Martin Clunes: Islands of the Pacific

-Seen from space, it's just one vast expanse of blue, 63 million square miles of water that cover a quarter of the globe.

And, yet, the Pacific Ocean is littered with islands, tens of thousands of them, from reef-fringed sandbars... to soaring cliffs... to rumbling volcanoes.

[ Rumbling ] Home to extraordinary animals... Oh, blimey.

[ Laughs ] ...and countless vibrant cultures.

[ Horn honks ] Thank you, sweetheart.

-[ Laughs ] -Now I've returned post-pandemic to resume my travels around the Pacific... Hello, hello.

[ Chuckles ] ...to places long thought of as paradise on Earth.

So lush, vibrant.

But as the forces of change wash every shore, what happens to paradise?

And what does the future hold?

To find out, I'm on an epic adventure in search of the real Pacific.

Come and discover the amazing islands of this great, big, beautiful ocean.

The Philippines is unlike all my other island destinations.

For a start, it's one of the world's largest archipelagos -- more than 7,000 islands with an astounding array of landscapes...

Isn't that just stunning?

...cultures... Why is mine quieter?

...and creatures.

-[ Snarls ] -[ Buzzes ] -Oh, hello, mate.

It borders the Western Pacific, yet it's also considered part of Asia.

And on the largest island, Luzon, the capital, Manila, is the ultimate Pacific-Asian fusion.

[ Horns honking ] 20 million people living cheek by jowl make Manila the planet's most densely populated city.

[ Horns honking ] And the best way to soak up its manic energy is in a jeepney, the colorful kings of the road that are unique to this country.

I'll take the money.

-I give you all the money?

-Yeah.

Yeah.

I'm working for the boss here.

-Ah.

-There you go.

So, it feels like a great introduction to Manila, because I think if I was to start in the back of an air-conditioned taxi or a minibus, I wouldn't feel so immersed in it here.

But you get the smells coming in, people coming on.

You can see all the fruit on the market stalls.

Yeah, I'm getting a great sense of the place.

Whoo-hoo!

[ Laughs ] Sitting near the front, I've discovered, comes with important responsibilities.

I'll take the money.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Here we go.

I'm raking it in, Chris.

You're lucky I'm here.

Like most jeepney drivers, Chris Adizas is also the proud owner of his gleaming machine.

Adapted from military jeeps left by American forces at the end of World War II, some say jeepneys and their distinctive decorations are a kind of Filipino folk art, and they've long been a favorite way to travel.

So, this is the cheapest way of getting around town.

-Yes.

Yes.

-Unfortunately, diesel-guzzling jeepneys cause bad pollution, and the government is clamping down.

Is there gonna come a time when this type of jeepney is made completely illegal?

It's a real dilemma.

There are modern air-conditioned replacements, which are comfier and create less pollution, but most drivers like Chris can't afford the new buses and may simply just lose their jobs.

The quirky charm of the classic jeepney may soon be a thing of the past.

[ Dinging ] More and more Filipinos are turning to healthier ways to get around.

National bike sales are growing by an impressive 25% year on year.

And in the heart of Manila's old Spanish colonial quarter, one brilliant venture is the ultimate in eco-travel.

Bryan.

-Hey, Martin.

-How you doing?

-Welcome to Bambike.

-American-born Filipino Bryan McClelland is the founder of Bambike.

As you might have guessed, Bambike builds bikes out of bamboo, which are shipped around the globe.

Oh, yeah, that's a nice one.

And that's just bamboo?

There's not a steel frame inside there?

-Yeah, that's right.

-Oh, wow.

-So where you see the bamboo, it's just bamboo.

-This is not bamboo.

This is -- What is this?

-Yeah, so, this is a natural fiber called abac.

It's a cousin of the banana plant, and you extract the fibers from that.

It comes out looking like long, blond strands.

And the Spanish armadas actually used to use abac for their marine rope for their ships.

So it's proven to be strong over the years.

-Wow.

Really strong.

