can change, right?
01:59Katie and Harrison are now top of the leaderboard again, and Mark and Margot came last.
02:04Now, Maisie, Katie and Harrison, they're back on race mode, right?
02:07Yeah, they're either, like, smashing it or are woefully behind.
02:11Yeah, and they've got the choo-choo train sound effects down to her.
02:14I mean, I cannot believe, cos, like, she's young.
02:17She's going for the whole...
02:18The whole home.
02:19I've not seen someone do that on a train since Thomas the Tank came to it.
02:24Surely that's where's the nightclub.
02:27What nightclub are you guys doing?
02:29Are you not pulling that one out anymore?
02:31No, we're not doing that.
02:32Line up, boys.
02:34When the language barrier gets tough, you've got to do sound effects, right?
02:37Yeah, yeah.
02:37But it does feel like they've got the balance right again between, like, combining speed and detours.
02:43Yeah, and budgeting, thanks to Harrison.
02:46I've never known a man budget as efficiently as him.
02:49Harrison is basically the new Martin Lewis.
02:51Oh, my God, he is.
02:51He can save money for days.
02:53My African dad would be so proud of him.
02:55Trust me.
02:56I was very surprised when they turned up and opened that guest book.
02:59I was sat at home going, how?
03:01How?
03:02Yeah.
03:02You were 20 hours behind.
03:04Yeah, he was like, we're back, baby.
03:06Yeah.
03:06Amazing.
03:07Amazing.
03:07Now, Mel, poor Mark and Margot though, right?
03:10They've been going from strength to strength in every leg, but then it just slipped away
03:13from them in this episode, didn't it?
03:15Was it bad luck?
03:16Well, bad luck and also, I just feel like there's just such different characters.
03:21And I feel like Margot is very good at enjoying the whole scenario and the whole experience,
03:26whereas Mark is just like, okay, this is wonderful.
03:29And he kind of gets sucked into these different environments.
03:32But yeah, I just think it was bad luck for them.
03:34Yeah.
03:34Alfie, we'd love to know your perspective on this.
03:36What can they do to get back up the leaderboard?
03:38Well, I think that we've seen that it can flip in the space of a leg really quickly.
03:43I think for them, sometimes the priority isn't necessarily always the race.
03:47And I think that that's great, you know, that they want to experience it with each other.
03:51They want to get something from it.
03:53But we have seen last time that they did win the leg.
03:56So I just think that it's sometimes about just flipping that switch between,
04:00do we want to be in race mode or do we kind of want to take it down a gear
04:02and just slow down a bit?
04:03You just start moving quicker in race mode.
04:05You just start running everywhere.
04:06Like, I need toilet, quick.
04:07Like, that's it.
04:09Everything becomes hyper fixated.
04:11For real.
04:11Which is pointless.
04:13Because the speed you're going to the toilet at doesn't make a difference.
04:15It doesn't make a difference.
04:16Just squeeze it out, but still.
04:17Um, Maisie.
04:20There's your clip.
04:21Was that an overshow?
04:22There's your clip.
04:23Was it just me?
04:24No?
04:25It's good to have a travel tip, Tyler.
04:30Moving on.
04:31Um, so, Maisie, Adra and Molly though, they had a pretty tricky leg.
04:36Yeah.
04:36Um, I mean, they're navigating parts of the world where tourists are pretty uncommon.
04:40Mm-hmm.
04:41How was it watching Molly step up and lead things though and taking a bit of charge?
04:45I think it was really good and I don't think she gave herself, like, enough credit.
04:48And she spoke really lovely and openly about how she struggles with kind of, like, backing her own decisions.
04:53And I think that's something, especially in a parent-child, like, dynamic, that that can feel, it naturally falls into
05:01place of, like, you ask the parent.
05:02Yeah.
05:02What should we do here?
05:03What should we do?
05:04And you could see that that was how they naturally fell into.
05:07And then she really had this moment of wanting to make more decisions.
05:11And it's that thing, isn't it, of, like, if you're the one that's made a decision, you then feel the
05:15pressure and the responsibility of the results of that.
05:19And then I think when it didn't work out as ideal as possible, it was really nice to see Andrew
05:25actually be softer and kind of lifting her up and be really encouraging.
05:29It's been, it's been really special to see, but it's a hard, that is a hard place to suddenly choose
05:34to be the one to call the shots on, you know?
05:36100%. Alfie, it's a beautiful part of the world that they're in, right?
05:39It really is.
05:40I mean, the space that we're talking about specifically is Kiva, which is an incredible city in Uzbekistan.
