- 5 days ago
In this episode of Mystery Places, we visit the Devil’s Pool in Zambia, explore the electrifying Tesla Tower in abandoned woods near Moscow, and check out a supercomputer in Barcelona. We also travel to the most unusual islands, visit the world’s safest airport, explore an incredible hotel in Mongolia, and the abandoned resorts in Bombay Beach, California.
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TVTranscript
00:00Zambia and Zimbabwe
00:16Our first mysterious place is in Africa.
00:19In order to find it, we are taking a helicopter.
00:21Because from the air, they can be seen the best.
00:24The Victoria Falls between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
00:30Somewhere here, the Devil's Pool is supposed to be located.
00:34A bathing spot right at the steep waterfall edge.
00:38A drop would be fatal here.
00:42We join an adventurous group that are keen for some goosebumps.
00:45First of all, we catch a motorboat into the middle of the course of the river.
00:49On foot, we cross an island right at the edge of the falls.
00:53Then it is time for the hardest part.
00:59The last bit of way to the bathing basin has to be swum.
01:05Already here, the current is dragging on the body.
01:07About 30 meters away from the abyss of the falls, we battle our way through the water.
01:12The psychological strain is as great as the physical strain on the body.
01:17The way to the Devil's Pool is arduous.
01:19Sharp rock edges cut into our feet.
01:22It is noisy.
01:23The constant wind is blowing the cold spray of the waterfall in all cardinal directions.
01:28Finally, the pool appears in front of us.
01:31About 4 meters wide and 8 meters long.
01:34Right by the edge.
01:35Looming behind it, 110 meters of free fall.
01:39And not only for the water, but looking from this angle at least,
01:43also for the visitors of the Devil's Pool.
01:46The current is strong, but there are some rules that make visiting the edge possible.
01:51At the left side of the basin, the current is very weak.
01:54Only if you were to drift off the right-hand side, once you have jumped in,
01:58the force of the water would drag you from the pool and send you over the edge.
02:03Holding on to something would be impossible.
02:08The tension in the air is palpable.
02:13The brink is close.
02:18The pool is awesome.
02:20There's a drop that scares you a little bit.
02:22Like, I'm sure I'll stop there, but if I don't...
02:26I don't know, I'm super scared.
02:28I don't know if I'm going to do it, but it's so exciting.
02:30I reckon the fear of going down...
02:32Yeah, I think that's the biggest...
02:34You know, then this is it.
02:37By now, at the latest, the adventurers realise that the danger is very real.
02:42One of the guides draws their attention to the risks again.
02:45To this side, there is no rope to protect us.
02:51So don't swim this side.
02:53If you swim this side, it's a freeway to the Indian Ocean without your passport.
03:00Now or never, only from September to December, when the Zambezi river is at low water,
03:04is it possible to jump into the pool.
03:06Before and after this time, the water levels rise drastically.
03:11The speed of its flow rises from 2 kilometers an hour to 30.
03:15Feet and hands of a swimmer then don't even touch the rock.
03:18And even if they would, against this force of nature, no one has a chance of remaining in the pool.
03:24There is no turning back now.
03:26The tourists have to jump right into the middle of the 3-meter-deep pool, otherwise they'll hit the sharp rocks.
03:42It is important to not become disorientated after resurfacing.
03:45The deadly exit at the right-hand side is only a few meters away.
03:51Once in the water, the current inevitably drags you towards the edge.
03:54Two guides are always watching that no one stands up or drops into the depths.
04:01At the end of the pool, the group lines up.
04:03The spot right at the ledge is also sometimes called Devil's Armchair.
04:11Like a kind of underwater bench made of rock, it lies right beneath the surface of the water.
04:16The swimmers are sat on top of it and are clenching on with their legs.
04:20The water going over the edge at the moment is only about 30 centimeters high.
04:27Due to the low height, the current isn't strong enough to wash the people away.
04:31The only risk of dying would be slipping over the edge due to your own recklessness.
04:35The guides' jobs are the really dangerous ones here as the whole time they are stood right by the edge.
04:42If a tourist were to panic, strike out backwards and knock one of them off balance,
04:46the only thing awaiting them is a 110-meter drop.
04:49Jeremiah is 37.
04:52For six years he has been jumping around on the cliff edge during the dry period, taking care of the visitors.
04:58Before, he worked as a mechanic.
05:01The risky work environment took some getting used to for him at first.
05:06I used to come here with my brother Tishamani.
05:09So, first day I was really scared, but the other day I was really, really like,
05:14oh wow, I'm enjoying my life.
05:16I'm really, really taking care of myself.
05:18But I cannot fall into the forest.
05:21But many of the adventurers are hitting a brick wall.
05:24Not only because of the cold and the noise.
05:26Being sat so close to the edge of the abyss is very stressful psychologically.
