All language subtitles for Ch5.New.Lives.in.the.Wild.Series.5.2of8.Ruaha.Park.720p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org

'I'm Ben Fogle and over the next
few weeks,

'I'm going to live with
different people who

'inhabit some of the most remote
locations on earth.'

There is nothing here.

'From the mountain forests
of northwest USA

'to the freezing Mongolian tundra,

'the barren Hungarian countryside
to the wild African bush,

'a Mediterranean island and the deep
Canadian wilderness.

'These are the people who decided to
make a massive life change.'

I said, "What do you think? Should
we just do it, give up everything?"

And she said, "OK!"

'Are they daring or just
downright crazy?'

Come on, Ben.

We didn't even know
where Mongolia was!

This is who I am, it's not who you
want me to be.

'I want to find out what happens
when you quit the rat race...'

If the whole world folds up,
my pension is here.

'..and create a new life
in the wild.'

'Today, I'm in Tanzania,

'living nomadically in an unexplored
African landscape.'

Cheetah, cheetah, cheetah!

'My hosts, Yorkshire-born Moli and
Californian Noelle,

'swapped city life for this vast
wilderness.'

I owned a convertible, I would drive
everywhere in my high heels.

'I'll discover why this intrepid
couple live in the bush...'

That's your salty hat.

I can't go back to the normal way
of life.

'..with danger at every turn...'

He's onto us!

'..and keep company with some of the
most fearsome animals on earth.'

Normally I get out when I'm starting
to wrinkle and prune,

but not here. No, it's when the
hippos come at you.

It's when the hippo comes.

'My journey begins over 11,000km
away in Tanzania's largest city,

'Dar es Salaam.'

'It's an hour and a half's flight
to Ruaha,

'one of the wildest and least
visited parks in Tanzania.'

I'm heading deep into the
African bush here.

There's nothing down below, no
roads, no sign of habitation.

'I touchdown at a tiny unmanned
airstrip...

'..and pick up a vehicle
sent by my hosts.

'Along with some pretty vague
directions.'

I've been told to go east,

hugging as close as I can to the

Great Ruaha River and I'm supposed
to do

this for a couple of hours until I
get to an abandoned rangers' post,

go up the hill and then I'll arrive
at their place.

Wow! Look at this, ellies.

Ooh, here's a baby, as well.

What a treat.

'After three hours bouncing along
a dirt track,

'I'm almost at my destination.'

Now that looks like an abandoned
ranger post just there...

..so left here at the big tree.

Hello? Hello!

Wow, what a place is this!

You must be Moli. I am indeed,
very nice to meet you.

And, Noelle? Hi, hi.

How are you? I don't know whether to
look here or here.

It's quite stunning, isn't it?
That's our home, our view.

I've noticed the gun over there,

presumably that's just a reminder
that we're not alone.

Well, exactly. We are sharing
this with dangerous animals,

they are around, they don't want to
mess with us,

but you can never take too many
precautions.

'37-year-old British-born
Andrew Molinaro,

'Moli to his friends,

'and 31-year-old Californian
Noelle Herzog met in

'2009 while working at
a safari lodge.

'Moli was an experienced bush guide,

'but city girl Noelle arrived from
San Francisco just a year before.

'Once a couple, Moli and Noelle
decided that their dream was to live

'nomadically in the remote reaches
of Ruaha.

'The park warden granted them
permission on the

'condition that they cater for
tourists.

'So Moli and Noelle set up private
walking safaris

'for up to six guests.

'They now split their time between
a semi-permanent base camp

'and a more mobile camp allowing
them to venture out into

'unexplored terrain.

'The couple have only just moved to
this spot.

'Of the six large tents, one is
their living quarters.'

This is our humble abode here, Ben.

This is amazing.

How long have you actually been
here?

We've been here for about a week,
week and a half.

And why did you move here? Before,
we were always on the river

and one day, we woke up and our
entire camp was 2m underwater.

Are you being serious? Like,
literally, water,

everything floating around?

Everything completely floated
downstream.

I mean, Moli and I had to swim out
of the camp for safety.

I mean, crocodiles on one side,
hippos on the other,

it was seriously dangerous.

Now it kind of makes sense
that you couldn't get much

higher here, I think.