05:46Um, there's actually records of people living there since the sixth century BC, which is crazy.
05:51I've, I've been there, it's...
05:53Of course you have.
05:54Yeah, I know.
05:56Retracing that Uzbekistan Silk Road really is amazing.
05:59Like, some of the kind of mausoleums that they have and the minarets and things like that, it's just, it's
06:04just, it really is a beautiful part of the world.
06:06Nice. Love that.
06:07Melvin, we finally have, um, Joe and Kush.
06:09Mm-hmm, my boys.
06:10The combat kings.
06:11Yeah, man.
06:12It kind of seems that they've really enjoyed themselves this leg, right?
06:15Yeah, and I just think, I was saying to Maisie earlier, I think they're the best at getting strangers to
06:19help them.
06:20They're just so kind of like warm, they're such warm characters and really confident with strangers.
06:25And I've really loved that about them. And I think that's really helped them in this competition.
06:28The Scouse charms come good, hasn't it?
06:30100%.
06:30Yeah.
06:30Especially at the circumcision party.
06:33I mean, what a party? I didn't know that existed as a party.
06:36No.
06:36With the cash flowing round?
06:37Yeah.
06:37That was wild.
06:38If they ever need a DJ for something like that, I am available.
06:42You know?
06:42Kush got a phone number, didn't he?
06:43He did.
06:45Smooth brother.
06:45Kush was like, he clocked that he was being flirted with on camera and then was like,
06:49one moment.
06:50Yeah, yeah, yeah.
06:51He's like, guys, we cut the cameras for a second.
06:53What the fuck did he go and then just give a high five?
06:55Yeah, I did.
06:55We didn't see the exchange.
06:56Didn't he say, come see me after your dance?
06:58Okay.
06:59Yeah.
06:59I think he was laying the foundations.
07:01Fair play.
07:01Right, now it's time to unpack the route from tonight's episode.
07:04The fourth leg saw our races travel from Kazakhstan to the eastern edge of Uzbekistan.
07:08A journey of around 2,200 kilometers into the soaring peaks of Zaman National Park.
07:18Part of the Turkestan mountain range and nicknamed the Uzbek Switzerland,
07:23its alpine meadows and hidden valleys shelter rare birds, lynx and Siberian ibex.
07:31Home to some of Central Asia's most dramatic scenery.
07:34A contrast to the arid plains that lead here.
07:38Right, Alfie, do us proud, bring us the facts.
07:41Yeah, I mean, this is one of the kind of most niche checkpoints we've ever seen on the show
07:46and it's amazing.
07:47Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world.
07:50Jeez.
07:51So they are traversing a huge amount of area.
07:53A lot of it is very sparsely populated.
07:56Zaman National Park itself is non-stop scenery.
07:59It really is beautiful.
08:00There's a 100 meter high waterfall that's definitely worth checking out.
08:03It's a really difficult place to get to because it's so isolated.
08:06But if you can get there, it's definitely somewhere to add to your travel bucket list,
08:10which I think for everyone in the world is kind of ever increasing.
08:12That's good to know.
08:13Alfie, you are incredible.
08:14Honestly, I taught him everything he knows.
08:17I'll just say it.
08:17I mean, I only know about mobs and Ibiza.
08:20Yeah.
08:20That's it.
08:22With Joe and Kush, this felt like a really crucial leg for them,
08:26experiencing that homestay and then working at that party as well.
08:29Alfie, at this stage of the race, everyone's starting to feel a little bit tired.
08:31How important are the homestays to sort of re-energize?
08:34The one thing that you always know that you're going to get from a homestay and you'll know this is
08:38that you'll get fed and you'll get a bed.
08:40Although homestays sacrifice time, they do get you re-energized.
08:43For real.
08:44And they allow you to have those conversations, those interactions with local and real people.
08:48And that's what creates the magic of what we see.
08:51Yeah.
08:51Maisie, we also learned about Kush opened up about the death of his stepdad and how that sort of affected
08:56him in his younger years, even to now.
08:59Scarlett Moffat mentioned this in episode three.
09:02He seems to be growing up right in front of our eyes as we're watching.
09:04Absolutely. Melvin, I was saying beforehand, I don't think even Joe and Kush realise how mature they are for such
09:12young lads.
09:13And the way that he was able to kind of articulate such a traumatic, but also quite life altering thing.
09:23And for his friends to also be able to reflect on the changes that that brought out in him.
09:28Mm-hmm.