05:31The only exit from the pool is on the opposite side.
05:36The rope helps against the current.
05:40So that nobody accidentally falls into the water, a maximum of 14 people are allowed onto the island.
05:45More than seven can't go in the pool at the same time.
05:49Because the small island is privately owned, bathing at the cliff edge costs $50.
05:53But were the strain and the risk really worth it?
05:56It's a weird feeling, because you can feel the water.
06:01You know you're not going to fall over, but you can feel the water kind of pushing you up on the rocks.
06:06It's an amazing feeling.
06:08Once you're there, it's fine.
06:09It's kind of surreal, like, moments.
06:11You don't really feel if it's reality or something like that.
06:14Amazing.
06:15Just being there, just over the edge.
06:18You can feel the current, like, pulling your legs under.
06:21It's a bit surreal, but really enjoyable.
06:27The Devil's Pool at the Victoria Falls, a truly unbelievable place.
06:35Our journey continues to Russia.
06:40We are starting in Moscow, the Russian capital.
06:42From here, we are beginning our search for an unusual structure, the Tesla Towers.
06:47On the metro, we are leaving the city to a secret place.
06:56In the suburbs, we meet Lena.
06:57The 27-year-old German studies student grew up here and knows how difficult it is to gain access to the towers.
07:06They are supposed to be somewhere here, near the town of Istra, about 50 kilometers from Moscow.
07:12We leave the town center, but we can't get any further here.
07:43This transformer station is another clue.
07:45We follow the high-voltage cables deeper and deeper into the woods.
07:51Finally, we can see the Tesla Towers, but the property is completely closed off and secured.
07:58The entrance gate is being guarded, too.
08:01No one who isn't authorized is supposed to enter this area.
08:03These gigantic structures have stood here for over 45 years, and they are supposed to be able to send electricity through the air.
08:13Now, that's something we really want to see.
08:15Do you want to see Tesla?
08:16Can you look at Tesla?
08:17No, it's here.
08:18It's here.
08:19It's here.
08:20It's here.
08:21It's here.
08:22It's here.
08:23It's here.
08:24It's here.
08:25It's here.
08:26It's here.
08:27It's here.
08:28This.
08:29It's here.
08:30It's here.
08:31It's here.
08:32It's here.
08:33It's here.
08:34We won't give up.
08:35Lena speaks to a physicist in Moscow who invites us to his laboratory,
08:39which is in the same building as the exhibition Tesla Hall.
08:45These gentlemen are working on the future.
08:47They are developing a wireless charger for smartphones.
09:04I think one day, two, three, we'll be able to show them.
09:07Well, just for measurements.
09:09No, no, if we're in the case, we'll show that this is possible.
09:13That doesn't sound too promising.
09:14The lab also looks a bit more like a chaotic workshop.
09:19But the scientists are sure,
09:21the scholar Nikola Tesla's idea of transferring energy without wires is plausible.
09:27And who was this man that even an electric car is named after?
09:30Nikola Tesla was born in the middle of the 19th century in Croatia
09:36and emigrated to the USA as a young man.
09:40He did research in the field of high-voltage alternating currents,
09:43which was still a very new field back then.
09:46But one of his biggest projects is still unfinished – wireless electricity.
09:51Physicist Ilya Simaljuk explains.
09:54Nikola Tesla also planned to build a huge towers around the world,
09:58which would have been the source of the first mill,
10:02which would have been the first mill, let's call it the transformator.
10:08Transporting electricity from A to B, according to Nikola Tesla,
10:11this is possible through a magnetic field that can transport energy through the air.
10:16Not an easy endeavour.
10:18Not an easy endeavour.
10:23Maybe some secrets he brought in the wild egg,
10:27but the experiments do not break.
10:30And, in fact, when MTD and Tesla is saying,
10:34that the force of energy and electricity is available for everyone on any ground,
10:38will be completed,
10:39and will really be a big leap for our civilization.
10:44Ilya wants to show us in an experiment how this exactly looks.
10:55Being able to control energy from the atmosphere, that would be pretty handy.
10:59The big Tesla towers work on the same principle.
11:09By now we have won the scientists' trust.
11:11Ilya calls a colleague who helps us gain access to the closed-off area where the Tesla towers are located.
11:18We are allowed to inspect the 9,000 square meter large compound further.
11:29The centerpiece of the facility is the 40 meters high tower with a capacity of 6 megavolts.
11:35When a bolt of lightning discharges itself on the insulating plates, the wires reach a maximum capacity of 1 gigawatt.
11:44With this amount of energy, an electric car could travel 250,000 kilometers.
11:50The catch? The length of the flash of lightning is only a couple of microseconds long and costs up to $15,000.
11:57Therefore, the facility is not often used.
12:01We meet Sergei.
12:02Already as a young boy, the scientists love lightning.
