All language subtitles for the.canary.islands.with.jane.mcdonald.s01e01.1080p.web.h264-cbfm[EZTVx.to]_track3_[eng]

'I'm off on my travels to explore

'some of the most beautiful islands
in the sun, the Canaries.'

I'm doing wheelies!

'I'm going solo to discover why
five million Brits a year

'flock to this part of the world.'

I'm out of the bunker.

'I've done my research,
but I'll always be on the lookout

'to make sure
I'm not missing a trick.'

Look at that. That's fantastic.

'And I'd love you to come with me
as I head off the beaten track...'

This is absolute paradise.

'..reveal the unexpected...'

Ah!

'..and discover the very best
that each island has to offer.'

It does.

'My first island stop is Tenerife,

'where I venture up
my first volcano...'

We did.

'..learn about
a banana's gender agenda...'

I didn't know they were all female.

All these women in one bunch.

It's a bit like us on a day out,
in't it? It is, really.

'..discover the clever craft skills
of La Gomera...'

Uh-huh. Wow!

'..find out what gives
Canarian coffee that extra kick...'

Mmm! That's a very special latte.

'..take a fun-finding mission
to Europe's largest water park...'

You look at it and think,
"I'll have a go at that,"

and then you get up t'top
and you think, "Ah!"

SCREAMS

'So, forget those grey British skies

'and come along with me
for the ride.'

We've landed in Jurassic Park!

'I'm packed and ready to fly
from Manchester Airport,

'so it's time for check-in.'

Hello, madam.

Are you OK?

Yeah, good, thank you.

Where are you travelling to today?

'As I'm always at the airport,

'I've been considering
my carbon footprint,

'or how my activities like flying
affect the planet.'

Is there any way I can pay
to offset my carbon footprint?

Cos I know I'm very aware
of how much I travel.

Of course. So, we offset
all of our aviation emissions

already covered by
the carbon pricing schemes.

You already have that cost covered
in the ticket price.

'Which means
some of the ticket money

'goes back
to helping the environment.'

Oh, that's very...
Well, that's great.

No worries.

No worries.

I hope you have a lovely holiday.

Thank you.

'So, that's my carbon reduced,

'and I can reduce
my stress levels, too,

'with little devices I've put in
my cases to track their movements.'

You can even see them
going to the plane

so that you know that they've
put been on, which is a good idea.

It's just peace of mind, really.

And because
I do a lot of travelling,

peace of mind is a big thing.

'My flight
from Manchester to Tenerife,

'the largest and most populated
of the Canary Islands,

'takes just over four hours.

Back in my cruising days,
we'd dock in the Canaries,

'but I were working, so I never
got further than the ports,

'which are never much fun.

'Here's my hotel,
down south in the popular resort

'of Playa de las Americas'

Thank you.

Bye!

We're here!

Hello, welcome.

Checking in, yes?
Welcome.

Thank you.

'I've gone for
the half-board package

'as it's perfect
for the purse strings

'and gives me freedom to try out the
local restaurants and dining places.

'Now, let's see
what my room's like.'

Oh, it's lovely and bright in here,
in't it?

Wow! I can read my book no problem
in this.

'And I've lots of reading up to do
about these beautiful islands.'

Ah! Oh, bananas. Of course.

There's a banana plantation
here on Tenerife,

so that's probably why
they've left me these.

'Now, every room has a view,
but will this be a good 'un?

'Let's see.'

Hmm!

'If I can get the door open.'

SHE LAUGHS
Here we go again!

MUSIC PLAYS

'Oh, great view of the ocean,
the town and the hotel pools.

'And I think I spy
an excursions board.

'Since this is my first time
as a proper tourist here,

'I'm on a mission
to get to the heart of the Canaries,

'so that means signing up for
excursions and booking a hire car

'so I can uncover its secrets
on my own.

'My first spectacular stop
is here, Mount Teide,

'the most visited national park
in Spain,

'and I'm about to be one of its
four million visitors a year.