09:29I think that shows not only like a really exceptional maturity, but a really lovely bond between those two.
09:36They are each other's ride or dies.
09:37They have each other's backs.
09:39Race has a really special way of doing that though.
09:42You've hit the nail on the head with like, it was just convenient that they were doing martial arts.
09:46Like this does just happen.
09:47I remember when I was on the race and I spoke about my mum, it just so happened to me
09:51that there was this lantern opportunity.
09:52Like these moments just speak to you and I saw myself from three years ago in Kush in that moment.
10:00Yeah.
10:01And it's just like, this epitomises why we love the show.
10:05Yeah.
10:05Melvin, Katie and Harrison, they made a stop in Nookers to visit the Mizdarkin.
10:11As much as Harrison is focused on the race at this point, he's always focused on the race.
10:15Yeah, always.
10:16Let's have it right, yeah.
10:16It seems like those reflective moments are as important as the racing moments.
10:20Yeah, I think it's a reminder that they're seeing some of the most beautiful parts of the world while they're
10:25doing this race.
10:26And I get that.
10:27Look, I love that he's so kind of like locked in with his money.
10:31He doesn't mess around, but there's going to be certain parts of this race and you'll see them and you
10:36have to stop and you have to enjoy it.
10:38Because I think the worst thing would be to finish this whole thing and then look back at the parts
10:44of the world that you missed out on.
10:45Here's what you could have seen.
10:46So he had to take it in at that moment.
10:48And I think he's also, he's been really good at being very self-aware that that, although it's a massive
10:53challenge for him, he gets the most out of it.
10:56There was a bit where he said, it's the bit I struggle with the most, but I find it the
10:59most rewarding.
10:59And I think that's a huge thing for a young lad to admit.
11:02At least he's realised it.
11:03Yeah, and it is hard.
11:05Like I was saying with my friends the other day, it's really hard to make friends as an adult.
11:09100%.
11:09You look like a weirdo.
11:10Right?
11:11When you're a kid, you waddle up to somebody in the playground and go, what's your favourite colour?
11:14You're like, oh, mine's also red.
11:15And that's your body.
11:16Best friends.
11:17Friends for life then.
11:18Yeah.
11:18But it's really quite difficult to do that as an adult.
11:21And he's doing it in another country on no budget, you know, with little to no money, and with very
11:29little on paper in common with these people.
11:31A language barrier a lot of the time as well.
11:32Yeah.
11:32Alfie, you've got to clear something up for us though, because Katie basically thought that the Muzarkin was built in
11:38the time of the dinosaurs.
11:39Is that true?
11:40Yeah, she's unfortunately a few million years out.
11:43Okay, right, just a little bit.
11:43No, not too close, but Muzarkin is a beautiful place to go and visit.
11:48A little urban legend for you is that there's something called the Apocalypse Clock, and it's basically a clock that's
11:52eroding away, and tourists go and take a brick, because the legend has it that when the clock is fully
11:58destroyed, that's when humanity ends.
11:59Well, why are they taking the bricks?
12:01No, because they're keeping it alive.
12:02Leave the bricks there, we'll stay here.
12:03No, no, because it's eroding, so people are like rebuilding it.
12:06Oh, so you add a brick.
12:07So you add a brick.
12:07Don't take the brick away.
12:08Okay.
12:09Yeah, I thought you were saying, you go up, you take a brick.
12:12Welcome to the detour, matey.
12:13And then when it's all gone.
12:14When all the bricks have gone, we die.
12:16My friend is a property developer, so should he just go and do the whole thing?
12:20Yes.
12:20He could do the whole thing, or if he really wants to test the theory of the urban legend, he
12:25could just take it all away.
12:27Oh no, let's not do that.
12:28No.
12:29Why are you even wishing that upon us?
12:31Just, it's an experiment.
12:33Yeah, so if there are any brickies listening to the detour currently, we've got some work for you.
12:37Becker stuff.
12:38It absolutely is.
12:40Now for a game we all love here on the detour.
12:43It's the one-star reviews.
12:44Now the rules are very, very simple.
12:46I'm going to read out some genuine grumblings left on review websites of famous landmarks from all over the world,
12:51and you just have to guess where they're talking about, okay?
12:55And you know I'll give you some extra clues as well to help you along the way.
12:57Okay.
12:57Melv, I'm looking at you for that.
12:58Yeah, thank you, thank you.
13:00Okay, so the first one...
13:01No pressure, guys, but the last time...
13:02Catching strays already.
13:03The last time we played this, Scarlet and Jake smashed it.