12:05Today he studies it.
12:06In his chaotic office, he shows us his work.
12:10There is a concentration of energy for a long time.
12:16After a long time, he takes the energy for 150 microseconds.
12:19Of course, the power of the impulse is about gigawatts.
12:23It's like in lasers.
12:26If you consider the total power of the laser, it looks like a small point of megawatts.
12:31Why? Because it's a very short time interval.
12:34Sergei wants to show us the experiment.
12:37The most interesting thing is that they do so often.
12:40But the charge is easily created.
12:42And there are all effects.
12:45Like you said, the hair is burning.
12:48If you pull your hand, the fire is visible.
12:51In his laboratory, he activates the artificial cloud.
12:54It reminds us of a steaming cauldron.
12:58The energy of the experiment is so strong that our microphones stop working properly.
13:03It's the same.
13:06Somehow, all of this doesn't seem completely harmless.
13:09Maybe it is an old military facility from the Cold War, after all.
13:14Sergei's colleague Mikhail denies everything.
13:19This whole installation is its only purpose to create a lightning.
13:23This kind of installation is necessary to collect a lot of energy.
13:27Just collect, not collect.
13:29Just collect what is already there.
13:31And collect it once.
13:34It's just a way to collect a lot of energy once.
13:37Sergei continues charging up the air.
13:39But we still haven't seen any bolts of lightning.
13:42The groundskeeper tells us more about the experiments from his point of view.
13:45It's the transmission of electricity at a distance.
13:49Where were you from?
13:51Where were you from?
13:53I was at home.
13:55I worked on the bus at that time.
13:58On the bus.
14:00Did you feel the energy in your house?
14:03I was shocked.
14:05I thought it was a earthquake.
14:06Let's only let the huge flashes of lightning on the Tesla towers happen once or twice a year.
14:12For the moment, the Tesla towers are definitely not transporting energy without cables yet.
14:18But who knows?
14:19Maybe we will be able to charge our mobile phones through the air in a couple of years' time.
14:24Our search for mysterious places takes us on to Spain.
14:31Right in the center of Barcelona, there is a mysterious church.
14:35Its name, Torre Girona.
14:37From the outside, it is a completely normal chapel.
14:40But this church door hides a secret that is closely guarded.
14:44We have arranged to meet Sergei Girona.
14:49He is not a priest, but the director of the Mare Nostra.
15:03In the center of the church, one of the fastest supercomputers in the world is located.
15:09But why is it specifically right here?
15:12Sergei will explain later.
15:15First, the computer expert tells us what this super machine is actually for.
15:19To identify the future and to identify the unknowns of the universe.
15:28In order to show us how the Mare Nostrum does this, as an exception,
15:32Sergei lets us into the most sacred area of the computing center.
15:35Inside the glass box, it is very loud.
15:42The noise is due to the wind, caused by thousands of fans.
15:46They cool the processors down.
15:47And this is the memory of the computer.
15:58A huge store, consisting of 700 hard drives.
16:01Every one of these disks is 3 terabytes.
16:07This you can have at home.
16:09But the aggregation of all of those, managed by some servers, as a single image,
16:15provides access to the sum of all available disk space.
16:18And it is huge.
16:19So big that Mare Nostrum could almost save one and a half million hours of film.
16:26And the computer is also constantly being modernized and improved.
16:30About 30 years ago, mass was still held here.
16:33Today, the mega-machine computes as much information in one hour as a laptop would in a whole year.
16:38Thanks to high-speed processors and tons of network and electricity cables.
16:43About 100 kilometers worth are installed here.
16:49And where there are cables, electricity flows.
16:53The supercomputer is running all day, every day.
16:55And it never stops.
16:57This means that Mare Nostrum uses lots and lots of electricity.
17:08Sergei's computing center gets handed a bill of over one million dollars from the city of Barcelona.
17:14But every computer doesn't only require electricity,
17:17but also a water cooling system that prevents it from overheating.
17:21For football fan Sergei, the colors of the pipes also have a special meaning.
17:29This is the colors of the Barcelona football club team.
17:32So, this is funny, but they came this color and we emphasize this is Barcelona team.
17:37But Mare Nostrum doesn't only make scientists from Barcelona happy.
17:41The supercomputer generates simulations for gene research,
17:44calculates prognoses for the utilization of alternative energy sources,
17:48or for earthquake research.
17:50Why it is set up in a church has practical reasons.
17:53We need to have a facility with 180 square meters with no columns.
17:57Clear view, no interruptions, very high.
18:01And this was available space.
18:03So, we have the opportunity to install it here.
18:04But the chapel, don't worry, was a sacralized 20 years ago.
18:09So, the church wasn't a holy place anymore.
18:12But in strictly Catholic Spain, the location of the computer did shock some people.
18:16And a senior lady came here with the granddaughter.