We're pretty much... That would be
one serious flood to take this out.

'Hunting, foraging and agriculture
are banned in Ruaha...

'..so the couple buy in supplies
from the nearest

'town almost 250km away.

'Meat and fish are kept in freezers
powered by solar energy, but storing

'other goods is a little trickier.'

This is where our honey badger again
has attacked and he created chaos in

there. I've always heard the
rumours, the honey badger is

supposed to be the most feared
animals, because they go

for the willy. Well, why do you
think Moli sends me?

Yes, I see.

'Tomorrow we're off on a three-day
expedition into the wilderness,

'but for tonight at least,

'a comfy bed awaits.' This is
going to be home.

This is mine? I hope it's adequate.

'It might only be canvas, but Moli
tells me it will

'keep predators out.'

What happens if I need the loo
in the middle of the night?

Am I OK just going out?

Yeah, but again, alertness, so in
your tent you'll find a nice bright

flashlight. Put your torch against
the mesh, have a look,

see who's there, if there are
no eyes glinting back at you,

and you can't miss them, it's safe
to use the loo.

If there are eyes and it's an
impala, it's safe to use the loo.

If it's a lion, I'd give him a few
minutes to let him move on.

'I hope no lions have their eyes
on me

'now as I collect wood
for tonight's fire.

'Big cats are one thing,

'but I know that elephants are
a bigger threat to humans here.

'And Moli's bushwalks are famed for

'close encounters with earth's
largest land mammal.'

Have the elephants ever
got aggressive here?

Oh, yeah. One, in the previous camp
I used to work at, he threw me into

bushes. What with his tusks?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What he did

is he put his head down and he put
his tusk under my arm here.

I do have the rifle like this, but
it's quite useless at this moment

and that's when

you know you're about to die, this
elephant's about to kill you.

So my last resort was,

I did have a round in the chamber,
so I just squeezed the trigger

and because it was so close to his
ear, he didn't like

it very much, so he turned his

head to run, but the tusk was still
under here, so it flipped me several

metres into a bush.

But I got up, dusted myself off
and I look at the guests,

whose eyes are like guppy fish.

He continued! The whole safari!

And we went on, so that was
a hairy moment.

I'm glad you've just told me that,
because you've set the tone for the

next week. That is quite
a wildlife encounter.

'After dinner, it's too risky to
walk back to my tent alone...

'..so Moli escorts me.'

We are in the middle of nowhere
surrounded by...

..some extraordinary wildlife.
I can't help but wonder maybe...

that that excitement, the danger
here is part of...

..what keeps them here.

I shall find out more tomorrow.
Goodnight.

'I'm in Ruaha,

'Tanzania's largest National Park.

'The size of Wales,

'most of it is uncharted
territory,

'making it a magnet for my
intrepid hosts Moli and Noelle.'

'It's my first morning at base camp.

'I've got a bucket for a loo just
outside my tent...

'..but I've got a bit further to go
for my shower.'

Off we go.

'The Great Ruaha River slices its
way through south-central Tanzania.

'For the couple it's a lifeline.'

All righty. All out. Yep.

'Out in the bush,
water isn't on tap.'

There we go.

'So we need to pump
1,000 litres.'

OK.

'Enough for cooking and washing
for two weeks.'

OK!

Perfect. Thanks so much.

The water now, presumably you're not
just going to use it as is?

We do. You do? Yeah, yeah.

This is one of the cleanest river
systems on earth.

Wow. So is it time for a shower now?

I think so. We've got ourselves

nice and muddy, so let's go cool off
in the water.

I love the fact we're going for
a shower by the way, with a gun.

Yeah.

Just to be clear,
there are crocs here?

Plenty, plenty. Yeah, yeah,
but over there.

Lots of crocs. Right. Come on, then.
Let's get in.

All right!

'Moli and Noelle choose
their bathing spots carefully.

'They assure me the crocs won't
bother us in these shallow waters.'

I keep getting little nibbles
on my feet.

What kind of fish is that?

It's mainly bottom dwellers, so part
of the catfish family.

Are they exfoliating me?
They are!

'The river seems peaceful today,

'but it recently washed away their
entire base camp.'