13:07Did they?
13:07It was the highest score so far.
13:09They got three out of four, Jake and Scarlet.
13:10Okay.
13:10Right, let's get four.
13:10We can get four, come on.
13:12So the first clue.
13:13If you enjoy standing in queues all day just to look at frankly boring stuff, crowns and armour, this place
13:19is for you.
13:20Crowns and armour?
13:20Crowns and armour.
13:21Is that...
13:21Where's the crown jewels in that?
13:23That's a big clue.
13:23Tower of London.
13:24Tower of London.
13:26It's the correct answer!
13:27Yeah!
13:27Why didn't you just give it to us straight?
13:29I don't know.
13:29I just wanted to tease you along the way a little bit, you know?
13:31Right, on to the second one, right?
13:33It's just grass, trees, overpriced calves surrounded by buildings in a square.
13:38Grass trees.
13:39Hyde Park?
13:40Surrounded by buildings.
13:42Surrounded by buildings.
13:43In a square.
13:44In a square.
13:45In a square.
13:45In a square.
13:46In a square.
13:47Grass trees.
13:48Trees in a square.
13:49Oh, is it Central Park?
13:51Central Park.
13:51Absolutely, it is Central Park.
13:53Right, on to the next one.
13:54The way up is very long and rocky.
13:56There's no lift or tram up, which should be a necessity for a hill this big.
14:00Big hill.
14:01Big hill.
14:02Big hill.
14:02Well, I was going to say Kilimanjaro.
14:04The way up is very hilly and rocky.
14:06Okay.
14:07People returning encouraged us to keep going, saying there would be fish and chips and a pub
14:10at the top.
14:11There is not a pub at the top.
14:12Exclamation mark.
14:13Fish and chips?
14:14Fish and chips and a pub at the top.
14:16Fish and chips.
14:17So it's got to be in the UK, fish and chips.
14:19Yeah, yeah.
14:20Stoutford Hill?
14:21That's very famous in Whitby.
14:23Could it be Whitby Abbey?
14:24Could it be Whitby Abbey?
14:25Think mountain.
14:26Mountain.
14:27Come on, because it's mountain.
14:29Snowdon.
14:30Mount Snowdon.
14:31There's the one in Scotland, Ben Nevis.
14:33I think it's one of them.
14:35His eyes did something.
14:36His eyes twitched.
14:37It's one of those.
14:38What are you saying?
14:38His eyes twitched.
14:39Ben Nevis or Snowdon.
14:40Ben Nevis.
14:41It is Ben Nevis.
14:43Congratulations.
14:43Britain's highest mountain.
14:44Why, sorry, but why would you believe that there's a fish and chips shop at the top
14:47of Ben Nevis?
14:48That's the thing, isn't it?
14:48Yeah.
14:48That's not on the people coming down.
14:51That's on you.
14:51But they should do that now you've said it.
14:52Or they were trolling them.
14:53Yeah.
14:53They were saying, yeah, keep going, there's fish and chips at the top.
14:57Okay, final review.
14:58This is a tough one as well.
14:59Interesting from an architectural point of view, but overrated from an aesthetic and artistic
15:05perspective.
15:06Overrated?
15:07Overrated.
15:08Old Trafford.
15:09Joking.
15:10Joking.
15:11Joking.
15:12Interesting.
15:12Overrated.
15:13You know what it might be?
15:14I was going to say that, or I've heard the pyramids for some people.
15:18Oh, that's a good shout, Mel.
15:20Little bit of another clue, right?
15:21Go on.
15:21Rather unattractive, especially in the rear.
15:23Oh.
15:23Well, a pyramid looks the same from every...
15:25Yeah, yeah, yeah.
15:27Excuse me.
15:28No one complains about this little peach.
15:31A pyramid...
15:33A pyramid looks the same from each angle.
15:35So it can't be a pyramid.
15:37So what looks different from behind?
15:39What...
15:39Er...
15:40Sa...
15:42Sahara Desert.
15:42Nice.
15:43The Sahara Desert looks unattractive.
15:45Yeah.
15:45Oh, you've not seen it from the front.
15:46Okay.
15:48It was a contender for the eighth wonder of the world in episode three, Sagrada Familiar.
15:52No, I wouldn't have got that.
15:53No, sorry.
15:53Yeah, it was nowhere near.
15:54But you've still got three out of four.
15:55We'll take that.
15:56We'll take it.
15:57I feel like you did all the work.
15:59No, not at all.
16:00Melvin, Maisie, thank you for playing.
