Original subtitles

(mysterious music)

NARRATOR: We start our trip in Kansas, USA.

Here, we meet the creator of what is said to be

the safest place in the world.

We’re not allowed to reveal the precise address

as people are constantly trying to break in.

- ...that other people show up with guns, and our guns were bigger

than their guns.

And they got arrested, and you know, it's been...

it's a serious business.

NARRATOR: We arrive after a half-hour drive through a land

devoid of people.

First impression: A maximum security prison.

Cameras and heavily armed guards everywhere.

- You'll see the level of security when we get out here.

It's nothing to be messing with.

If you try to climb the fence and damage the property,

and try to hurt people that are there, we can shoot back.

- How are you doing? You guys have your ID on you?

You don't have any weapons, or any bombs, or any dead bodies

- or anything on board, do you? - No.

- You wouldn't mind if I pat you down before you come in

just to make sure you don't have anything on you?

- I can get out of the car. - If could step out of the vehicle,

I would appreciate it.

NARRATOR: We're checked from head to toe.

This is how every visitor is welcomed - no matter who they are.

At least two members of security staff continuously monitor the site.

They can even arrest people, in coordination with the police.

But what is so valuable? The answer is in here.

In a disused nuclear missile silo from the Cold War,

which owner Larry Hall has turned into a luxury residential complex.

Here, the inhabitants should be able to survive any kind of catastrophe.

What's known as the Luxury Survival Condo extends across

14 storeys under the ground and offers space for up to 75 people.

There is a pool, a cinema, a doctor's surgery,

a supermarket and much more here -

an autonomous town spread out over 17,000 square metres.

If you have enough pocket money - 1.2 million euros is all you need.

- Residential Level Five.

NARRATOR: Larry spends most of his life down here.

As the founder of the complex,

he is responsible for the safety of all the apartment owners.

Each morning he checks whether a catastrophe is imminent.

Through his former job in the government and NASA,

he knows the secret websites that provide him with such information.

- Today we have a 45 percent chance of an X-flare,

which is the strongest rated solar flare.

These are the kind of flares that- with their coronal mass ejection,

and it's pointed towards the earth right now.

So, we're keeping our eye on this, cause we're in a kind of

a dangerous situation there, that could definitely impact a lot

of people globally.

NARRATOR: The bunker is fitted with a specially developed alarm system.

Each of the residents has an app that informs him immediately

of possible danger.

Yellow indicates a possible catastrophe, and red means

that all residents should immediately head to the bunker.

The solar storm could change the alarm from green to yellow.

Despite the threat, Larry has an appointment for a viewing

with a potential buyer.

Dawn Snyder has three children and is looking for safe

accommodation if catastrophe should strike.

Larry wants to show her that she wouldn't need to go without

any comforts here.

- Is that easy to open then? - Very easy.

- Yeah. It's also a very protective.

NARRATOR: A pool and spa area behind steel doors is intended to provide

the necessary distraction for the residents

and stave off depression during prolonged stays.

Larry has sought advice from psychologists on how life down here

can be made as normal as possible.

- You can get a cup of coffee in the morning, come up here,

be around some trees, have some high-volume ceilings.

If you have any little dogs, we've got a pet park over here.

NARRATOR: Provisions are also made for any little deposits left by

the residents' four-legged friends - an anti-odour spray keeps the air

at the neighbouring climbing wall clean.

The guided tour continues eight storeys underground.

Down here, a library awaits for people to read

and while away their time.

Next to it is another project that is close to Larry's heart -

he has even thought about the education of the children

in the event of a catastrophe.

- We envision the moms maybe coming down here, and being next door

while the kids are in the classroom over here.

NARRATOR: A digital classroom.

Dawn’s children could go to school here one day.

They would learn on computers, on which an extensive digital library

and even parts of the Internet are stored.

- And teachers and instructors? Do you have them on site then?

- You rotate. You will be a teacher for one month.

I will be a teacher for one month.

NARRATOR: In the event of a disaster, when the bunker is closed,

each resident must spend four hours a day working in different jobs.

Dawn would have to regularly teach her own children.

According to psychologists, the rotating jobs should help

the residents cope with the confinement.

And now the luxury apartment: here Dawn could live with her children.