I've never seen a river in my life

anywhere else in Africa behave the
way this one did.

It just came, didn't it? It started
swelling and swelling,

and so we just had to pile stuff
higher and higher on beer crates and

tables hoping the water would stop,
but it didn't.

And the fridges went
and the tents went.

It was crazy and when
it was about here,

I gave the order, "Everyone out."

But me being the captain, I'm going
to go down with my ship...

and so I was ready to do that until
it got to about here and then I

chickened out and I went swimming
back. I don't think that's called

chickening out!

What about emotionally? How did you
feel when, you know, your

life is washed away down a river?

We realised everything we worked for
for the last five years is gone,

but it doesn't really matter, we'll
pick up the pieces and start again.

We're each other's strength.

Does it leave you, does it leave
you... What was it?

Are you sure it was it a fish?

Yeah, yeah, you know the guys...
Oh, yeah, you're bleeding.

..with the spines. Yeah, yeah.

I think I'm done!

Last thing, was it a reality check
that the environment really can bite

back? Very much so, be it wildlife,
be it fire, be it water,

it's what we've chosen, so we can't
really get pissed off about it.

It's what happens, that's nature and
we'll never control it.

He says sitting in a
crocodile-infested river.

So if a crocodile comes down now and
takes you out while you're washing

your armpits, that's just the risk
you take for having clean pits.

It's a bad day!

THEY LAUGH

'But today, it's not the crocs
we need to worry about.'

There's hippos right there. Yeah.

He is coming this way,
so we'd better

just give him his space.

Usually I get out when I'm starting
to, like, wrinkle and prune,

but not here. It's when the hippo
comes at you.

It's when the hippo comes.

That's a pretty unique bathing
experience, you know,

hippos all around.

I'm aware there are hippos somewhere
behind me,

so I've gotta keep an eye out
for that. Crocs around.

They quite like flirting with
danger.

I think that's part of the appeal of
being out here.

I do have to go now, because
the hippo is coming.

'I'm not hanging around.

'Hippos kill more people in Africa
than any other animal.

'This is a world away from Noelle's
urban upbringing in San Francisco.

'With a large family of seven
brothers and three sisters,

'money wasn't in abundance...

'..so their father took them on
expeditions in the local area.

'These adventures inspired Noelle to
travel and come to

'Africa as part of a degree course.

'At the end of her stay,
she visited Ruaha.

'She was hooked and returned after
her graduation in 2008.

'I want to know how she copes being
so far away from her family.'

So when did you actually last
see them?

Uh, five years ago.

Five years ago, wow. I do miss them
so much.

And your parents, are they
both still alive?

No, sadly my father passed away also
while I was in Africa.

That must've been hard.

That was extremely hard,
that was extremely hard.

But, you know, he still is the
reason that I am

the person I am today

and I love him so much...

..and he made me into this
adventurous person who...

..felt that...

..I could do anything that
I set my mind to.

I could tell him the craziest dream

I had and he would be, like, "If
anyone could do it, you could."

Do you often think
about him when you're

out in the bush? Oh, all the time.

He's always been that voice kind of
in the background for me.

Encouraging me, yeah.

I miss my family when I'm away for
just a couple of weeks, so this

place must be pretty special

to be willing to give that up.

The other amazing thing is
just the power,

the influence her father
still has on her.

Maybe this is for him now.

You know, she says that that's
where her passion for wildlife,

for the wilderness came.

Maybe it's one of the things that
keeps her rooted to this

extraordinary part of Tanzania.

'Noelle's strong bond to this
landscape extends

'far beyond their base camp.

'Every week, she and Moli head on an
expedition to chart unexplored areas

'of this vast wilderness.

OK.

'And with a little apprehension,
I'm joining them.'

This is the fun part.

Fun or risky? It's fun.

'Around base camp, animals are used
to our presence, but out there,

'it's impossible to know how they'll
react.'

You've got the gun?
I do have the gun, yes.

Happy with that.

ENGINE SPUTTERS

'But it looks like we might fall at
the first hurdle.'

I left the fridge on last night.
Are you serious?

Oh, my gosh, we're not going to be
able to start the car.

'The onboard fridge has drained the
battery,

'so we're going to have to
jump-start it.'