'I've wanted
to see this volcano properly

'since I first came here
30 years ago

'and didn't get much further
than my cruise liner.

'Even back then,
there was a cable car to the top,

'so now I get to try it.'

I'm going right up to there.

And the view, apparently,
is spectacular.

'Which is why so many people
take this trip.

'And you know me,
I've pre-booked my ticket.

'I read that this place
gets very busy,

'and you might not get the timeslot
you want on the day,

'so it does pay to go on t'internet
and not waste time.'

Right. Boarding.

Yes. Oh. Hi.

Hi. No, I live here.

Yeah.

Steve.

Nice to meet you.

Yeah. Been here nearly five years.

It's lovely. And I try and come up
and see the peak,

but the last couple of times
I've tried,

it's been too windy, so...
Yeah.

They cancel it occasionally
for high winds,

but this time of year, well, as you
can see, it's a beautiful day...

..so I managed to finally get on.

And I'm going up on my own.

Yeah.

Course you can.

Oh, smashing.
I'm not trying to pick you up.

THEY LAUGH

It's just how it is.

Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Cos I'm on my own as well.

'So, definitely
no love on a mountaintop,

'but it's good to be in the company
of a local.'

Oh, we're having a photo.

Oh, OK.

It's me and you, kid.

No, not at all.

'The cable car has been
running up Mount Teide since 1971

'and was inspired by the cable cars

'that run across the mountains
in Switzerland.'

It is, yeah.

Got a long way to go, though.

No, it's over.
So, where you see the top... Yeah?

.. it's further than that as well.
It's 3,700 metres.

Yeah.

'And now, it's our turn to take the
eight-minute ride up to the summit.'

Oh, I can't wait!

SHE LAUGHS
You're so excited.

I'm finally here!
If this conks out now...

It's you!

That'll be the end of it.
I shall be in tears.

I'm finally going, yeah.

I'm glad I've met you

cos there's somebody here
as excited as I am.

I know. Well, this is third time
lucky, so we're going this time.

That's it. Third time lucky.

Ooh!
We're off, we're off, we're off!

'It is possible
to walk up Mount Teide,

'but it takes around six hours,
so my legs chose the easy option.'

Actually,
this is quite hair-raising.

Yeah, it is.

Oh!

Yeah.

And it's quite a rapid ascent.

So, yeah, you'll feel it,
like getting on a plane.

That's right.

'Eight minutes on the ground
doesn't seem like a long time,

'but dangling up here,
it feels like an eternity.

'But I know this'll be worth
every second.

'Coming up, the tropical taste
of the Canaries...'

I didn't know what to expect,
but that's lovely.

'..and I need to push myself

'to tackle the slide
at Europe's largest water park.'

So, we go on this...

SHE SCREAMS

JANE: 'After 30 years, I'm back
island-hopping round the Canaries,

'but three decades ago,
I was singing on the ships

'so never got the chance to
uncover their secrets and mysteries.

'I'm making up for lost time
on this first trip

'round the treasures of Tenerife.

'It's home to Mount Teide,

'the third largest volcano
on the planet.

'From the ocean floor up,
it's 24,600 feet tall.'

My ears are popping.

'It's one of the top places to visit
on the island,

'so I've taken the cable car

'up to the summit
with my new travel pal Steve.'

We made it.

We did.

'I read that Mount Teide was formed
from an eruption 120,000 years ago,

'but Steve's clearly ahead of me
in the fact stakes.'

I love this. This is all lava.

This is where the volcano
would have erupted originally.

Yeah?

And so all of this
would have been molten.

Yeah.

Gosh!

What is lava?

Well, it's essentially liquid rock,

because underneath the crust
of the earth is obviously very hot,

the earth's core.

That liquid rock rises and sometimes
forces its way to the top,

which is what gives us volcanoes.

The interesting thing about it,

and the Canaries as a whole
being a volcanic island,

there's never been a loss of life.

Very lucky.

There's one particular village
as well

when the volcano was erupting,
the villagers hid in the church,

and incredibly, the lava flow
sort of seemed to split

and avoid the church altogether.

