Original subtitles

Narrator: Singapore.

The furthest point from the UK by road and rail.

Normally, a 12-hour plane journey.

But could you get there for just the price of the airfare

without taking a single flight?

What am I doing?

Holy moly, that's gonna be tough.

Josh: Every second counts!

Narrator: Four pairs of ordinary brits...

Shameema: Beep beep!

Are attempting just that...

Darron: Most people would go from a to b on a plane,

but then, they'd miss all this.

Man: Oh, man!

Narrator: In an extraordinary race.

At ground level, they'll cover over 12,000 miles.

- Look at that. - It is amazing.

Everybody wants to get to Azerbaijan.

Narrator: Who will finish first?

Alex: We do not have time to mess about.

Narrator: As they leave behind the trappings of modern day life...

34 hours on one bus?

Without their bank cards...

We're gonna run out of money at some point.

And their smartphones.

Elaine: I don't want to argue about it.

Time's ticking on.

You can't finish a race if you're dead.

Shameema: It's almost like I'm questioning my purpose.

What is it that I want?

It's just a bit much.

Narrator: The reward is great.

This is where you get to find out about yourself.

Narrator: And the first team to Singapore will claim the prize

of £20,000...

in a race across the world.

Tony: Shift your butt. Come on.

50 days... blood, sweat, tears.

Captions by vitac... www.Vitac.Com

captions paid for by discovery communications

narrator: Previously...

The teams raced across Central Asia.

This may well be the tough part of the journey.

Narrator: Five days stuck on the caspian sea...

Man: Everybody is getting cabin fever.

Narrator: Pushed Alex to the edge.

The longer we're on here, the more he'll struggle.

It's just a bit much.

Narrator: But on dry land, he and his estranged dad,

darron, started to click,

and reached the third checkpoint in first place.

Darron: Oh, wow.

Give me a touch.

Best friends Josh and Felix headed into the unknown.

This is what we were searching for.

We're making the most of the experiences.

Narrator: While Tony and Elaine...

Elaine: My rear end feels like it's being pummeled.

Narrator: Developed an expensive taxi habit.

Elaine: Taxi, Tony.

We've overspent. That doesn't bode well.

Narrator: A 728-mile lift from a good samaritan

saved Natalie and shameema money,

but cost them time...

Leaving them in last place.

Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan,

and third checkpoint in the race to Singapore.

7,000 miles still to go.

For some, budgets are running perilously low,

and relationships are being severely tested

after nearly a month on the road.

Alex: We've got to get going.

First to find out where the fourth checkpoint will be...

Darron and Alex.

Thank you.

Our next checkpoint is huangyao.

It sounds like China, but I haven't got a clue where it is.

Almost 4,000 miles from Tashkent

lies the ancient town of huangyao in southern China.

Its karstic peaks, meandering rivers, and old stone Bridges

have earned it the nickname "the garden of dreams."

In order to reach it, though,

the teams must navigate vast distances, culture,

customs, and language barriers.

So, we'll be crossing the border here?

Man: Yeah.

And then, we'll probably catch a taxi to the train station?

From there, we will catch a train to almaty.

Alex: That's fantastic.

Come on, dad!

Narrator: The teams will leave the checkpoint

in the order they arrived,

and race through Kazakhstan to the khorgas border,

to cross into the fourth largest country in the world.

Alex: China.

I'm excited. We're going.

The great wall, deserts, mountains,

jungles... They've got everything.

So many unspoilt, beautiful things to see.

I can't wait.

Darron: With travel comes new experiences.

It broadens your horizons.

I think it makes you a better person.

That's what I want for my son.

Hopefully, get to see some amazing things.

My personal opinion wouldn't be to go to a city.

Mine would.

What I want to do is go to a big city,

hopefully live in a bit more luxury.

You can get luxury, or comfort, and good food in Bradford.

I want to go down the yangtze river on a bamboo raft.

Exactly. But sometimes, you need to think that we are in a race.

China has got a lot more to offer than cities.

Well, if your attitude's gonna be like this

throughout the whole leg, we're going to have a tough leg.

Well...

Tony and Elaine: Huangyao.

It's got to be China.

Leaving the checkpoint three hours behind the race leaders

are husband and wife Tony and Elaine.

And just behind them...

Josh: Hello, friends!

Josh and Felix.

Where are we going, eh?

Tony: China!

Make sure you just keep behind us, alright?

Josh: We've all got to get through Kazakhstan first.

Two more countries in the way.

Two days to get through there.

- Yeah. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I mean, if you're going the slow way.

[ Laughs ]

I'm gonna tie your shoelaces together, Tony!

Tony: There's going to be next to no Europeans.

We're going to have problems getting around.

It's going to be a cracking challenge, this one.

Elaine: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan border?

Okay.

Narrator: With less money remaining than any other team,

Tony and Elaine talk tactics.

Tony: These trains...

Elaine: I bet they'll be expensive.

We'll maybe have to not take them... the fast ones.

Maybe take a slower version, which takes longer.

Cost versus speed. A horse and cart.

Well, that'd be nice.

Yorkshire people are really, really frugal, and tight.

They don't overspend.

They don't waste.

They'll travel the cheapest way possible,

sleep the cheapest way possible, and be really happy about that,

because they've saved money.

I know.

And that's every Yorkshire person's dream.

So, this journey, in a way, is perfect for Yorkshire people.

Hot on their heels,

best mates and business partners Josh and Felix.

Felix: I'm very, very excited to go to China.

Terracotta armies, and bullet trains, and spicy ho fun.

We've got our yuan in our pocket,

and we're ready to go.

First, we have to negotiate getting to almaty.

Yeah, that's the hard bit.

Narrator: 80 miles in front, having crossed the border

into Kazakhstan,

darron and Alex arrive in shymkent.