Once we're out in the middle
of nowhere, there's no way
of jumping it.

It is one of the risks you do take
going into the unknown.

Ready? Yep!

Ah! There she purrs!

Let's go exploring!

Second time lucky!

'To set up their safari business,

'Moli sold two cars, which together

'with Noelle's savings,
raised £35,000.

'They started small,

'channelling any profits into safari
vehicles and tents.

'The couple still can't pay
themselves a wage

'and the flood's destruction

'of their camp has set them
back further.

'Aside from food,

'fuel for wilderness driving is
their biggest expense

'at £400 a month.

'After several hours off-roading,

'the eagle-eyed Noelle spots a horde
of vultures.'

This is a definite sign that
something has met its maker.

Oh, dead giraffe. Oh, yeah, and it
looks pretty fresh.

I see something right there, Moli,
under the

candelabra. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I think it's a lion. Good spot.

'As we're in a vehicle,

'Moli thinks it's safe to get
a closer look.'

Hello, boy.

See, he likes to keep his eyes
on us.

The amazing thing is this is one of
the most feared,

respected predators in the world and
we're 15m away from it in an

open-sided car.

It does lull you into a bit of
a false sense of security.

You think it's a great big
teddy bear, why don't I go

and scratch his belly?

But to be a non-threatening vehicle
to suddenly you appearing there

inside his personal space, that's
a recipe for disaster.

We'll leave him to digest his lunch
in peace.

It's a big giraffe, isn't it?
It's a big boy.

But there's still plenty left, huh?

So I was thinking, this is
a nice camping spot.

Yes! We are at our destination!

Dismount! I wouldn't put it past
you!

'We continue our drive through the
bush to find

'somewhere a little
safer to set up camp.'

We're really going overland here.

Bushwhacking. Bushwhacking.

Definitely quicker than using
a machete. Oh, yeah.

I think this will do nicely.

I do wish you could've come up with
a prettier spot though.

That is ludicrous. You see,
who needs Zanzibar?

We've got beautiful
white beaches here.

'In fact, Moli hails from somewhere
else with sandy beaches,

'albeit slightly less exotic.

'He was born in the Yorkshire
seaside town of Scarborough,

'to a British mother
and Italian father.

'In 1980, his father's job in the
casino industry moved the family to

'Nairobi, Kenya.'

Nairobi is quite unique in that it's
very close to a major national park

and so at every opportunity, I'd be
sneaking in there through a hole in

the fence and trying to catch
snakes,

or track rhinos sometimes
and that's how

I developed my deep love
for the bush.

Did your parents know about this?
Did they encourage this?

Certainly not.

They are city people, they love
the city way of life.

They are not into this stuff at all,
so I'd sneak off whenever I could.

They weren't happy about it,
but they left me be.

It was a very free upbringing, yeah.

What gave you the confidence to
sneak into a national forest and

chase snakes for goodness' sake?

Again, just from a young age,
from when

you'd catch frogs in a pond,
or, you know, walk

home with a grasshopper
in your pocket,

I've just been fascinated by the
natural world.

I've kind of revolved my life
around it.

I got my zoology degree
because of that,

I started guiding because of that.

The minute I had a lion encounter

myself on foot, or an elephant
encounter

myself on foot. I can't go back to
the normal way of life.

So, in some ways, do you think you
were born in the wrong period?

Very much so.

A lot of people say I was born
50 years too late or 100 years too

late. I was born 13,000 years
too late.

To have gone and lived in that time
with simple things,

and know our place and our role in
the environment, our proper role,

for me that's how I want
to live my life.

'This place certainly has a
prehistoric feel to it...

'..and it's time for us nomads to
set up camp before sundown.'

Would I be right in thinking that
this is what you guys do, really?

You know, the camp that I've

been at is very nice and
everything.

This is what we enjoy,

especially if it's an area no-one's
ever been to before,

you know it's pioneer stuff.

So despite that being a temporary
camp, that's as close as you guys

kind of have to bricks and mortar,

that's your city home and we're
now... This is our holiday cottage.

How do you feel when you do have to
go to the city, which you must do?

You must have to visit occasionally.

Begrudgingly, very, very
begrudgingly.

