Special Delivery

In a remote part of Ladakh not even listed on Google Maps, is an unknown village in Leh that is completely devoid of electricity. The remoteness and rugged mountain terrain makes laying conventional power lines impossible. Host Paul Foster is on a special mission to deliver a micro-grid energy system to the people of this village. Carrying a fragile and unwieldy solar panel for days up the unforgiving terrain is a challenge that even the super fit Paul will struggle with.

They live in a tropical paradise – a tranquil community set in picture perfect crystal clear waters and blue skies – far from the mire and corrupting distractions of urban life. They are the Bajao Sea Nomads of Sabah. Through generations, the sea has provided fully for them. But this is changing. Fish is getting scarcer and there are new needs with the encroachment of modernity. One of the community’s sons – Zaimi has made good and has started an enterprise to help his people earn much needed income – farming of sea cucumbers. Our host, Paul Foster travels to Bajao – to deliver materials that will complete a sea cucumber ranch. He also brings his own gift and for the duration of his stay, becomes totally enamoured with these enchanting gypsies of the sea.

In this episode, our Special Delivery Host Carla D travels to Bangkok to meet an extraordinary father-son pair. Walter and his boy Zy have scaled peaks like Mt Kilimanjaro, Gunung Kinabalu, Fuji-san and more. What’s so unusual about them is that Zy is physically disabled and they are the heart and soul of “Climb to Change a Life”. By organising climbs, they are empowering and inspiring parents and special needs children in South-east Asia to transcend the emotional and mental boundaries drawn by physical limitations and societal prejudice. The aim is singularly simple, yet profound – that these children are not disabled, but differently abled. Carla volunteers in a group climb up a peak in the scenic Nature Reserve of HuaHin. It will entail carrying a child up to the summit of a craggy hill and delivering her safely down to her parents. It is a delivery that will place physical demands, but more importantly, entail an emotional inner journey on the part of Carla.

The Orang Asli – recognised as the first people of Peninsula Malaysia. It’s a diverse collection of tribes and most, with government assistance, now live in riverine villages in Taman Negara. But there are some who still follow the old hunter-gatherer ways. But such a way of life – idyllic as it may seem, does not mean they have it easy. Host Paul Foster journeys up the Tembeling River and into the primeval forest in search of just such a community from the Batek tribe. His mission, to deliver tools and material that the Batek will need to sustain their traditional way of living.

In the mountainous area of Tuyen Quang province, Vietnam, is a tribal commune isolated from modernity and from loved ones who have gone to the cities in search of better lives. Emails and SMS-es are practically non-existent to the point where the tribes rely on a special postman to deliver items such as gifts and letters from loved ones. Host Daniel Hutchinson joins the postman in delivering personal packages to the families but not before embarking on an arduous journey to where the tribes are situated.

Two years after a catastrophic earthquake struck Nepal, there are many who continue to live with the repercussions of the seismic disaster. Homes have not been fully rebuilt leaving victims without shelter, and schools are still in the process of being repaired. Host Paul Foster hooks up with his Nepalese friends to undertake a tough, dangerous and exhilarating 14 hour drive up the mountains in a special delivery of masonry that will help rebuild schools and bring the children back into the classroom.

Many Cambodian children suffer and die each year from waterborne disease. It is an unnecessary tragedy caused by poverty and very poor sanitation – especially for the villagers living in Siem Reap province. Host Khai Saharom takes on a special delivery – sponsoring and bringing water filters to a rural village to help combat and solve the problem. The journey promises to be eventful as Khai must himself drive the truck carrying the filters – something he has never done before.