The entire floor measures around 170 square meters

and offers space for up to 10 people.

Price point: around 2.5 million euros.

And it's so luxurious that you don't even need to be able to see outside.

- What is this? - Those are electronic windows.

Those let you know that you are not underground.

Everything has these electronic iPads that let you control

what you have. So we're in this room.

NARRATOR: You could say these are the windows onto the outside world.

You can choose between three cameras that are installed outside.

Or other programmes.

At any rate,

Dawn seems to be impressed by the features of the apartment.

- Next best thing!

If it's not safe to go outside...

..at least to be able to look out.

NARRATOR: At the end of the viewing, Dawn is sure:

she could imagine living down here.

The world out there no longer feels safe to her.

- What are we scared of? Just the world falling apart.

I think every day we get closer and closer to it.

And I feel better already knowing, you know, we're planning for

our future and for our safety, and we're going to be OK.

NARRATOR: Larry now has to make all the preparations for a possible

solar storm. Mark Menosky will help him.

They have known each other for 15 years.

Larry developed the concept for the bunker with him.

Mark also spends most of his time down here.

The solar storm could cut the power supply, so they check

the diesel generators.

- We have 20,000 gallons of diesel fuel stored underground.

Let's open up the generators and check their status.

NARRATOR: The bunker is equipped with two of these

high-performance generators,

which can produce electricity for at least two and a half years.

(engine starts)

- I'm going to put it back in the automatic mode so,

if there is a power outage, it will be available for service.

NARRATOR: But Larry and Mark are ready not just for solar storms -

they have devised solutions for all possible catastrophes.

Especially important: the air the residents will breathe.

Various filter systems protect against air affected by

nuclear or biochemical contamination.

A project that lies very close to Mark’s heart can be found three

storeys down - the aquaponics system.

The name refers to a technique used to produce fish

and crop plants underground.

A self-sustaining water and nutrient cycle.

The system is the centrepiece of the bunker.

Mark wants to cultivate over 70 different varieties

of vegetable here.

For each vegetable there is a different light frequency -

and so sunlight becomes unnecessary.

If one were to live permanently in the bunker, the inhabitants would

be supplied from here with fresh foods - even fish are included.

Until that happens, we go on shopping tour in the bunker's

own supermarket.

Which offers a huge range of different meals -

all of which can be kept for 25 years.

- Maybe for lunch we'll have, uhmm, for dinner we'll have chicken.

So we'll get some chicken here. Chicken and rice sound good.

NARRATOR: Shopping here is somewhat different

than in normal supermarkets - Mark is particularly proud of that.

- It's almost like you see in the Star Trek series,

where there's no money changed hands.

When the people buy into this condo concept,

everything here is included as part of the basic survival package.

It's a free supermarket.

NARRATOR: That's not completely true.

The residents actually have to pay a monthly flat rate of up to

4,000 euros for incidental expenses.

Larry's luxury bunker is not only protected against catastrophes.

It is protected with an electric fence,

by dozens of high-resolution security cameras

and by a remote-control drone.

Larry can monitor and control all of this from a room underground.

Today, a suspicious vehicle attracts his attention.

- Hey Mark, hey! Can you come on in?

I have to show you something.

NARRATOR: Steven is responsible for security across the whole site.

- ...but I did see some other activity at the end of the driveway

down here. Some other vehicles came by.

Do you want to check with the guard on duty up there,

and see if there's any cars lurking around?

- If they've been coming and going? - Sure.

NARRATOR: Steven sets off with one of the two military vehicles,

each weighing over 10 tonnes.

This means that, in the event of a catastrophe,

residents could be brought from one bunker into the other.

Today, Steven is using it as a reconnaissance vehicle.

- Anything suspicious, that could be of any danger.

That could be people laying in the field here with military gear,

any gear, or a riffle.

- Did you ever have that happen?

- Hmm... no comment

NARRATOR: The security team works closely with the police.

They can even take people into custody.

The car features shooting hatches and is fully equipped with

various weapons.

Steven spent a long time in the US army.

After he returned from Iraq, he accepted a job from Larry

around a year ago.

He takes his job very seriously.

- We don't break any laws, but we're prepared for whatever happens.

If we were not worried about safety we wouldn't have any security.

Cause security is safety.

I don't know it's just in my blood, it's what I do.