But we sort of get this deep feeling

of doom and dread the minute
we leave the gate of that park.

Our true motto is, never leave
Ruaha National Park,

no-one is going to bomb it...

It's your safety place?

This is our safety zone,
it's what we know.

Which is interesting, isn't it,
because for a lot

of people, this is so far

from their world of safety. We are
bushwise, they are streetwise.

If we swap, if you put me in
New York, I will be lost,

beaten up and mugged in hours
without doubt.

Crocodile Dundee. This is why
I haven't taken him home yet!

Oh, really? Are you scared of doing
that, because he's going to... Yes!

..have a big knife. "That's not
a knife, this is a knife."

You'll be there with a gun, "That's
not a gun, this is a gun..."

I must work on my
Australian accent.

This is what I think is the
real them,

this is why they are here
in Ruaha.

This is their way of enjoying
the wilderness,

of getting the most from it.

They're nomads, they like to
experience the unexpected.

Having unique encounters along the
way with dead giraffes, with lions,

all of these things only come really
when you scratch beneath the surface

of the wilderness. I think it will
be interesting to find out the

negatives of living this lifestyle.

Living and working together
24 hours a day,

high pressure environment really.

I'm curious to see how they make it
work as a couple.

'I'm on an expedition in the
unexplored wilderness of

'Ruaha National Park
in Tanzania.

'My hosts Moli and Noelle swapped
city life for a raw

'existence in the bush,
living amongst the wildlife.

'I've just spent my first night
camping on the banks

'of the Great Ruaha River.

'Not as peaceful as you might
think.'

You hear all sorts of things.
I heard elephants,

hippos laughing...
HE IMITATES A HIPPO

..and probably the most
disconcerting, cos I'm quite close

to the edge, if you listen,
this is what you hear all night.

Ha! Kind of just had an image that
I was going to

end up floating like a raft
down the river.

'Today will be my first full day
on foot in the wilds of Ruaha,

'so a hearty breakfast is important.

'But out here, if you want bread,
you've got to bake it yourself.'

Perfect!

'Just ten minutes in the African sun
is all that's

'needed to get a good rise.'

Couple of ants. Oh, that's OK -
more protein!

More protein, I like that.

'I have to remind myself that Noelle
comes from the bright lights of

'San Francisco.'

Were you the typical kind of
Californian girl?

Oh, yeah. I owned a convertible,

I would drive everywhere
in my high heels,

I'd go grocery shopping in,
um, yeah, wearing Gucci.

How does the convertible driving
Californian chick adapt to this?

Oh, at first it was really difficult
for me.

One thing I could never really get
my hands on was

feeling safe in the bush.

But then one day, Moli was out
on a drive and I was sat down,

I had a few minutes to wait for the
guests, so I sat down on

my lounge chair and I was
reading this book,

but I heard this crunching of
leaves, so I just didn't look up,

because I was on such a good
paragraph, but when I did,

I was looking straight into the eyes
of a leopard.

No way. Straight into the eyes of a

leopard and usually in these
instances

I have Moli around me,

but I did have him, kind of
this voice in my head.

So either I had to stand up and let
him know, "Hey, listen, I'm here,

"don't come any closer, I'm a
human," or I had to sink back
into my chair.

And you just have a split second to
make these decisions,

so I jumped up in front of this
leopard,

stood my ground and I'll never

forget the sound that he made,
this growling, this, "Grrr."

And then he creeped off and that,
for me, was the moment that

I deserved to wear the colour khaki.

That was the moment you became
a bush girl.

That was the moment.

When I first saw Noelle, I was
convinced she was going

to be the stereotypical California
chick, you know, a bit ditzy -

apologies to all the Californian
chicks - but the more time I spend

with her and the more stories
I hear, she is a tough girl.

She's not just doing this because
it's kind of a cool dream.

She's doing this
because she loves it.

Whoever kneaded that was a very,
very good chef.

'After breakfast, I head out on foot
for the first time into Ruaha's

'endless wilderness.

'For Moli and Noelle, the walking
safari is fundamental

'to their life here.

'Contributing to tourism in this way
allows them to live in and roam

'throughout the National Park.

'But even without guests, this is
how they like to spend their time.

'I want to find out why.'