18:21And of course, she entered with the granddaughter's chapel and said,
18:25Oh, that was the chapel. It's not the chapel anymore.
18:28The religious images have stayed, but now the building is a huge computing center.
18:32The Mare Nostrum, a supercomputer hidden behind church walls.
18:38We're continuing our journey in Colombia.
18:4190 kilometers south of Cartagena, there is an island that is anything but typically Caribbean.
18:46Palm trees and endless sandy beaches, not on Santa Cruz d'Eli Zlote.
18:57Because, although the island is only about the size of a football field, there are about 100 houses on it, all right next to each other.
19:05Alexander Atencio Caspar is one of the about 600 islanders. He's gotten used to the exceptionalities of life on the island.
19:17There are four little shops on the island, but with so many inhabitants, they are often soon sold out.
19:39This goes for living space as well. Each person only has about 16 square meters to himself.
19:44In comparison, in Berlin, it is about 250 square meters. That is, 15 times as much.
19:54This was a strategic place where there was no plague.
19:57So, they, in their time, they came from fishing and fishing.
20:03They came here for 2-3 days and went.
20:06Today, dengue fever and malaria are no real dangers anymore.
20:09But the majority of the 600 inhabitants still survive by catching fish and feed their large families this way.
20:23On the island, there is neither running water nor a sewage system.
20:27But still, the inhabitants always know how to help themselves somehow.
20:30But the biggest challenge is the shortage of resources.
20:32The people on Santa Cruz del Islote have to be very careful.
20:33The people on Santa Cruz del Islote have to be very careful.
20:34Especially with drinking water.
20:35The people on Santa Cruz del Islote have to be very economical.
20:36Especially with drinking water.
20:37The people on Santa Cruz del Islote have to be very economical.
20:41Especially with drinking water.
20:42The people on Santa Cruz del Islote have to be very careful.
20:44The people on Santa Cruz del Islote have to be very economical.
20:48Especially with drinking water.
20:54The people on Santa Cruz del Islote.
20:55The people on Santa Cruz del Islote is too expensive.
20:56The people on Santa Cruz del Islote is too expensive.
20:57But the biggest challenge is the shortage of resources.
20:58The people on Santa Cruz del Islote has to be very economical.
21:01Especially with drinking water.
21:02drinking water.
21:22Because the water is so expensive, many islanders prefer to collect rainwater, and electricity
21:27too is only available at certain times.
21:52By the way, a mayor or a police station don't exist on the island.
21:56But still here, opposed to the rest of Colombia, there is hardly any crime.
22:12The people here live peacefully and simple, on Santa Cruz del Islote, the most densely populated
22:18island in the world.
22:20And we carry on to the island state of all island states, the Bahamas.
22:25Fisherman Freddie Grant leads us to the most unusual of all 700 Bahamanian islands, and
22:31he even owns it, the island of the swimming pigs.
22:35No humans live on the 10 hectare small island, only pigs.
22:39And they love to swim.
22:41My uncle and my cousins, they put a couple of pigs over here, we started it.
22:52They started breeding, we used to use them for hunting, but then they got so tourist attractive,
22:59so we leave it for the tourist attraction or whatever.
23:02Yeah, we brought the pigs over here, like about 15, 20 years ago.
23:07As soon as a boat approaches, the floating pigsty, the hogs jump into the 26 degree warm water
23:13and swim.
23:17Because boats mean food.
23:19The pigs dare to swim out to sea as far as 500 meters off coast, just to scavenge for scraps
23:25from passing boats.
23:26That's a long way out, especially if we remind ourselves that the physique of a pig is not
23:31really meant for swimming.
23:36I guess the dog paddle, that's what we call it when we was growing up.
23:39Everyone learns to swim like that, keep your head out and just paddle like this.
23:44We call it the dog paddle.
23:46Well, I guess it's the pig paddle now.
23:50The pigs simply kick with their legs and hold their heads and curly tails above the water
23:55surface, and their snouts function as a kind of snorkel.
23:58And they aren't only surprisingly fast, but also extremely agile.
24:05Like most of the islands of the Bahamas, this one is uninhabited apart from the pigs.
24:09But it offers them everything that they need, enough feed, sweet water springs, mud and shade.
24:15And most important of all, no natural predators.
24:22See one right there?
24:24They ain't used to humans because they stay in the bushes until they get pig like them ones
24:28and come out on the beaches.
24:30Yeah, they pretty much freaked out like, who the hell are these guys?
24:33The large grown-up pigs, on the other hand, are not scared.
24:36They love their daily forages in the sea.
24:38Somehow, the waste that the tourists have left seems more interesting than the naturally occurring fruit on the island.
24:44And so, day after day, they enjoy their own private water park, a Caribbean island just for pigs.
24:50On our search for exceptional islands, we carry on to Okinawa.