NARRATOR: Today, apart from a few farmers in the field,

there were no anomalies.

Everything has been quiet this evening for his colleagues

at the gate, too.

In the event of a catastrophe, Steven would have to stay outside -

he cannot afford the luxury bunker.

Nevertheless, he would perform his duties until the end.

- Well, I'll stay here until we get all the residents in,

buttoned in, taken care of.

When chaos hits, we're warrior within else, you see so many

people going, everybody is out for themselves.

There's got to be some kind of humanity

NARRATOR: While Mark has dinner, Larry phones his young son.

He sold his house, car and much more for the bunker.

He has created a safe place, above all for his family.

However, during term time, his son lives six hours away in Denver.

- Hey Luke! - Hi!

- I'm going to be home on Thursday,

what else do you want to do when I'm home?

- Maybe indoor-soccer

NARRATOR: Mark makes himself comfortable alone in the bunker

cinema 13 storeys under the ground.

The alarm system is on green: no danger today.

And so Larry is out enjoying the heavenly sunset over Kansas.

Sheer luxury in safety and glittering future prospects.

- This is a 1000 year structure. It will just be here forever.

NARRATOR: And so ends the day at one of the world’s safest places.

NARRATOR: A village hidden in the forest.

In front of every house:

The mysterious boxes.

Stacked on top of each other and tightly closed.

They may look unimportant, but inside each box is every resident's

greatest source of wealth - and at the same time, their greatest foe.

King cobras.

Their scientific name, Ophiophagus hannah, means 'snake-eater'.

Like cannibals, they prey almost solely on their own kind.

They are the world's largest poisonous snakes.

Their venom can kill humans within just a few hours.

They are feared and avoided all over the world,

but here in the northeast of Thailand,

in the 'Village of the King Cobras', they are the centre of life.

1,000 species of snakes live close to the village and their presence

can be felt all around it.

Snake fighters enter the ring on a weekly basis to fight what

they fear the most.

Three people lost their lives last year taking part in this tradition.

Tam was in a coma for two weeks.

The doctors had given up on him and he had been declared dead

by the local press. But he lived.

A medical miracle, that just two years ago nobody believed in.

Like his father and grandfather before him,

the Thai spent his childhood fighting king cobras.

He was one of the most talented fighters in the village.

But the bite changed him. Tam used to be slender and athletic.

Until one day he made a near-fatal mistake.

(speaking Thai)

NARRATOR: Although it almost took his life,

he couldn’t kill his cobra.

Like everyone else in the village, Tam has a love-hate relationship

with his Nung Nim, whose name translates into ‘lucky charm’.

Up until now, however, it’s done anything but bring him luck.

NARRATOR: Tam has been bitten three times.

The last time he went into a coma and wanted to stop keeping

king cobras and fighting them.

Yet it's an old tradition,

which has been passed down from one generation to the next.

If you give it up, then you betray your family.

For more than 100 years snakes have been kept here as pets,

yet at the same time they're also a commodity, like the spitting cobras.

Tam has to sneak up from the side.

Then the spitting cobras feel threatened and spit their venom into

the eyes of their opponent and blind them, from up to three meters away.

Tam sells the cobras to Malaysians who drink their blood.

It's said that spitting cobras make men virile.

But why are there so many cobras here?

There used to be a jungle here, which made it a natural habitat

for snakes.

When humans came and built their village,

they started to actively hunt the cobras.

Since there was no hospital nearby,

the villagers wanted to find an antivenin.

They ritualised this tradition into fighting.

Tam will also compete tomorrow.

It will be the first time since the last bite by Nung Nim,

his king cobra.

Tam goes into the forest to get the antivenin before every show.

There is no doctor or pharmacy in the entire village.

A long time ago, the Thais discovered a root in the forest

called ‘Wanpayangu’ and swear by it as an antivenin.

Doctors are sceptical of its effect.

Yet the villagers believe that it gives them time.

If they're bitten, they have to travel to the clinic,

which is 45 minutes away.

NARRATOR: The actual 'antiserum' which is made from snake venom

and which inactivates the venom from a bite,

can only be administered by doctors.

But what happens to a body when it's bitten?

The poison attacks the nervous system, among other things.

It attacks the synapses, which are the points of contact between

neurons and other cells.

