1 00:00:12,875 --> 00:00:15,500 [David] I'm David Farrier, a journalist from New Zealand, 2 00:00:15,583 --> 00:00:18,458 investigating dark tourist hot spots around the world, 3 00:00:20,083 --> 00:00:22,916 places made famous by death and disaster. 4 00:00:23,083 --> 00:00:25,083 [explosion] 5 00:00:26,250 --> 00:00:28,708 [David] This expedition takes me to Kazakhstan, 6 00:00:28,791 --> 00:00:31,500 where I team up with a hardcore dark tourist... 7 00:00:32,083 --> 00:00:35,208 -I don't want you to die. -I'm hoping we both get to the other side 8 00:00:35,291 --> 00:00:36,416 completely alive. 9 00:00:36,875 --> 00:00:40,375 [David] ...to check out one of the most nuclear-bombed places in the world... 10 00:00:40,458 --> 00:00:42,333 [explosion] 11 00:00:42,416 --> 00:00:45,208 -Are you sure this is okay? -Just make sure you don't inhale anything. 12 00:00:45,625 --> 00:00:47,250 [David] Jesus, this is real. 13 00:00:48,083 --> 00:00:49,958 [David] ...to the closed city of Baikonur, 14 00:00:50,041 --> 00:00:53,291 top-secret headquarters of the Russian space program. 15 00:00:53,375 --> 00:00:55,375 [space rocket launch] 16 00:00:58,250 --> 00:00:59,375 [David] And I go undercover 17 00:00:59,791 --> 00:01:04,041 to get inside the weird and paranoid republic of Turkmenistan. 18 00:01:04,125 --> 00:01:07,500 [David] If I say something critical about the regime or government-- 19 00:01:07,583 --> 00:01:08,750 You'd better not. 20 00:01:09,208 --> 00:01:12,041 [David] You don't say anything negative, in case you'll be listened to. 21 00:01:12,500 --> 00:01:15,666 [man] There's journalists there that are in prison. That is scary. 22 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:19,000 [David] But not everything goes to plan. [theme music playing] 23 00:01:43,625 --> 00:01:45,500 [David] I'm traveling to central Asia 24 00:01:45,583 --> 00:01:48,750 to a group of five countries known as "The Stans": 25 00:01:48,833 --> 00:01:51,041 Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, 26 00:01:51,125 --> 00:01:53,625 Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, 27 00:01:53,708 --> 00:01:55,125 and Kazakhstan. 28 00:01:55,875 --> 00:01:57,958 Once part of the Soviet empire, 29 00:01:58,041 --> 00:02:00,916 these countries are now known for their eccentric leaders, 30 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:03,416 extreme corruption, and secrecy. 31 00:02:03,500 --> 00:02:05,583 Perfect for any dark tourist. 32 00:02:07,083 --> 00:02:09,833 I start my trip in the big "Stan," Kazakhstan, 33 00:02:10,958 --> 00:02:13,625 a place with a deadly nuclear past. 34 00:02:13,708 --> 00:02:15,708 [propellers] 35 00:02:19,291 --> 00:02:22,416 [David] Kazakhstan is the ninth-largest country in the world, 36 00:02:22,500 --> 00:02:23,958 the size of western Europe. 37 00:02:24,458 --> 00:02:27,958 It's also one of the most atomic-bombed places on Earth. 38 00:02:32,125 --> 00:02:33,541 [explosion] 39 00:02:33,666 --> 00:02:36,875 [David] Between 1949 and 1989, 40 00:02:37,166 --> 00:02:41,416 the former Soviet Union detonated hundreds of nuclear weapons here. 41 00:02:41,500 --> 00:02:43,500 [explosions] 42 00:02:43,583 --> 00:02:47,291 [David] The tests were carried out in top secret during the Cold War, 43 00:02:47,375 --> 00:02:50,250 in an area ominously known as "the Polygon." 44 00:02:50,875 --> 00:02:54,875 -[Russian female announcer] -[plane tires screatching] 45 00:02:55,791 --> 00:02:59,041 [David] I want to see what's happened to this nuclear-ravaged landscape 46 00:02:59,125 --> 00:03:00,500 30 years on, 47 00:03:00,583 --> 00:03:03,541 and to find out what decades of atomic testing 48 00:03:03,625 --> 00:03:05,041 has done to its inhabitants. 49 00:03:05,166 --> 00:03:07,166 [indinstictive chatter] 50 00:03:07,500 --> 00:03:10,583 [David] On this trip, I'm teaming up with a hardcore dark tourist. 51 00:03:10,958 --> 00:03:11,791 Andy! 52 00:03:11,875 --> 00:03:15,083 Andy Drury's a builder from England with a wife and two children. 53 00:03:15,166 --> 00:03:16,000 It was really good. 54 00:03:16,083 --> 00:03:18,625 But Andy has a double life as an adventurer. 55 00:03:19,291 --> 00:03:23,958 He's spent the last 25 years holidaying in combat zones all around the world. 56 00:03:24,708 --> 00:03:27,833 What is it about going into war zones that, I guess... 57 00:03:28,375 --> 00:03:29,416 What is it? 58 00:03:29,500 --> 00:03:32,916 [Andy] The last war zone I went to, when we got attacked by ISIS, 59 00:03:33,333 --> 00:03:35,208 was a pretty intense situation. 60 00:03:35,291 --> 00:03:37,208 You know, on the front line in Kirkuk. 61 00:03:37,458 --> 00:03:38,458 And... 62 00:03:39,166 --> 00:03:41,041 it just turned into a mass attack. 63 00:03:41,333 --> 00:03:43,708 [David] And that, for you, was like, sort of... 64 00:03:43,791 --> 00:03:45,958 -I didn't want to be killed. -...gives you a buzz. 65 00:03:46,125 --> 00:03:48,958 But the adrenaline became a little bit addictive. 66 00:03:50,375 --> 00:03:54,500 [David] Andy's addiction to danger has taken him to war zones in Somalia, 67 00:03:54,583 --> 00:03:57,000 Pakistan, Syria, 68 00:03:57,083 --> 00:03:59,250 North Korea, Afghanistan, 69 00:03:59,333 --> 00:04:00,166 and Iraq. 70 00:04:00,250 --> 00:04:03,250 Here, we could be targets for snipers at any time. 71 00:04:03,333 --> 00:04:04,750 -[snipper shot] -[man] Wow! 72 00:04:05,250 --> 00:04:06,958 [man] Head down. 73 00:04:08,083 --> 00:04:10,791 [David] On this trip, the danger is just as real, 74 00:04:10,875 --> 00:04:12,333 but we won't be able to see it. 75 00:04:12,416 --> 00:04:14,125 That's the joy of radiation. 76 00:04:14,750 --> 00:04:18,041 Despite the threat, Andy and I are heading towards ground zero, 77 00:04:18,125 --> 00:04:19,833 in the middle of the testing site. 78 00:04:20,250 --> 00:04:23,416 -It's more than a day's drive away. -[Andy] I've researched a bit about it. 79 00:04:24,541 --> 00:04:26,541 Even knowing the name of the first bomb. 80 00:04:27,166 --> 00:04:28,958 Joe One, after Joseph Stalin. 81 00:04:29,875 --> 00:04:31,416 Little bit of history there for you. 82 00:04:31,500 --> 00:04:33,583 [David] It's on my list. I've been reading about it. 83 00:04:33,666 --> 00:04:36,041 It's an entirely different thing to actually come. 84 00:04:36,125 --> 00:04:40,083 But that's the thing, you know, because I don't want to see it in a documentary. 85 00:04:40,166 --> 00:04:43,083 It's the same thing, curiosity. You want to see it first-hand. 86 00:04:43,166 --> 00:04:44,083 Yeah. 87 00:04:44,166 --> 00:04:46,166 [car bumping] 88 00:04:47,083 --> 00:04:48,500 -[David] God... -Ooh, ay up. 89 00:04:48,583 --> 00:04:50,791 This... I'm not going straight anymore! 90 00:04:53,125 --> 00:04:55,208 [David] Don't drive off the edge, please. 91 00:04:56,083 --> 00:04:58,791 This road is... pretty horrendous. 92 00:04:59,416 --> 00:05:01,458 -I don't want you to die on it. -Thank you. 93 00:05:01,541 --> 00:05:05,541 I'm hoping we both get to the other side of this... completely alive. 94 00:05:09,166 --> 00:05:11,166 [Kazakhstan ethnic music] 95 00:05:13,083 --> 00:05:15,541 -See, this is your classic Kazakh problem. -Right. 96 00:05:23,416 --> 00:05:27,208 [David] After a mammoth drive, we finally arrive in Kurchatov. 