-The bikes are made in a kind of housing project.

So we trained a small community, put in a workshop in their village, and, yeah, now they're the ones that, you know, we're the most proud of 'cause it's their craftsmanship that really is the heart of Bambike.

-So, people just come in.

You take tours around -- Where?

Around the old town?

-Yes.

-Well, let's take a bam-wander out there.

-Yeah.

Go out to the bam-back and get on your Bambike.

-[ Laughs ] Bamboo industries everywhere are booming.

Beep, beep.

Bikes have come on since I was a nipper.

Bamboo is now used for everything from scaffolding and furniture to fabrics and fuel.

[ Laughs ] Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

But, surely, bamboo doesn't get more fun than this.

The Philippines has been through some troubled times.

The brutal dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda, ended in the '80s, when revolutionaries kicked them out.

Imelda's lavish shoe collection -- 3,500 pairs -- became a symbol of the billions of dollars stolen by the Marcoses.

Yet, amazingly, Imelda is back, and her son, Bongbong, is now president.

But while corrupt politicians gave the nation a bad name, ordinary Filipinos are some of the most God-fearing, devout people on Earth.

In the Church of Santo Domingo, 27 floats bearing Catholic saints stand ready for one of the nation's greatest obsessions, a religious parade.

All of these floats are fantastically made.

The quality of the metals here.

There's a fantastic smell from all the flowers.

And the detail is above and beyond.

This is a quite impressive thing to see.

More than 80% of the Philippines is Catholic -- the legacy of three centuries of Spanish rule, which ended in 1898.

The Spanish even named the country after their king, Philip II.

[ Crowd cheering ] There's a swell of emotion as the star of the show appears, a resident statue of the Virgin, known as Our Lady of La Naval.

She really is quite something.

Those jewels -- I think they're real.

I mean, all those diamonds and just the excitement when she came through.

It's said that Our Lady of La Naval helped the Spanish defeat a Dutch invasion in 1646.

Many believe she still grants miracles to those who pray.

The atmosphere is intense -- part Hollywood red carpet... -Whoo!

-...part deep devotion.

After the procession, I'm going to meet a devotee of Our Lady, who's invited me to dinner.

[ Dog barks ] Shh!

Hi.

[ Laughs ] [ Dog barks ] [ Laughs ] It's a modest neighborhood, but still a cut above the 500-or-so slums dotted around the city.

Hi, Jay?

-Hi, sir.

-Hi.

Stop calling me sir.

Call me Martin.

Call me Martin.

-Yes, Martin.

Welcome to our humble home.

-Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

-Here's my brother and my sister and my niece.

-Hello.

Hi.

-Jerome, Joanne, and Paula.

-Jerome, Joanne, and Paula.

-Yes.

-Yes, I'll forget those right now.

That's all gone.

It's -- I love your neighborhood.

This is where you grew up?

-Yeah.

I've been since birth.

-Since birth.

Everybody living on top of everybody, but everybody looking out for each other, as well.

Jay Lord Ortillano's family have their own shrine to Our Lady of La Naval.

-The picture of the dearest lady of Our Lady of La Naval in Santo Domingo Church.

-Wow!

Jay Lord believes Our Lady has just helped heal his mother, now resting in the room where the family all sleep.

-I pray to the mother of our Lady of La Naval for the safe operation of my mom.

And then also -- -She just had an operation?

-Yeah.

-Just recently.

Wow.

And it's all gone well.

-Yeah.

The graces of the dearest Lady is all fine.

That's the power of our dearest Lady.

That's why I love her so much.

-Ah, great!

-Until the last breath, I will honor and glorify the dearest mother.

-Amazing.

-Yes, sir.

-You've got two mothers.

-Yeah, two mothers.

I have my mother here inside and the mother of Santo Domingo Church.

-You're spoiled.

-Thank you, sir.

So, we have here cooking talong.

-Making impressive use of a tiny kitchen, Jay Lord's family prepare a traditional meal that's all about sharing.

