Le Mékong - Au bout c'est la mer - Documentaire découverte - Complet - SBS

I'm taking you on a very long and very beautiful trip. 2400 km without ever leaving the bed of the Mekong. I'm going to cross three countries. Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. To the Mekong Delta. But staying on the Mekong means meeting extraordinary people. A funambulist who risks his life above the waterfalls. A fisherman of rats. A ghost ship that tells us stories from another time. I feel like I'm reliving the marine life of Corto Maltese. I love it! Going down a mythical river like the Mekong means discovering treasures along the water and living at the rhythm of the river. 2000 km on the Mekong. We don't know yet what's going to happen to us. But there's one thing we know. At the end, it's the sea. My trip on the Mekong starts north of Laos, 2400 km from the sea. To get to Lombuchur, I'll have to go from boat to boat. Is it this one? Yes, yes. Have a good trip! And my first boat is a long boat. But not just any boat. A vital boat for the locals. A kind of boat-bus. Is it nice or not? Can I get on, sir? Wow! Can I get on? Maybe I shouldn't get on this side. You're right. I'll get on this side. There's a lot of people too. Where am I? She was carrying this on her back. I can't take it. I'll sit like this. Like she did. Is it funny? I can't do it. Is it funny? I can't do it. This boat makes stops on demand. A floating bus that takes its time. Four hours to cover a few dozen kilometers on the Mekong to the city. Luang Prabang. Here, everyone travels at the same rhythm. The river one. What's your name? Chao Phan. Nice to meet you. How old are you? I'm 83. I must be the owner of the boat. How many times have you been on the Mekong? I do it often. I don't count my age. But it's very pleasant. There's always something to see on the river. Over there, for example, there's a sacred cave. Where is it? Over there? Yes, over there, by the cliff. What's in this cave? There are a lot of Buddha statues. A lot. And for centuries. And in this cave, there are mostly spirits and ghosts. That's why it's said to be sacred. Have you seen ghosts in the cave? We don't see them. They are sacred spirits. In fact, it's people who say that the cave is inhabited by ghosts. But it's stories that are told here. I especially advise you to visit Luang Prabang. That's where we're going. You're going to love it. It's a very beautiful old town. There are lots of pretty buildings, temples. Be careful, it's moving. So I land in Luang Prabang, in Laos. It's the first step of my trip. Luang Prabang is one of the jewels of Mekong. A small screen stuck between the mountains. We come from Lath Han. Lath Han. So we came down this way. We go through this. And now we arrive at Luang Prabang. Do you know where this name comes from? Luang Prabang. Luang Prabang is a name that literally means City of the Royal Buddha. And here in the city, there are a lot of temples. That's it, it's the city of the Buddha. And I really advise you to visit the temples. OK, I'll go there. Indeed, Buddhist temples are everywhere. There are about forty of them. Legend has it that it was here, coming by the river, that Buddha set foot on earth. And here, Mekong is never very far. Away from the city, I also discover something else. Huge peninsulas that carry wood, cement, construction materials. They are ready to leave. So I made an appointment with one of the owners of these cargos to take a little trip with him. Hello sir. I'm looking for the port. Is it this way? Yes, it's this way. Big boats, it's this way. Hello. I'm looking for Mr. Tree. No, I don't know him. That won't help me. Hey, bring my board so we can get on. I'm looking for Mr. Tree. Mr. Tree. Yes, it's me. Tree. François. Hello. Which is your boat? It's this one. The green one? Yes. It's great. It's big. Yes, it's big. Come on, let's get on. You, push the board. Can I go? Watch out for the board. Are you doing the ramp? No. Yes. Come on. I can do it without the ramp. It's the most beautiful ramp in my life. I love it. Here I am on board. The cargo is more than 20 meters long. First surprise, it's also a kind of little walking house. We're going to be fine here. Mr. Tree and his family live for several days, or even several weeks, on the Mekong, depending on the deliveries of materials they have to make. This is Luang Prabang? Yes. How far can you take me today? I'll show you. We're going to go south, over there. But then I won't be able to do it anymore. So I'll let you continue on your own. That's great. Yes. Okay. You don't sail at night? No, only during the day. When the night comes, you