97 00:05:27,291 --> 00:05:28,541 [Andy] Home sweet home. 98 00:05:31,458 --> 00:05:34,041 [David] This town is close to the nuclear test site, 99 00:05:34,666 --> 00:05:38,791 and previously one of the most top-secret places in the Soviet Union. 100 00:05:39,708 --> 00:05:42,791 There aren't a lot of hotel options in this part of the world. 101 00:05:44,250 --> 00:05:45,833 [David] We're here to check in. 102 00:05:46,125 --> 00:05:48,125 [speaking Kazakh] 103 00:05:48,458 --> 00:05:49,541 Just through here? 104 00:05:50,250 --> 00:05:51,958 [David] I didn't expect the Ritz... 105 00:05:52,041 --> 00:05:53,916 [David] This hallway's not at all foreboding. 106 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:57,250 [David] ...but I didn't exactly expect the Bates Motel either. 107 00:05:57,333 --> 00:05:58,541 [David] It's quite... 108 00:05:58,625 --> 00:06:00,458 [laughs] ...it's quite good. 109 00:06:03,500 --> 00:06:04,375 [David] Good decor. 110 00:06:05,500 --> 00:06:07,166 -Modern TV. -[Andy] Ahh! 111 00:06:07,750 --> 00:06:09,750 -What more could you want? -It goes up a bit. [both laughing] 112 00:06:13,416 --> 00:06:16,291 -It's got a few stains there... -It's really good. 113 00:06:16,375 --> 00:06:19,208 -...from a previous-- -[David] Let's not talk about the stains. 114 00:06:20,958 --> 00:06:23,500 [David] For a man who casually visits war zones, 115 00:06:23,583 --> 00:06:25,833 Andy seems remarkably well-groomed. 116 00:06:26,333 --> 00:06:28,000 I discover he has a secret. 117 00:06:28,375 --> 00:06:30,708 [David] You've got a few products going on. 118 00:06:31,083 --> 00:06:33,833 So the hair's quite an important thing for you. 119 00:06:33,916 --> 00:06:36,541 -Yeah. -And do you blow-dry it? 120 00:06:36,958 --> 00:06:38,250 What, like, first thing? 121 00:06:38,333 --> 00:06:40,000 -Every morning. -Every morning. 122 00:06:40,083 --> 00:06:42,333 And then there's just different hair products. 123 00:06:42,416 --> 00:06:44,208 [Andy] That's wax before your hairspray. 124 00:06:44,625 --> 00:06:46,791 -So that goes in first? -First, yeah. 125 00:06:46,875 --> 00:06:49,708 Um... No, it's important to look good! 126 00:06:49,791 --> 00:06:50,833 [Andy laughs] 127 00:06:50,916 --> 00:06:54,125 [David] Andy clearly likes to be in control of everything, 128 00:06:54,208 --> 00:06:56,208 from his hair to the scheduling. 129 00:06:56,291 --> 00:06:58,833 This is just a thrown-together thing, but... 130 00:06:58,916 --> 00:07:01,500 it don't take much to do, it's just a brief idea of-- 131 00:07:01,583 --> 00:07:03,916 -So you know what you're getting into. -[Andy] Of course. 132 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,250 [David] And his low-tech way of organizing things 133 00:07:06,333 --> 00:07:08,875 seems totally in tune with the local conditions. 134 00:07:08,958 --> 00:07:11,833 [David] I love your system. I like how old-school it is, you know? 135 00:07:11,916 --> 00:07:15,250 Some people would have this on a computer. You have it in a binder. 136 00:07:15,458 --> 00:07:17,458 [both laughing] 137 00:07:31,708 --> 00:07:34,291 [David] The next stop on our radioactive road trip 138 00:07:34,375 --> 00:07:36,458 is 120 kilometers away... 139 00:07:36,541 --> 00:07:37,875 in the middle of nowhere. 140 00:07:38,333 --> 00:07:42,250 The Soviets blew up nukes all over this area, hundreds of them. 141 00:07:42,958 --> 00:07:45,125 But it wasn't just done to develop weapons. 142 00:07:45,458 --> 00:07:48,666 Some blasts were just used to dig really big holes. 143 00:07:49,041 --> 00:07:49,875 Like this one. 144 00:07:50,625 --> 00:07:53,083 -[David] See, that is a lake. -[Andy] That is a lake. 145 00:07:54,500 --> 00:07:57,541 [David] In 1965, this lake was created 146 00:07:57,625 --> 00:07:59,791 by an underground nuclear explosion. 147 00:07:59,916 --> 00:08:01,916 [crane lifting] 148 00:08:02,708 --> 00:08:04,666 [underground explosion] 149 00:08:05,916 --> 00:08:08,666 [David] With a blast ten times bigger than Hiroshima, 150 00:08:10,458 --> 00:08:13,000 the bomb left a crater 400 meters wide 151 00:08:13,083 --> 00:08:14,666 and 100 meters deep. 152 00:08:15,750 --> 00:08:18,625 They decided to call it "Atomic Lake". 153 00:08:18,833 --> 00:08:21,416 -It's an extreme way to do it. -To have an atomic bomb. -[both chuckle] -It's just a name! 154 00:08:25,291 --> 00:08:27,875 [David] We picked up a local guide to show us round. 155 00:08:28,583 --> 00:08:32,666 Konstantin tells us the explosion left the banks and water contaminated. 156 00:08:33,458 --> 00:08:37,666 This water is a hundred times more radioactive than normal drinking water. 157 00:08:38,791 --> 00:08:42,000 And, of course, Andy suggests we go for a swim. 158 00:08:42,375 --> 00:08:45,208 I've got these. Is it all right to swim on the top? 159 00:08:45,833 --> 00:08:47,416 Yeah. It's safe. 160 00:08:47,791 --> 00:08:51,208 -[David] It is safe to swim in? -Yeah, but don't dive too deep. 161 00:08:51,291 --> 00:08:56,500 Why don't you want to dive too deep? Is it more... nuclear down there? 162 00:08:56,583 --> 00:08:58,708 Yeah, that's a problem. 163 00:08:59,125 --> 00:09:00,541 [both laugh] 164 00:09:00,625 --> 00:09:01,583 It's a problem! 165 00:09:02,500 --> 00:09:06,083 [David] Surprisingly, fishermen are casually casting their rods 166 00:09:06,166 --> 00:09:07,500 into Atomic Lake. 167 00:09:08,375 --> 00:09:13,083 It's a strange question, but there's a rumor there's been fish with two heads... 168 00:09:13,750 --> 00:09:16,916 -Is that not true? -[guide] That's not common for our region. 169 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:18,791 So no two-headed fish in here? 170 00:09:18,875 --> 00:09:20,250 Nothing here. 171 00:09:20,666 --> 00:09:24,125 [David] Andy's still keen to go for a swim, but before we do, 172 00:09:24,208 --> 00:09:26,583 the locals invite us to share some delicious, 173 00:09:26,666 --> 00:09:29,333 and potentially highly toxic, fish. 174 00:09:29,416 --> 00:09:30,708 [David] Are they good for eating? 175 00:09:30,791 --> 00:09:33,666 -Nothing bad about it. -"Nothing bad about it." [chuckles] 176 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:36,875 Oh, God. 177 00:09:37,375 --> 00:09:41,166 [David] I'm just not certain I want to be eating mutant, three-eyed fish. 178 00:09:42,166 --> 00:09:44,583 [David] I'd take a sausage over a fish, I'll be honest. 179 00:09:45,625 --> 00:09:47,541 [David] But it seems that's not an option. 180 00:09:47,916 --> 00:09:50,625 Get some of that atomic... fish into you. 181 00:09:51,541 --> 00:09:55,625 [speaking Kazakh] 182 00:09:55,750 --> 00:09:57,541 [Andy] Oh, vodka with it. Yeah. 183 00:09:58,041 --> 00:10:01,625 So this gets rid of any potential radiation. Killed by vodka. 184 00:10:01,958 --> 00:10:03,625 [speaking Kazakh] 185 00:10:05,041 --> 00:10:05,875 Cheers. 186 00:10:06,958 --> 00:10:07,791 Cheers. 187 00:10:07,916 --> 00:10:09,916 [Kazakh music playing] 188 00:10:10,291 --> 00:10:12,541 -I'm having another one. I don't drink. -You like it? 189 00:10:12,625 --> 00:10:15,625 No! I'm going swimming, and I'd rather not remember it. 190 00:10:15,708 --> 00:10:17,708 [chees in Kazakh language] 191 00:10:18,291 --> 00:10:20,041 [Andy] This is like Dutch courage. 