24:56The island is almost 500 kilometers away from Tokyo.
24:59We're looking for the small village of Ogimi, because the people here are especially famous for one thing, their age.
25:05More than 10 100-year-olds live here.
25:08That is why Okinawa is also called the Island of the Old.
25:11We want to find out why the people here live for so long.
25:15Sumiko Taira is 96 years old.
25:18Her day always begins at 6am, on the dot, with some gymnastics in her front yard.
25:25Her early morning exercise routine lasts for 15 minutes, then it's time for breakfast.
25:31Tea, tofu, and of course, gymnastics on TV.
25:34Sport seem to play an important part in the life of the great-grandmother of 23.
25:39At 9 o'clock Sumiko jumps on her bike and goes to the collective field of the village.
26:02Her life has the same routine every day.
26:04Scientists have studied the islanders for 20 years and have concluded,
26:08this regularity and the close social contacts within the village play an important part in the long lives of the inhabitants.
26:19Sumiko works on the field for two hours every day, despite her 96 years of age.
26:25But maybe the secret of everlasting health is also the special climate on Okinawa Island.
26:33Because the clear sea air is good for Sumiko's lungs.
26:36Or is it maybe her very personal secret?
26:40The fresh algae from the beach.
26:42They are full of nutrients and minerals.
26:44Sumiko always collects them herself, of course.
26:47Back at home, straight away the 96-year-old begins with the preparation of peanut tofu.
27:08She eats it daily, as tofu is supposed to be very rich in protein and extremely healthy.
27:21The balanced and self-prepared diet may be another big part in the long lives of the people on Okinawa Island.
27:40At 4pm, the highlight of the day, Sumiko meets up with the other village elders to play gateball, a kind of croquet.
27:55The pensioners compete in two teams and play with lots of ambition and energy.
27:59What does a 96-year-old with such a fulfilled life wish for the future?
28:12I want to stay healthy until 100 years old.
28:16I want to stay long.
28:18This is the end.
28:20And the chances for this aren't bad on Okinawa Island, the island of long life.
28:26From Japan, we are travelling on to Israel.
28:32We are landing at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.
28:35At first sight, it appears to be an airport like any other.
28:38But one thing is special about it.
28:40It is supposed to be the safest airport in the world.
28:45But at the moment, we can't see any safety precautions at all.
28:48No soldiers, no security personnel.
28:50Then we spot a single police officer and he isn't even carrying a weapon.
28:58He is one of four police officers in the whole airport.
29:01We want to know why there are only so few.
29:04But none of the security personnel are permitted to give us an interview.
29:08We are on our way to meet the former head of security for the Israeli president.
29:15His name is Shlomo Hanoi.
29:17He will show us how the most secure airport in the world works.
29:22He doesn't think much of the European security concepts.
29:26If you concentrate to take the mineral water from an old lady, you will never find the bomb.
29:32You will never find the Nigerian that is suspicious.
29:36Because you concentrate on the bullshit.
29:39Hanoi means that the Germans and Europeans haven't understood what it is really all about
29:44when it comes to airport security.
29:46People that work in the airport all work in McDonald's.
29:50It's not nice to say it, but this is not level of security that can deal with the passenger.
29:59This is not people that train to find the terrorists.
30:04Hanoi wants to show us at the airport how it should be done.
30:09Soon we already discovered the first big difference to German airports.
30:13Security already begins on the way to the airport.
30:17About 4km before reaching the airport, the first checkpoint is set up.
30:22Of course, no close-up filming is permitted here.
30:29All drivers are asked where they are travelling to.
30:33We also find out that cameras register the number plates.
30:36When the passengers drive on, it takes them a couple of minutes to reach the terminal in their cars.
30:45Valuable time.
30:46If the alarm were to be raised, heavily armed guards in unmarked police cars could stop suspected car bombers in time.
30:54It's a combination between intelligence and security.
31:03Now we have arrived in front of the terminal building.
31:06From here on, we have a permit to film.
31:08What we notice, road and terminal are separated by a park-like courtyard.
31:15But the pretty green area is not only for decoration, just like the thick steel columns that support the building.
31:25If somebody succeeds, will penetrate with explosive material with the car, the damage will not be so big here.
31:34For people and for the construction.
31:37So reaching the terminal with a large amount of explosives is difficult and pointless for terrorists.
31:42Already in front of the entrance, there is another security check.
31:46If there is anything suspicious, the luggage is already inspected here.
31:51A bomb attack inside the terminal is therefore almost impossible.
31:56But what if an attacker were to shoot into the crowd in the busy departures hall with a weapon?
32:01Or blow himself up, like in Turkey or Brussels?
32:06Shlomo Hanoi can't divulge any information about this sensitive topic.
32:18But among Israeli journalists, there are constant rumors that these mirrored windows are used by security guards for observation purposes.