Indeed. Indeed.

It is.

'I've so picked the right guy
for this trip.

'Now, we could walk to the peak,

'or just take a few more steps
to get a better look.

'We chose the easy option. Again.'

That is the peak of the volcano,

but again,
what's really interesting,

the last time the volcano erupted
in 1909, it wasn't from there.

It was from down the side.

'The volcano activity
is still monitored today

'as even though the last eruption
was over 100 years ago,

'scientists believe that
it could erupt again one day.'

So it's been asleep for a while.

We don't want it waking up.

Not today.

And it's so clean, isn't it?

I know, it's lovely.

THEY INHALE
AND EXHALE

'All this fresh mountain air
is making me hungry,

'so time to head back down.'

Oh!

Look at that!

Looks good, doesn't it?

HE LAUGHS

OK.

Thank you.

That's lovely.

'Steve wants to introduce me
to his friend Laura

'and acquaint me
to the wonders of local cuisine,

'so we're heading
to a popular restaurant

'tucked away in the hills
near Mount Teide.

'Steve says it's known
for its traditional dishes,

'so bring 'em on.'

Take a seat.

It's lovely down here.

It is.

I've ordered some food.

Hopefully, it'll here shortly.

We've just been up the mountain,
so we're famished, aren't we?

Absolutely. It must be the air.
Right, what we got?

Right, this is Canaries on a plate,
really.

Lovely.

We've got some Queso de Cabra,
which is goat's cheese.

Right. Is that like a feta?

It's a bit...
Similar.

Yeah, similar in texture,
but goat's cheese here is brilliant.

Yeah. It's fantastic.

And then we've got
the papas arrugadas,

which are the wrinkly Canary
potatoes, famous Canary potatoes.

Yeah.

The way they came about was
it was a peasant dish before. Right.

And it used to be a pan of seawater
that the locals would boil,

put the potatoes in,
put a lid on and just leave them.

Then once they boiled dry,

that's when the crust of the salt
comes on and they go wrinkly.

But initially,
it was a poor person's dish. Ah.

Now it's almost the national...
A delicacy.

Mm. The national dish.

And always accompanied with
the two sauces that you see here.

These are called mojo.

Mojo.

Is that mo and that ho?

LAUGHS

It's mojo verde and mojo rojo.

Typically, the red one's spicier.
Yeah.

Shall we dig in?

Yeah.

And then I take the sauces, do I?

Yeah, and then dip everything.

I'm going in for mojo now.

I'll go for the spicy one.

Mmm!

I've realised that I'm a peasant

because I love this peasant food.

'Peasant, yes, vampire, no.
I'm going for the garlic.'

The best I've ever tasted.

Full, packed with garlic,

which is just how I like it.

That's my first bite.

Going in for t'cheese.
A bit of that.

'The simplest ingredients
cooked well

'always make the best meals,
I think. Bon appetit.

'After that tasty lunch,
I fancy something sweet,

'so I'm off to explore
the local banana plantation.

'The Canary banana
is the only banana in Europe

'where the flavour is directly
attributed to the location.

'I've invited fellow guests Angie
and Alison to come along with me.'

Hello. You all right?

Good. Hi.

Great to see you.
How are you doing?

Ooh, yeah, let's. Come on.

'It's the first time
I've driven my hire car here.'

Let's do this.

'So as long as I stick
to the right-hand side of the road,

'we'll be OK.'

They left me some bananas
in my room,

and they were so little sweet
and sweet, and they were gorgeous...

Yeah.

"Right, let's go and see
some bananas."

LAUGHS

I do, yeah.

'I'm used to seeing bananas
on supermarket shelves,

'but I have never seen them in their
natural habitat. It's jaw-dropping.'

Well, we made it. Look at this.

'It looks like a massive jungle!'

We've landed in Jurassic Park.

Yeah.
It looks so amazing.

'I now know bananas are one of
the main crops grown in Tenerife,

'and they export over 26,000 tons
a year to the mainland and Europe.'

Hello.

Welcome.