192 00:10:22,500 --> 00:10:23,416 [Andy] Oh, man. 193 00:10:24,250 --> 00:10:26,666 [David] Finally Andy, or more likely the vodka, 194 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:29,125 persuades me to go in with him for a swim. 195 00:10:29,208 --> 00:10:30,875 [Andy] You're making a right meal of this. 196 00:10:31,333 --> 00:10:32,750 [David] This is nervous excitement. 197 00:10:33,333 --> 00:10:35,333 [Andy] David... why are we doing this? 198 00:10:35,875 --> 00:10:37,208 [David] I think because we can. 199 00:10:37,291 --> 00:10:39,291 [David] Mindful of Konstantin's warning, 200 00:10:39,750 --> 00:10:41,708 we're careful to stay near the surface, 201 00:10:41,791 --> 00:10:44,750 away from any radioactive sludge deeper down. 202 00:10:48,500 --> 00:10:49,666 This is nice! 203 00:10:50,166 --> 00:10:51,375 [Andy] Woohoo! 204 00:10:53,375 --> 00:10:54,500 [Andy] We've done it, man 205 00:10:55,625 --> 00:10:56,541 [David] High five. 206 00:11:01,125 --> 00:11:03,291 [David] I'm not sure if we're having an adventure, 207 00:11:03,375 --> 00:11:05,375 or just being incredibly stupid, 208 00:11:06,083 --> 00:11:09,625 but, floating here, I'm overcome with a feeling of exhilaration 209 00:11:10,125 --> 00:11:12,625 and, just for a moment, a sense of peace. 210 00:11:13,416 --> 00:11:16,083 I guess this is what dark tourism is all about: 211 00:11:16,166 --> 00:11:21,041 escaping normality to stumble onto something beautiful and unexpected. 212 00:11:24,333 --> 00:11:26,333 Armed with a new sense of bravery, 213 00:11:26,416 --> 00:11:29,416 Andy and I head to the next site on our atomic tour, the very center of the Polygon, ground zero, 214 00:11:33,458 --> 00:11:36,041 where the Russians exploded all those atomic weapons. 215 00:11:36,125 --> 00:11:39,333 If I didn't wear these... what's the danger? Is it-- 216 00:11:39,416 --> 00:11:42,000 If you have dust on your shoes, you can inhale it. 217 00:11:42,083 --> 00:11:45,041 Then what does the dust do? The dust's then inside your body? 218 00:11:45,125 --> 00:11:49,458 If it penetrates through your lungs, it can cause some cancer. 219 00:11:49,875 --> 00:11:52,250 Yeah, I've heard dust cancer, radiation c-- 220 00:11:52,333 --> 00:11:54,625 -[guide] They are connected. -Am I going to die out there? 221 00:11:54,916 --> 00:11:57,333 [guide] Just make sure you don't inhale anything. 222 00:11:57,666 --> 00:11:58,500 Mhm! 223 00:11:59,333 --> 00:12:00,333 My head's too big. 224 00:12:00,583 --> 00:12:02,416 [Andy] And I've got quite a bit of hairspray on. 225 00:12:02,500 --> 00:12:04,458 [David] So, you're really sure it's okay? 226 00:12:04,666 --> 00:12:06,291 -Yeah. -[Andy] What could go wrong? 227 00:12:06,375 --> 00:12:08,750 [David] It doesn't feel at all dangerous, right? 228 00:12:08,916 --> 00:12:10,375 -You're sure this is okay? -Yeah. 229 00:12:13,041 --> 00:12:16,500 [David] I'm not at all reassured by our paper protective suits 230 00:12:16,583 --> 00:12:18,250 as we head into ground zero, 231 00:12:19,500 --> 00:12:23,791 especially as this is exactly where the first atomic detonation was. 232 00:12:24,375 --> 00:12:26,291 [atomic bomb explosion] 233 00:12:26,375 --> 00:12:29,791 [David] The explosion was as powerful as the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, 234 00:12:30,416 --> 00:12:31,791 but that was just the start. 235 00:12:32,875 --> 00:12:37,291 The Soviets detonated 456 nuclear devices here, 236 00:12:38,041 --> 00:12:41,625 equivalent to more than two and a half thousand Hiroshima-sized bombs. 237 00:12:41,708 --> 00:12:43,708 [huge explosion] 238 00:12:44,208 --> 00:12:46,333 [David] Not surprisingly, the area became 239 00:12:46,416 --> 00:12:48,916 one of the most radioactive places in the world. 240 00:12:50,458 --> 00:12:51,875 All that remains now 241 00:12:51,958 --> 00:12:54,458 are these alien-looking, concrete structures 242 00:12:54,541 --> 00:12:56,541 which were used to monitor the blasts. 243 00:12:58,250 --> 00:13:00,541 -[David] You say this was the epicenter... -[guide] Right. 244 00:13:00,625 --> 00:13:02,041 What was? That lake? 245 00:13:02,750 --> 00:13:03,875 [Andy] That's the crater. 246 00:13:04,458 --> 00:13:06,375 I can't believe it's so green round here. 247 00:13:06,458 --> 00:13:09,000 I know we've got water, but it doesn't seem right. 248 00:13:09,208 --> 00:13:11,333 It just-- I expected everything to be dead. 249 00:13:11,916 --> 00:13:14,458 It's like an oasis in the desert, isn't it? [laughs] 250 00:13:14,875 --> 00:13:16,708 [gaiger ticks] 251 00:13:16,791 --> 00:13:20,750 [David] Andy, armed with a Geiger counter, is keen to push to the limits 252 00:13:20,833 --> 00:13:23,291 and see how high the radiation gets. 253 00:13:23,791 --> 00:13:27,250 [Andy] And it's gone way up now. Six. Six point five. 254 00:13:27,750 --> 00:13:29,000 Six two nine. 255 00:13:29,416 --> 00:13:30,250 It's going up! 256 00:13:31,125 --> 00:13:32,083 Up and up. 257 00:13:32,166 --> 00:13:35,083 [David] A reading of six is 20 times the levels 258 00:13:35,166 --> 00:13:37,375 in the exclusion zones around Chernobyl. 259 00:13:37,916 --> 00:13:40,458 He seems to be getting high on the possible danger. 260 00:13:40,541 --> 00:13:41,875 Andy, he loves it. 261 00:13:41,958 --> 00:13:45,250 [Andy] And it's up to 14. So this maxes out here. 262 00:13:46,041 --> 00:13:47,166 Fourteen! 263 00:13:48,416 --> 00:13:50,250 [David] While Andy's on atomic cloud nine... 264 00:13:50,333 --> 00:13:51,250 Fourteen! 265 00:13:51,333 --> 00:13:53,375 ...I'm beginning to feel anxious. 266 00:13:53,916 --> 00:13:55,125 That's more like it, isn't it? 267 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:58,500 -[David] That's what you came here for. -Did you see me excited? 268 00:13:58,583 --> 00:14:00,833 -[David] Yeah, I saw you perk up. -[Andy] Why? 269 00:14:00,916 --> 00:14:03,041 -[David] Like a kid at Christmas. -[Andy] Was I dancing? 270 00:14:03,541 --> 00:14:05,583 -[David] You were. -[Andy] Oh, sorry. 271 00:14:05,666 --> 00:14:07,625 -[David chuckles] -[Andy] I can't dance. 272 00:14:07,708 --> 00:14:08,916 [both laugh] 273 00:14:10,250 --> 00:14:13,750 [David] We head back to relative safety and out of our paper suits. 274 00:14:14,458 --> 00:14:16,958 But there's a part of this puzzle that's missing for me. 275 00:14:17,375 --> 00:14:20,083 What happened to all those people who used to live here? 276 00:14:20,583 --> 00:14:24,541 I've read that many villages were affected by the fallout of radiation. 277 00:14:24,875 --> 00:14:28,583 Some people were even used as human guinea pigs during the tests. 278 00:14:28,875 --> 00:14:32,625 [David] There were definitely people that got... radiated from the tests, 279 00:14:32,708 --> 00:14:35,916 that led to birth defects and all sorts of things. That happened. 280 00:14:36,458 --> 00:14:39,750 I normally... don't have such experience. 281 00:14:40,375 --> 00:14:43,125 You read stories about, when the explosions took place, 282 00:14:43,208 --> 00:14:46,375 they were encouraged to look at the explosion to see what would happen. 283 00:14:46,458 --> 00:14:47,333 Is that not true? 284 00:14:47,666 --> 00:14:49,625 I personally don't have such information 285 00:14:49,708 --> 00:14:53,000 that people directly... suffered from radiation 286 00:14:53,083 --> 00:14:54,458 or some defects. 