16:02And also for all of you at home.
16:04If you have visited a famous landmark abroad and it didn't quite live up to expectations
16:08and you want to rant about it, then just tell us on WhatsApp.
16:11Just message us on 08000 487 387.
16:15Now, time to return to episode five.
16:17Joe and Kush got into a little bit of trouble when they tried to take a taxi into Uzbekistan.
16:23Wrong way, bro.
16:26He's taken a wrong turn.
16:27He's been told to make a U-turn, but he keeps thinking and he's smarter.
16:31Uzbekistan this way.
16:34He doesn't know he's gone.
16:37Oh, my days.
16:38I presume he knows that the Uzbekistan border.
16:48It should be fine.
16:50We'll get there.
16:51Don't stress.
16:53Kush is the man.
16:54Kush, man.
16:54Kush is me.
16:56Me and him are the same person.
16:57It is.
16:58It's literally what I was doing on the race.
16:59If my taxi driver was taking me the wrong way, I'd be like...
17:02What would you do, Alfie, in that situation?
17:04I'd do what he did.
17:05Because there is nothing you can do.
17:06He doesn't speak the language, so he just makes it very obvious to the driver by putting
17:09his head down.
17:10Yeah, exactly.
17:11That's all you can do.
17:12I mean, maybe traveling around a new country is difficult.
17:16Yeah, and it's so...
17:17That's it.
17:18It's like, we've all been in that scenario where, like, if you take an Uber and they're
17:22taking a different route to the sat-nav and you kind of go, whatever.
17:26But, like, in another country, how do you try and communicate to somebody whose language
17:31you don't speak, and you're not from that country and they are, that actually you think
17:35there's a better way?
17:36Yeah.
17:36It's an impossible position to be in.
17:39Melvin, have you done any driving in another country?
17:41Yeah, so, I've got a cousin called Becky and she used to get cheap flights to LA.
17:45And so, she invited me to come with her one day.
17:48And I've had this dream of hiring a Mustang car.
17:51Yeah.
17:52I think everyone does it, but I'm old.
17:53So, when I hired this car, there was no sat-nav, right?
17:57So, we had to use maps to get around.
17:58And we got so lost, I argued with my cousin for the first ever time in our life.
18:03And I scratched the rims on this car as well, yeah.
18:06I don't actually know how we got back to giving this car back to return it to the rental
18:10place, but I got so lost because we had no sat-nav in the car.
18:14That's, genuinely though, like, what did we do before sat-nav?
18:17I have no idea.
18:18We used to do, remember the AA?
18:20Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
18:21You used to plan your routes online and then you could print out the map and then follow
18:25the map.
18:26But before any of that, I was like, how did anyone get around?
18:29Alfie, you just, it's all off the top of the diamond, isn't it?
18:31Yeah.
18:31How do you get around?
18:32I mean, I'm perfectly well-experienced in the time before GPS, so I feel like I've
18:36got loads to offer here.
18:38Well, that hit deep, right?
18:41That hit very, very deep.
18:42I feel like if there was a theme to this episode, it would probably be sausages.
18:46Yeah, because there was a lot of, like, sausage chat.
18:49Margot even, like, invented a new word, Kazakhspam.
18:51Kazakhspam.
18:52Kazakhspam.
18:53Kazakhspam's up there.
18:54It's a very sausage-y series.
18:56Yeah, it is.
18:56It is.
18:57There was a lot going on.
18:58Even Kush got force-fed on the train.
19:00Yeah.
19:01Yeah.
19:01It was all food.
19:03Have you ever got, like, proper stuck into another culture's food?
19:05Kush got, um, fed, force-fed and body-shamed.
19:09Oh, yeah!
19:11You're not going to get any girls looking like that.
19:13I was like, whoo!
19:14Luckily, he couldn't understand what she was saying.
19:16Bless him.
19:17And also, that sausage looked mysterious.
19:19Yeah, I would have done that.
19:21No way.
19:21Like, when I went to Ghana for the first time, there's a place called Bojo Beach.
19:26And, I mean, generally, I love Ghanaian food, but my mum always used to say,
19:31don't have the kebab by the side of the road.
19:33Yeah.
19:34And I didn't listen, because it smelled so amazing.
19:37Oh, no.
19:37And my cousin had it as well.
19:39And put it this way, on the way back, she asked the cab to stop,
19:42and she knocked on a stranger's house to use their toilet.
19:46No way.
19:46It's like carnival.
19:46Yeah.
19:47Wow.
19:48What is your favourite cuisines?