Welcome to banana plantation.

I love your clothes!

Where do you buy them?

It's perfect.

'That's got me off to
a good start with our guide, Ana.'

Do you like the bananas?
I hope so.

Yeah, very sweet.

Yeah, you are in the best place.

Nice to meet you.

Hello. Hello.

Hi, Ana. Hiya.

OK, do you walk with me?

OK. Come on with me.

OK. Come on.

I'm going to show you one surprise.

Let me check it.

Here. OK?

'Now, don't just turn up here.

'It's a working banana farm,

'so it's only open
on certain days of the week.'

How grows the bananas?

Look at this bunch,
and look at this bunch.

Exactly.

Why do you think the banana
grows down

and have to do it like this?

Not sure.

Because they are looking
for the sun.

ALL: Oh!

Like us.
Like sunflower, like us.

'These bananas aren't daft,

'and every part of the plant
has a job to do.'

These little bananas,
when they start to grow,

I know the bunch is finished.

Do you know what it is,
these little bananas?

Sorry, but this is the only male
we have

in all the banana plantation.

And we don't use it.

Ah.

Exactly. But they have
a very important mission. OK?

And it's give the taste
to the female bananas.

Oh. Well, I'm glad they're useful.

All you see here are female.

OK.

All the bananas are female.

I know.

That's amazing, isn't it?
I know.

Yeah.

All these women in one bunch.
It's a bit like us on a day out.

It is, really.

'I found out the average bunch here
holds 200 bananas

'and weighs around 100 pounds,

'so after learning
basic banana biology,

'it's time to finally taste one.'

This might look ugly,

but you have to know that black dots
is the sugar,

so those are quite sweet.

Oh. We normally throw that away,
don't we, when they look like that?

So, that's wrong.

You can open it.

Mmm.

Very sweet.

Really nice. Very tasty.

Not like the ones we get at home,
are they?

Now we are gonna go for banana wine.

This brand has two types,
semidry and semisweet,

and today, we are gonna taste
the semisweet.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Thank you.
Salut.

Salut. Cheers.

Cheers.
Cheers.

Yes.

People expect something more sweety,

more sticky, but it's not.

It's like a wine.

Yeah.
Mm-hm.

'Oh, a few more of these and I think
we'll be doing the banana splits.'

So, the last things are the jams.

We have banana jam
with a little bit of Canarian rum.

There's no alcohol
because it's very long-cooking,

but you feel the flavour.

And then we have mango jam.

Ooh, let's have a go.
I'm gonna take both.

I don't have to keep reaching, then.

Mmm! Banana jam's nice.

I've learnt so much about bananas.

I never knew you could have
banana jam, or banana wine.

All the birds, the bees
and the bananas. Never knew that.

'But now I do,

'and I have a renewed admiration
for this little yellow fruit

'that's so full of flavour.

'Back at the hotel,
and I'm heading to the rooftop pool,

'the perfect place to relax

'and catch up with my pals
after a day exploring.'

Wow! Look at this place.

Hello again.

How are you?

It is.

Cheers.

Oh, it's lovely.

Yeah. Shall we get in?

Come on.

Let's go in.

'Up here, you can see
all of Playa de las Americas,

'the stunning views
along the coastline

'and watch the sun set after
another fabulous day in Tenerife.'

Cheers.

Cheers.

'Angie's told me she loves Tenerife
so much, she's been here 17 times.'

And people say,
"Why do you keep going back?"

And we say, "Because if you've
never been, you won't understand."

Mm.

"When you go, you'll understand
why we keep coming back." Yeah.

Every time we come,
we turn a corner, and we're like,

"Wow, we didn't realise
this was here."

And even after all these years,

we always find something new
every time we come out.

'Coming up, it's splashdown
at Europe's biggest water park...'

Very good.

Very good.

'..and I take a walking tour
in the north of the island

'to discover
some incredible architecture.'

That pine's been up there
for 400 years?

Mm-hm.

JANE: 'I'm island-hopping
round the Canaries,

'and my first port of call
is right here in Tenerife.