32:27It is said that in case of an attack, snipers could also shoot out one of these mirrored cabins.
32:37These glazed elements can be seen everywhere in the airport.
32:40And that snipers are deployed here is not a secret.
32:44They are trained to neutralize the attack in a few seconds.
32:56They are trained very good and very specially how to shoot inside or next to the audience.
33:04It's not so easy. But they are trained to do it.
33:08Still, we can't see any security personnel. The reason for this is that all armed guards are in plain clothes in order not to be recognized immediately by potential attackers.
33:19We are undercover, as a passenger, as a visitor.
33:25We want to see this. We take some time and observe. And really, this passenger for example.
33:31Hours after having received his boarding pass, he is still stood next to the check-in desks and is looking around the terminal.
33:37Does he maybe have a gun in his photo bag? He definitely doesn't look like a normal passenger.
33:46And this lonely cleaning cart that has been stood here by itself for ages.
33:51While the cleaner is mopping behind the check-in counter, he keeps letting his eyes wander through the hall.
33:56We notice him and he notices us too.
34:01Can I see your ID?
34:03It seems as if we have caught someone.
34:08Immediately, another employee comes to the scene and asks us for our filming permit.
34:13Shlomo Harnoy has to constantly consult with airport management during our filming.
34:18This doesn't seem too surprising when you think about all the security precautions here.
34:24Then he takes us over to the check-in desks. He wants to show us the heart of the Israeli airport.
34:30Here, it becomes clear why passengers have to plan in more time than in other airports.
34:41The reason for this are these men and women, the so-called interviewers.
34:45They question the passengers and, due to their answers and reactions, identify potential terrorists that want to abduct a plane or are planning an attack inside an aircraft.
34:55All of them are recruiting from the army after they serve in the army and they understand insecure.
35:08Second, they make a long course how to suspect people and to understand what are the suspicious signs in each one.
35:20Ninety-nine percent of the questionings take less than 30 seconds.
35:24But if you are a Palestinian from an area that is under feud with Israel, you are not handed a boarding pass until after undergoing a longer interview.
35:33But sometimes it doesn't stay at this. We hear about full-body searches again. Unfortunately, we are, of course, not allowed to film in those separate rooms.
35:44Via the Palestinian humanitarian organization Adalah, we get in contact with a woman who is willing to speak to us about her experiences during an interrogation. But she doesn't want to be recognized.
35:55She asked me to go to the private room, searching in your hair, your body, asking you to take out of your clothes. Of course, asking me several times to go around, touching me everywhere. Every part of you is being touched and it's very, very disgusting.
36:20What do you feel?
36:23I really feel very bad. Many times I cried. I couldn't, I just couldn't, I couldn't feel, I couldn't bear it. I really cried.
36:31The organization says that these naked searches are illegal.
36:36One of the main problems with our concept, especially the profile concept, is that you hurt the privacy of people. After a long discussion about it, our goal is to minimize it all. Minimize any damage to the, or any link to the privacy.
36:58The alternative to these checks is an automatic terrorist detector.
37:03If you're a terrorist, then you're afraid to be caught. And then I can catch you.
37:07This machine can identify fear in people. In the future, this machine is supposed to be able to work without touch.
37:14It would identify terrorists purely through their gestures and facial expressions. And the machine could be connected to security cameras.
37:21Shootings inside the airport building could be avoided this way.
37:28We just now, in the last few months, received invitations to do pilots in European countries. It's new.
37:37No one is allowed to tell us if the terrorist detector is really going to be used. But as odd as it may sound, technology doesn't play a very big part at the most secure airport in the world.
37:48The principle, in Israel, is technology can be tricked, our people can't.
37:54In Europe, they look first of all for the explosive material, but not look for the suspect. Here, we look first of all who is suspect, and then we look for the explosive material.
38:06Car checkpoints in front of the airport. Staff that is especially trained for interrogation.
38:15And selective picking out of certain passengers.
38:22We have experienced what makes the Israeli airport probably the most well-secured in the world.
38:27With a safe feeling, we get on our plane, although we are leaving this place a little thoughtful.
38:34Our next mysterious place is taking us to China.
38:44In the Chinese desert, right at the Mongolian border, there is an incredible building, 40 meters high, over 30,000 square meters large, diamond-shaped structures.
38:55But what is behind all this?
39:01The answer? It is supposed to be a luxury hotel for rich Chinese people.
39:08But why would you build a hotel in the middle of the desert? And why would you go on holiday here?
39:13We are meeting the manager of the hotel.
39:16Hello. Hi. I'm Julian. Hi. Nice to meet you.
39:24Welcome.
39:26Lu Xiaochu is proud of the huge infrastructure.
39:31A holiday resort for wealthy people that can enjoy the unique desert view from everywhere inside the building,
39:37far from the smog and the noise of the cities.