19:49I love having this conversation with people.
19:50Joloff rice, because it means I get to see mum.
19:54Oh, Mexican, because it's nice.
19:58Mexican, because it's delicious.
20:00It was so sweet, and then, you know.
20:02Just straight in.
20:03Just the truth.
20:04Maisie, Margot had a bit of a moment on the horse farm.
20:07She did, yeah.
20:07She was like, I want to go see the horses.
20:08I love the horses.
20:09And then she realised that, yes.
20:10What the horses are for.
20:12The horses are kind of there to be eaten.
20:14But they both also, they both kept their Kazakh clothes on as well,
20:18for the rest of the leg.
20:19It's like, oh, we're in it now.
20:20We're embracing it.
20:20Really enjoyed her in the traditional Kazakh headdress,
20:24doing her lipstick.
20:25Yeah.
20:26Amazing.
20:26She became a whole other character.
20:27Have you ever, like, sort of really committed
20:29to another culture's fashion choices?
20:31Me and another comedian called Susie Ruffell,
20:34we went to Morocco.
20:36I think on the first night, we were in Marrakesh,
20:38and we were like, whilst we're here, let's have tagine.
20:40And then we went right off into the High Atlas Mountains
20:43and had tagine every single night,
20:45because that's what people, when you go to the house,
20:47do as like what Margot and Margot were having.
20:51But then it was very much like also wanting us to dress
20:53in the traditional Moroccan dress.
20:56In their house, it looked really fun and cool.
20:59And then as we left, we were like, this is cultural appropriation.
21:03Yeah.
21:03I've had a mishap with outfits before.
21:07My brother and I went backpacking.
21:10And we went to Hong Kong.
21:13I think we'd caught a flight from New Zealand.
21:14And his bag came round on the carousel.
21:17And I was like, wait for mine.
21:18And you know when you start clocking the same bags?
21:20And you're like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
21:21Please, please, please, please.
21:23And my bag had got lost.
21:25And so I spent two, three days going around Hong Kong,
21:29sharing clothes with my brother.
21:31You smashed it on Race Across the world.
21:32Yeah, well, maybe, but all of my photos of my time in Hong Kong,
21:36which was so great.
21:37I'm in like...
21:38There's one where I'm in a T-shirt.
21:41We got this tram up to a peak at the top in Hong Kong City,
21:44and I'm just in a Zoo York T-shirt.
21:47I'm like cargo shorts.
21:49I look like I'm having the world's worst identity crisis.
21:52Oh, that's so funny.
21:53Yeah, yeah.
21:54Like, because we were at a very different state.
21:55I'd gone to university, really discovered who I was.
21:58My brother had just left school
22:00and was just sort of like very much still dressing like a 16-year-old boy.
22:04Amazing.
22:05Yeah, it was tricky.
22:06That's my travel tip, though.
22:07That's whenever you pack bags and you're going with someone,
22:10like half and half close.
22:11Split it. Is that what you do?
22:12I do it all the time with Molly.
22:13You have to.
22:14That's smart. I've never done that.
22:15Yeah, because if her case arrives and mine doesn't,
22:17I'm not wearing a bikini, you know what I mean?
22:19I'm not even doing it.
22:20I thought that's the go-to.
22:21Not like, oh, maybe I'll have to borrow one of the T-shirts.
22:24I will simply have to wear her bikini.
22:26I will have to do it.
22:29Now, this is the part of the show where we get to hear from you.
22:32Sometimes we get travel tales and fails.
22:34Sometimes we get travel hacks.
22:35And sometimes we hear from former racers.
22:38And this week from Series 3, we've got the wonderful Laddie.
22:41Have I got a question for you?
22:44So, I had an experience whilst racing across Canada
22:50as part of the race with wild animals.
22:57What is the wildest animal that you have seen whilst travelling?
23:05And has that wild animal ever put you in danger?
23:10Laddie had a close encounter with a bear.
23:13A bear?
23:14A bear.
23:14First of all, what a handsome man.
23:16Yeah.
23:16He's good, right?
23:17Wow.
23:18What a look.
23:20Yeah?
23:21He's working it.
23:23Yeah.
23:24Yeah.
23:25So, what is the wildest encounter you've ever had whilst travelling?
23:30Well, I mean, I've done the jungle, so we've had some mad encounters there.
23:36Yeah.
23:37Like, I mean, there was literally just like kangaroos just outside.
23:41It was wild, yeah.
23:42Yeah.
23:43Australia is a...
23:43And just the bugs in Australia, it's almost like they go to the gym and get hench.