'Not a bad morning commute, is it?

Past the pools, turn left,
breakfast buffet.'

Breakfast. Best meal of the day.

Good morning.

Er... two poached eggs, please.

You are welcome.

'That's what's great
about the Canaries -

' they know that us Brits
love our full brekkie.

'But it's not all cooked to order.'

That's actually not bad.

That's actually not bad.
I don't have to put that in twice.

Here we are.

Now, you're gonna be horrified
with me cos I love a lot of butter.

SHE LAUGHS
I like a lot of butter.

There we go, look at that.

And that is just lovely.
Look at that!

Absolutely gorgeous.

'Just how I'd make it myself
at home.

'Another surf around the internet

'has revealed Tenerife is home
to Siam water park,

'one of the world's biggest
water parks,

'so it would be rude not to go.

'I'm meeting up with pals Les
and his wife, Joy,

'who didn't have to be persuaded
to come along

'and see why this water park
is voted best in Europe.'

Hello, Jane, how are you?

Aw, and you.
It's nice to see you, my darling.

You all right?

Yeah. Are we off on...? Come on.

Oh, we're looking forward.

'Big kid Les and Joy look ready
for our fun-finding mission,

'and I can already tell
they'll be perfect company

'at this popular park.

'While the park covers a massive
46 acres, don't be overwhelmed.

'It's hard to get lost
as everything's signposted.

'There's rides for all levels
of adrenaline junkie,

'including a 28-metre-high slide
with a vertical drop.

'Oh, I feel a bit queasy
on fairground teacups,

'so I'll start on something gentler
to ease me in.

'A ride after my own heart,
the lazy river.'

I think I'm all right with this one
because it's lazy...

Yeah.

And me also!

So, it's a lazy river thing.
I think I quite like this one.

Oh, hello.

What do we do?
Just grab one of these?

Yeah.

That way?

That's where you're going.
Thank you.

'For the lazy river,
you just lie back and relax.

'Once you've worked out
how to lie back, that is.'

OK.

OK.

In backwards.

SHE LAUGHS

The same.

'The river
is about half a mile long,

'and the artificial current
pulls your round,

'so there's literally
nothing to do to but chill.'

Right, we're off.

Ooh!

I'm loving this already.

You're welcome. Thank you.

'Oh, this is lovely.

'It's like floating
on top of a very long, warm bath.'

'And thanks to Les, I don't even
have to try to get out.

'It really is the lazy river.'

SHE LAUGHS

Oh! Thank you.

You're welcome.

That was nice, wasn't it?

So relaxing.

Yeah.

If you want a nice, relaxing time,
then just go on one of these.

Let the kids go on all t'slides.

You just have a nice time
down the river.

It's lovely.

'Not so lazy is the water slide.

'And this isn't even
the highest one. Oh, dear!'

You look at it and you think,
"I'll have a go at that,"

and you get up t'top
and you think, "Ah."

When you're looking
from this angle... It's high.

We'll be down in about six seconds,
Jane. I know.

HE LAUGHS

'It's not the speed
that's the problem, Les.

It's the direction.'

We are, I think.

So, we go on this.

I think so, Jane.

'Ooh, this is quite slippy.
I think I'm gonna go flying.'

Three, two, one.

Go!

SHE LAUGHS

'Well, I am, but in a good way.'

SHE SHRIEKS
AND WHOOPS

'It's like sliding into a car wash
at high speed.

'Very refreshing.'

Very good.

Are you OK?

Very good.

You can't see a thing
cos you're literally like-like that,

and then all t'water's in your face.

I just closed my eyes
and hoped for t'best.

'Now we're done
with the scary stuff,

'it's time for something
more gentle.'

This is a man-made beach,
and it's great fun,

and all of a sudden,
these waves come from nowhere,

so we're going in have
a bit of a... a wave experience.

'Big kids only need apply,

'and you can't jump waves
unless you're holding hands.

'It's the law.'

It's quite a big 'un, this.