287 00:14:54,541 --> 00:14:55,958 I think they definitely did. 288 00:14:56,333 --> 00:14:57,291 -Yeah. -They'd have to. 289 00:14:58,791 --> 00:15:01,208 [David] I'm not sure if it's the language barrier 290 00:15:01,291 --> 00:15:03,000 or because he's an official guide, 291 00:15:03,291 --> 00:15:05,750 but Konstantin seems reluctant to admit 292 00:15:05,833 --> 00:15:08,500 that anyone's been affected by the nuclear testing. 293 00:15:09,291 --> 00:15:12,166 We've heard stories that radiation from the blasts 294 00:15:12,250 --> 00:15:14,291 caused serious health problems round here. 295 00:15:16,333 --> 00:15:19,375 Konstantin's denials spark our curiosity 296 00:15:19,625 --> 00:15:22,000 and the journalist in me wants to know more. 297 00:15:22,416 --> 00:15:25,250 I track down Dr. Toleukhan Nurmagambetov, 298 00:15:25,333 --> 00:15:27,333 head of the local maternity clinic, 299 00:15:27,416 --> 00:15:29,250 who has a very different point of view. 300 00:15:29,708 --> 00:15:32,541 [in Kazakh] When they opened the Polygon, they counted on wind patterns. 301 00:15:32,625 --> 00:15:34,041 Therefore they thought 302 00:15:34,125 --> 00:15:40,541 that neither the nuclear clouds nor emissions would stay here. 303 00:15:41,041 --> 00:15:42,916 But they have radiated... 304 00:15:44,541 --> 00:15:46,625 all surrounding areas. 305 00:15:46,708 --> 00:15:49,666 [Toleukhan] The frequency of radiation related diseases is overwhelming. 306 00:15:50,458 --> 00:15:53,833 [David] The doctor says radiation killed his wife and child, 307 00:15:53,916 --> 00:15:56,750 so I understand why he wants people to know the truth. 308 00:15:57,458 --> 00:15:59,125 But this is still going on, 309 00:15:59,625 --> 00:16:01,583 and that makes him just as angry. 310 00:16:01,666 --> 00:16:07,708 Now when you visit the orphanage, you will see and understand. 311 00:16:10,625 --> 00:16:13,375 [David] The doctor insists we visit a local orphanage 312 00:16:13,458 --> 00:16:15,708 that takes care of abandoned children. 313 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,916 He says that many of them are affected by radiation. 314 00:16:19,583 --> 00:16:23,333 I feel a bit uncomfortable, kind of emotional, I think, at the moment. 315 00:16:23,875 --> 00:16:26,375 [David] Andy and I are feeling apprehensive. 316 00:16:27,583 --> 00:16:32,041 This dark tour has suddenly taken us somewhere entirely unexpected. 317 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:35,000 [indistinctive baby sounds] [sad tunes] 318 00:16:45,791 --> 00:16:48,333 [David] Seeing the scarred landscape was one thing, 319 00:16:48,416 --> 00:16:53,666 but being face-to-face with the continuing human consequences is heart-breaking. 320 00:16:54,291 --> 00:16:56,291 [both sighing] 321 00:16:56,416 --> 00:16:59,500 [nurse] She's five years old. Paralyzed. Can't walk. 322 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:01,958 [Andy] She's beautiful. 323 00:17:02,166 --> 00:17:03,500 [child's voice] 324 00:17:04,083 --> 00:17:04,916 Hey! 325 00:17:05,333 --> 00:17:06,666 [baby voices] 326 00:17:06,750 --> 00:17:08,958 [David] This place is really getting to me. And I notice it's also affecting Andy. 327 00:17:12,166 --> 00:17:15,041 How's this for you, Andy? What are you feeling right now? 328 00:17:15,166 --> 00:17:16,000 Upset. 329 00:17:17,916 --> 00:17:20,250 I just don't like... children suffering. 330 00:17:20,916 --> 00:17:24,583 That was my biggest fear, seeing children that were unhappy 331 00:17:24,666 --> 00:17:27,583 and maybe treated badly, but they're beautiful here. 332 00:17:27,666 --> 00:17:31,416 I mean, this home is... what you'd consider probably fantastic. 333 00:17:31,833 --> 00:17:33,791 -[baby voices] -[Andy sobs] 334 00:17:35,958 --> 00:17:39,000 Why was it important for you to see this, do you think? 335 00:17:40,916 --> 00:17:44,041 Kind of swimming in the lake and having a little joke and a... 336 00:17:44,916 --> 00:17:47,958 pop around, which is fine. I don't think you shouldn't do that. But, kind of, then coming here and seeing what the effects... 337 00:17:51,833 --> 00:17:53,458 It's... like a big lesson. 338 00:17:55,333 --> 00:17:58,083 [baby voices] 339 00:17:58,166 --> 00:17:59,166 See ya! 340 00:18:01,166 --> 00:18:04,000 [David] I've never seen anything like that orphanage. 341 00:18:05,750 --> 00:18:08,041 We came to the Polygon looking for adventure 342 00:18:08,500 --> 00:18:13,000 and to see what had happened to the place 30 years after nuclear testing ended. 343 00:18:13,666 --> 00:18:16,750 What we didn't expect was to see the terrible consequences 344 00:18:16,833 --> 00:18:19,250 that the tests are still having on people today. 345 00:18:20,916 --> 00:18:23,625 What I've seen here will stay with me forever. 346 00:18:27,625 --> 00:18:30,458 [David] My next destination is still in Kazakhstan, 347 00:18:30,541 --> 00:18:33,000 but 2,000 kilometers west of the Polygon. 348 00:18:40,416 --> 00:18:43,416 Baikonur was the heart of the Russian space race. 349 00:18:44,041 --> 00:18:45,833 This place was so hush-hush, 350 00:18:45,916 --> 00:18:49,250 it didn't appear on any maps until the fall of the Soviet Union. 351 00:18:49,875 --> 00:18:52,083 Even now, it's still a closed city 352 00:18:52,416 --> 00:18:54,041 and very hard to get into, 353 00:18:54,458 --> 00:18:56,375 guarded by special forces. 354 00:18:56,791 --> 00:18:59,875 The perfect destination for a dark tourist. 355 00:19:00,375 --> 00:19:04,541 I want to get in and see this top-secret facility for myself. 356 00:19:05,916 --> 00:19:09,291 Baikonur is now leased from Kazakhstan by the Russians, 357 00:19:09,583 --> 00:19:12,125 and it's still home to their space program. 358 00:19:12,416 --> 00:19:16,416 Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin launched here in 1961, 359 00:19:16,500 --> 00:19:18,833 becoming the first man to orbit the Earth 360 00:19:18,916 --> 00:19:24,083 and catapulting the USSR ahead of the USA in the international space race. 361 00:19:24,750 --> 00:19:26,500 [beeping] 362 00:19:27,208 --> 00:19:30,958 [helicopter arriving] 363 00:19:35,500 --> 00:19:38,291 [David] After years of absolute secrecy, 364 00:19:38,375 --> 00:19:41,500 incredibly, Baikonur has now opened its doors 365 00:19:41,583 --> 00:19:44,666 to a small number of seriously cashed-up tourists 366 00:19:45,208 --> 00:19:47,625 who are happy to pay thousands of dollars 367 00:19:47,708 --> 00:19:50,916 to watch a 300-tonne projectile fired into space. 368 00:19:51,291 --> 00:19:53,291 [cameras clicking] 369 00:19:53,791 --> 00:19:55,541 -How's it so far? -This is great. 370 00:19:55,625 --> 00:19:57,041 This is the front row seat. 371 00:19:57,125 --> 00:19:59,875 There's only maybe a hundred people here at most. 372 00:19:59,958 --> 00:20:02,458 [David] Lance, a businessman from Ohio, has been waiting five years for this moment. 373 00:20:05,125 --> 00:20:08,250 What is it about this rocket and what we're seeing now... 374 00:20:08,875 --> 00:20:09,875 that gets you going? 375 00:20:10,208 --> 00:20:13,083 [Lance] I remember back in the... Cold War days, 376 00:20:13,166 --> 00:20:16,458 everything was so secretive about their rocket technology, 377 00:20:16,541 --> 00:20:19,083 and to have a front row seat, and see it now, 378 00:20:19,166 --> 00:20:22,291 is just something I never imagined I'd be able to do. 379 00:20:22,375 --> 00:20:24,083 -[train moving] -Here we go. 380 00:20:25,708 --> 00:20:28,833 -Are you seeing this? -[Lance chuckless] You can feel that. 381 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:33,625 [Lance] Yeah, now you see why I've been thinking about it for five years. 