have to stop the boat. So how do you stop? When the night falls, I anchor the boat where I can, on the shore. I tie the boat well and then we sleep. Because at night, it's not possible to sail. It's dark, you can't see anything. And on the Mekong, there are rocks. So it's too dangerous to sail at night. So tonight, well, you'll sleep here with us. But we don't really know where. Okay. We'll go whenever you want, boss. Okay, let's go. That's already good news. Ah! Be careful, we're going to start. Let go of the moorings. It's going to be crazy. You can feel that not much can happen to you. It looks like a tractor. Did you do this yourself? Yes, I did it all by myself. With my own hands. So there's a pedal to brake, I guess. There's a pedal here, and a pedal here. What are these pedals for? The one on the left is the clutch. And you have the same one on the right. And this is for forward or reverse gear. And this is to control the speed. The accelerator, okay. And now I'm going backwards or forwards. Yeah. Okay, I'm going to the right. Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. When you're at the bar like this, how much time do you have left without moving? I stay here all day, at the bar, alone on my seat. I kind of feel like I'm dominating the Mekong. Maybe you want to try? It's not a hobbycat. Okay, I'm getting it. Shouldn't we take a break? But it's okay. I think it's the biggest machine and steering wheel I've ever held in my life. I don't like being overtaken by tourists. Help! The journey continues on this funny little boat. Mr. Tri, still at the bar, is vigilant. Everything seems immutable, as if time were flowing slower on the water. The Mekong prints its rhythm, and I find my marks. Soon, we're going to take a break for the night, in the middle of nowhere. Bon appétit. Oh, cow! Yes, it's spicy. Have you always wanted to become a sailor? My father was a sailor, so when I was little, I wanted to be a captain like him. I think it's passed down from generation to generation. You know, I've been doing this for 28 years, every day, and I may not know how to do anything else. By seeing the river, living with the river, being on it all day, do you sometimes talk to it, and does the river sometimes answer you? No, never. You have to stay focused on your work. When you drive a boat eight hours a day, you can't let yourself be distracted. But I can't imagine living elsewhere than on the river. On the mainland, I feel like I'm locked up. No, I don't see myself living with my family in a house. No, my work, my whole life is tied to the river. And the essential question, boys, what do you do on the boat in the evening? There's not much to do after a day's work. Maybe relax and sleep. Thank you very much for all this. I happily taste the life of these Mekong nomads. Mr. Tree's boat will sail for days, until the river starts to growl to become an impassable barrier. The falls of Kone offer a grandiose spectacle. 10 km of torrents and waterfalls, of noise and fury. No doubt the most hostile place in the Mekong. And yet, the splash of water doesn't seem to scare everyone. There's an incredible scene. There's a fisherman on the other side of the rapids. I'd like to go and see him. But how do I... How do I get there? I can't see the passage. Maybe he lives over there. I'll try not to fall and find the passage. Do I have to go over there? The closer I get, the less I feel safe. I'm not going to give my life to something like this. Let's go. I've never loved wood so much. Let's go. How do I do this? It's not going to hold. Can you come over here? Yes, but it's moving. I'm not going, I'm going to break my face. I can't. It's hot. We're going to fish here, it's good too. Perched above the water, the fisherman reveals himself to be floundering. His life hangs by a thread. But more than the danger, it's his grace that impresses me. So light, so sure of himself on his little tongs. Hello. Don't let go. What's your name? François. Nang Sam. Were you afraid of crossing? Yes, I'm fat. How long have you been doing this? I've been fishing here for over 20 years and I own this cable bridge. Did you build the bridge yourself? No, no. But there are several bridges like this around the falls. Far, far away over there, which was built by my father. What happens if you fall? If I fall, I die. I don't see any other possibility. No one has ever fallen into the water here? No, no one yet. You always have to be a little careful. You have to be very careful. Ah, we're good here. Why do you have to go over there to catch the fish and risk your skin every day on these cables? Few people have the courage to go