Right there is a nephila.

Oh, wow, yeah.

A garden orb web spider.
Are they poisonous?

She looks the real deal,
doesn't she?

But she's totally harmless.

Isn't she lovely?
Look at the yellow.

Wow. Easy, girl.

Oops.

When I come to Africa, I'm expecting
to see the big lions, the elephants,

but I get the impression that you're
just as excitable when you see a

little spider? Even more so.
That's the joy of walking.

You get to see things that you never

even know even exist
when you're just

stuck in a car, and when you're in a
car, you do look for the big stuff,

but the walking lets you get closer
to these smaller things

and you'll often find they can be
infinitely more interesting.

'Moli is one of Tanzania's most
experienced and

'knowledgeable bush guides...

'..and he truly seems
in his element.'

This is dug by the elusive aardvark.

Oh, yeah. Look at that. Wow. He's
one of the holy grails of the bush.

I do this every day. I've seen
eight in my life,

but with a basic grasp of tracking,
without even seeing the animals,

we know what is existing here.

All those distribution maps you see
of all the species, it's all from

data being sent in and now we have a
positive record

of an aardvark in the area.

So you're sort of pioneers in
these unexplored places then?

Very much so. I mean, we like to
contribute and

even the authorities of the park,
they like to call us their pioneers.

'I'm beginning to see how walking in
these unexplored territories can be

'rewarding when your tracking skills
are as honed as Moli's.

'And his keen eye has led us to this
dry river bed.'

Look at the activity around here.

We've got waterbuck,
we've got lots of impala.

Things have been
utilising this area,

they don't congregate for no reason,

and I'll wager if we just dig down
a little bit into here,

we will be able to get
to surface water.

Seriously? Shall we give it a go?
Just start digging down.

It's getting moister, can you feel
it getting colder?

It's definitely getting colder down
there.

And this water is so sand-filtered,

we can drink directly from this with
no ill effects whatsoever.

Are you just sponging it up? Yeah,
you just let it soak in

and then, you'll get...

That's your salty hat.

No disrespect, I don't know that
I really want...

It replenishes your lost salt!

Thanks for the life-saving tip
there.

'Survival skills like this
are all very well,

'but I want to know what happens if
you get seriously ill out here.'

Have you had malaria? Lots of times.

How many? Er, 18. 18 times!

I mean, what can you do when you're
out here and you're suffering?

Malaria's actually not that bad.

You take your pills, two days in
bed, it's actually a bonus.

What about the unexpected? This is
the essence of your life, isn't it?

What if, heaven forbid, you get
bitten by a snake?

We do have emergency medical
evacuation

that can get us to a hospital
probably within

about four, five hours.

Does that bring quite a lot of
comfort to you

knowing that that's there?

Definitely. I mean, probably
wouldn't be able to do this job

if we didn't have that and we are
quite blessed

we can afford the insurance and so

that does make life out here
much easier.

'I, for one, am relieved that safety
is just a satellite phone call away.

'Especially as Moli is determined to
track and find elephants.

'But as he looks for their prints...

'..he discovers something else.'

This is human activity,
this is poachers.

How can you know that's poachers
though?

I mean, it's a human print, but it's
a bit of an assumption to jump to,

isn't it? Well, we know everyone
who's authorised

to be in these areas -

us and rangers. Rangers wear boots,
these guys are bare foot.

These aren't serious poachers, these
are just fish poachers, you know?

They're trying to get a few fish and
things like that, so not bad people.

You've still gotta keep on it though
because when they go back to those

villages, information can be leaked.
"Where are elephants?

"There was a big tusker over there."

It's like, you know, marijuana being
a gateway drug to

nastier stuff, it's the same
with this.

So again, we'll make a small report
about this.

The more data we collect,
the more information we send back.

It does spread to those villages and

they know, "Ooh, there's activity
there, don't go there."

It protects everything in the park
from the fishes to the elephants.

'No elephants here,
but Moli promises me

'I'll have a close encounter
before I leave.

'As the nomadic lifestyle dictates,

'we drive deeper into wild country

'and are rewarded with a rare
sighting.'

Cheetah! Cheetah!

Cheetah!

Keep your voices down. He's hunting,
he's hunting.