They're aiming to catch a train to almaty,

just four hours from the Chinese border.

Alex: Which one is the next train to almaty?

No, no, no, no, no. Not good. Not good.

Darron: Okay. Thank you.

With no trains leaving until the evening,

father and son consider their options.

Train leaving late, or taxi as soon as possible.

Which one do you want to do?

Train.

Hello?

Eh, train to almaty?

Is there a sleeper?

It's not gonna be very comfortable.

Is there any faster train?

Alex, your decision.

Let's do it. Are you sure?

Let's do it.

We'll get to China sooner.

Thank you. Thank you.

We weighed up our options, and thought,

if we get a taxi there, tonight,

we're gonna have to pay for accommodation

when we get to almaty.

We've got four hours to waste,

so we're gonna go for some food.

We're going to enjoy the place, and see what there is.

Narrator: With Alex calling all the shots,

he takes his dad for some authentic Kazakh fried chicken.

Alex: So good.

Alex's decision to wait four hours for the express train

has allowed their rivals to eat into their lead.

Felix: Thank you.

Elaine: Ah, look who's there, Tony.

Josh: There's Tony and Elaine.

Whatever the cheapest, we will take.

Yes, 'cause we have very little tenge.

Narrator: Saving on accommodation costs, the two teams have booked

tickets for a sleeper train to almaty,

which leaves 45 minutes before darron and Alex's.

We could have had a sleeping cabin,

but we decided, the price difference,

we should try and skimp and save.

So, we're sitting up in a corridor.

So, are you on the same train as us?

- 6:47? - Yeah.

Josh: We're in second class.

It's only a pound more.

Than sitting in the corridor?

Yeah.

Are you sitting in the corridor?

Yeah.

No! Guys! Why?

Times are hard.

I mean, I know you've taken a lot of taxis,

but you can't go from taxis to sitting in the corridor!

It's laughable, really, but, you know,

we're worried about money, and this will help.

Every little helps, as they say.

Yeah.

Narrator: With more money than any other team...

So, we thought going through Kazakhstan was going to be long.

Look. i know!

Look at that distance.

Narrator: But last to leave the checkpoint,

lifelong friends Natalie and shameema

have a different strategy.

Natalie: Okay.

So, we have to go to almaty to cross over the border anyway.

And it would be rude to not go and visit almaty.

And they've got an ice rink.

Oh, my god.

Shameema: Natalie and I have been friends since we were nine...

A 30-year friendship.

And when we're together, we're almost 9 years old again.

It's the highest ice rink in the world.

I wasn't raised in a loving environment.

From a young age, I'd always wanted to go travelling,

but I didn't have the means, and I felt like

I didn't have the ability to do it.

Natalie: This is our money situation.

The benefit in China

is that they've got really high speed railways.

So, we've saved all this money, we're gonna be able to use it

on high speed, and catch up.

There's many incidents in my life that have taught me

that life is too short.

I know I've always had to rely on myself.

Travelling has meant I have been able to appreciate the world,

and appreciate people.

Shameema: We've grown up with each other.

We know everything about each other.

I see her as my sister.

She's my family.

Natalie: I need to pee. Why am I always peeing?

It's like nervous pee.

Narrator: 6:30 P.M.

Josh: Excuse me.

Ah, home sweet home.

Narrator: As Josh and Felix settle down in their luxury cabin...

Josh: This is like a home away from home.

Compared to when we were in coaches,

and we were, like, bent double,

and spent all night being woken up with arguments,

this is absolutely the ritz.

Felix: At least we're travelling through the night.

And then, hit the border tomorrow.

We've got it.

At the less salubrious end of the train,

Tony and Elaine are getting to grips with third class.

Elaine: Oh, no.

Tony: Don't take your shoes off. You're squashing the fleas.

Narrator: Back in shymkent...

Man: All aboard, almaty!

Narrator: Darron and Alex board the express train.

Despite leaving 45 minutes later,

they will arrive in almaty

over three hours before their nearest rivals.

Alex: I personally think we picked the right decision.

I feel quite a bit of pressure,

the fact we had three hours' difference on two groups

and six hours on the other.

I don't want to lose that gap.

♪♪

Narrator: Nestled in the foothills of the tien shan mountain range,

almaty, Kazakhstan's former capital from the Soviet era.

Its name derives from the Kazakh for "apple,"

and the area is thought to be the ancestral home of the fruit.

9:00 A.M.

First to arrive, darron and Alex.

Alex: First things first, we get to the border.

Narrator: The Chinese border is over 200 miles away,

and it closes at 6:00 P.M...

A fact the local cab drivers are all too aware of.

How much?

35,000?

Too much.

He's trying to rip us off.

Darron: Ask at the ticket office where it is, how far?

We need to go to...

Too much.

Well, we've had two different people give us that price,

so maybe it's a lot further than we think.

That's dollars. $81?

Hell.

Darron: Travelling, Alex will not be able to cope.

He's gonna struggle.

And I'm going to try to let Alex

do as much as he can, because he will benefit.

I need Alex to make mistakes,

so he can grow as a person, and learn from those mistakes.

[ Alex speaks indistinctly ]

Have we got a deal?

Let's do it. Dad?

We're doing it.

Darron: That's a massive hit in our budget.

Less than $1,000 left.

But maybe even today we should be in China.

Which is very exciting news.

12:15 P.M.

Tony and Elaine are closing in on almaty.

Tony: Feeling a bit bushwhacked this morning.

Had two or three hours' sleep.

It would have been nice to have four.

Narrator: Alighting from the same train,

best friends and business partners Josh and Felix.

- Khorgas border? - China?

Josh: This experiences comes at a junction.

Our business has been going for about five years,

but now, it's coming to an end.

So, we're looking for something new.