there. And I know there are more fish over there. So since there are fewer fishermen to go to, I have more chance of catching some. And when you catch the fish, what happens next? You eat it, you sell it. How does it work? The small ones, less than a kilo, I keep them for my family In your life, on a morning like this, how many fish did you catch? On a good day, I catch 10 kilos a day. But before, sometimes, I managed to catch more than 20 kilos. I did try to fish. I bet everything on the luck of the beginner. So, no fish? What are we going to eat tonight? But today, the fish won't be at the rendezvous. At the end of the night, we are still in Bredouille. It doesn't seem to bother Nyang. I can see that the river invites you to take life as it comes. When you dream of Mekong, is there a particular image that you see? Yes, I dream of fish, big fish. And I dream that one day, I will be able to catch very big fish, more than 10 kilos, that I will find here, in beautiful and fast rivers. At the same time, it's beautiful even without fish. It's beautiful. Do you have children? Yes, six. Six children. Do they have the right to come and fish here? No, I don't want my children to become fishermen, because there are less and less fish in the river. So today, fishing doesn't allow you to earn enough money to feed the whole family. Why is there less fish? Well, maybe it's because of the dams, because the dams disrupt the flow of water. Because of them, sometimes there is too much water at once, and sometimes there isn't enough. So I think the dams disturb the life of the fish. But I don't despair, I'm going to try one last time to go fishing for tonight. And if I don't find anything, well, too bad. Where are the fish? No, no, I didn't catch anything. But I always have a little something with me. But where did you find this? I always have a little rice and fried fish. It's going to be the best fish I've ever eaten in my life. It's delicious, isn't it? Do you like it? It's very good. It's very Lao. It's rice glue, fried fish and spicy sauce. Do you know a song about Mekong? A little song, a song I used to sing to my children. I don't know what it means. This song is about this region, the region of the 4,000 islands on Mekong, and especially about this famous waterfall. It's a wonderful, wonderful evening for me. Long live the fish, long live the song and long live Mekong. After having managed to cross the falls, I'm heading to the next village to resume my journey on Mekong. After more than 1,000 km, I'm now heading to Cambodia. Here are the boats. How are you? Good, good. I'm looking for a boat. Do you have a boat here? We have 45. Do you speak French? Yes, we do. 45 boats over there? Yes, yes. That's good. Do you want to go? No, follow me. I'll find you a boat. Move your boat. Thank you, sir. Have a good trip. I continue my journey on the water, in the north of Cambodia. Mekong has its foggy and limey waters over hundreds of kilometers. My next destination is the capital, the city of Phnom Penh, 500 km before the Sea of ​​China. Phnom Penh is nicknamed the father of Asia. It wants to play with modern cities. But when you approach a city by its river, it sometimes delivers hidden treasures. Can we get closer to the big boat over there? Do you know this boat? What is this boat? I don't know. But it's been here for a long time. I've always seen it here. Since the beginning, it's the biggest boat I've ever seen on the water here. It's crazy. Hello, gentlemen. What are you doing down there? We're pumping mud. Be careful, the water is not super clean. What is he doing down there? He's pumping mud because we have to put the boat back in the water otherwise it's dangerous. And why is this boat here? During the rainy season, the level of the river is higher, so the boat floats. But here, it's the gutter, so the boat has partially failed on the ground. I'd like to get on it. Can you help me with that? Yes, we can. Great, thank you very much. Welcome on board. What is the name of this boat? I don't know, but I know it must be a hotel. Do you want to see it? Of course. I'm holding on a little because I'm afraid of falling. It's crazy. It's beautiful. I feel like I'm reliving the marine life of Corto Maltese. I love it. There's wood everywhere. It's crazy. Is it being built or is it being dismantled? Both. This hotel boat has never been finished. It was under construction and everything stopped. The promoters ran out of money so they abandoned the boat. Everything is in good condition, like the precious wood. It breaks my heart to see it like this. Me too. But that's how it is. Let's continue our visit. It's