It's known, rather oddly, as a boodle fight feast.

[ Laughter ] -Let's eat.

-Let's eat.

Let's eat.

-Okay.

Let's taste -- It's what we call boodle fight.

-A boodle fight.

-Yes, sir.

-The name comes from military slang used by soldiers tucking into their communal meals.

This tilapia is good.

-Yeah.

-But the hands-only custom is a proud reminder of pre-colonial times, before the Spanish introduced their newfangled cutlery.

-Before I go to all-day class, I pray.

-You pray.

-Yeah.

[ Laughs ] As my brother said, always pray and always -- -Think positive.

-Yeah.

Think positive always.

-It's a wonderful way to end my time in Manila before I move on.

[ Chirping, squawking ] 200 miles north of Manila, high in the mountains of Luzon Island, lies the sleepy town of Sagada.

The modern world has clearly made its mark here, but head out through the cemetery, and you'll find ancient ways of preserving the dead that are still practiced today.

These are the hanging coffins of the Kankanaey tribe.

I'm meeting Sagada resident Chris Anway, who's agreed to show me where his own ancestors hang.

Morning.

-Oh, morning.

-Chris, hi, hi.

-Yeah.

Good, good.

But, first, we must seek permission from tribal elder Lagay Pulat.

-Lagay Pulat.

Always welcome.

-We must have done something right, as the answer is "yes."

-Yeah, we can go and visit the coffins.

-Oh, thank you.

Beyond the town and through a patch of forest, we find Chris' family coffins hanging off a cliff.

Oh, right up there, as well.

So, this is your family, your ancestors.

-Yeah, my ancestors.

-Yeah.

-One of the coffins -- my great-grandfather.

-Uh-huh.

-Yeah.

We hung them because we believed that their spirits will be free.

-Right.

-We don't want to carry the earth.

We want the earth to carry us.

-I see.

-Rather than burying 6 feet under the ground.

It's totally darkness and it's heavy to carry.

-In England, when you die, it's like you've been bad.

People come and hide you.

They come and take you away.

Take you away from your family and hide you in a fridge till they're ready to put you in the ground or burn you.

With the growth of Christianity in the tribe, the hanging coffins have become a source of tension.

So, when you die, will you have a hanging coffin?

-I don't know.

Now if you die, it depends on the family.

You can do a request like, "Hey, I want to be hung there."

-Yeah.

-But my family now believe in Christianity, so I don't know.

I'm still alive and kicking.

-Yeah, yeah.

We're not wishing you dead.

[ Both laugh ] I'm just interested to know.

Yeah, so, it's just out of Christianity that sort of stopped this.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Deep in the forest, there are other final resting places.

Inside a cave lie more of Chris' ancestors.

And these are very ancient, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

And the vertebrae.

Ow!

[ Laughs ] -Watch your neck.

-I'll join the ancestors prematurely.

Though they're well-hidden, these coffins, too, are raised high on a ledge with a view of the sky.

[ Bird wings flapping ] It's not spooky or mawkish here, and I think it's because we feel that we have permission from the elder and because you're speaking to the remains respectfully, and just it stops it being ghoulish or wrong.

-Mm-hmm.

[ Lighter clicks ] -Chris offers thanks to the ancestors in the form of cigarette smoke.

And then it's time to leave them in peace.

Beyond the church influence, the Philippines is still a patchwork of beliefs and cultures.

Three hours' drive away, the traditions of the Ifugao tribe focus less on death and more on life.

This stunning terraced landscape, a World Heritage Site, is sometimes called the Eighth Wonder of the World.

[ Rooster crows ] For the residents of Bangaan, everything revolves around the rice grown in these centuries-old paddy fields.

This is my first time in my life up close to rice.

Rice is the planet's number-one cereal crop, feeding over half the human population.

-The brown one is already ready for harvesting.

-So, it's got a husk on it.

Yet, I've never seen for myself how it gets from plant to plate.

Ah!

-We can remove the skin of the grain.