Being able to gain perspective

on what the next 10 years might be like

is gonna be really invaluable.

One of the reasons we travel really well together is that,

in the darkest moments,

we pick each other up, and we get on with it.

We know that we have always got each other's backs.

[ Indistinct talking ]

This is the worst person to go to.

No, no. I was just asking.

I was going to ask several people.

We're always gonna be involved in each other's business,

or each other's lives,

because we know that we complement each other so well.

You're much stronger as a team than you are as individuals,

and we know that.

- Khorgas? - Khorgas.

5,000 total?

No, no, no. It's too much.

Let's just go, and get a minibus.

Will be have time to get to the border tonight?

Well, if we pay $60, we'll just get there.

Let's have a look around, see what's in the area.

Sorry.

Is there a minibus service?

Where is it?

They don't know. They're not gonna tell us.

Narrator: While Josh and Felix weigh up their options...

Tony: Border, crossing.

Continuing their economy drive,

Tony and Elaine decide to play hardball.

Too many tenge. We'll leave it.

We only have little tenge.

So, at this moment in time I'm done with taxis,

plotting high prices.

I'm done with it.

I just need to find a cheaper way.

So, we're not gonna make the border tonight.

Fine.

I am not paying that price,

so we go on the bus tomorrow, then.

Yeah.

Felix: It's quarter past one now.

Josh: I think we've missed the boat on getting to the border on time...

Unless we get a cab right now.

Yeah.

I want to get in a cab because I want to be in China today.

Narrator: After almost two hours of haggling,

Josh and Felix manage a £15 reduction in their fair.

Before the border closes.

- $4,000? - Alright. That's good.

It's gonna be incredibly tight

to get to the border in time, 'cause it closes at six,

and it's four hours away, and it's currently 2:08.

So, we're on track to get there just as it closes.

So, we're freaking out.

Darron and Alex and Josh and Felix

are en route to the Chinese border in taxis.

Tony and Elaine are hunting cheaper options

by road and rail.

And Natalie and shameema, after taking a later train,

are the fourth team to arrive in almaty.

With more money than any other team,

they're planning to splash out on bullet trains.

Shameema: I think it's snowing.

We're gonna be ice-skating in the snow.

Narrator: But before they rocket across China at 200 kilometers an hour,

a special detour for Natalie.

Natalie: My god, it's so pretty.

Over 2,000 meters above sea level,

the ski resort of shymbulak, a magnet for wealthy Kazakhs,

and after major investment,

is attracting visitors from further afield...

Including prince Harry.

Natalie: I never liked the idea of going skiing, or anything like that,

because I had that fear of being cold.

Look how high it goes.

Oh, my god!

Good god, what about those cable cars?

Oh, my gosh. Amazing.

I was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia

when I was 2 years old.

Mine affected my lungs a lot, which is why I had pneumonia.

When you are a sickler, you're always being told

that you have to keep warm.

When other children, and my brothers,

could go out and play in the snow, and stuff like that,

I was never allowed to do it.

As I said, I remembered when I was 5 years old in nursery,

and it was like... It started snowing,

and everybody went out to build a snowman.

And I wanted to just go and do it, as well.

And I got so cold that I had a crisis,

and actually had to go to hospital.

So, it's definitely a protective measure.

We're higher than the world's highest ice rink.

Magical.

Narrator: Natalie was one of the first people in the UK

to receive a bone marrow transplant for the disease.

It's an eye-opener to holiday destinations

that I wouldn't have thought I would enjoy,

purely just because of cold.

So, I can do this.

Narrator: At her side throughout, her best friend.

Shameema: No. Put it down.

It's hard.

[ Natalie laughs ]

Oh...

Natalie: When you've known each other

for as long as me and shameema have known each other,

you're gonna share a lot of life events.

Shameema was at the hospital

when I had a bone marrow transplant at the age of 14.

Oh, my god, I feel like I've got heels on!

Here goes.

Shameema was one of the first people in the class

to see me after I had had chemotherapy,

and I didn't have any hair anymore.

We've been through so much together in our life.

This is only part of our adventure.

And it will just continue. And she's forever with me.

Soz!

[ Laughs ]

So, this is my perfect first date.

For anyone who wants to know.

Take me ice-skating on the first date.

It's a winner.

Narrator: While Natalie and shameema make the most of almaty,

Josh and Felix race towards the Chinese border

in a bid to catch up with darron and Alex.

Felix: It's going to be tight.

5:20 and we need to get there by six,

and we've still got quite a long time to go.

Hopefully, across tonight.

Next stop is China.

Darron: Thank you.

The first team make it through to China.

Now, I am absolutely buzzing.

Thank you.

Felix: Well, we're here. We're at the Chinese border.

With just a few minutes until the border closes...

It might be about to shut...

Josh: That's it! Let's go!

Josh and Felix make a run for it.

Please! Please!

It's closed.

Well, we're... Mate.

Josh: Looks like we're staying here.

Josh: We don't know where we are going.

We don't know anything.

We also don't have enough money.

Like, we've got 2,000 tenge.

So, like...

We're not able to cross the border,

so we have to look for a hotel.

Very frustrating.

Narrator: Darron and Alex have crossed over to the western region

of xinjiang, in China, where filming is prohibited

due to major restrictions by the central government.

All teams must travel nonstop for 24 hours

through this autonomous zone before reaching gansu province,

where filming can resume.

Josh: Thank you.

Narrator: Josh and Felix will have to cross tomorrow.

Felix: Uh, niet.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay.

Turn it off, otherwise, you're gonna die.

Really, really frustrating.

It's those moments when you just think, like,

"I'm in a bleak Kazakh car park in the middle of nowhere.

What am I doing here?"

I feel like I'm just battering my head against a wall.

Josh: We've lost 18 hours on darron and Alex.