more beautiful like this than in a big cathedral or in a big church. I'm more moved by this wood, this boat, this size, this texture. It breaks my heart to see it and at the same time it's very beautiful. Everything doesn't move but I have seasickness. Rooms on each side. Do you want to enter this room? It's a sequel. You can sit here and you have your little balcony to do the cruise on the Mekong. Big cabin. The wooden cupboard. This one is beautiful. Is it this way? You have to go up there. Ah, the pool! The pool. A small pool. I didn't know a boat like this could exist. I wish you one day to sail on this boat. Thank you very much for the visit. Thank you very much. I'm back in the water still shocked by this strange visit. Phnom Penh is situated on both the Mekong and the river Tonle Sap. But twice a year an exceptional phenomenon happens. When the Mekong is flooded it can no longer absorb the Tonle Sap water because it is above and the current reverses. The current goes up and goes up to the Tonle Sap lake. The lake is 100 km long and its surface is 4 times bigger. It swells with lemonous waters and fish and it feeds the whole region. We can clearly see that the current is coming towards us. That is to say that the reverse happened which means that the lake is emptying upstream over there. So I really want to see what Tonle Sap looks like to make a little infidelity to the Mekong. We are still in the same areas. On Lake Tonle Sap the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia the banks have completely disappeared. Six months a year in the rainy season the lake swells and swallows everything on its way. I feel like I'm landing on another planet. The lake is very large there are hundreds of villages all around but floating villages. There is all the life that is organized around the water. This one is called Prektual. Hello. Welcome to the house. This is where I live with my whole family. Sit down. Would you like some tea or coffee? Yes, of course. There is a loud microphone there is someone singing and talking. Why is there this sound around us? Because there was a death yesterday. Traditionally we play loud music all day to pass on the information to the whole village. Your name is Van? Van. And madam? Madam Chawan. Chawan. That's it. Hello. And this is where you live? This is the kitchen where my wife prepares food. Behind you is the bed of my eldest son. And us, with my daughters we sleep in the little floating house next door. This is quite surprising for us because we don't really know if it's a boat or a house. Is it floating or is it piloted? Well, it's floating. You know, we, the inhabitants of the village we build our floating houses ourselves. They float thanks to the bamboo and the cans we put under the house. Then we hammer them together so that it doesn't move. In fact, it's a bit like rafts. Here, everything is floating. We never set foot on the ground. We sail between the huts. Van takes me to discover his hidden activity in these large wooden boxes. A crocodile farm in the middle of the village. Did you hear it move? Did you see how it moves? No, no, it's not little crocodiles at all. You can easily hold on to it. How many are there in there? About sixty. So they don't move at all. They look like wood, but they don't move at all. It moves a little bit. What happens if I slip and fall into it? The crocodiles will eat you. Okay. So that's solid. So these crocodiles, why are they here? What do they become? In fact, I don't sell these crocodiles. I make them reproduce. I sell baby crocodiles to Chinese buyers who also keep some for reproduction. Is it expensive to sell a crocodile? It depends on the year. For example, last year it was not expensive, between seven and nine dollars. But some years baby crocodiles can go up to 15 or 20 dollars. 20 dollars for a crocodile, that's not bad. It's expensive, yes. But you know, you still have to feed them for a year. What do crocodiles eat? They eat fish, snakes. In fact, crocodiles eat everything in the water. Crocodiles eat fish. In nature, crocodiles don't eat fish. They eat centipedes. I saw it on TV. Yes, of course. They eat a little bit of everything. And I also give them rats. By the way, we're going to hunt some. Rats? I'm surprised, but why not? You have to go and get them where they nest, in the swallowed forests. So it's in a pirogue that we go to hunt rats. Is it still far? It's over there. We're almost there. The water level has dropped since a month ago. We lost about 1.5 meters. But there are still 5 meters of depth, that is, the trees that we will pass there, there are 5 meters of holes that we can't