If they are impaired, then no information can be relayed,

which leads to paralysis.

The lymphatic system spreads the venom throughout the body.

At the beginning of the poisoning, cranial nerves are attacked.

That's why the eyelids, facial muscles, tongue and throat

are the first to be crippled.

If the venom spreads further,

the respiratory muscles are also paralysed.

The bite victim is in danger of suffocating.

In the meantime, the village has turned the snake infestation

into a business.

While some grow the antivenin root, others, like the trader Yod,

travel to neighbouring villages to sell the root as a remedy.

The neighbouring towns don't have as many snakes as

the 'Village of the King Cobras',

but as is typical for Eastern Thailand,

superstition and alternative healing methods are also deeply rooted here.

Yod always has his king cobra with him, in order to carry out

the 'job of educating', as he puts it.

He earns around 250 euros per month selling his 'remedies'.

Even today the first customer has already taken the bait.

(speaking Thai)

NARRATOR: The woman pays roughly 1.25 euros for the root.

NARRATOR: The fear of reptiles is great, and as experience shows us,

there's also a reason for it.

On the other hand, our camera team was surprised at just how calmly

the villagers confronted a tiger python slithering

through their village.

The women and children don't care.

Constrictors may not be poisonous,

but they are capable of breaking all the bones of a man.

A call to the snake hunter known throughout the village.

Everyday he catches about ten snakes that get into the villagers’ homes.

Once again, it's made quite clear that every job in the village

has some connection with all the snakes around.

NARRATOR: The cobra fighters have easily the most dangerous job.

While Tam sets out with his king cobra for the first time

in two years,

numerous spectators gradually begin to meet at the stage.

The village isn't advertised in the travel guide,

because visitors to the fight are mainly Thais and locals who attach

a certain spiritual meaning to the fights.

Before the show, Tam and his oldest colleague Komthai show us

that the animals aren't milked before the fight.

In other words, their venom glands are still full.

(speaking Thai)

NARRATOR: Komthai has been fighting with cobras for 59 years,

and he has been bitten 21 times.

In this part of the world, limbs are frequently and too quickly

amputated after snakebites, because they swell up.

The venom may damage the tissue, but amputations are rarely necessary

in the case of subsequent infections.

Before every fight, Tam is the only fighter to put on a vest.

It offers him an additional layer of protection.

If the cobra bites the chest, he hopes that its teeth will get

caught in this mesh.

The first fight begins.

The 69-year old Komthai is ahead of him.

The oldest man in the village claims to be immune to snake venom by now.

If he's bit, he no longer goes to the hospital,

but simply sucks out the poison.

Whether this is true, nobody knows.

After all, there's no scientific evidence that a person can

become completely immune after being bitten many times.

Tam knows he is not immune.

He almost didn't survive the last bite.

It was Nung Nim, this king cobra.

It's allowed to drink once before the fight and to cool down.

Then it's down to business.

NARRATOR: The goal of the fight is to last one-and-a-half minutes with

the snake that bit Tam and sent him into a coma two years ago.

King cobras don't usually attack humans out in nature.

But since here on the stage they are continuously provoked

by movement, they start a 'mock attack' or a 'defensive bite'.

In this case, the snake doesn't really bite.

The cobra doesn't have many natural enemies

and doesn't want to waste its venom.

That's why it will only bite at the place where it registered

the last movement.

The marking shows Tam's last position where he provoked

the snake. And in fact, the King Cobra goes no further.

Eye contact is important.

Tam has to recognise when the snake will attack in order to leap

out of the way at the right moment.

If the cobra is serious about biting, it would not flare its hood

into a threatening position, but would rather creep up.

Then Tam would have no chance of dodging the fangs.

Three fighters lost their lives this way.

Tam's weight does not work to his advantage in fights.

After the last bite, the 25-year old put on ten kilos

because of the infusions.

At the high-point of the fight

the 25-year old is supposed to kiss the snake.

It’s the critical moment at which, last time, he was bitten.

The spectators are thrilled and give money.

In the meantime, the fighting rituals have become

the village's greatest source of income.

Getting the next generation excited about the village tradition

is all the more important for them.

The youngest fighter is called 'Focus' and is four years old.