We will try and cross the border as early as possible tomorrow.

7:00 A.M.

Tony: Did you sleep well?

Narrator: Having travelled overnight from almaty,

Tony and Elaine reach the border.

I'm looking forward to leave Kazakhstan behind,

quite honestly.

The toilet's gross.

Young lads swaying it around, Willy-nilly, so to speak.

Narrator: Finally, Josh and Felix...

Felix: Pretty frustrated at not getting across the border last night,

but determined to give ourselves the best shot possible,

hence the early start today into China.

And then, find a way of cutting darron and Alex's hamstrings.

Elaine: Oh, I bet those toilets are amazing.

Tony: The excitement is starting to grow as we get close to China.

But I just don't really know what to expect.

Narrator: Three of the teams have made it into China.

Josh and Felix and Tony and Elaine are neck and neck,

making their way through the autonomous zone.

But there's still one team yet to leave Kazakhstan.

We are finally in a Bentley, going in style.

All black windows.

Red leather interior.

Thank you very much.

Hopefully, see you on the other side.

Yeah.

With the autonomous zone behind them,

Alex's train strategy has extended his

and his dad's lead by over 2,000 miles.

But it has come at a personal cost for father and son.

Darron: Alex chose a city.

He could have gone out of his comfort zone,

which he's been slowly easing out of.

But it's almost like, "oh, I've gone too far now,

I'm running back in."

I've always wanted to come to China.

It's one of the places on my bucket list...

The history, the culture,

everything, I'm just fascinated by.

And to go to a city, if I'm being honest,

yeah, I'm disappointed.

I wanted to go off the beaten track.

I wanted to explore...

China what's outside.

But you picked chengdu.

But personally, chengdu stood out for me.

Yeah, it might be a bit of a home comfort level,

picking a city this time, but I wanted that this leg.

The last leg, our bond got a lot stronger

compared to when we started this journey.

But the fact that I've picked something he's not happy with,

I feel like it might start to deteriorate,

and be a bit of friction.

It has caused a rift between us.

I hope I don't live to resent him because of it.

I'd be lying if I said I still wasn't gutted.

I am.

Alex: Things are just getting a bit tough at the moment,

but we have to enjoy ourselves while we're here,

'cause we're not going to be here again, more than likely.

Darron: We'll both have to do some compromising.

So, I will try to make the best

of what I think is a poor decision.

Darron: Oh, wow.

That's a pretty spectacular temple.

Narrator: China, the most populous nation on earth,

and one of the world's oldest civilizations.

With hi-tech cities, ancient traditions,

and diverse landscapes, it's a striking mix of old and new.

Alex: This is cool.

This is proper China.

It's sick. It's somewhere new.

Who'd have thought, a year ago today, we'd be in China?

This... just got real.

Narrator: Chengdu.

The traffic's... Mental here.

A city of 14 million people,

famed for pandas and red-hot sichuan street food.

[Indistinct] Wearing a mask.

Why do people wear these masks?

We have some money, but we need more.

Narrator: Through the jobs directory...

darron and Alex are scouting for work

at a wholesale flower market.

Hello. Nice to meet you. My name's darron.

Nice to meet you. - My name is Vicky.

Narrator: They're met by 21-year-old shift manager Vicky.

This is my son, Alex.

Oh, yeah.

This is our shop.

Alex: This is your shop.

In here, you have your jobs.

- This? - Yes. Please.

Alex: You speak perfect English.

Um...

Perfect.

Okay, follow me.

This way.

We offer you the accommodation for today.

We offer you 120 rmb.

Tomorrow's time is 4 o'clock until 9:30 A.M.

Alex: Sounds good.

When I found out about waking up at 4:00 A.M., I felt like, "oh!"

He's a bit work-shy.

The money we earn could make the difference

between getting to Singapore or not.

Narrator: With the need to earn money outweighing the need

to keep moving,

darron and Alex are shown to the workers' accommodation.

Vicky: It's okay?

Alex: Yes. It's perfect. Thank you.

Darron: We've got sleeping bags, so,

we can sleep in our sleeping bags.

That's fine.

How is the kitchen, Alex?

There's even mold in the sink.

You know that plastic thing on the floor?

Just don't open it.

[ Alex gags ]

Even thinking about it is making me sick now.

What do you think it is?

Human?

I don't know.

I'm certainly gonna be keeping

that hand sanitizer very close by.

[ Laughs ]

I imagine it to be.

Bloody hell. Careful, Alex.

The bed's gonna fall down.

Are you gonna turn the light off?

Do you know what? I can probably reach it with my leg.

No, Alex. The bed will fall over.

Alright!

Hell!

Yeah, it's definitely the worst place I've ever stayed in.

400 miles behind the race leaders, Josh and Felix

and Tony and Elaine, have arrived at xi'an.

Josh: Oh, my god!

This is like blade runner mixed with every single Sci-Fi film,

mixed with Wes Anderson.

This is incredible.

Narrator: Also in xi'an...

Tony: This is totally bonkers.

Tony and Elaine.

Elaine: What's it called? Xi'an?

Xi'an.xi'an. Xi'an.

With a population of over 12 million people,

the city is often described

as the cradle of Chinese civilization,

and home to the terracotta army.

More than 8,000 sculptures depicting soldiers

of the first emperor of China, qin shi huang,

and buried with him to offer protection in the afterlife.

I didn't know you could drive a motorbike on a pavement.

This is our first venture out into the world of China,

and it's just a crazy, wacky, whoopy place.

Elaine: China is a massive culture shock.

I've never been anywhere like this.

It's so busy. There's no slowness.

It's all very fast.

We might be a bit old and doddery for this place.

Yeah.

Felix: This is unreal, man.

I just want to get out there, and immerse myself

into a culture which I've never been to before.