It's, er... Everybody's lined up
so that they can have a go,

and us of a certain age
are stood back,

just watching everybody else,
which is how it should be.

JANE LAUGHS

Yeah.

'These are the world's biggest
artificial waves,

'and even better,
they're warm, too.'

Just about handle that.

'Ooh, I've really enjoyed myself
today with Les and Joy.

'Two daft big kids, just like me.

'My hotel
is in the south of the island,

'which is where I spent most of
my time in the past whilst working.

'I never got to go to the north,

'but I've read how different it is
to the south,

'with much cooler temperatures,
so finally, I'm off to explore.

It's just lovely.

You cannot believe the difference
between the north and the south.

And the flowers and the colours

are just something to see.

And all the lovely little houses
and the villages up on the cliff

overlooking the sea,
it's what we all dream of.

'Over the years, I've learned
that pounding the pavements

'is the best way to experience
your travel destination,

'so I've looked a walking tour
with local guide Cristo.

'Apparently, the architecture here
is incredible,

'wherever here actually is.'

Hi. I'm Cristo.

So, this is the meeting point?

Yes, this is the meeting point
for the walking tour.

We're staying La Orotava.

Laro-tava?

La Orotava.

La Orotava.

Tava.

Yeah.
Yeah.

'Said like a native.

'Turns out La Orotava
dates back to the 16th century,

'making it one of the oldest towns
on the island,

'and one that's been declared of
national and historical interest.'

Now we go to the Victoria Gardens.

It's one of the more important
gardens in the area.

Good.

Come on. Here we go.

Oh, it's lovely!

'But this isn't quite a garden
as you and I would know it.'

The history is not like
a very well... history.

It started in the 19th century.

One family,
familia De Ponte del Castillo,

Sebastiana Castillo
is the mother of the family,

and her son
is not in very well health,

so in this time, she started
to construction the mausoleum.

Yeah.

Whoa!

Is for the son of the family.

Yes.

And kept going
from the government now?

It is lovely, isn't it?

Yeah.

And it's a tribute to the son,
which is always very special.

It's very nice.

'The mausoleum was built
because the son was a mason

'and was not allowed to be buried
in the church graveyard.

'Mum chose a higher plot
overlooking the church,

'which didn't go down well as it's
all about who has the best location.

'In the end, Mum got her way

'and the son
was buried in the churchyard,

'and this mausoleum remains empty.

'La Orotava is a beautiful town
to wander round

'and soak up the Canarian culture.

'Yes, you know
you're still in Tenerife,

'but it feels completely different

'to the manic beaches and bars
in the south.

'Our last stop
of the historic walking tour

'is at La Casa de Balcones,

'which means, guess what,
house of the balconies.

'It was built in the 17th century
by specialist carpenters,

'then passed through
several high-ranking families.

'The building is famous
for its open, intricate woodwork,

'and, wow,
those 17th-century carpenters

'certainly knew
what they were doing.'

So, now we stay inside of the house.

So imagine, the terrace is amazing.

The balconies is amazing, too.

We used the pine trees wood
for construction.

Oh!

It's 400 years, I suppose it was.

Yeah.

Mm-hm.

Amazing.

So, the Canary pines
are stronger than normal pines?

Yes. The woods are very strong,
but more important

is the quality of the tree.

Because fire, of course,
it's a wood,

but resist the fire.

Yeah.

It's true.

We are a volcanic island,
so if you want to live here,

you need to adapt your life to here,

so in this, I think the Canary pines
adapted too much, you know.

Now we can see the difference,

that different woods
are special good

for construction of the houses.

And they don't even paint it,
they don't varnish it.

It's just as it is.

'This intricate carved woodwork
is known as plateresque,

'which means in the style
of Spanish silverware.

'And the fact that it still looks
so good 400 years later

'is testament
to the skilled craftsmanship.

'Now, let's have a coffee.

'But no cappuccino here.
This is Canarian style.'

HE SPEAKS SPANISH

Right.

Thank you.
So, now we need mix it.

HE SPEAKS SPANISH

OK.