-Wow.

The rice makes the world go 'round, doesn't it?

Everybody eats rice.

Every country in the world likes rice.

-Yes.

-With local guide Attom Magaling, I'm headed for the clustered traditional homes of Bangaan village... Good morning!

...to learn more about rice from the Hangdaan family... Good morning.

Hi.

I'm Martin.

...Mum Virginia... Good morning, good morning.

...her daughter Dawna... Oh, it's nice meeting you, too.

...sister Leticia... -Good morning.

-Thank you.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Good morning, sir.

...and dad Buokan.

How do you do?

See you later.

Without further ado, we set out for the nursery terraces.

-Careful.

Slowly but surely.

-Slowly but surely.

-Yes.

-So lush, vibrant green, isn't it?

Just looks lovely.

[ Chuckles ] Armed with a fistful of seedlings, I do my best to plant neat rows.

But it turns out it's not quite as easy as it looks.

-No, not like -- -Nope.

What?

-Not like this.

Like this.

Look.

-Like a pen.

-Like you're holding a pen.

-Yeah.

-Yes, like that.

-Like this.

-Oh, I see.

-Okay.

-I see.

It looks like a hair transplant.

This rice-growing method, unchanged here for 2,000 years, is now threatened by cheap, mechanically farmed rice from the outside world.

Oh, mine are all falling over.

-More deeper.

-Deeper.

Okay.

-Yes.

-[ Laughs ] I'm not very good, am I?

-Yeah.

It's okay.

It's okay.

[ Laughter ] -It's my first time.

Give me a break.

By growing ancient heirloom varieties, the Ifugao hope to export a surplus and sustain their way of life, which includes their beliefs.

The most sacred figure here is the rice god Bulul, and many of the rituals seek his blessing for a good crop.

[ Clanging ] After four months of growing, the rice is harvested and the backbreaking job of processing it begins.

-You want to try?

-I'll give it a go.

-Yeah.

No.

-Whoop!

-Hold here.

-Oh, right.

-Yeah, okay?

Okay, do it.

-It's pounded with pestle and mortar to remove the outer husks from the good bits.

This stone was made for a shorter man than me.

[ Laughs ] Winnowing separates out the lighter husks.

And after drying the grains in the sun, they can be cooked and eaten or turned into rice cakes, rice wine, or even rice coffee.

As a privileged guest, I'm invited to witness a sacred rice ceremony.

Buokan, who is both father and priest, is about to foretell the success of the harvest.

[ Chicken squawking ] As he sacrifices a chicken to the rice god Bulul, Buokan prays for guidance.

-[ Speaking native language ] -Then the chicken is plucked and prepared in the fire.

Really smoky.

Not just the fire and no chimney, but the feathers on the fire, as well.

Finally, the bird is jointed and its entrails read like a fortune-teller's tea leaves for signs of the harvest to come.

These guys know what they're looking for.

-We are all good in this village.

-Today, it seems the gods are smiling.

Leaving behind the mountains of Luzon Island, I'm heading south over the Philippine archipelago.

In the center, like a jewel, lies the island of Bohol.

Bohol boasts a truly unique landscape that's a bit of a geological mystery.

To really appreciate it, you have to get up high.

This has to be one of the most pleasing sights I've ever seen.

1,776 of these beautiful, perfect conical mounds.

They're known as the Chocolate Hills, because when the dry season, when all this green grass dies down, they all go brown.

Scientists will tell you that the Chocolate Hills are made of limestone molded by the weather over thousands of years.

But what nobody really knows is why they've formed so many perfect pudding shapes on this island.

Isn't that just stunning?

As far as you can see, it's just these beautiful, lush bumps, which used to be my nickname at school.

[ Laughs ] The Philippines is one of the world's biodiversity hot spots, blessed with 52,000 plant and animal species, more than half of them found nowhere else.

And one of its most remarkable creatures lurks in the forests of Bohol.