382 00:20:33,708 --> 00:20:35,250 [Lance chuckles] 383 00:20:35,375 --> 00:20:36,541 [David] Got to get there. 384 00:20:36,666 --> 00:20:40,250 [David] The massive Soyuz rocket is being moved to the launch site, 385 00:20:40,750 --> 00:20:43,958 ready for its manned mission to the International Space Station. 386 00:20:44,333 --> 00:20:46,708 And Lance isn't the only space geek watching. 387 00:20:47,375 --> 00:20:49,166 [David] A lot of people taking selfies. 388 00:20:51,291 --> 00:20:52,833 [David] The technology is awesome. 389 00:20:53,291 --> 00:20:57,375 This rocket looks like something out of a science fiction movie from the 1950s, 390 00:20:57,916 --> 00:20:59,916 which is maybe not so surprising, 391 00:21:00,541 --> 00:21:04,541 because Lance tells me that these rockets are based on 50-year-old designs. 392 00:21:05,166 --> 00:21:08,083 This sounds technologically prehistoric to me, 393 00:21:08,541 --> 00:21:11,833 and I wonder if it's safe using them to blast people into space. 394 00:21:12,708 --> 00:21:15,791 [David] Think you'll be nervous when it takes off? 'Cause I always worry. 395 00:21:15,875 --> 00:21:16,833 A lot of fuel. 396 00:21:17,416 --> 00:21:18,791 Three people strapped in. 397 00:21:18,875 --> 00:21:20,500 I feel anxious already. 398 00:21:21,625 --> 00:21:23,291 It's old! It's 50 years old. 399 00:21:23,875 --> 00:21:25,791 [Lance] I think that, if you're an astronaut, 400 00:21:25,875 --> 00:21:28,458 then you're very much at peace with... 401 00:21:29,250 --> 00:21:31,625 "If I go, this is the way I was meant to go." 402 00:21:32,500 --> 00:21:33,583 [David] What a way to go. 403 00:21:34,125 --> 00:21:35,416 [cameras clicking] 404 00:21:36,041 --> 00:21:37,666 [David] But being so close to the rocket 405 00:21:37,750 --> 00:21:40,750 only makes me more nervous about something going wrong. 406 00:21:41,708 --> 00:21:43,083 The Russian space program 407 00:21:43,166 --> 00:21:46,666 has been plagued by a succession of accidents in recent years. 408 00:21:47,041 --> 00:21:51,083 The Proton-M rocket has failed nine times in the last decade. 409 00:21:52,416 --> 00:21:54,166 So the dark tourist in me 410 00:21:54,250 --> 00:21:57,375 wonders whether we'll all be witness to a rocket explosion 411 00:21:57,458 --> 00:21:59,458 -rather than a rocket launch. -[rocket countdown] 412 00:21:59,541 --> 00:22:03,708 [David] After all, the world has had its fair share of space disasters. 413 00:22:03,791 --> 00:22:04,916 [launch] 414 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:09,000 [news presenter] My God, the shuttle Challenger has exploded. 415 00:22:11,500 --> 00:22:13,500 [wind blowing] 416 00:22:14,500 --> 00:22:16,625 [David] Our official tour includes a visit 417 00:22:16,708 --> 00:22:19,083 to a local exhibition on the space program. 418 00:22:19,750 --> 00:22:23,250 One thing I learned here is how small cosmonauts have to be. 419 00:22:23,375 --> 00:22:27,500 -[David grunts] -[David been given instructions] 420 00:22:27,583 --> 00:22:29,083 [woman] You are too tall. [laughing] 421 00:22:30,791 --> 00:22:32,291 [David grunts] Jeez. 422 00:22:32,583 --> 00:22:33,666 [speaking Kazakh] 423 00:22:33,750 --> 00:22:35,916 Yeah, it's so small. 424 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:37,791 -[speaking Kazakh] -Jesus! 425 00:22:38,291 --> 00:22:40,666 -[woman] It's very small. -This is impractical. 426 00:22:41,250 --> 00:22:43,708 [David] My lanky six-foot-two frame 427 00:22:43,791 --> 00:22:47,083 means my chances of making it into space are zero. 428 00:22:47,166 --> 00:22:50,125 I'm told that the cosmonauts would have spent two days 429 00:22:50,208 --> 00:22:52,041 crammed into this tiny tube. 430 00:22:52,125 --> 00:22:53,916 You have to be tiny to be an astronaut. 431 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:55,125 [chattering in Kazakh] 432 00:22:55,208 --> 00:22:56,041 Wow. 433 00:22:56,916 --> 00:22:59,708 [David] Who would be mad enough to want to do this job? 434 00:23:00,791 --> 00:23:02,666 -These guys. -[visitors applauding] 435 00:23:02,833 --> 00:23:06,208 [David] I discovered there's a press conference with the astronauts. 436 00:23:06,625 --> 00:23:09,166 Baikonur is the only place on Earth right now, 437 00:23:09,250 --> 00:23:11,250 where manned rockets can take off from. 438 00:23:11,625 --> 00:23:15,083 So American and Russian astronauts sit side by side. 439 00:23:15,166 --> 00:23:18,125 [presenter] ...and a fourth US Orbital Segment crew member, 440 00:23:18,208 --> 00:23:21,166 enhance not only scientific research capability 441 00:23:21,250 --> 00:23:23,666 but the other activity capability on board. 442 00:23:24,125 --> 00:23:27,958 [David] Everyone else's questions are scientific and very technical. 443 00:23:28,416 --> 00:23:30,041 I start to feel out of my depth. 444 00:23:31,333 --> 00:23:34,875 But I'm handed the microphone and there's no time to bail out. 445 00:23:34,958 --> 00:23:38,958 ...the work we'd like, to accomplish science objectives, than we normally can. 446 00:23:39,041 --> 00:23:40,291 [microphone buzzes] 447 00:23:40,416 --> 00:23:43,708 Hi there, my name's David. I'm from New Zealand. 448 00:23:43,791 --> 00:23:46,416 I apologize. Can we keep going with this question for my friends? 449 00:23:46,875 --> 00:23:48,375 -[David] I'm so sorry. -Thank you. 450 00:23:49,625 --> 00:23:53,625 [David] It's fair to say that this is not my finest moment in journalism. 451 00:23:53,708 --> 00:23:56,541 I'll spend as much time as I can doing that, just... 452 00:23:56,750 --> 00:23:58,458 chilling out and looking at the Earth. 453 00:23:59,416 --> 00:24:03,250 Hi, it's me again. I'm sorry to interrupt. I was worried I'd mess it up. Sorry. 454 00:24:03,625 --> 00:24:06,083 Space, it's a bit of a mystery to me, to be honest. 455 00:24:06,166 --> 00:24:11,500 I was wondering, what do you see as the main point of going to space? 456 00:24:11,750 --> 00:24:14,833 We've been going to space for a while, it's exciting, 457 00:24:14,916 --> 00:24:16,500 I saw the rocket, it's amazing... 458 00:24:17,625 --> 00:24:18,750 but what's the point? 459 00:24:19,458 --> 00:24:23,208 [in Russian] Thank you for your question. This is a profound question. 460 00:24:24,208 --> 00:24:30,666 My favorite movie about space is Apollo 13. 461 00:24:31,208 --> 00:24:34,458 Tom Hanks played the leading character in this film 462 00:24:34,875 --> 00:24:36,458 as an astronaut. 463 00:24:36,541 --> 00:24:40,041 He is asked a question similar to yours. 464 00:24:40,541 --> 00:24:44,500 Why are we continuing this program now that we've beaten everyone to the moon? 465 00:24:44,916 --> 00:24:47,291 And his great answer is: 466 00:24:47,375 --> 00:24:49,583 Imagine if Christopher Columbus 467 00:24:49,875 --> 00:24:53,541 had come back from the New World and no one returned in his footsteps. 468 00:24:54,291 --> 00:24:57,083 This is good enough motivation for me. 469 00:24:57,166 --> 00:24:59,166 [visitors applauding] 470 00:24:59,375 --> 00:25:00,958 [David] They've won me over! 471 00:25:01,416 --> 00:25:06,125 My question sounded totally naive, but they called it profound. 