The cheetah's hunting the kudu!

Two, two! Two cheetah! Three,
three cheetah!

Shh! Wow!

'What a privilege. There are fewer
than 7,000 cheetah

'left in the world.'

I mean, they're so skittish,
aren't they?

It's possible we could be the first
car they've ever seen, which is a

wonderful feeling in itself.

'After our brief encounter,
we set up our next camp.

'Spending all day out in the heat
and moving camp every night

'would test even the strongest of
relationships...'

Cheers, guys! Cheers! Cheers!

'..but Moli and Noelle
are still smiling.

'I wonder if there's a side to their
relationship that I'm not seeing.'

You guys have quite an intense
lifestyle, don't you?

You're working together and
living together

24 hours a day. How do you
make it work?

The great thing is that

we were working like this
before we even got together.

We knew we worked well together and

then we ended up having a
relationship, which was a bonus.

Do you guys ever argue?
Yeah, absolutely.

We're a normal couple,
we go through our fights.

Most of our lives are spent in front
of other people, so Moli and I have

acquired this way of communication.

Not telepathy. I've seen it, I've
seen it. You look at each other,

kind of just communicate with
a little look of the eyes.

We need a way to kind of just say,
"Hey,

"if you continue telling that story,
you know you're gonna get an LIB."

Do you know what an LIB is?
No, what's an LIB?

This is a lecture in bed. So after
the lights go out, you come back,

it's just me and Moli back home,
that's when the lecture starts.

That's when I'll delay my return to
the room, I'll sit and drink with

the guests and hope she forgets by
the morning.

Sometimes it works,
sometimes it doesn't.

Can you guys imagine life without
one another now? Never!

Not at all.

God, up until my early 30s,

I always considered myself very much
a loner and I was very proud of it,

but it was Noelle that inspired me,

or gave me the courage
to breakaway and

try to start something by ourselves.

If I hadn't had Noelle, I'd have
never taken that step.

Without her I'm actually quite
useless and hopeless.

I think too much in life we take our
partners for granted, we become

complacent, but I think they
constantly

remind one another about how much
they value one another

and I think that's the only way you
can survive out here.

They're in this extraordinary
environment and despite

coming from two very

different worlds, it's almost like
they were meant to be.

'I'm in Ruaha National Park in
Tanzania.'

Look at my view this morning.

Not bad, is it?

'My expedition with Moli and Noelle
in one of Africa's most remote

'landscapes is drawing to a close.

'Before I go, Moli wants me to
encounter elephants on foot.

'This experience draws in
the paying guests,

'which ultimately allows the couple
to pursue their life here.'

Right. We've got a lovely pan
of water there.

I don't know where they are,
but they're in there somewhere.

Now, when you're walking elephants,

essentially, if you cannot be seen,
heard, or smelt, you don't exist.

With the elephant, number one,
smell.

You know they say a dog is

1,000 times more powerful than
a human?

Well, an elephant is probably

1,000 times more powerful
than a dog.

One molecule of human scent
touches that

trunk and he's onto us, so that's
why I've got my little ash bag here.

So, has this just got ash in it?

It's just ash from the fire, but
this thing will save your life.

It will disguise our smell, will it?

No, we just find out which way the
wind is going... Oh, I see.

..so that we can always stay
downwind.

We have the perfect wind this way,
they're over there,

we've taken out the nose.

Worst-case scenario, what happens if
they start charging?

We hold our ground, we stand him
down,

we'll break the big guy's courage
very easily.

'I'm hoping between the sock of ash
and the rifle, I'll be protected

'from that eventuality.'

Let's see what we can do. Let's go
walking with elephants.

'I can't help but feel vulnerable,

'and the fact Moli has been walking
with elephants for 13 years offers

'scant comfort.'

TREE BRANCHES CRACK

Just wait here, see what he does.

'Moli pushes forwards
for a better view.'

Wow.

That's incredible.

'The first glimpse reveals
it's a young adult bull.'

He's onto us!

He's smelt us.

You see the change in his behaviour
there,

he's got a bit of a crosswind.

'My instinct is to retreat...'

'..and luckily so is Moli's.'

'But I'm mistaken, he's going in for
a closer look and I've no choice

'but to stick by his side.'