This is the perfect time to arrive,

at night, as well. Lit up.

We have to spend some time exploring here...

Especially as two people that potentially want to open

a kind of, like, bar inspired by this journey.

This is obviously...

This is where the old and the new meet.

Josh: The Muslim quarter is where all the street food is,

and I think we should probably head there.

Yeah. Oh, I just want to eat everything.

Narrator: Business partners Josh and Felix

seek inspiration for their next venture together.

Josh: That's what adventure is about... bringing something back.

Yeah, we want to find a taste, and take it home,

and share it with everyone else.

I draw the line at testicles.

Felix: Josh and I are at the stage where our current business

is coming to an end, we're thinking of the next thing.

And we're gonna use this experience

as, like, the best research.

Thank you. - Thank you very much.

Let's soak up a flavor, and distil it

it into our own unique thing.

♪♪

We've just got to try lots of things, I think.

If we can't find inspiration here,

then, our eyes and taste buds are dead.

Quail's eggs on a stick, yeah?

Absolutely bloody fantastic.

I'm happy. Thank you.

Xiexie. Xiexie.

What is it?

It's a very small rodent.

It is probably Guinea pig.

I mean, it smells nice, it's just, what is it?

Oh.

It's not the best thing I've put in my mouth.

It's sheep? Oh, sheep!

Baa!

Narrator: Going to any lengths in the name of research,

next up, sheep's trotter.

I thought he was gonna cook it.

This isn't what I expected at all.

Nothing you should eat should come with a plastic glove.

Josh: You have to eat all of it.

You can smell the foot on it.

One of the worst things I've ever put in my mouth.

I thought he was gonna... Barbecue it,

or something.

Even for hipsters, this is a step too far.

Tony: Watch you don't fall over.

Narrator: Planning their next move, Tony and Elaine.

Tony: We're in a race, here.

Tomorrow, we need to be on the move again.

Train tomorrow to...

Elaine: Guilin?

Guilin.

Narrator: Looking to cover as much distance as possible,

they're aiming for the city of guilin, almost 800 miles away.

They can choose between a 26-hour slow service,

or a 12-hour bullet train.

How much, please, yuan?

1355 each.

Thank you for your help.

Elaine: Bullet trains are so expensive,

but obviously, they would be the way to travel here,

if you're gonna not have a budget.

We've gone and booked this long, slow overnight job.

The faster one was probably about another £25 each.

Elaine: We're just doing what feels right for us.

You know, if you can get there cheaper, do it.

Yes, we've made the right choice.

Alex: It's way too early for this.

Narrator: 4:00 A.M.

Chengdu flower market.

- Not horizon. - At an angle?

Yeah. Like this.

Alex: Do they all have to be even?

Darron: No. They don't have to be even,

they just have to be cut at an angle

so they absorb water better.

I honestly wonder what my street cred

is gonna be like when this is done.

Doesn't that imply that you had some?

I have loads. Don't dis me.

I know you like to think you're some sort of gangster.

They smell good.

Narrator: Since leaving school two years ago,

Alex hasn't had a stable job.

Darron: Alex has got into a bit of a rut.

He always takes the easy option.

He's like, "oh, can you just do that?"

"Oh, can you just do this?"

Partly we're to blame, because we do it.

He needs to step up.

It's going to be an experience,

trying to get Alex to push himself.

It'll make him realize, if he can do this trip,

he can do anything.

Alex: Normally, before this trip,

I'd stay up really late, and sleep in.

But now, there's hardly any sleeping,

but my body is getting a bit used to it,

which I don't think is good for your health, but, oh well.

It's the sort of thing you've got to do

if you want to come first in this race.

King, king, queen, Princess...

I'm learning. I like that.

- This one? - Yeah. The pink pineapple.

But this is cute.

It's smaller. But this is a big one.

But you can't eat it.

You can't eat.

Darron: Same old, same old.

I'm working hard.

Alex is chatting away, having a good time.

Alex: Do you do this as a part-time job?

Yes. I have a summer vacation,

and I have the part-time job in this [indistinct].

And you're studying at university?

Yes.

Vicky: What do you do in your country?

I'm a bit confused with what I want to do after,

when I go back home.

Yes. So am I.

I don't know what to do after my graduation.

Yes. You're a bit confused, like me?

Yeah.

You need to pick the right thing for you.

Yes. And I think happiness is the most, you know?

It's happy to meet you, you know?

Yes. Same with you.

It's happy to know that the same problems in england

happen the same problems in China.

Yes.

We have the same problems everywhere.

Thank you.

♪♪

Natalie: Oh, my god. He's eating a chicken foot.

Gnawing away at it, like a pepperoni.

Narrator: 1,100 miles behind the race leaders,

Natalie and shameema have arrived

in the city of jiayuguan,

famed for the jiayu pass,

the largest and most complete part of the great wall of China.

Natalie: We are now in China!

Shameema: This is a pretty epic moment,

that we actually made it to China.

And I took myself back to the moment we were in greenwich,

and we saw how far delphi was,

but we've actually made it to China.

And we're on the same fold on the map as Singapore.

Huge. High five.

Narrator: The great wall began to take on its epic scale in 200 b.C...

We're actually going to climb the great wall of China.

And now spans 13,000 miles.

Oh, I could cry, 'cause it's that amazing.

Yay!

We made it!

Shameema: I feel it's moments like this, you can't help

but think about the things that you have to think about.

This trip is a once-in-a-lifetime

opportunity for me, to give me some breathing space,

just to focus on myself.

I got married young.

I was about 21 when I had my first child.

When you have children, you plan the next 20 years.

And those 20 years are nearly here.

It feels like it's happened all of a sudden.

And it feels a little bit like...

It's almost like I'm questioning my purpose...

again, 'cause i'm not sure of

what life will be with an empty house.