472 00:25:06,291 --> 00:25:10,250 -[visitors cheering and applauding] 473 00:25:10,500 --> 00:25:11,833 [David] We've yet to watch 474 00:25:11,916 --> 00:25:14,916 as the cosmonauts say final goodbyes to their families. 475 00:25:16,083 --> 00:25:19,041 Seeing them in their spacesuits for the first time, 476 00:25:19,125 --> 00:25:20,791 and just meters away, 477 00:25:21,208 --> 00:25:23,041 I realize these guys are brave 478 00:25:23,416 --> 00:25:24,875 and real heroes, 479 00:25:25,041 --> 00:25:26,791 especially to their kids, 480 00:25:26,875 --> 00:25:29,125 as they say goodbye through the glass. 481 00:25:29,625 --> 00:25:31,916 [David] It's quite lovely, the family there, doing this. 482 00:25:32,458 --> 00:25:33,291 It's beautiful. 483 00:25:33,958 --> 00:25:36,291 [David] I think you have to be a pretty amazing person 484 00:25:36,375 --> 00:25:37,875 to get into an ancient rocket 485 00:25:37,958 --> 00:25:41,291 with over a million pounds of burning fuel under your seat. 486 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:50,000 [announcer] Five minutes till liftoff. Please copy, Baikonur lead. 487 00:25:50,500 --> 00:25:53,000 [David] Even though we're a kilometer from the rocket, 488 00:25:53,083 --> 00:25:55,750 it still seems terrifyingly close. 489 00:25:56,333 --> 00:25:57,791 The tension is huge. 490 00:25:57,875 --> 00:26:00,916 [announcer] Baikonur... one minute to readiness. 491 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:03,625 Everything is great on board. They are ready for launch. 492 00:26:05,291 --> 00:26:08,041 Booster propellant tank pressurization was initiated. 493 00:26:08,541 --> 00:26:09,625 Internal power. 494 00:26:09,708 --> 00:26:11,708 [ignition] [take off] 495 00:26:39,416 --> 00:26:40,875 [David] The launch is epic 496 00:26:40,958 --> 00:26:42,791 and bone-shakingly loud. 497 00:26:42,875 --> 00:26:46,083 It really feels like a once-in-a-lifetime moment. 498 00:26:46,875 --> 00:26:49,000 [David] I've never heard anything like that in my life. 499 00:26:49,791 --> 00:26:51,416 God, it gets small quickly. 500 00:26:52,916 --> 00:26:55,708 [David] I came here wanting to see what the attraction was 501 00:26:55,791 --> 00:26:58,333 in this obscure and off-limits place. 502 00:26:58,625 --> 00:27:01,000 And now... I think I know. 503 00:27:01,083 --> 00:27:01,916 Unbelievable. 504 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:04,333 It was better than I even imagined. 505 00:27:04,750 --> 00:27:06,833 My fear was that the whole thing would blow up. 506 00:27:06,916 --> 00:27:08,250 So I'm glad no one died. 507 00:27:08,333 --> 00:27:09,583 -Yeah. -Everyone's alive. 508 00:27:09,666 --> 00:27:11,041 They're in space, in orbit. 509 00:27:12,708 --> 00:27:13,666 [bottle pops] 510 00:27:13,750 --> 00:27:14,583 There you go. 511 00:27:17,583 --> 00:27:21,291 [David] I wasn't fully sold on why you'd travel so far to see a rocket 512 00:27:21,375 --> 00:27:22,458 but I think I get it. 513 00:27:23,250 --> 00:27:25,000 -Cheers. -Cheers. 514 00:27:31,125 --> 00:27:35,166 [David] My final stop is a four-hour drive and two plane rides away 515 00:27:35,250 --> 00:27:37,250 to the country of Turkmenistan. 516 00:27:40,125 --> 00:27:42,500 The former Soviet republic is infamous 517 00:27:42,583 --> 00:27:46,083 for being one of the most isolated and repressive regimes on the planet. 518 00:27:46,875 --> 00:27:48,333 It's up there with North Korea. 519 00:27:49,250 --> 00:27:51,833 It's usually closed off to the rest of the world, 520 00:27:51,916 --> 00:27:54,041 and foreign journalists are unwelcome. 521 00:27:54,833 --> 00:27:56,791 But I've planned my trip to coincide 522 00:27:56,875 --> 00:27:59,583 with it hosting an obscure Olympic spin-off, 523 00:28:00,208 --> 00:28:02,833 the Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games. 524 00:28:04,791 --> 00:28:06,583 The only way into this closed kingdom 525 00:28:06,666 --> 00:28:09,958 is for me to pretend to be a sports reporter from New Zealand. 526 00:28:10,958 --> 00:28:14,000 [stewardess] Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Ashgabat International Airport. 527 00:28:14,791 --> 00:28:16,916 [David] I want to see what it's really like 528 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:18,666 inside this hermit kingdom. 529 00:28:19,208 --> 00:28:21,333 And it's a long shot, I know, 530 00:28:21,416 --> 00:28:23,791 but I've applied to interview the president. 531 00:28:24,500 --> 00:28:28,916 The city of Ashgabat has been described as Las Vegas meets North Korea, 532 00:28:29,458 --> 00:28:32,208 and, architecturally, it's certainly looking the part. 533 00:28:33,083 --> 00:28:35,500 But there's something especially strange. 534 00:28:37,458 --> 00:28:41,000 The city is supposed to be hosting a major sporting event, 535 00:28:41,083 --> 00:28:42,916 but it looks almost empty. 536 00:28:44,583 --> 00:28:47,208 Even the lavish sports village is a ghost town, 537 00:28:48,083 --> 00:28:50,958 apart from security men and black-suited officials 538 00:28:51,041 --> 00:28:53,250 that seem to be monitoring our arrival. 539 00:28:54,583 --> 00:28:58,375 I start to feel a little paranoid as I get to my hotel. 540 00:29:04,166 --> 00:29:06,750 A little click... on the microphone. 541 00:29:10,833 --> 00:29:12,791 And another click off. 542 00:29:13,666 --> 00:29:17,291 That's really, really... Yeah, it was a distinct click... 543 00:29:17,750 --> 00:29:19,750 on and a distinct click off. 544 00:29:19,833 --> 00:29:21,125 Just so weird! 545 00:29:24,625 --> 00:29:28,791 [David] And paranoia is kind of justified when you're in a country with a leader 546 00:29:28,875 --> 00:29:31,375 like President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. 547 00:29:32,416 --> 00:29:35,958 A man of many talents, the former dentist turned dictator 548 00:29:36,041 --> 00:29:39,083 controls the press, and his image, closely, 549 00:29:39,750 --> 00:29:42,750 whether it's showing the army how deadly he is with knives, 550 00:29:43,416 --> 00:29:45,875 or demonstrating his love of animals. 551 00:29:46,875 --> 00:29:50,625 He's also a musician who writes and performs his own songs, 552 00:29:51,416 --> 00:29:53,625 and his guitar solos are so epic, 553 00:29:54,083 --> 00:29:56,541 they shouldn't be seen by human eyes. 554 00:29:56,625 --> 00:29:59,958 [guitar solo] 555 00:30:01,291 --> 00:30:02,958 [David] But he doesn't like criticism. 556 00:30:04,666 --> 00:30:09,583 Over the last 20 years, people who have spoken out here, even journalists, 557 00:30:09,666 --> 00:30:13,375 have been jailed, persecuted, and allegedly tortured. 558 00:30:14,125 --> 00:30:16,625 [loading and firing] 559 00:30:18,250 --> 00:30:21,750 [David] The president is a scary but fascinating character. 560 00:30:21,833 --> 00:30:23,125 He's terrifying, 561 00:30:23,625 --> 00:30:25,375 but I hope he'll be at the games. 562 00:30:26,291 --> 00:30:30,250 My Russian guide Aziz has come along to help me make sense of the place. 563 00:30:30,541 --> 00:30:31,791 He's been here before. 564 00:30:32,041 --> 00:30:34,750 If we're filming there and I want to... 565 00:30:35,250 --> 00:30:39,208 talk to someone in the street or something, 566 00:30:39,291 --> 00:30:43,333 and I say something critical about... the regime or the government-- 567 00:30:43,416 --> 00:30:46,750 You'd better not. If you say something critical, 568 00:30:47,333 --> 00:30:51,250 it can bring some problems to those who were with you out there... 