39:40During the main season, up to 300 Chinese families enjoy this view.
39:53Right now, it's winter in Mongolia.
39:55This means temperatures below 10 degrees, and therefore not the best time for traveling here.
40:01But the sun also shines during the winter, and the hotel utilizes it in the form of solar power.
40:07This makes the hotel completely self-sufficient.
40:12But also here, the rule is China. Different country, different customs.
40:23So is this kind of training you do every day with your crew here, with your staff?
40:29We're going to go to the gym. We're going to go to the gym.
40:32We're going to go to the gym. This is a training for the customers of our customers.
40:36But what is behind the unusual shape of the building?
40:41This is the time I came to the gym.
40:44We're going to go to the gym.
40:45We're going to go to the gym.
40:46We're going to go to the gym.
40:47We're going to go to the gym.
40:48In the Buddhist religion, the lotus flower is the plant of all plants. There are many different meanings and shapes for it.
40:56From the outside, the hotel is an eye-catcher. So what do the rooms look like?
41:01Almost never ending corridors take us to our room.
41:17Let's take us to our room.
41:34Bed, TV, bathroom with a shower.
41:37The interior is of a high standard.
41:39But the view is truly exceptional.
41:42But still, this is by far not enough to get the Chinese to come and visit this desert residence.
41:52Another special thing about this place is responsible for bringing the tourists here.
41:57In the over 1,000 hectare large hotel grounds there is enough action on offer to satisfy any visitor, including the thrill of sandboarding.
42:07And the concept has flourished. After the opening earlier this year, the hotel was already fully booked during the main season.
42:15From action to relaxation, for the necessary spare change there is a lot on offer here.
42:21But especially its unique shape makes the Chinese luxury hotel so special.
42:28A truly incredible place in the middle of the desert.
42:37Our next mysterious place is located in the USA.
42:42Welcome to Bombay Beach.
42:44These two live in America's most famous ghost town that actually really isn't one.
42:48An eyesore under the Californian sun. Many ruins and almost no soul in sight.
42:54The next supermarket over an hour away. No school, no playground.
42:58But still around 100 young and old inhabitants live here.
43:02And we are planning to meet some of them.
43:07So we are flying to the USA.
43:09Here in the Southern Californian desert is Bombay Beach.
43:12A place that there is more to than meets the eye.
43:15From Los Angeles, we are heading south into the desert.
43:21Three hours away, the Sultan Sea is located.
43:24The largest lake in California.
43:26And on its bank, Bombay Beach.
43:28The first impression of the town, apocalyptic.
43:31Here we have arranged to meet single mother Crystal Vorden and her two sons.
43:36Nice to meet you.
43:37Nice to meet you.
43:38We're Robert and Chance.
43:39What's your name?
43:40Robert and Chance.
43:41Robert and Chance.
43:42Not many people stray to Bombay Beach.
43:47And a camera team has never come to visit the small family.
43:52Normally the boys are at school during the daytime.
43:55But at the moment it is the holidays.
43:57This means that there is lots of time for play.
44:00Robert pulled my shirt down and then he made a rip.
44:10And this is the boys' playground.
44:12Bombay Beach.
44:13Almost the size of a campsite.
44:15150 inhabitants and right in the middle of the desert.
44:19There is a supermarket, a fire station and a bar.
44:22But who lives in such a god-forsaken place?
44:25They are the last that are left over from better days.
44:28And those that don't have a lot of money.
44:31Crystal likes living here.
44:36I've been here for 28 years.
44:39And I guess I was raised pretty good.
44:41There's no gangs.
44:43There's not really any bad stuff going on around here.
44:45So that's pretty much why I stayed here.
44:48To raise my kids.
44:50So it's a safe environment.
44:53Everybody knows everybody and you know.
44:57The house belongs to her boyfriend Carlos.
44:59The extra costs for electricity and water, $300.
45:03Life here is barren.
45:05Crystal lives off social benefits and gets $900 per month.
45:08But no one here seems depressed.
45:10Robert and Chance are happy children.
45:16Hello.
45:18Still we soon realize the family live on the edge of society in Bombay Beach.
45:23But it also has its advantages.
45:25The distances are short.
45:27That's my mom's house.
45:29Great grandmother and great uncle only live one road further down.
45:34And they visit each other every day.
45:36But today is a special day.
45:38There is a new addition to the family.
45:40My grandma said she was lonely so I went and got her some.
45:44I got her one and she's like I need two of them.
45:47Here people stick together and help each other.
45:51We got a church.
45:53We got, you know, everything you could want here.
45:57I think.
45:58What do you think?
45:59There used to be a lot of people here.
46:01There used to be over a thousand people here originally.
46:04And then we're down to like about 150.
46:07How do you feel about that?
46:09Don't like it too much.