The Beauty rat snake isn't poisonous, but it is aggressive.

The vicious but harmless snake is meant to teach him that a bite only

hurts for a little while, and it also helps him get rid of his fear.

Yet the fear remains throughout life,

for nobody knows when the next king cobra will bite.

The next mysterious place is located in Shanghai.

Even satellite images show that there is a building in China's

metropolis that looks like the U.S. Department of Defence,

the Pentagon.

The comparison makes it clear:

The Chinese copy is almost as big as the original.

Why did the Chinese copy an American government building?

And what's inside?

Its 24 million inhabitants make Shanghai one of the largest

cities in the world.

We drove far into the eastern part of the city on our search for

the Chinese Pentagon.

A rural area. People here know the building very well.

(speaking Chinese)

NARRATOR: The building is known by the name Wu Jiao Da Lou

in China. Literally translated, it means 'five-corner building'.

We want to ask about it in this restaurant,

but why it is so empty here, although it's lunchtime?

NARRATOR: The building changed the lives of many people

here in the region.

We follow the directions given at the restaurant and end up

in front of this gate.

Although the Chinese version is not as well secured as

the U.S. original, the flags are waiving inside

just like at the U.S. Department of Defence.

We finally find an open gate in the east wing and drive right in.

To our surprise, this takes us to a large supermarket.

Shopping at the Pentagon? Indeed.

But bizarre images await us here too -

no shoppers; empty aisles and shelves.

The supermarket management is watching us sceptically.

We thus continue shooting with a hidden camera.

NARRATOR: Forklift driver Jin Lui has worked here since the 'Pentagon'

came into being.

We want to find out more from him.

His house was right where the Pentagon now stands.

He sold it for a lot of money.

This was actually supposed to become a huge shopping centre, but...

NARRATOR: The construction project has already swallowed

180 million euros.

There were supposed to be luxury shops here in a new super mall.

But the plan didn't work out.

NARRATOR: We are still accompanying Jin Lui when security suddenly

appears in front of us.

Camera crews are not welcome here, we are told.

We must leave the premises immediately.

The security guard prohibits us from returning and threatens

to call the police.

NARRATOR: New day, new attempt.

We want to find out what else is in the building

and why it has been abandoned.

We send another team to the Pentagon

and get inside through a side entrance.

Broken glass, smeared walls.

This looks nothing like the Pentagon. The lifts don't work,

escalators: out of order.

Apart from the supermarket, the huge building is empty.

But is someone there?!

No security this time, but who's the man with the camera?

NARRATOR: Jian Zhichao works as an account manager

and is a photo blogger in his spare time.

We follow him into the mall's underground parking area.

Not a single car is parked in the oversized parking garage.

NARRATOR: The empty parking garage is constantly filled with the sounds

of Western music - although there's nobody here.

But it gets even stranger. A gigantic unused area.

Endless corridors and an infrastructure that is

gradually falling into disrepair.

Alongside all the garbage, we suddenly discover a chic office.

The locking system makes funny noises, though.

NARRATOR: Even after waiting for some time,

we do not find the owner of the office.

Jian Zhichao tells us that ghost malls like these

are not uncommon in China.

Another ghost mall is located in Dongguan

in southern China.

It looks even worse in Ordos where an entire town is empty.

The main reasons for the failed construction projects:

massive overestimation of the market situation

and lack of government controls.

The operators have badly miscalculated in case of

the Pentagon too.

And the empty building continues to incur costs.

NARRATOR: We make our way to the centre of the Pentagon.

The huge inner courtyard is beautifully maintained.

The plants have been trimmed and it still looks quite tidy

despite years of lying fallow.

What are these visitors waiting for?

NARRATOR: This year, Asia's biggest Disney World is scheduled to

complete construction at a distance of 8km from the Pentagon building

- and is expected to attract millions of visitors to the region.

It is currently still a big construction site, however.

Amateur photographer Jian Zhichao also hopes Disney World

will attract more visitors.

NARRATOR: Shanghai's empty Pentagon.

Whether the new theme park impacts the letting situation in

the monumental building complex only the future will tell.

Until then, this place will remain an exceptional lost place.

After watching a copied American building,

we visit an original one in New York.

39 storeys, a total area of 69,000 square metres

and several thousand employees.

