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Ladakh: Hell Beneath the Wheels | Deadliest Journeys
48:21
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Ladakh: Hell Beneath the Wheels | Deadliest Journeys
00:00 In the extreme north of India, in the State of Kashmir, at an altitude of over 5,000 meters. 01:07 The large city of Manali 06:49 50 kilometers of hairpin bends on the edge of the ravine 13:49 The walking monk, a journey of 3,000 kilometers 19:59 The Rohtang Pass 26:48 Pashmina wool, the golden fiber 37:07 Leh, the capital of Ladakh 40:08 A driver died a violent death 44:30 The Hemis festival The region of Ladakh, nicknamed "Little Tibet". To travel to the rest of India, there is an air route, which normally operates in summer, but during winter, it is unpredictable. Most of the time, flights are delayed or cancelled. The only road that goes south, towards Manali and Delhi, along the Indus Valley, is impassable for more than nine months a year. The road passes through dizzying Himalayan passes, two of which rise over 5,000 meters high. It is one of the highest roads in the world and also one of the most dangerous. At this altitude, the slightest effort is terrible, and any weakness can be fatal... Adjay, a 40-year-old Indian driver, and Ali, his mechanic assistant, take this road to deliver tar. From the very first kilometers, they must face a very fragile bridge that cannot support more than the weight of their truck. This road is very busy. Cars, trucks, buses (first and second class), and sometimes even - in the good season - motorcycles and bicycles circulate amid breathtaking landscapes and... on the edge of equally vertiginous cliffs. Barely leaving Manali, in the State of Himachal Pradesh, the truck is head in the clouds: the first pass, Rohtang La, is at 3,977 meters. There is fog, the driver cannot see more than 10 meters ahead. There are ravines and slippery mud, making every turn extremely perilous. Hundreds of vehicles stuck block the road. On the rest of the road, it is impossible to pass each other. Each time, one of the vehicles must park so the other can pass slowly. There are parking spots every three to five hundred meters or so for a vehicle to park, but no one wants to give way first. Then begins the intimidation to see who will back down - it can last a long time. Then the high mountains, snow and cold and especially the lack of oxygen make driving more difficult... In Ladakh, there are also these nomads who migrate with their yaks and goats every month. They live at over 4,000 meters in extreme conditions. We also followed Tenzin, a Buddhist monk, who takes narrow paths on the sides of mountains, trying to reach Hemis, where each year the largest festival of sacred dances in Ladakh takes place...
Published Jan 10, 2024
Brazil: Life and Death on the River | Deadliest Journeys
51:31
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Brazil: Life and Death on the River | Deadliest Journeys
Amazonia, a huge territory where life can be uncompromisingly difficult. In its dense forests and intricate water systems, riberinhos, or river dwellers, cross paths with the garimpeiros, gold hunters. Riberinhos eke out a living from the boats that ply the rivers. Paddling out to meet the river traffic in small homemade canoes, they risk death by trying to fasten onto the often fast-moving boats. Remarkably, many are children, aged as young as five, who try and sell jungle delicacies for a few pennies to passengers and crew. Often, their families depend on them to make ends meet. Jesse’s family, for example. The 14-year-old youngster learned how to swim and handle a canoe almost before he could walk. Jesse turned to crime, in a desperate attempt to escape grinding poverty, and was shot and killed by a crewmember on board a barge he was trying to rob. A moving insight into the misery and frustration of those whom society has virtually abandoned. Elsewhere in the jungle, a woodsman recently found a small nugget of gold at a place called Eldorado Do Juma. It sparked a frenzy of gold fever Brazil hadn’t witnessed for more than 30 years. Young and old, experienced prospectors and tyros, flocked in their thousands to this remote corner of Amazonia to seek their fortunes. With them came shops, restaurants, even brothels, as man’s desire for riches turned virgin jungle into a virtual battleground. Few have found gold, and the slum-like conditions in which more than 10,000 people now live is a festering breeding ground for malaria and violence.
Published Jan 8, 2024
Struggle Street
8:42:32
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Struggle Street
Poverty and social disadvantage are things we usually associate with the Third World. But in areas of western Sydney - on the margins of Australia’s most affluent city - thousands of families and individuals are struggling to get by. S1.E1 00:00 Ashley, whose health stopped him driving trucks, shows how to make a few dollars by driving around looking for scrap metal. Erin's former house gets trashed, and William shows how he can get a meal using a slingshot accurately. S1.E2 50:30 Chris's mother had him taken from her, and he grew up in foster homes. He now finds himself back in Mt Druitt. Five tries to give something back to the others, and there are some support services - if only more people knew how to find them. S1.E3 01:40:27 Michelle's kids are the most important thing in her life. Ashley is diagnosed with dementia, but it doesn't stop him evicting his drug addicted son from the family home. S2.E1 02:28:46 We meet those from diverse backgrounds facing a range of challenges, from unemployment to addiction and a lack of housing. Single mother Norma is facing homelessness, and Kiwi shelter residents Jarrod and Sharon battle to overcome addiction. S2.E2 03:20:04 Nick is in trouble after the closure of the Melbourne Ford plant. Tamara is the victim of a vocational training loan scam. Allan racks up over $30,000 in payday loans, and police are sent in to remove Norma and her family from their home. S2.E3 04:15:08 Michael is at war with his brother, trying to deal with their mother's will. Allan tries to get his new landscaping business running but faces money problems. Jarrod and Sharon are at breaking point as they battle to stay clean from drugs. S2.E4 05:10:42 Sue's told she has four weeks to leave her home, facing the prospect of homelessness. Jarrod and Sharon agree to part ways in an attempt to clean up their lives. And things are looking up for Michael. He's about to get a new set of teeth. S2.E5 06:03:16 Jarrod and his two eldest children are on the streets and need emergency assistance. Sue is battling housing authorities as she attempts to find alternative accommodation, and Michelle and Jess are coming to terms with life in poverty. S2.E6 06:53:06 Michael has a financial windfall and decides to indulge his passion of music. Josh and Monica have been sleeping rough after Josh's release from jail and can't find anyone who'll rent to them. Meanwhile, Jess finds an escape in her art. S3.E1 07:47:37 Individuals and families living in Riverina, New South Wales share the struggles they are dealing with, including homelessness, drought and a crime wave sweeping through parts of Wagga Wagga.
Published Dec 26, 2023