Raul's Day - Another World

Documentaries? No, thanks. That’s my normal reaction. I love watching repeats of The Simpsons and Friends. But last week, while I was channel-hopping, I discovered a programme that changed my mind.

Sea homes

Fabulous, blue-green sea, blue sky and tiny islands. The amazing scenery was like another world and I wanted to be there, so I started watching. The narrator was talking about Bajau, in the Phillippines, (1) ……… . Bajau children are taught to swim before they can walk. You know how most people get sea sick when they travel by boat? Well, as the Bajau people walk on land, they feel land sick!

What was it?

I looked up the programme in the TV guide. It was called Human Planet. The series shows the relationship between humans (2) ……… . Different places, such as deserts, jungles and mountains, were filmed for each programme. I decided to watch the next week’s episode.

Fascinating facts

One reason I enjoyed the series was the interesting facts in each programme. For example, in Papua New Guinea, some homes are built in the jungle – 30 metres up a tree, (3) ……… . Everything is made of wood. Even babies and animals live in the tree houses. It looks scary to me, and it’s a long way down if you forget something!

Humans and animals

The relationship between people and animals can be incredible, too. In Laguna, on the south coast of Brazil, local fishermen are helped by wild dolphins that chase fish towards their nets. This way, the fishermen have doubled the amount of fish they catch. (4) ……… .

An incredible journey

14-year-old Kusum and her brother Dolkar live in a tiny village in the Himalayan mountains, 100 kilometres from their school. In winter, the snow is very deep on the roads, so they have to walk down a dangerous, frozen river to get to school. Last year, Kusum, Dolkar and their father were followed by the Human Planet team. In one valley, an avalanche fell from the high, grey cliffs. (5) ……… . In another valley, the narrow path was covered in ice, and they nearly fell in the river. The journey took six days, but finally they arrived safely at school, ready for another term.

Personal favourite?

I love the sea, so I think the Bajau way of life is perfect. The weather is usually good, the sea is calm and (6) ……… . Nohara was born on a boat, and she explains, ‘I like to live on a boat because we go wherever we want.’ I’d like that, too.

Recommendation?

If you’re interested in seeing how other people live around the world, watch Human Planet online, or get the DVD!