What is it that I want?

Narrator: In xi'an, Josh and Felix are still playing catch-up.

Josh: We've just purchased train tickets to guilin.

Felix: Now, we want to try and catch up with darron and Alex.

The normal train takes 36 hours, and this one takes 13.

Anyone who gets the slow train is losing 24 hours on us.

A kilometer every 15 seconds.

Yeah.

You could do a marathon in 10 minutes on this train.

We're gonna see darron and Alex on the slow train,

and we're gonna be like, "ha!"

I can't imagine trundling along on that hard seat for 36 hours.

Yeah.

It's the arse end of nowhere, really.

Narrator: Taking a different tactic,

budget-conscious Tony and Elaine.

Elaine: We've laid on hard beds in shared carriages on trains,

all with a view to saving money.

Tony: I don't want to go on another train ever again,

I don't think.

Don't you like these, either?

No.

If the other teams have been paying for bullet trains,

they probably will get there before we do, at checkpoint,

but then, we'll be richer.

[ Man yells ]

Pot noodle man.

Narrator: In chengdu...

Alex: Vicky?

As his shift comes to a close...

Huangyuan, do you know whereabouts it is?

Alex's mind turns back to the race.

Vicky: Huangyuan. Yes, I know that.

Alex: If could you do a circle for us?

- Here. - Perfect.

Huangyuan is near to [indistinct].

Would you have to get a bus, taxi?

No. Trains.

Trains.

Darron: Good. That sounds good to me.

And now, we know what it is in Chinese.

That's perfect.

Thank you for everything.

It's nice to meet you, my friend.

Yes. You, too.

Yes. Definitely. Bye-bye.

Thank you for everything.

See you later.

Darron: She's gonna remember you forever.

Alex: Maybe. I gave her my contact details.

I'm sure you did.

♪ Love is in the air ♪

Shut up!

♪ It's everywhere I look around ♪

[Indistinct] Used his birth charm to get places,

and get things... Totally nothing wrong with that.

If I could just find someone to work my charm on...

That's not working on anyone.

If I can find...

Apart from the elderly, maybe.

Some old, blind, gullible, senile woman,

and we'll be laughing.

No, definitely best job so far.

Well, it would be for you, wouldn't it?

Narrator: Whilst darron and Alex catch the bullet train to guilin,

Tony and Elaine are crawling along on their economy drive,

still at least 28 hours from the checkpoint...

Shameema: Thank you.

Natalie and shameema are putting their plan into action.

What time does the bullet train go?

This one gets in in the morning.

It's a high-speed one.

If they time their connections right,

they can catch high-speed bullet trains

all the way to guilin,

the closest major city to the checkpoint.

Natalie: Race mode starts again.

Wow. I doubt we're gonna get a lot of sleep.

This gentleman, here, is a snorer.

[ Woman laughs ]

Narrator: While three teams push for the checkpoint...

Felix: Oh, my word!

That's like the coolest thing I've ever seen.

For best friends Josh and Felix,

a stop-off in China's rock-climbing capital, yangshuo.

There's mountains, like, right there,

looming behind the neon.

Josh: One of the reasons that we're going on this trip

is to have moments

which you just can't have anywhere else in the world.

Felix: Josh and I like to climb together,

so, hopefully, tomorrow will culminate

in something truly epic.

- Yeah? - Yeah, yeah, perfect.

Josh: Felix and I do a lot of climbing in London.

It's all the things we enjoy...

It's challenge-based, it's problem-solving, it's physical,

and I would kick myself if I couldn't do some.

Felix: But the mood is a bit sour, because Josh lost his bag.

In the kind of chaos, I managed to put down a small bag,

which had nothing of any great financial value in it,

but had a book that I've written a letter to my girlfriend in

every day since we started this.

When you're a long way from home,

anything that links you to home kind of becomes really precious.

But we're super excited about tomorrow...

Really excited.

Narrator: The karst peaks of south China, over 270 million years old,

and a welcome distraction for Josh and Felix.

I'm terrified.

Felix: I don't know how anyone could come here,

and not be inspired by them.

Why would you not want to climb it?

Like, that's the most awesome thing

I've seen, like, in this entire trip.

Josh: Are we gonna afford to eat ever again?

No. We're on rice now.

This stuff is priceless.

Man: This is the egg,

the most famous climbing place in yangshuo.

It looks like an egg, right?

Yeah, absolutely.

All the gear, no idea, as they say.

I'm not rushing.

Don't rush.

This rock is beautiful, man.

I've only ever climbed up to, like, 13 meters before,

and this is 30 meters.

It's just a whole different ballgame.

I think that there's something fraternal

about me and Josh's relationship,

where we just both trust each other implicitly.

Are you alright, pal?

Also, we have worked together so much,

and we've been through so many really stressful experiences,

that we know how each other is gonna respond,

we know what our strengths are, we know what our weaknesses are.

This journey will allow us to discover a lot

about what we want our future direction to be.

Josh: It feels like there's a constant battle

between the race and experience.

And for us, £20,000 is a hell of a lot of money,

and it'd make a big difference,

it'd mean I could see my family more.

It would I could buy a camper Van,

spend more time with Holly,

and that's something I really, really want.

Oh, it's a nice sit-down, up here.

It's quite high, actually.

My life kind of divides into two.

There's, like, the amazing adventures

that I go on with Felix.

And that's, like, a massively important part of my life.

And then, there's the other

half of my life, which is, like,

my family, and Holly... My girlfriend.

Felix: That's the best thing that's happened

in this entire trip, I think.

When you're in the moment completely,

all your other problems start to solve themselves

in the back of you mind, and in your subconscious.

It does bring home to me that, like, some of the difficulties

of where we are at the moment,

I just really want what we build next to not be, like,

we build it for three years, it works for a year,

and then, we have to do something else.