The United Nations headquarters is an essential part

of New York's skyline.

Yet the United Nations isn't located on American territory at all!

And inside there are several baffling spots.

Main objectives of the UN in New York: Ensuring world peace

and collaboration between nations.

The UN headquarters is located in Midtown Manhattan on the site

of a former slaughterhouse.

John D. Rockefeller donated the land to the international organisation

in 1946.

But why is it nevertheless not located on American territory?

Let's take a closer look.

Here, it looks like a heavily guarded border:

fences, cameras, armed security personnel.

The UN is extraterritorial!

It officially does not belong to any nation!

The UN even maintains its own small police force.

They are also responsible for hoisting the 193 flags

of the member states every morning at 8 o'clock.

Officer Juan Reyes has been working here for 15 years.

- Sometimes we have a lot of demonstrations going on,

when you have to use some force.

As well as demonstrations that come from outside coming in...

but it's very rare.

We had some instances where we had- I don't know if you've heard,

back in 2003 or 2004,

there was a shootout here in the United Nations,

where a Korean national came in and did some shootout.

NARRATOR: Every visitor to the UN has to go through this

security check at the entrance.

Just like at the airport, they have to pass through an x-ray machine

and hand over dangerous objects such as knives.

Next, we'll take a look at what's probably the best-known part

of the UN building: the General Assembly.

Once a year,

all 193 member nations gather here for official proceedings.

The first surprise comes right away - in the entry area.

Why is there a set of stairs here that is obviously prohibited

from use?

It connects the entry area with the main entrance

to the General Assembly.

It doesn't look dilapidated. So why is there a protective grating?

Werner Schmidt, who's responsible for architecture at the UN,

knows the answer.

He reveals to us that the stairs were built this way on purpose!

(speaking German)

NARRATOR: It's true: If you take normal steps,

you'll quickly lose your balance on the extremely long stairs.

That's why they're opened only once a year for the General Assembly.

These doors lead to the General Assembly's official ceremonies.

The UN's largest hall has space for over 1,800 people.

Every year, from September to December, representatives of

all member nations meet here, for example to adopt resolutions.

More or less every politician of note has been a guest speaker here.

For example, then-President of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev's

angry outbursts are legendary.

Fidel Castro of Cuba held the longest speech to date here in 1960;

it was four and a half hours long.

And the former President of Palestine, Arafat,

is said to have once appeared at the lectern with a loaded revolver.

The seating arrangement of the individual countries

is alphabetical.

Right at the front, there's the next exciting UN fact:

this metre-tall golden wall.

It's 230 square metres long and completely covered in gold leaf.

NARRATOR: There are headphones at every delegate's seat.

These aren't cutting-edge models.

Is this ancient technology really in use at such a famous institution?

NARRATOR: The UN is currently undergoing major renovations.

Although everything is digital today, this tried-and-true

analogue technology has survived.

The interpreters' booths are located up above - they're sort of

the box seats of the UN theatre.

The UN has 6 official languages:

English, French, Russian, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic.

Jennifer Kearns is one of 100 UN interpreters.

She pays attention not only to what she hears but also to what she sees.

(speaking German)

NARRATOR: In this age of cell phones, what role do these old phone

booths play in the General Assembly?

They stand in the side aisles and look like something out of

a black-and-white film.

Somehow they just don't fit in at a modern global institution

like the UN.

What's more, they don't even work any more.

NARRATOR: You can't make calls in these old phone booths any more.

But they remain as mementoes.

We're changing buildings.

The Secretariat tower measures 155 metres.

Several thousand people from almost every nation work here

peacefully across 39 storeys.

The heart of the UN is located on the seventh floor.

What's hiding behind this security gate?

And why do so few people have access?

This is the way to the Situation Centre.

It's the office of the UN's intelligence service.

Only a small handful of people have access here.

Most employees previously worked for other intelligence organisations

or the military.

But what exactly happens here?

- We maintain a 24/7 watch around the clock.

What we do is, we monitor UN field presence.

So we're simply gathering information from our missions,

and we summarise it very early in the morning,

so we can produce a product

that we send to all the seniors by 10 past 8 in the morning.

NARRATOR: Here, the UN-employees gather important information

and make decisions that could change the world.

- Subtitles by Sky Access Services