'These special layered coffees
are called barraquitos.

'The waiter's explaining
the different layers,

'but since my Spanish is rusty -
OK, non-existent -

'I'm gonna need some help
with the translation.'

He said that
to be a good barraquito,

like correct barraquito,
you have to have these layers -

the condensed milk, the, erm...

Coffee.
..coffee, natural milk,

er, the cream...

..cinnamon, lemon inside,
and then mix it up. Then mix it.

OK?

Yeah. What a shame.

'You won't find the same barraquito
across the Canaries

'as each region uses its
local liqueur for that extra kick.'

And so now is the time to try.

Be careful.

Cheers.

Cheers.
Cheers.

Cheers. Thank you.

'it looks just like
our liqueur coffees at home,

'but I wonder if it tastes
the same.'

Nice, isn't it?

It's like a latte,
but a special latte.

Wow.

'Walking tours are a great way
to gain a closer understanding

'of the local history.

'Towns like La Orotava
have so much to offer.

'It's been 30 years
since I was here in Tenerife,

'and last time, I remember visiting
the small neighbouring island

'of La Gomera.

'I've been itching to get back
to see what it's like these days,

'so I'm taking one of
the regular ferries

'for a day trip
across to the island.

'With several crossings a day,

'it will be easy to pop across
and be back in time for tea.

'Coming up, I take a trip
down memory lane in La Gomera...'

It used to be the thing to do,
send a postcard.

Usually got home before it,

but I've sent many of these
to my mother.

'..and learn the tricky technique
of basket weaving.'

I'm gonna make a complete mess
of this.

JANE: 'I'm on an island-hopping
adventure across the Canaries,

'and today, I'm off to La Gomera,
one of the smaller islands,

just a 50-minute ferry ride
from Tenerife.

'La Gomera holds great memories
for me,

'as the cruise ships
used to dock here,

'so I can't wait to see
if it looks the same.

'The ferry port
is in the capital of San Sebastian,

'and I remember walking around
its colourful streets

'looking for traditional souvenirs
to send home.

'Oh, and traditional ways
of staying in touch.'

You don't see many of these now,
do you?

It used to be the thing to do,
send a postcard.

Usually got home before it,

but I've sent many of these
to my mother.

'I know San Sebastian
from days gone by

'but never really explored
the island back then.

'I'm heading inland
for an art workshop

'that uses the island's date palms
to create baskets.

'I've come to the small
mountain village of La Laja...'

Hi.

'..where botanist Zdenka

'runs workshops
for travellers and tourists.'

This is the Canary date palm,

one endemic from Canary Islands.

It means it doesn't grow
anywhere else. Right. Naturally.

And we need this for our basket.

But if it's dry, it breaks. See?

So we need to put it in water,

and I already put some in water here
for you. OK.

Yeah, of course, of course.

Because this is a kind of rubbish,
you can find it almost everywhere.

This is where the dates
were sitting on.

We collect the dates,
we feed them to the animals,

and this we can use
for many different things.

One is this type of broom.

I don't know...
If you went through San Sebastian,

you could see the people there
still cleaning...

Yeah.

It's really, really good.

And in La Gomera, we've got a museum

where you can learn how to make
carpets out of these leaves.

Uh-huh. Wow.

'La Gomera take sustainability
very seriously

'and has plans to be the largest
self-sufficient island in the world

'by 2030.'

That's lovely.

It's simple, but it's really nice
if you put some tomatoes.

We can put some mangoes today.

It looks much better as well.

Than plastic?

And when I throw it away,
it just disappears.

Mm-hm. Wow.

'Zdenka came to like La Gomera
five years ago,

'fell in love with the island

'and now enjoys sharing her
craft skills in these workshops.

'I'm glad she's on hand
to get me started

'as this is way trickier
than it looks.'

I've got no idea
what you've just done there.

It's normal.
This is the most complicated part.

We start again.

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Yes, yes.

Almost, almost.

Perfect.

You've got it, you've got it.

OK.

All right.

I'm gonna make a complete mess
of this.