569 00:30:51,333 --> 00:30:53,666 -[David] At the time. -...locals, yes, at the time. 570 00:30:53,916 --> 00:30:57,000 I was reading that rooms and phones can be bugged? 571 00:30:57,458 --> 00:31:00,250 I... also have... 572 00:31:01,291 --> 00:31:03,041 had the same warnings. [David] With my paranoia growing, 573 00:31:06,708 --> 00:31:10,791 I just hope I don't sleep-talk anything tonight that could offend the president. 574 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:18,750 The next morning, I decide to do something I've never done before. 575 00:31:19,291 --> 00:31:20,750 Sweep my room for bugs. 576 00:31:21,291 --> 00:31:24,833 My technique is inspired by bad spy films I've seen. 577 00:31:25,333 --> 00:31:28,250 I especially love the president of Turkmenistan. 578 00:31:28,333 --> 00:31:29,750 He's a very handsome man. 579 00:31:30,916 --> 00:31:33,791 [David] I can't wait to see the president at the opening of the games. And, oh boy, these beds are so comfortable. 580 00:31:40,041 --> 00:31:42,875 [David] I've dismantled my room, but there's no bugs... 581 00:31:42,958 --> 00:31:44,166 that I can find. 582 00:31:44,708 --> 00:31:45,583 [David] Good to know. 583 00:31:45,666 --> 00:31:46,958 [David] I've failed as a spy, 584 00:31:47,041 --> 00:31:51,416 so it's time for me to assume my role as a sports journalist and venture out. 585 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:55,500 This complex was built just for this event. 586 00:31:56,500 --> 00:31:59,125 It cost a cool $5 billion, 587 00:32:00,208 --> 00:32:04,083 which, incredibly, is more than the Rio Olympics. 588 00:32:05,583 --> 00:32:09,375 Rio had 400,000 foreign tourists attending. 589 00:32:09,583 --> 00:32:11,625 That's clearly not the case here. 590 00:32:13,500 --> 00:32:15,333 This place is almost empty. 591 00:32:15,416 --> 00:32:18,416 It feels like I'm the only overseas visitor here, 592 00:32:19,333 --> 00:32:20,916 which is a bit unfortunate 593 00:32:21,041 --> 00:32:25,125 considering the games have already started ahead of the opening ceremony. 594 00:32:26,666 --> 00:32:28,375 I'm worried that the other reporters 595 00:32:28,458 --> 00:32:32,333 will easily spot my lack of knowledge of traditional belt wrestling. 596 00:32:32,458 --> 00:32:34,458 -[spectators shouting] -[music playing] 597 00:32:36,166 --> 00:32:37,500 [spectators applauding] 598 00:32:37,583 --> 00:32:40,791 [David] I needn't have worried. There's no press here either. 599 00:32:42,583 --> 00:32:47,333 With no media in attendance, I'm wondering how many spectators will actually turn up. 600 00:32:47,916 --> 00:32:50,125 They said they're expecting 100,000 people? 601 00:32:50,208 --> 00:32:52,375 Then they downgraded it to, I think, 30,000. 602 00:32:53,625 --> 00:32:57,833 It feels like they're filling up the stands with... some, like, schoolchildren. 603 00:32:58,708 --> 00:33:00,583 [guide] They all have... the same uniform. 604 00:33:03,666 --> 00:33:06,625 [David] I also notice lots of women in the crowd. 605 00:33:07,416 --> 00:33:11,166 Obviously belt wrestling has a particularly strong female fanbase 606 00:33:11,250 --> 00:33:12,500 in Turkmenistan. 607 00:33:12,958 --> 00:33:14,958 Or maybe something else is going on. 608 00:33:15,875 --> 00:33:17,666 [David] You don't want to say anything negative 609 00:33:17,750 --> 00:33:19,250 in case you'll be listened to. 610 00:33:21,416 --> 00:33:25,375 [David] I've decided to get out of Ashgabat and its tight security 611 00:33:25,458 --> 00:33:28,583 to see if things are more relaxed outside the city walls. 612 00:33:31,041 --> 00:33:34,958 And what better excuse than going to a famed tourist destination? 613 00:33:35,916 --> 00:33:39,250 The Gates of Hell is a spectacular flaming pit. 614 00:33:39,958 --> 00:33:44,250 It's the result of a Soviet oil drilling accident that was meant to be extinguished 615 00:33:44,333 --> 00:33:46,041 by setting fire to the oil. 616 00:33:46,500 --> 00:33:49,166 But 40 years later, it's still burning. 617 00:33:50,500 --> 00:33:53,083 It turns out that Aziz is keen to visit 618 00:33:53,500 --> 00:33:54,833 and has a well-engineered, 619 00:33:54,916 --> 00:33:57,458 if slightly bizarre plan for when we get there. 620 00:33:58,291 --> 00:33:59,958 [David] Are you excited about going? 621 00:34:00,041 --> 00:34:04,625 [Aziz] Yeah, I was dreaming to cook on the Devil's fire, for years. 622 00:34:04,708 --> 00:34:06,916 Next step is... fulfill the dream. 623 00:34:07,625 --> 00:34:10,583 [David] What do you think is the best for us to cook in there? 624 00:34:10,666 --> 00:34:11,500 Omelette? 625 00:34:11,583 --> 00:34:12,541 It's up to you. 626 00:34:13,166 --> 00:34:14,625 [David] We don't have eggs, 627 00:34:14,708 --> 00:34:17,875 but Aziz has some stale snacks for the dry run. 628 00:34:17,958 --> 00:34:19,500 So, they're in the pit... 629 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:21,958 [David grunts] Oh, God... 630 00:34:22,041 --> 00:34:23,166 -Yes. -[David] Mind the pit. 631 00:34:23,250 --> 00:34:24,708 [Aziz] Wow! It's not a fish! 632 00:34:25,458 --> 00:34:27,583 [David exhales] Down. 633 00:34:27,708 --> 00:34:29,708 I can hold it up for about five seconds. 634 00:34:30,166 --> 00:34:32,333 But to cook an egg, that's at least, 635 00:34:32,416 --> 00:34:33,708 -what, two minutes? -Yeah. 636 00:34:34,166 --> 00:34:35,000 I don't know. 637 00:34:37,458 --> 00:34:40,000 [David] But our plans come to a grinding halt 638 00:34:40,083 --> 00:34:41,416 when we board the tour bus. 639 00:34:41,500 --> 00:34:44,750 -[driver] That would be a problem. -[man] I spoke with my manager... 640 00:34:44,833 --> 00:34:47,291 [David] We're informed the President has closed off 641 00:34:47,375 --> 00:34:50,708 the entire city of Ashgabat from the rest of the country, 642 00:34:50,791 --> 00:34:52,791 and journalists are not allowed out. 643 00:34:55,041 --> 00:34:58,875 As a consolation, officials offer us a tour of the inner city, 644 00:34:59,375 --> 00:35:03,041 a chance to see some of the President's prized memorials and statues. 645 00:35:03,583 --> 00:35:05,000 [guide] You can take video, but... 646 00:35:05,500 --> 00:35:06,916 -without me. -Without you in it? 647 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:07,833 [guide] Without me. 648 00:35:08,541 --> 00:35:10,291 [David] It turns out we're not even allowed 649 00:35:10,375 --> 00:35:12,750 to film any locals, including our driver. 650 00:35:13,208 --> 00:35:15,083 [guide] You can take video of the places. [David] All the buildings are so impressive. 651 00:35:17,500 --> 00:35:19,708 [guide] Every new building we make with white marble. 652 00:35:19,791 --> 00:35:21,041 -[David] White marble? -Yes. 653 00:35:21,750 --> 00:35:24,333 [David] As well as his love for white marble, 654 00:35:24,416 --> 00:35:28,916 the president has a childlike obsession with collecting Guinness world records. 655 00:35:29,208 --> 00:35:31,833 Unsurprisingly, Ashgabat holds the record 656 00:35:31,916 --> 00:35:35,166 for highest density of buildings with white marble cladding. 657 00:35:35,250 --> 00:35:37,833 -[guide] That was the TV building. -[David] TV building? 658 00:35:37,916 --> 00:35:40,500 [David] It also entered the Guinness record. 