With the help of conservationist Carlito Pizarras and his assistant, Jerra Bonita, I'm hoping to spot the elusive Philippine tarsier.

Inside a 21-acre sanctuary, they're protected from predators, although the tarsiers can freely leap to the surrounding forest.

-Hiding.

-Where?

Of course.

They're nocturnal, so daytime is a good time to catch them napping.

Oh, my God!

[ Laughs ] Oh, little fella.

[ Laughs ] Oh, how lovely.

-So, tarsier is a primate.

They are more primitive than the monkey.

-You mean they were around before monkeys were?

-Yes.

-Oh, wow!

-Yeah.

-Oh, maybe that's why he recognizes me.

We've got similar ears.

[ Laughter ] -Yes.

-Gosh, he's got a long tail, hasn't he?

-Mm-hmm.

-And they sleep hanging on.

They -- Yeah, yeah.

-Yeah.

-He doesn't look very happy about being woken up.

I'm sorry, mate.

[ Laughs ] The huge, Yoda-like eyes, good for night vision, don't swivel so, instead, the tarsier can turn its head a full 180 degrees in either direction.

You can understand why people wanted them as pets, can't you?

Because they're so lovely.

But I know it's no good at all.

-They will commit suicide if you put them in a cage.

-Really?

-Yes.

And they want a big space because they can travel, during the night, 1 1/2 kilometers.

-Can they really?

-Yes.

-Oh, no wonder he's having a big sleep.

[ Both laugh ] For decades, Carlito has fought to preserve this threatened species, earning himself the nickname "The Tarsier Man."

Before the rest of the world understood much about them, as a local boy, he instinctively knew they needed protection.

-Oh, did he?

-Yes.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-Yes.

-Well, he must have noticed their numbers were dwindling, as well, sure.

-Yes.

-Sure.

Yeah.

Oh, that's a good story.

[ Both laugh ] You're a poacher-turned-gamekeeper.

You can really see, with his head turned in profile, that he's a primate.

He's got that kind of like a profile of a baboon and a monkey-ish ear, rather than a rodent.

I'm saying "he."

I don't know what gender he is.

She.

What he identifies as.

Excuse me.

What's your pronoun?

Oh, blimey.

[ Laughs ] Alongside the native flora and fauna, there's one thriving exotic species, brought here centuries ago by the Spanish, with surprisingly untapped potential.

On the island of the Chocolate Hills, chocolate-making has never really taken off -- until now.

-This is called Liboron Cacao Growers Association.

So, they're all women farmers.

-Bohol businesswoman Dalareich Polot, known as "The Chocolate Princess," is helping locals to turn their cacao trees into profit.

-I'm not sure if you know that we have a lot of cacao in this island, but when we grow up, I mean, when we're young, it's just at the back of the garden.

-So people have cacao trees just in their backyards.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Because we used to drink hot chocolate every morning.

We don't drink coffee.

-Right.

And you gather beans from all everyone's backyards kind of.

-Yes.

-Like a cooperative.

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-If you have just three cacao -- old cacao trees in your backyard, you can send one of your children to college.

-[ Gasps ] -Yeah.

-Oh, that's good maths.

That's great.

Bohol islanders have realized that many of their oldest cacao trees are the world's rarest, most sought-after variety, criollo.

So, with some clever grafting magic, the plantation can rapidly produce new criollos.

Is that a traditional technique?

No.

This is modern science at work.

-It is the advanced technology to produce quicker and still retain the quality.

And you don't have to wait five years.

-Wow!

-Yes.

-Inside a ripe cacao pod, the beans are cloaked in a fleshy fruit.

-Yeah, so, we just like, you know, eat it.

It's a fruit.

-Mmm!

-Yeah, It's good, right?

-It's kind of tangy, like a lychee.

-When we were kids, like, "Okay, get the cacao at the back and then eat it and then just keep the beans, and they will dry it."

-So you were encouraged to take this layer off.

-Yeah.

-Because this has to come off before you make -- -Yes.

Yes.

-Yeah.

