Tropic of Cancer

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[edit] General Information

Sociopolitical, Travel Documentary hosted by Simon Reeve and published by BBC in 2010 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

Tropic Of Cancer

Simon Reeve embarks on his most ambitious journey yet, circling the world following the line that marks the northern border of the earth's tropical region. This epic trip completes Simon's trilogy of journeys exploring the tropics, after his acclaimed series Equator and Tropic of Capricorn, and is his toughest, longest and greatest challenge – a 6x60min journey around the extraordinary TROPIC OF CANCER.

Starting on the paradise beaches of Mexico's Pacific Coast, Simon follows the Tropic of Cancer almost 23,000 miles east on a journey blending travel with current affairs. It is a thrilling adventure with a clear purpose: to explore the northern edge of the Tropics, the most important, beautiful, turbulent, endangered and violent region of our world.

Simon heads east across the Caribbean, the Sahara, crossing borders in North Africa closed to foreigners for decades, and then on through the deserts of Arabia and the remote jungles of Asia, to finish in Hawaii. He visits 18 countries, meeting amazing people, witnessing bizarre and beautiful sights, and encountering spectacular and endangered wildlife.

In Mexico Simon is put through his paces by a masked female wrestler, while in the Bahamas he uncovers the suffering of Haitian refugees. North Africa is full of surprises, from a long forgotten civil war to a vast scheme to extract millions of gallons of water from underneath the desert. In the jungles of Burma he meets villagers struggling to survive under brutal oppression.

This new series has a strong current affairs theme, as Simon explores some of the huge challenges facing the Tropics, including poverty, the drugs trade, climate change, industrial pollution, and forgotten conflicts. But it's also a spectacular travelogue, taking Simon and viewers to some of the most remote and beautiful places on earth.

"Following the Tropic of Cancer, the northern border of the Tropics, was a unique opportunity to explore and witness a slice of life in the most interesting and important region of the world: the Tropics!" says Simon. "The whole point of the journey is that tracking the Tropic of Cancer took us off the beaten track, to places we wouldn't normally visit, and parts of the world that are rarely visited by foreigners, let alone TV crews. It was an extraordinary opportunity and a fantastically exciting journey that was also frightening, uplifting, exhausting, upsetting, challenging and surprising. I heard stories, saw sights, and ate food I'll be remembering and dreaming about till the end of my days."

[edit] Mexico to the Bahamas

Simon Reeve starts his epic journey around the world following the Tropic of Cancer, the northern border of the tropics region. In this first episode Simon travels from the beautiful Pacific coast of Mexico, where he visits the luxurious holiday resorts of Baja California, before crossing the country's rugged interior. Along the way he goes on patrol with a heavily armed police unit in Culiacan, headquarters of the fearsome Sinaloa drug cartel, and gets more than he bargained for from a female Lucha Libre wrestler. The Tropic of Cancer skirts Havana, where Simon learns how allotments are helping the Cubans counter the effects of the US trade embargo; and in the Bahamas he discovers the hidden menace on the beautiful coral reefs that make these islands famous.

[edit] Western Sahara to Libya

The second leg of the journey sees Simon dodge the Moroccan secret police in Western Sahara, travel on one of the world's longest trains in Mauritania, visit a forgotten refugee camp in the Algerian desert where more than 100,000 people live, and take a swim in a Libyan oasis with a government minder who bears an uncanny resemblance to Colonel Gadaffi.

[edit] Egypt to Oman

Simon rejoins the Tropic of Cancer in Egypt and follows it through Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Oman. In Southern Egypt, next to the ancient temple of Abu Simbal, Simon meets Nubians struggling to maintain their culture following the damming of the Nile and dives in the pristine reefs of the Red Sea. In Saudi Arabia he goes racing with the Jeddah Boyz; and in Dubai he meets construction workers suffering in the economic downturn and he watches as rare baby green giant turtles start their own epic journeys as they head into the Arabian Sea from the beaches of Oman.

[edit] India

In India, Simon's journey takes him from the coast of Gujarat in the west to Kolkata in the east. Along the way he spots the shy and beautiful Indian wild ass, learns of the violence between Hindus and Muslims in Gandhi's home city of Ahmedebad and visits the site of one of the world's worst industrial accidents in Bhopal, where people still claim to be suffering from chemical spills. In the setting for Kipling's Jungle Book, Simon bathes an elephant and in Kolkata he ponders a new car that is so affordable that it could add to the city's already unbelievable congestion.

[edit] Bangladesh to Burma

This episode takes Simon through Bangladesh and on a perilous covert journey into Burma, where western journalists are banned. In Bangladesh Simon sails down the mighty Padma River and visits fishermen who use trained otters to drive fish into their nets. Further on he sees the river banks crumbling before his eyes - increased river erosion is thought to be caused by global climate change - and in the capital Dhaka he meets some of the millions of child workers. From North East India, Simon treks through jungles and across rivers into Burma to meet the Chin people - an ethnic group who are brutalised and oppressed by the Burmese government.

[edit] Laos to Hawaii

The last leg of Simon's journey begins in the jungles of Southeast Asia and ends in the tropical paradise of Hawaii. Prevented from following the tropic through China by the Chinese government, Simon instead discovers the increasing Chinese influences in neighbouring Laos and Vietnam. And in Laos, he samples some local delicacies - roast squirrel (or is it rat?) and caterpillars. In Vietnam, he discovers cruelly caged moon bears, farmed for their bile, which is used in traditional medicines. Next stop is Taiwan, and in the Tropic of Cancer primary school he meets some of the world's highest achieving children. The journey around the world ends in Hawaii - a tropical paradise blighted by environmental problems, including some of the dirtiest beaches on the planet.