659 00:35:41,125 --> 00:35:43,416 [David] This tower won a world record for... 660 00:35:43,500 --> 00:35:46,125 "largest architectural image of a star." 661 00:35:46,208 --> 00:35:47,958 [David] It's ridiculous. What is it? 662 00:35:48,041 --> 00:35:50,583 [guide] Like London Eye. Our... Turkmen Eye. 663 00:35:50,666 --> 00:35:54,166 [David] Again, a Guinness record for the hotly contested title of... 664 00:35:54,250 --> 00:35:56,375 "world's largest indoor Ferris wheel." 665 00:35:56,458 --> 00:35:59,791 [David] Was all this stuff built for the people that live here? 666 00:35:59,875 --> 00:36:02,958 -[guide] This is the-- -Why is all this-- Oh, my God. 667 00:36:03,041 --> 00:36:05,166 Like, why is all this stuff built, even? 668 00:36:07,666 --> 00:36:09,750 Yeah, it's like no expense spared, right? 669 00:36:10,333 --> 00:36:11,958 [guide] It's a sign of power. 670 00:36:12,041 --> 00:36:13,625 [David] Yeah, it's all power, right? 671 00:36:16,125 --> 00:36:18,833 [David] Fountains in a desert may show power and wealth, 672 00:36:19,458 --> 00:36:23,875 but nothing says it better than when the president erects a giant golden statue 673 00:36:23,958 --> 00:36:27,583 of himself riding a horse at the top of some sort of iceberg. 674 00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:35,708 [David] It's just a lot to take in, isn't it? You know? There's no one here. 675 00:36:36,333 --> 00:36:40,458 Empty. It's like all this stuff gets built but who's here to enjoy it? 676 00:36:41,750 --> 00:36:44,625 [David] I came here to get a look at the hermit kingdom 677 00:36:45,041 --> 00:36:48,333 and I've become imprisoned in an empty marble city. 678 00:36:49,166 --> 00:36:51,916 Tonight is the opening ceremony of the games, 679 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:55,916 and my chance to finally get a glimpse of the man who built all this. 680 00:36:56,625 --> 00:37:00,291 But back at the hotel, everything turns to total shit. 681 00:37:01,458 --> 00:37:03,458 [indistinctive chatter] 682 00:37:05,583 --> 00:37:07,666 [David] It's really fucking sore. 683 00:37:07,750 --> 00:37:10,541 [David] I'd leaned on a mirror in my room and it shattered, 684 00:37:10,625 --> 00:37:13,083 tearing a four-inch gash in my palm. 685 00:37:13,166 --> 00:37:14,208 It's really sore. 686 00:37:15,875 --> 00:37:18,416 [David] My hand is gushing blood and I'm in agony. 687 00:37:18,500 --> 00:37:20,208 [chattering] 688 00:37:20,875 --> 00:37:23,583 [David] So I'm sent to hospital, with Aziz translating. 689 00:37:25,958 --> 00:37:29,166 My one chance to see the president in the flesh... 690 00:37:29,666 --> 00:37:30,833 and I'm in a hospital. 691 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:35,208 And then things take a surreal turn. 692 00:37:35,291 --> 00:37:37,916 I thought I was going to get a local anesthetic, 693 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:39,625 but they inject me with ketamine, 694 00:37:39,708 --> 00:37:42,083 a horse tranquilizer and party drug, 695 00:37:42,166 --> 00:37:44,166 and then they simply discharge me. 696 00:37:44,250 --> 00:37:47,000 -[Aziz] How do you feel? -[David] I feel... I feel fine. 697 00:37:47,541 --> 00:37:49,750 [David] I've gone from agony... to ecstasy. 698 00:37:51,541 --> 00:37:54,041 The ceremony starts in six minutes. 699 00:37:54,333 --> 00:37:58,916 It's my last chance to catch the opening and maybe see the president in person, 700 00:37:59,166 --> 00:38:00,541 if I can find my way in. 701 00:38:00,625 --> 00:38:02,625 [crowd cheering and applauding] 702 00:38:12,750 --> 00:38:13,958 [doorman] It's over here? 703 00:38:16,208 --> 00:38:17,041 Thank you. 704 00:38:17,125 --> 00:38:19,125 [crowd continues cheering] 705 00:38:25,833 --> 00:38:29,083 [David] I make it just in time for the president's speech. 706 00:38:29,541 --> 00:38:31,958 And there he is... the man himself, 707 00:38:32,541 --> 00:38:35,166 President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, 708 00:38:35,250 --> 00:38:37,125 the man in charge of all this. 709 00:38:37,666 --> 00:38:38,958 [President] Dear friends, 710 00:38:39,625 --> 00:38:45,958 I declare the fifth Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games... open! 711 00:38:46,041 --> 00:38:48,041 [crowd cheering and applauding] 712 00:38:56,416 --> 00:38:59,250 [David] The opening ceremony is really over the top 713 00:38:59,541 --> 00:39:00,958 and, surprise surprise, 714 00:39:01,375 --> 00:39:04,291 even more expensive than the one at the Rio Olympics. 715 00:39:07,250 --> 00:39:09,541 I don't know if it's the medication kicking in, 716 00:39:09,750 --> 00:39:11,875 but this seems... totally crazy. 717 00:39:11,958 --> 00:39:13,958 [cheerful music playing] 718 00:39:29,875 --> 00:39:31,833 [David] It's all completely mad. 719 00:39:32,458 --> 00:39:33,666 And after three hours... 720 00:39:34,083 --> 00:39:35,416 yes, three hours... 721 00:39:35,791 --> 00:39:37,458 we finally get to the finale, 722 00:39:37,875 --> 00:39:41,250 an elaborate flame-lighting ceremony on horseback. 723 00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:43,416 [David] Up you go, horsey. 724 00:39:44,291 --> 00:39:45,375 You've got to go up. 725 00:39:45,666 --> 00:39:46,958 [David] It's a disaster. 726 00:39:47,291 --> 00:39:49,583 Oh, God, it doesn't want to go up. 727 00:39:50,083 --> 00:39:52,500 [David] I can't handle this, this is horrible. 728 00:39:52,833 --> 00:39:54,791 [David] I'm worried for the future of the horse 729 00:39:55,125 --> 00:39:56,250 and its rider. 730 00:39:56,333 --> 00:39:57,625 [David] Oh, Jesus! 731 00:39:58,250 --> 00:39:59,958 It's taking so long, 732 00:40:00,041 --> 00:40:02,041 and they have to set it off without him. [David] Wow! 733 00:40:04,333 --> 00:40:06,333 [crowd cheering and applauding] 734 00:40:08,125 --> 00:40:09,208 Thank God. 735 00:40:09,666 --> 00:40:11,666 -[firecrackers] -[David] Whoo! 736 00:40:14,666 --> 00:40:16,041 [David] The games are open! 737 00:40:16,708 --> 00:40:18,666 But I'm on a massive comedown. 738 00:40:19,541 --> 00:40:20,583 It seems to me 739 00:40:20,666 --> 00:40:24,000 that all this money could be spent on five million better things, 740 00:40:24,750 --> 00:40:27,166 and 40,000 of them are sitting in this stadium. 741 00:40:27,250 --> 00:40:29,250 [crowd cheering and applauding] 742 00:40:32,458 --> 00:40:34,333 [David] I have to cut my trip short 743 00:40:34,416 --> 00:40:37,666 and leave Ashgabat the next day to get my hand seen to. 744 00:40:37,875 --> 00:40:41,583 I've given up any hope of interviewing or even meeting the president. 745 00:40:42,375 --> 00:40:43,458 But my short stay 746 00:40:43,541 --> 00:40:47,541 in this strange, secretive, indoor Ferris wheel obsessed regime 747 00:40:47,625 --> 00:40:49,000 has made a real impression. 748 00:40:50,708 --> 00:40:53,875 And a few days later, Aziz sends me some video. 749 00:40:54,583 --> 00:40:58,000 He'd smuggled himself out of the city and into the Gates of Hell 750 00:40:58,083 --> 00:40:59,666 and managed to cook those eggs. 751 00:40:59,750 --> 00:41:00,958 [Aziz] Aha! 752 00:41:03,458 --> 00:41:06,125 [David] I consider myself lucky just to have visited, 753 00:41:06,583 --> 00:41:07,791 and been able to leave. 754 00:41:08,458 --> 00:41:13,958 I'm learning sometimes the real pleasure of dark tourism is the simple realization