-Once dried, the beans are roasted.

-It's good.

It tastes like chocolate already.

-Yeah, it does.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, so, we used to do that over the fire.

-Mmm!

'Cause it's got a nice sort of smoky, roasted taste.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-The shells are cracked to reveal their precious contents.

-That's called cacao nibs.

-Nibs.

-Yeah.

-Which are then separated out, just like rice.

-You try.

-Oh, I'll have a go.

-Yeah, you try.

-It won't go well.

-Yeah.

-No, those are all going over there.

That's the trick, isn't it, to get it -- -You're like a pro.

-Shut up.

[ Laughter ] Using the beans she buys from the farmers, Dalareich has built a hugely successful chocolate business.

It's a long way from her childhood, drinking hot chocolate in the backyard.

-I just want to give you some chocolate.

-Here's Mum.

-Hello, Mum.

So, my mum will, like -- you know, will actually show you how to make the traditional hot chocolate.

-Using your tablets.

-Yeah.

-Shaped like the traditional tablets, known as tablea, Dalareich's version of the homemade island drink has won international awards.

-Eight tablets for... -For two cups.

-...two cups.

-For two cups?

-Yes.

-Even more impressive when you know that Mum started out as a street cleaner.

Your mum was sweeping streets to make the -- but whilst making chocolate from the garden.

-Yes.

-[ Speaking native language ] -Yeah, she said that to be able for us to go to college, all of us, the five of us -- -Five of you?

-Yes.

-Wow!

-Yeah.

-By making chocolate and sweeping streets.

-Yeah.

You can try.

You want some sugar in it?

-No sugar.

-I don't know.

No sugar.

Mum says no sugar.

-Just like a sip, because it's really hot.

Careful.

She said it's...

So, some people put milk in it and sugar in it.

-Boy, that's quite... [ Clears throat ] That's quite bitter, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Mmm!

-It's really the 100%.

-It's kind of like sort of chocolate espresso.

-Yes, that's right.

-Yeah, yeah.

-You can put sugar if you want, but -- -No, I'll go purist.

At school, Dalareich won a scholarship to study chocolate technology abroad.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-I went to Belgium.

I said, "Nobody is teaching chocolate, the science behind cacao and chocolate, here in the Philippines."

-How were you received in Belgium?

What was that like?

-Yeah, honestly, it was so amazing, because everybody liked Belgian chocolate.

-Yeah.

-And then I actually brought the tablea that my mom is making.

And then my one of my professors said, "That's the most expensive chocolate that you can sell."

I was like, "Oh, my goodness.

That's not chocolate for us.

It's only for hot chocolate."

And they were like, "When you go home, educate the people."

-That's amazing.

-So, the goal is to really -- to make it a sustainable business.

Then everyone can -- I can help -- We can help a lot of people.

-You are great philanthropists.

It's terrific.

It really is.

It's a lovely thing to witness.

-Yeah.

-As the international awards keep on coming, Dalareich creates evermore delicious luxury products.

Mmm!

[ Laughs ] Mm-hmm-hmm!

-How is it?

-Mmm!

[ Laughs ] Mmm!

If anyone's going to put Bohol Island on the world map of chocolate, it's the remarkable Chocolate Princess.

I'm right at the heart of the Philippine archipelago, yet my next destination has surprisingly few visitors -- and for good reason.

Just 20 miles from Bohol, this island has long had a reputation for sorcery and black magic.

So, the island behind me is called Siquijor, also known locally as "The Island of Witches."

And a lot of Filipino people won't go there, but I'm going there.

I'm not scared.

Siquijor's witches and shamans actually have an appointed representative.

But as Junel Tomaroy shows me the tools of the trade, I realize he sees himself more as a traditional healer.

Yes.

And that breaks the line.

That -- -Yeah.

-I noticed you've got some interesting things behind you.

How do you use those in your healing?

May I hold it?

Thank you.

Yeah.

-Yeah.

-According to Junel, the island's reputation for black magic is undeserved.