23:48Do you know, a fun fact, right?
23:50Go on.
23:50If all of the kangaroos in Australia were to invade Uruguay...
23:56Yeah?
23:56Hear me.
23:57Hear me.
23:57Hear me.
23:59Every Uruguayan would need to fight off 14 kangaroos.
24:02No.
24:03How crazy.
24:04Like, you know when they're there like that?
24:05They're just in their chest up.
24:06And why do you know this?
24:08I learnt a different fact every day.
24:09Let's make it happen!
24:11The kangaroo invasion of Uruguay.
24:12Let's do it.
24:14We once went, when I was like a lot, lot younger, we went to South Africa.
24:20Grandad had a heart attack on a cruise, so he had to be airlifted to the nearest bit
24:24of land, which was South Africa.
24:25We were all told he's gonna go, so we flew out to be like, oh God.
24:30And then, he didn't go.
24:32He went on to live for another 25 years.
24:34Wow!
24:35Anyway, we were in South Africa, and like, on one of the days, we were like, let's take
24:38him out in his wheelchair to like, you know, see things, because it might be the last thing
24:42you get.
24:43So we went to this place called Cape of Good Hope, which is really densely populated by
24:46baboons.
24:47We're in this minivan.
24:48The tour guide's like, go out, take some pictures.
24:51Whatever you do, do not get any food.
24:53We go out.
24:54I can remember my mum being like, well, this is nice.
24:56Should we get some crisps?
24:57And I was like, I think I was like seven, and I was like, but mum, the tour guide said
25:01don't get food.
25:02She was like, no, he didn't.
25:03She just hadn't heard him.
25:04So I was like, yeah, okay, let's get crisps.
25:06We bought a packet of crisps, and I kid you not, about 20 baboons started chasing us.
25:12We were, I have such a core memory of my mum and I racing back to this minivan where
25:18my grandpa was just like in a wheelchair, not even like aware of where he was.
25:23My mum jumped onto the minivan first, slid the door across, leaving me outside, banging
25:29on the van with 20 baboons just like jumping on me.
25:33It was like, I should be in therapy just for that.
25:36I'm so glad your story went second.
25:39Yeah.
25:41Problem is, I thought I had a good, I've shared a bed with a capybara.
25:44Did you buy her dinner first?
25:47Wow.
25:47When I was in Venezuela, I stayed at this lodge in the Amazon that had like, wild capybaras
25:52that are, wild capybaras are like really rare, and they had wild capybaras, this thing,
25:56and I woke up and one was at the bottom of my bed.
25:58Fun fact, if all the capybaras in the world...
26:02Moving on.
26:04I could take a capybara, I couldn't take a kangaroo.
26:06Yeah, bulking season.
26:08Now, remember, if you've got a travel tale, fail, or a hack that you'd like to share with
26:13us, then please do just WhatsApp us on 08000 487 387.
26:17Alfie, it is time, my friend.
26:18Oh, you've got the blazer on already, right.
26:20Yeah.
26:21Don't need to ask me twice.
26:22It looks great.
26:23You've got new badges and everything.
26:24He's like Superman.
26:25Yeah, exactly.
26:26It just changed.
26:27It is time for you to tell us your route for this leg.
26:30Act out to Zami National Park.
26:31Your race begins now.
26:33So, there were mixed results between the different routes that were chosen in this leg, but for
26:37me, Uzbekistan Silk Road is the one that I'm tracing, mainly because I've been and can
26:41give you some little hacks along the way.
26:43So first, you need to get to Beinu for the border crossing.
26:46Now, our teams who chose to do this taxied it, but I would take the train.
26:49It's slightly slower, but far cheaper, potentially only costing you between £10 and £20.
26:54From Beinu, you can get another train to Nookus, which is around 11 hours long and could cost
26:58around £15 for seats only.
27:00Now, from Nookus, grab a bus to Urgench.
27:02These currently only run once per day, but do cost a couple of quid, so it's well worth
27:07the risk of making it.
27:08And from Urgench, there's a trolley bus that will take you to your first detour, the incredible
27:12ancient city of Kiva.
27:13It is so worth the visit and I would book a guided tour.
27:16They're sometimes as low as £50, but a local will have so much info to give you and
27:21then you'll have all of the tools that you need to explore further from there.
27:24And then from Kiva, get back up to Urgench, and from there you take a train to your next
27:28detour, Samarkand.
27:30This is another long journey, almost nine hours, but a first class sleeper cabin in this part
27:34of the world could potentially only cost you £50 each.