I want it to be, like, long-term.

If you want security,

then, become a teacher, or a banker, or something.

Like, it's...

We've never chosen the most secure path.

Our whole philosophy is, like, take a big risk,

and often fall flat on our face,

but occasionally, there's a big reward.

I guess the hardest thing for me

is that I know it's going to take,

like, three or four years, and if I feel like this now,

how will I feel in four or five years' time?

I want more experiences like this.

I have...

All right.

Yeah, look at your watch, it's fine.

It's just, you've been talking a lot,

and I just don't...

Yeah, and you're not listening.

You're not really saying anything.

♪♪

Narrator: Guilin... A bustling, modern city

famous for its scenic location

among high, craggy hills on the li river.

It's the main hub for the checkpoint huangyao,

the ancient town which lies 100 miles south.

The plan now is to get to the checkpoint as soon as possible.

Alex: Yeah, we're gonna have to run for it.

We have 14 minutes. This is rushed.

Darron and Alex have arrived from chengdu

looking to make their connection.

Darron: Alex picked chengdu to gather information

and to work.

It were a very smart decision.

The amount of information we gathered

to help us were phenomenal.

It affected the race.

♪♪

[ Man speaking mandarin over P.A. ]

We can't get through this.

We're going.

♪♪

Whoa.

[ Man shouting in mandarin ]

Whoa!

Alex: Come on, we're running out of time.

That were... Scary.

Darron: This journey...

Two minutes.

Alex is changed.

He's becoming more decisive

and becoming more certain of himself.

Dad, it's a fast train.

That's pretty cool, then.

It should take an hour,

and then we're on the road again.

Train to checkpoint a.S.A.P. Is risky.

Argh! Let's go.

♪♪

Narrator: Pushing to make up ground on their rivals,

900 miles to the north,

Natalie and shameema are rapidly approaching xi'an.

[ Shameema sighs ]Natalie: Are you nervous?

A bit.

We're at the make-or-break stage.

We get into xi'an and if we get the right bullet train

from the right station,

then the game is ours.

- Xi'an? - Xi'an?

Xi'an, xi'an.

It's a bit like London underground.

I know.

♪♪

Natalie: Is there a fast train to guilin?

Shameema: We get ticket?

Wow.

How much is that?

£60!

I feel like that's more than we spent

the whole trip... The whole trip.

Yeah.

Wow.

But it's gonna get us in three hours earlier

than taking the normal train.

I just hope it's worth it.

♪♪

Narrator: Hezhou.

Ba-da-bop-bop.

One hour's drive from the checkpoint.

Huangyao ancient town?

40 for one?

These girls have sorted it out for me.

Xiexie.

As darron and Alex head towards the checkpoint,

after 27 hours on a slow train,

Tony and Elaine finally reach guilin.

Elaine: We've got our feet on the ground.

Hallelujah.

So, the journey has been ghastly, gruelling, grimy.

Tony: Out of our six days travelling now,

five nights have been on trains.

They decide to take a much-needed break.

There's a river called...

I think it's the river li.

We would love to go to the river

and go down it.

I mean, we need to see China now.

This is bad.

I'd give anything for a flight.

Huangyao ancient town.

Alex: This is it.

7:40 P.M.

"Make your way up to the checkpoint at long inn hotel."

Long inn hotel.

Come on, dad.

Do you know where you're going, Alex?

I'm going to ask someone.

- Hello! - Hello.

Long inn hotel?

I'm in a race, otherwise I would.

Where's long inn hotel?

Up? There?

I'm guessing it's round and up.

Darron: Alex is taking charge a lot more.

- Hi. - Hello. English?

Thank you anyway.

Darron: Not having as many hissy fits.

Do we know what's up here?

But I feel like, when we walked past them lanterns,

we should have walked in there.

We're starting to work as an effective team.

Do you think it's in here?

I have a feeling it might be.

Hotel?

This way.

You know?

Please, if you know, I'll give you a big hug.

I think this guy knows what he's on about.

Oh, this has to be it.

Long inn... my guy.

If I had any money, I'd buy this man a beer.

After all this...

You've saved me.

Hello. Hello.

Good afternoon.

How are you?

Alex: Oh, my god.

I was not expecting that.

Give me touch.

Yes!

First, twice in a row.

Now I am absolutely buzzing.

Come here.

Narrator: Having displayed exceptional teamwork

ever since crossing the border into China,

darron and Alex have made it to the checkpoint

hours ahead of their nearest rivals.

Darron: Yeah, I must admit, Alex, you did well.

Alex: Thank you for that.

I appreciate it a lot.

But hats off to you. You got me out my comfort zone.

I knew you could do this. I knew you'd step up.

I didn't believe in myself.

Yeah. You've turned into...

A far more confident and smarter person.

You just... you just needed that nudging.

Touch. We're going to win.

Or a hug?

Touch. [ Laughs ]

♪♪

Narrator: After travelling on a shoestring,

cooped up for days on hard seats,

Tony and Elaine are swapping slow trains

for the great outdoors...

A cruise on the river li.

Tony: It's been a tough leg for us.

Elaine: We're tired. You know, it's been a slog.

We've pushed ourselves really hard,

maybe got a bit grumpy ourselves,

and maybe that's colored my judgment of China.

Tony: We want to complete the race,

and we don't want to be the old farts

who dropped out with a leg and a half to go.

But we've just got to get our heads together.

Elaine: I'm going to enjoy this, I think.

It is wonderful.

Wonderful scenery.

Oh, look!

In Yorkshire, we have some spectacular scenery,

but nothing quite like this.

Nothing like this.

[ Motor humming ]

It's just the bloody noise and everything round it and busy.

Get out left! We're going to crash!

They should supply earplugs on these things.

Yeah.