Stay very still.

'I'm in awe of this magnificent
creature and all too aware he could

'crush me in a heartbeat.

'But just as he seems to be losing
interest, something spooks him...

'..and he charges.'

Good boy.

All right. Slow as you like.

HE MOUTHS

'Time to beat a hasty retreat.'

Wow.

That was just... Did you enjoy that?

I've never had a wildlife encounter
quite like that.

Very different to being in a
vehicle.

Well, I... You feel really at his
mercy.

But he's well behaved,
he was a nice guy.

So, he was testing us though?

He was testing us,
we didn't push him.

We came to a sort of mutual
agreement and he went back to doing

his own thing. He tried,

and if we had started backing out at
that moment when he started coming

forward, again, he'd know he was
the winner,

he'd push home his advantage.

"Let's really give these humans
a run for their money."

But you just stay there,

let him do his thing and did you see
how well he behaved?

He kicked a bit of sand at us and
then went to dusting himself.

You don't get better than that.

That was amazing, I mean,
the adrenaline

is just pumping through my body.
I can see why he does it.

I see the flirting with danger.

But I think where he gets the extra
little adrenaline kick is seeing

someone like me and seeing
my reaction to it.

That's his little drug for the day.

I think that single moment,

that encounter has almost summed up
what they do here and,

yeah, of course there's an element
of being a thrill-seeker
and an adventurer,

but actually it's about
being a purist in my mind.

And you can't get much simpler than
a little bag of ash between you and

a five-tonne elephant.

This is a person who truly
understands this environment and

there's something very beautiful
about that.

It was perfect the way it just
came towards us. Yeah, and out
of the bush.

Yeah, I don't think we can get much
better than that.

'After what has been a memorable
trek into true African wilderness,

'we return to the relative
civilisation of base camp.

'It's my final evening...'

That's beautiful.

'..and my last chance to find out
what lies ahead

'for this spirited couple.'

If I came back here in ten years'
time, what do you think I'll find?

We'll still be here. We'll
definitely still be here.

A little greyer, a little balder,
but we'll still be here.

With little Molies
and little Noelles?

Is that an aspiration?

Hopefully, I'd like to think so.

Family is extremely important to me
and I would love to recreate

what I had such fond memories of.

Can you carry on your way of life
with kids?

Moli and I would not be able to live

the nomadic lifestyle that we love
so much, because a small child is

a target in nature, so, I mean,
kind of what we've been doing,

going on expeditions
and things like that,

that would have to be placed on
hold, which is a sacrifice.

Can either of you imagine actually
leaving Ruaha?

No, I'd come out in cold sweats
if I even thought of it.

It's my first love and I really do

hope that it will also be
my last love.

So, I couldn't imagine,

I couldn't imagine life without her
or without Moli.

'The next morning, it's time for me
to reluctantly leave Ruaha.'

Goodbyes - I hate these.

It is that time.

Give me a hug.

'Moli and Noelle are a pretty
special couple.' Bye, Ben.

It's almost like they've become a
part of the fabric of the landscape

here. You know what, I've visited a
lot of people around the world and

you've almost created perfection
here. Oh, thank you very much.

My goodness, wow. Well, thank you.

You're going to have to keep me
a tent - I'm going to be back.

Well, you know where we are now.

'I live a slightly nomadic life,
because I'm chasing,

'I'm looking for my dream.'

It's a magical place.
Don't be a stranger.

Ultimately, it's a search for
the perfect place.

You'll make it!

'And what's interesting is I don't
think I've ever found mine.'

OK, travel safely, Ben!
Look after yourselves.

Bye! Bye, guys!
'But Noelle and Moli have.'

They've found their paradise.

I think if I came back in ten years,
I'll find them.

Whether their family has grown,
I think I'll still find them.

They'll be somewhere out there.

'I'm in Hungary, living with
newlyweds who bought an abandoned

'farmhouse three months ago...'

First time we saw it was when
we stepped foot on

the land and went, "Oh, shit."

'..as they race to get on their feet
before money runs out.'

I haven't cried on this experience,
but this could do it.

'To prove to their families
it was worth the risk.'

Why would you come to a place
like this?!

Subtitles by Ericsson