27:37So it is a journey you can make the most of.
27:39Don't expect business class service.
27:41This is still a Soviet-era sleeper train, so don't expect too much.
27:46But once you get to Samarkand, you'll be in one of Central Asia's oldest cities.
27:49Head over to Ulugbeg and Sherdur Madrasas, centres of Islamic learning, or pay a visit
27:54to the lively Siob Bazaar, where you'll find some delicious local delicacies.
27:58Once you're finished in Samarkand, that's when we're heading to Checkpoint,
28:01Zahmin National Park.
28:02Public transport at this stage is very limited, so your best bet is to get a taxi.
28:06Three and a half hour journey, get your haggling boots on because you might be able
28:09to get this down to £20.
28:11And once you get to the incredible park, you'll be blown away by the stunning scenery
28:15and breathtaking views.
28:16It's well worth all the expenses of getting there.
28:18Alfie Watts, everyone.
28:19Amazing.
28:20What a route.
28:21What a route.
28:23A lot of trains.
28:24Yeah, a lot of trains.
28:25What was that business class one that you said?
28:26So basically, you can either choose, when you go on a train in Uzbekistan,
28:30you can either choose economy, which is where you share with four people,
28:33or business, basically, where you share with two.
28:37Oh.
28:38But you think, if you're with someone, then that two-berth cabin is yours.
28:42Okay.
28:43Hospitality suite, yeah.
28:53Nice.
28:55Yeah.
28:57I've got a lot of energy, and I do spend a lot of that energy looking after my family.
29:02But now the kids are older, and especially at such a crossroads of turning 60,
29:07it gives me the chance to really reassess things, really look for what I want.
29:12Love this.
29:13This is beautiful.
29:15Let's get the party started.
29:17Anyone fancy a sing song?
29:19Ba-ba-ba-ba- la-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da.
29:25Where are you all from?
29:26Are you all friends?
29:26Charlie!
29:27Come on.
29:28Pizza-vana.
29:30Yeah.
29:30Are you well...
29:32Oh my god!
29:41Whoa!
29:42Whoa!
29:42Yo!
29:43Come on!
29:48You're a good move, man.
29:52You're a good move.
29:55Melv, me and you have done some DJ geeks together, yeah?
29:57Yeah.
29:57We have never got the crowd rocking like that.
29:59We need Margot at the next rave, please.
30:02Can I ask a question, guys?
30:04Where was Mark?
30:06Four carriages down having a melon.
30:09He's going absolutely dark.
30:10Oh, I love her so much.
30:11Jane McDonald is quaking in her boots.
30:16To have the social confidence to be able to do that
30:18in a train full of people that you do not speak the same language as.
30:21What a human being.
30:22Protector at all costs.
30:23Right, thank you so much to Melvyn and Maisie
30:25for joining us for this episode of The Detour.
30:28And a huge thank you to our resident expert, Alfie Watts.
30:33But that is not all.
30:34All of these wonderful guests and Alfie will be sticking around
30:36for our extra special bonus episode,
30:38which you can find right now on BBC Sounds.
30:40Just scan the QR code or search Race Across The World,
30:43the detour on the app.
30:45It's going to be a load of fun
30:46because we like to call it travel buddies.
30:49Melv, you have actually chosen Ricky.
30:51Yep, that's right.
30:52Your co-host, Ricky Hayward-Williams,
30:53as your dream Race Across The World partner.
30:55So we're going to get Ricky on
30:56and see if he has the same enthusiasm for you.
30:59Oh, God.
30:59Yeah.
31:00That's probably a no.
31:02So we'll be back here on iPlayer and Sounds
31:04after episode six of Race Across The World,
31:05where we'll find out just how far into Central Asia
31:08our four teams will go and how quickly Margot
31:10will find a party and join it.
31:13And do you want to spend even more time
31:15with your favourite shows?
31:16As well as all the chat on Race Across The World,
31:18we've got boxes full of celebrity secrets
31:20in Sort Your Life Out Unpacked with Dilly Carter.
31:23And all the latest hires and fires from the boardroom
31:26in The Apprentice Unfinished Business.
31:28So no matter what you love watching,
31:29there's more to discover on BBC Sounds.
31:32Thank you for going on this detour with us.
31:34I'm Tyler West.
31:35Get yourself looking bonita.
31:36Hop into that cable car.
31:38And we'll see you at the next Checkpoint.
32:05とり
32:05onつつつつつつつつ
32:05Toつつつつ tätäくがvoodoo
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