Victims of witchcraft and sorcery.

Really?

Really?

-Yeah.

-Right.

-That's the -- -The intention to help.

-Yeah.

The essence of healing, traditional healing.

-But he does admit to knowing some darker spells.

Before 3: 00 on a Friday?

-Yeah.

-Wow.

As the Christian connection suggests, Siquijor Island is home to a unique cocktail of ritual and religion.

To see its strange blend of beliefs in action, I'm going to meet a shamaness with her own unorthodox method.

Chima Ugnay hasn't asked me about my various ailments, but perhaps she doesn't need to.

-Oh, my Jesus.

Oh, my Jesus.

Oh, my Jesus, come of the Holy Spirit, come with me, God, and both of my side have an angel.

This give peace of miracle of recovery of this, my patient, and give of his freedom.

-Chima is a rare practitioner of a ritual known as bolo-bolo.

The glass contains water for purity and coins to denote something precious, like good health.

In the name of the Father, the Son, of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

-Oh, Thank you.

Thank you.

-You're welcome.

-Can you tell me about some of the miracles and the things that you've done for people in your time?

But not everyone on this island welcomes Chima's work.

Perhaps because she's a woman with an unusual method, she has occasionally been bullied.

It's funny, isn't it?

Words like shaman and witchcraft and sorcery carry such negative connotations for us.

But all I've found here is very kindly people helping heal people, underpinned with this very strong Catholic belief.

And, to us, maybe bits of stick or mud or rock look bizarre, but is it any stranger than bits of wafer and a sip of red wine?

I don't see the difference, really.

For one last magical encounter, I'm kayaking up the Abatan River back in Bohol to witness something really special.

-So you've done some kayaking before.

I see you... -I've got a lovely technique, haven't I?

-Yes.

[ Both laugh ] Natural.

-As the light begins to fade, my guide, Rey Donaire, points out how the river creatures prepare for night.

-These white birds you see right in front -- it's like Philippine egrets.

-Egrets.

-Yeah.

This is, like, their normal schedule once the sun sets.

-Oh, really?

Well, they all -- -They use this river as a highway to the coast, where they sleep for the night.

-Oh, look at them!

How beautiful.

-You know you are lucky if they...on you, right?

[ Laughs ] -Yeah, it's lucky if you're an egret.

[ Both laugh ] How lovely.

Lovely.

But the most dramatic change takes place after dark, as the trees along the banks start to come alive with fireflies.

-We're seeing some of them already.

-Wow!

Unlike most firefly species, these ones synchronize their pulses, creating a mesmerizing ripple effect as they gradually grow brighter.

Did you know how long they live for?

-Well, for one year, you're a larvae in the mud.

-Ah!

-Yeah.

But as fireflies, it's just about two weeks.

-Oh, no!

-Yeah.

But wait.

You know, the best two weeks of your life, because you know what?

Their main focus is now to just procreate.

-Oh, wow.

Just light up and mate.

-Yeah.

[ Both laugh ] Yeah, you're up here to see an orgy.

[ Laughs ] -Insect porn.

-If we turn off our lights, I'll be able to see them clearly.

-Whoo!

The main threat to their survival is human development.

Healthy populations, like this one, are considered signs of a healthy river.

Look at them now.

-Dancing with the stars.

-Dancing with the stars.

[ Both laugh ] That's it.

-But they're not actually dancing.

-Don't spoil it.

[ Both laugh ] I've absolutely loved my time in the Philippines, and even though I've only got to visit three of the 7,000-or-so islands, I've got a real sense of this unique part Pacific Island, part Asian, strong Spanish influences.

And everybody works so hard -- for their church, their village, their community, and their tribe.

And all smiley, happy, laughy, welcoming people.

It's a real gem.

Next time, I'll be exploring the islands of Micronesia, learning my lesson in Guam... [ Laughs ] -And three!

-...and meeting some of the world's most endangered species.

[ Laughs ] Hello, mate!

Ouch!