46:11The town is slowly dying along with the sea.
46:15The Ski Inn.
46:16This bar has existed since the 1960s.
46:19Owner Wendel still opens it at 6.45 on the dot every morning.
46:24His shift is until 4pm and is usually rather quiet.
46:27Most of Wendel's friends have moved away.
46:29But the memories of them are still very much alive.
46:38Well it used to be loaded out there.
46:41Water skier and fishing.
46:43We used to go out and just drive around and catch two or three fish.
46:49Then just drive around, you know.
46:51Drink a beer once in a while.
46:55And do you miss those times?
46:58Oh yeah.
46:59Yeah.
47:00Now only some tourists that are interested in the ghost town come by.
47:05Kerry Morrison is a politician and environmental activist.
47:11He hasn't given up on the former holiday town and has been campaigning for the Salton Sea for years.
47:17Many people here don't want to accept that it isn't looking good for the region.
47:21It's a different kind of place.
47:22It's a different kind of place.
47:24See how noisy it is?
47:28Okay.
47:29And the next stop light is 39 miles that way and about 39 miles that way.
47:36Okay.
47:37Do you see the traffic?
47:40We love it all.
47:41Okay.
47:42You know.
47:43There's nothing wrong with the sea.
47:46You know.
47:47If you have a skin condition, you get in there, it's taken care of.
47:50It's taken care of.
47:51Because of the salt and the minerals.
47:53Oh man.
47:54You have a skin condition.
47:55Going there a few times and it's taken care of.
47:58You're looking good.
47:59Better than going to the doctor.
48:01The alleged paradise has a tragic history.
48:041976 and 1977, two hurricanes hit this region.
48:09It destroyed a number of different homes and restaurants, a couple of hotels in Bombay and
48:18a few other areas around the sea.
48:19And that started the kind of the downward turn for a lot of what has happened in this
48:26region.
48:27The population of Bombay Beach sinks from about 1,000 to about 150.
48:32But not only is the town dying bit by bit, but also the lake.
48:36Its water is contaminated by pesticides from the surrounding farms.
48:40Oversalted and full of algae, the reason for the dying of the fish.
48:44Additionally, the lake is drying out more and more.
48:47Water from the region that would normally flow into the lake is now often diverted to
48:52the Californian megacities.
48:54If the lake dries out more and more, the people living at its banks are in great danger.
48:59Lakes that dry up, they create really, really fine dust.
49:02Under this lake bed happens to be anything that's gone into the lake.
49:07And some of that has been some agricultural chemicals, fertilizers, and then some also
49:12naturally occurring heavy metals.
49:14They don't really affect our health here very much while they stay in the water.
49:17But we do not want to breathe that.
49:19So Salton Sea mustn't dry up and needs water.
49:22That is what Kerry is fighting for.
49:25So we need the government to take a real step by investing serious restoration funding into
49:34bringing water from the ocean and creating wetlands that cover dust.
49:38So these two main things are of amazing importance for this region.
49:43The people who choose a life here have to put up with a lot of things.
49:46Just going shopping isn't easily done.
49:49There is a mini-mart in the town, but it's completely cleaned out.
49:52No one seems to have shopped here for a long time.
49:55But it wouldn't be Bombay Beach if a sign on the door wasn't proclaiming the reopening.
49:59Crystal can't wait that long.
50:08She needs to shop now.
50:10Together with her sons and Uncle Joseph, she makes her way to the next bigger town.
50:14It is the same way that the boys go every morning on the school bus.
50:26For this they have to get up at 5.30 and then catch the bus at 6.20.
50:31The drive through the desert takes an hour and a half.
50:41Shopping usually means stress for Crystal.
50:43The children have lots of special requests, but at the same time she mustn't forget what
50:48she really needs, because Crystal usually buys everything for a whole month.
50:55It's very tiring, especially with two kids coming back from grocery shopping.
50:59It's like an all-day trip.
51:01There was Doritos, but I know Charles would watch these ones.
51:04Yeah!
51:05And I would watch these ones.
51:07So...
51:08Mom, I want that! I want that!
51:12Mom, I want that!
51:14Oh, I want these!
51:16I want...
51:17With a fully loaded trunk, they head back to Bombay Beach.
51:21Even if life this far out isn't always easy and comfortable, the family is happy in Bombay Beach.
51:36And Mother Crystal only has one wish.
51:49I wish for Bombay Beach to grow to be a cleaner, safer environment.
51:57Not much reminds us of Bombay Beach and the Salton Sea being a booming holiday resort over 50 years ago.
52:03The tourists that come to visit this place now come out of a craving for sensation.
52:07The people that live here don't care about this.
52:10It doesn't matter.
52:11It is their home.
52:12And they haven't given up hope that people will come back here soon to swim.
52:16Thanks for joining us!
52:17Welcome to the
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