'Believe in yourself, Jane.'

Here's one I made earlier,

and you can see that the bottom
is now strong.

I like a strong bottom.

And, er...

Perfect.

So, the next step is,
we are putting up the pillars. OK.

I would need your help.

So, I put it here
and I kind of break it.

OK.

So, we need all of the pillars...
..up.

Yeah.

No. OK, perfect.

No, this is our...

Mm-mm.

OK. And we need to tie it.

'As I'm discovering, there are quite
a few stages to weaving a basket,

'and it can take up to six hours
to make the completed version.'

Now, I've been here for weeks,
and I've still got t'same outfit on

because I haven't got a washer
up here,

but I've just rinsed my smalls
through.

But I've nearly finished
this basket.

I'm such a liar.

I've just picked it up.
It's one of theirs.

But this is the finished product,
look.

It's rather fabulous, isn't it?

I am going to take one of these home
with me.

So, Jane, how's it going?

Wow!

Would you be ready to make the test?

I mean, like, the weight test.

Mango!

Shall we see?

Is it strong enough?

Wow!

Shall we put more?

Yeah. Look at this!

This is good, you know.

GASPS
Look at that.

So impressed. So impressed.

Perfect.

So not only is it organic
and you make it yourself,

but it holds something
that is gonna do you a lot of good.

'Although I've learnt a lot
from Zdenka,

'I don't think I'll be
making my own baskets quite yet.

'But I've got myself
a new way of looking

'at how we should be more mindful
of nature.'

I love the fact that the traditions
have stayed alive.

The people of La Gomera
love this island,

and do you know what,

La Gomera loves them back.

'Before I catch the ferry,

'Zdenka has arranged
for me to hook up

'with a couple of her friends.

'Frank and George are gonna teach me
the local lingo, Silbo.

'But I don't need words,
I just need my lungs.'

Nice to meet you.

It's communication.

It's about the communication
and not, er...

WOLF-WHISTLES

This is not communication.

Can you say to me, then,
"Hello, nice to meet you, Jane"?

"Hello, Jane, nice to meet you."

WHISTLES
DIFFERENT PITCHES

I like that. I like that a lot.

'Silbo was developed

'as a means of talking
across the valleys of La Gomera,

'usually between shepherds
and farmers.'

And how do you do that?

It's practice.

Yes.

'Whistling, unlike shouting,

'can travel up to five miles
in open terrain,

'and some skilled whistlers
can reach 120 decibels.

'That's louder than a jet
taking off.'

Yes.

'It's harder than it looks.'

No.
No.

A-ha. A-ha.

'How long is this episode again?'

Right there.

SHE BLOWS
RASPBERRY NOISE

The first time, not really good.

Sorry.

Huh?

No.
On the stomach.

SHE BLOWS

Yeah.

If you put the...

The...

Yeah. See?

But there. Right there.

Like that?

SHE BLOWS

HE WHISTLES

'So near, so far.'

HE WHISTLES,
SHE LAUGHS

You need to, er...

FEEBLE WHISTLE
Nearly!

Yeah, yeah, yeah!

OK, OK. And say "yellow".

WHISTLES INTONATION
SIMILAR TO "YELLOW"

Oh!

For the first time, it's good.
Is good.

How do I say "Jane"?

WHISTLES
DIFFERENT PITCHES

I like that.

WHISTLES
SIMILAR PITCHES

You need to say...

SHE WHISTLES
SIMILARLY

We used to have a programme,
a television programme,

called The Clangers,

and it sounds
a bit like The Clangers.

You have no idea
what I'm talking about now.

OK.

OK.
OK, OK, OK.

It's great that they want to keep
this amazing tradition going,

you know, that they can speak...

Someone up there can actually speak
to someone down here

all because of a whistle.

If I did that, where I come from...

WHISTLES

..think I'm common as muck,
but here, I'm a hero.

'It's been 30 years
since I last set foot on Tenerife,

'but I promise it won't be
another 30 years before I return,

'and my Canaries adventure
has only just begun.'