Shut up! Shut up!

Take that bloody...

Shut that frigging noise down!

Put a bloody silencer on it!

Definitely, we could have made better choices for this leg.

♪♪

Oh, wow.

Pretty impressive, isn't it?

Look at that.

♪♪

This is special.

Narrator: Whilst darron and Alex enjoy 36 hours of rest

and recuperation at the checkpoint...

You are taking us to the high-speed train station.

- Okay. - Yeah.

The other teams are in danger

of falling further behind in the race.

Shameema: We'll just wait for the adrenaline to kick in.

As soon as we're off the train,

it will be race mode, definitely.

♪♪

Do you think any other teams came during the night?

I don't know.

The trains were running quite late, wasn't they?

Yeah. so they could've still got here,

even within early hours in the morning, potentially.

That's what I think might have happened.

Well, I suppose there's only one way to find out.

What? Go look at the book.

Have a sneak peak.

♪♪

The book.

Wow. No one's here.

It's a massive lead,

and we've only got two legs to go.

Could not be happier.

What time do you think the teams got in?

Early hours, I would probably say.

2:00, 3:00, maybe 4:00.

There's still no one here.

No one? There's still no one here.

Do they realize it's a race?

♪♪

There's a bus there.

Narrator: Josh and Felix have arrived in hezhou,

a 90-minute bus ride from huangyao.

- How much? - How much?

Okay, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- Yeah, cool. - Yeah.

Felix: 30 yuan... A high-speed bus.

It seemed like a good compromise between haste and money.

♪♪

Narrator: As night falls in guilin...

Natalie: We want to take a taxi.

Natalie and shameema are willing to shell out

on the fastest way to the checkpoint.

Any other route we try to find now

will not get us in until tomorrow,

and we have to get there tonight.

This leg is all about taking hits hard.

- $130 here? - Yes.

Shameema: No? Yes, no? We have to go.

Thank you very much.

Felix: This is a third of the price of getting a taxi,

so it seemed like the right thing to do.

We paid £60!

Yeah.

It was us taking a hit.

Really hard.No. It's this!

[ Laughs ]

♪♪

Second or third is not an option.

Imagine. oh, there's another sign!

♪♪

Narrator: Both teams are closing in.

Felix: This looks like the old town, doesn't it?

♪♪

- Sorted. - Let's go.

Long inn hotel.

[ Man speaking mandarin ]

- Thank you! - Thank you!

Xiexie! - Bye!

Long inn hotel.

Where's the rickshaw when you need one?

[ Both laugh ]

Long inn hotel. Is this it?

- No. - No.

Long inn hotel? No?

Okay.

Man: You have a mobile phone?

We don't have a mobile phone.

We're in a big rush.

Do you know where long inn hotel is?

Inn hotel?

- Come on, focus. - Focus, focus, focus.

Together: Long inn hotel.

Can you look on your phone?

- Thank you. - Thank you.

It's bloody boiling.

[ Man speaking indistinctly ]

Uh? Quick, quick, quick.

Uh, we're not in the old town.

Um, might be why the walls didn't look that old.

[ Both laugh ]

Oh, my gosh!

Shameema: I think it's here.

Yeah. It is.

[ Laughing ] It... Is.

Do you know what this is? What?

Another sign that you should trust your intuition.

Unless we're going to our death.

Mm, scared.

We've come down the wrong way.

Oh, my god. Like, literally, we are never going to find it.

For... sake!

This is beautiful, man.

It's this way and then left.

It's up there.

For... sake!

Run!

Long inn?

[ Woman speaking indistinctly ]

This way? Thank you.

We can do this, we can do this,

we can do this, we can do this, we can do this.

♪♪

Uh...

- Hello, hey! - Hello!

How are you? Nice to see you.

- Hey! - Is this the long inn hotel?

It's been a long journey to get here.

Felix: Darron and Alex.

They're... 22 hours ahead of us.

Oh, man. [ Chuckles ]

♪♪

Felix: Absolutely gutted.

I've been on coaches and trains

for like 25 hours a day

for the last five weeks for this.

- Ah! - Oh!

But we know exactly where it happened.

Border for China, which, didn't get across it,

and the border closed in front of us.

It's really, really hard work, this.

♪♪

Long inn!

If we now don't get in first because of all this faffing,

I'm going to be pretty annoyed at us!

- Aah! - Ooh!

♪♪

Shameema: Hell.

They got here a day ahead.

Agh!

We spent all that money, as well.

I know.

Before, when we've come in third place,

we have hardly spent any money.

This time, we've come in third place,

and we've spent a lot of money.

Shameema: We want to have an adventure of a lifetime,

but I feel like the game's on now,

and we need to play the game.

Let them have their, like, first and second place now.

When it really matters, that's when we'll come in first.

This game is all about connections between things.

But that's luck.

Like, darron and Alex could make a massive mistake.

We cando this.

Narrator: Darron and Alex have established a significant lead,

but with two legs still remaining,

budgets are running dangerously low,

and one team is still out on the road.

Elaine: Seems a long time since we last signed that book.

It's gone so slowly, this leg.

Boring, boring leg from a train window.

Not a good leg.

It's haunting me.

♪♪

Go! Go, go, go!

Narrator: With 3,300 miles still to cover...

Alex: Bye-bye, China.

You've been good to us.

Narrator: Next time, the hunt is on.

Felix: Darron and Alex are the wounded wildebeest.

We are the lion in the long grass.

Narrator: As the teams head to Southeast Asia...

Bit of a breeze.[ Horn honks ]

- Oh, my god! - It's just got that real energy.

A snake. Alex: Oh, my god.

The stormclouds begin to gather...

Where do we go? This way?

$5, please.

And lightning strikes.

Josh: Let's just go, bam, straight on to the checkpoint.

♪♪