see anymore. In fact, since it's flooded, the rats use the branches to make nests at the top of the trees. And if you look over there, you can see a rat nest. It doesn't look like a rat nest. It looks like a toad nest. I just want to understand the rats. Why are they in that tree? Can't they swim? In fact, at night, rats eat the fruits and leaves mainly from the tree where they made their nests. But sometimes, they swim from tree to tree. You know, rats know how to swim and even dive underwater. But during the day, they often sleep here in their nest. But how do we know if there is someone in there? Do we knock? Do we make the rat cry? Do we open? What do we do? You know, I'm not going to wait to know if the rat is in his nest or not. The simplest way is to pierce the nest directly with my harpoon. Here, look. It's used by rats but also by little harpoons. Yes, it's practical. It's a two-in-one. Enough talking. Let's see if the rat is there. But you know, it's not guaranteed. You can also make white cabbage. I'm looking at you. I won't do it. I don't kill rats. I love rats. I don't want to kill them. There are no rats. Let's go see another tree. Like fishing, you have to be patient. Let's keep hunting. There's a tree. I'm sure there's a nest. Go try. The nest is empty. Guys, it's 2 to 0 for the rats. I see a nest. I'm going to try to catch it. It's not funny. It's there, at the end of the perch. It's there. I pierced the rat. I can't be hungry. Poor animal. We don't let it suffer for long. Don't worry too much about the rat. When the hunt is good, when the season is good, how many rats can you catch? Every day, in the middle of the season, a person can catch between 15 and 20 kilos of rats. 20 kilos of rats? How many rats are there? 50 rats? 100 rats? I'd say that with this kind of rat, since you need 10 to make a kilo, you need about 100 a day. The biggest rats can reach up to a kilo, but it's rare. It's very beautiful. Well, the dead rat, but what we see around us, it's wonderful. Shall we go home? Let's go. Result of this hunting day, a rat for our crocodile friends. But above all, the pleasure for me to have discovered a world that I didn't even dare to imagine. On my way back to Van, I enjoyed a family evening. I was expecting a night shaken by the sound of the water. It's rather rhythmed by the waves of the boats. Today, I close my eyes. I also admit that my ears are full. But tonight, honestly, nothing will stop me from sleeping. The whole family wakes up. And for my part, I remember that we have to feed the crocodiles. Come on, François, we're going to feed them. Try not to fall right away. Are you sure the boards hold? Yes, it's solid. I built this cage. Is this where you feed the crocodiles? Yes, yes. Just open it from above. There's almost no risk. They're waiting. They recognize, they're waiting. They all came here. If I throw the rat there, will they move a lot? Yes, a little. It will move, but it's the strongest that will get it. A rat is an M&M's. Peanuts? Yes, a little. But the crocodiles are afraid of rats. They like that. You know, usually, I give them fish, but it's less to their taste. Well, since there's only one rat, I advise you to aim well. I don't know who I'm going to throw it to. This one. Damn! Oh, yes, okay. If you fall there, I think you'll last five seconds. The swallow, that's it. In fact, they swallow at once. Okay. I came to see a fisherman's village, I found a hunter's village, we hunt rats, and I learn that rats are used to feed crocodiles that you raise to feed this beautiful family. Incredible. Next time, when you come back, I'll teach you something else. I'll teach you how to handle a crocodile with bare hands. Thank you very much. It doesn't scare me. We're laughing, but we're only laughing half the time. See you soon. I can't leave the banks of the Tonle Sap without going to see, a few kilometers away, one of the most magnificent places on the planet. The city of Angkor. Walking around these ruined temples is diving into an extraordinary story. You have to imagine, we're in the year 1000, you have to imagine 300,000 people here building this, stone by stone. The stones descend from the mountain through a canal that has been dug. Then they take the river by boat and they go up the riverbank to get here. Each stone has traveled miles to get here to build something crazy. So the fish of the river, the birds of the river, as if the river was there before, it will be there after. It's a dream come true, because it's the biggest religious site in the world. Built by the Khmer kings between the 9th and the 15th century, it stretches over more than 40 kilometers. You have to imagine that at its peak nearly 4 million people would have lived around these temples. I resume my journey, straight to Vietnam, the last country before the sea. Here, the Mekong turns into a delta. I discover an incredible dedalus of canals, floating markets and landscapes worth seeing. The delta is Vietnam's food court. Everything is out of measure here, so instead of taking one of the many boats sailing the region, I chose a boat like the Mekong. A cargo ship that will take me to discover a new facet of the river. We are only 70 kilometers from the sea. The level of the river changes with the tides. Where are we? What is this place? This is a brick factory village. And what are these domes? These domes? These are the ovens that make the bricks. There are a lot of them. There are a lot everywhere. It's beautiful. Today I deliver rice straw. It is this straw that emits fuel to run the ovens. Everything is used in rice. How many loads are there? How many tons? 30 tons. This is rice without grains. This is what surrounds the grain of rice. Once they beat it, they let it dry, I guess, and it makes the straw that serves as fuel. And the bridge? Are we going to cross the bridge? Yes, why not? Is it possible or not? Yes. What do I do? I don't stay here. Be careful. Come on, lie down. Be careful. It's crazy. I'm going to drop you off at Mr. Haï's. He owns three brick ovens. It looks like a gas station. Yes, it's a gas station for boats. It's a station for both boats and cars. Can I get off here? Thank you. I love this rice straw. It smells so good. I'm going to put some in my pocket. Hello, gentlemen. Mr. Haï? François, hello. Hello, welcome to my home. He told me you had three ovens here and that you were the big boss. For me, the gas station is a business. But brick ovens are a family business that has been passed down from generation to generation. For me, making bricks is a real passion and I'm very proud of it. Can you take me to see the ovens? Yes, they're over there. We're going to take the boat. It's not like we didn't have a boat here. You have to do everything by boat. The bricks. The rice straw is there. Hello, ladies. What are they doing? They're feeding the brick oven with the rice straw. In fact, in the oven, we put a lot of bricks in the ground. From bottom to top, one on top of the other. We close the oven and then we make a big fire here. Thanks to the rice straw, it all burns. And every 30 minutes or so, you have to feed the fire so it never goes out. Okay, so it heats up well, it burns well. And how many bricks are in there? And what temperature? There are 160,000 bricks. As we just turned it on, the oven is at 300 degrees. It will stay on for 25 days and the temperature will vary between 600 and 1,200 degrees. It's hot. You can feel it. It's crazy. This craftsmanship is incredible. Thousands, millions of bricks are moved, stored, stacked in the ovens and unloaded, always by hand, in an endless movement. Someone is climbing the ladder. Can we see what it looks like inside? Yes, with pleasure. We'll see. There are still all the ashes. It's crazy. It's a dome. It's like a place of worship. The silence is total. I'll try to go higher to see. It's crazy. I didn't think it would be like this. Once again, I discover the virtuous circle that unites men in Mekong. The land of the river is transformed into bricks and it is on the water that they will leave by millions to build buildings. Yes, it is in this old factory that Vietnam of tomorrow is built. Last day of my trip to Mekong, I am only a few hundred meters from the sea. Behind the boats, there is a small bay that connects the islands in the Mekong Delta. The sea is over there. We can feel it. Yes, it's the mouth. Over there, you see, it's the sea of China. And the sea, what does it inspire you? It is different from Mekong. The sea brings us so many things. Yes, she's right. The sea brings us a lot. In fact, the sea here makes Mekong change. If the sea makes Mekong change, the Mekong also makes the sea change. So I traveled 2,400 kilometers on the Mekong. I crossed three countries and I finally find myself at the end of the end. I admit I dreamed of fine sand and coconut trees, but until the end, the Mekong unfolds a completely different story. This is the end of the trip, the end of the Mekong. It gives it its color over hundreds of kilometers. And I realize that people are not turned to the sea at all here. They are completely turned to the river because this is one of the rare villages on the coast. The people, as if the river had given them everything since always. They don't need to turn to the sea.