1 00:00:38,654 --> 00:00:40,133 Taxi! 2 00:00:57,814 --> 00:00:59,805 It's a fine car. 3 00:00:59,974 --> 00:01:03,330 - Is it yours? - Yes, it's my car. 4 00:01:03,494 --> 00:01:06,770 - Car is Dodge. - Dodge. 5 00:01:06,934 --> 00:01:08,925 - What year? - '51. 6 00:01:09,094 --> 00:01:11,289 - 1951. - Yeah. 7 00:01:11,454 --> 00:01:14,048 - (HORN HONKS) - Look out. 8 00:01:16,054 --> 00:01:20,730 When my taxi was new, Hemingway might have been fishing offshore. 9 00:01:20,894 --> 00:01:27,049 My latest destination is the place he called home for almost 20 years - Havana, Cuba. 10 00:01:29,054 --> 00:01:34,447 Before Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, Cuba was virtually an American colony. 11 00:01:34,614 --> 00:01:39,290 Today the country is Communist and Uncle Sam is the bogeyman. 12 00:01:43,574 --> 00:01:46,771 It would be hard for Hemingway to work here now, 13 00:01:46,934 --> 00:01:49,607 but the Cubans hold him in great affection. 14 00:01:49,774 --> 00:01:56,293 His favourite hotel, the Ambos Mondos, remains proud of its most famous guest. 15 00:01:57,294 --> 00:02:00,843 Hello. Mr Palin. There we are. 16 00:02:01,014 --> 00:02:07,362 I did ask if I could have the room in which Ernest Hemingway stayed and wrote. 17 00:02:07,534 --> 00:02:14,451 - Is that possible? - No, sir. His room is a museum now. 18 00:02:14,614 --> 00:02:16,969 - A museum? - A Hemingway museum. 19 00:02:17,134 --> 00:02:20,285 So it's not possible for me to sleep in the museum. 20 00:02:21,894 --> 00:02:25,887 They can offer me the next best thing - the room next door. 21 00:02:32,414 --> 00:02:36,248 Actually, I'm much keener to see his room than mine. 22 00:02:36,414 --> 00:02:43,047 Hemingway always took room 511 on his boys-only trips to Havana in the 1930s. 23 00:02:47,534 --> 00:02:53,325 Having no luck with the museum, I set off for my first walk on the streets of Havana. 24 00:03:00,654 --> 00:03:05,728 Hemingway would have made his way through crowds like these on his way to his favourite bar, 25 00:03:05,894 --> 00:03:09,443 which appears in his novel "Islands in the Stream". 26 00:03:09,614 --> 00:03:13,766 "Thomas Hudson had been ashore about four days when he got really drunk. 27 00:03:13,934 --> 00:03:16,892 "It had started at noon at the Floridita." 28 00:03:19,654 --> 00:03:22,691 This is Hemingway's chair? 29 00:03:22,854 --> 00:03:26,324 Is it possible to? No? I thought not. 30 00:03:26,494 --> 00:03:28,530 Oh, well. 31 00:03:28,694 --> 00:03:31,652 Close as I can get. May I have a Papa-doble? 32 00:03:31,814 --> 00:03:34,282 - Si. - Papa Hemingway? 33 00:03:35,574 --> 00:03:41,410 The Papa-doble was Hemingway's own name which he gave the speciality here, the daiquiri, 34 00:03:41,574 --> 00:03:45,806 which is basically rum, lemon and sugar over crushed ice. 35 00:03:45,974 --> 00:03:49,489 Hemingway made his own with no sugar and twice the rum. 36 00:03:49,654 --> 00:03:54,125 This is it. Papa-doble. Twice the kick. Cheers. 37 00:04:06,374 --> 00:04:11,528 This was the place where Hemingway would bring all his famous friends. 38 00:04:11,694 --> 00:04:17,166 Film-star friends like Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Errol Flynn, Ava Gardner. 39 00:04:18,654 --> 00:04:20,451 Thank you. 40 00:04:27,614 --> 00:04:32,608 Since 1954 this place has been air conditioned and they've put walls up. 41 00:04:32,774 --> 00:04:34,924 Before that it was open round the side. 42 00:04:35,094 --> 00:04:39,053 Hemingway used to like to sit with his back to the wall 43 00:04:39,214 --> 00:04:42,524 and if he picked a fight - and he was always arguing - 44 00:04:42,694 --> 00:04:46,892 he'd take them out on the street and give them a punch-up... 45 00:04:47,054 --> 00:04:49,852 Ah, thank you. 46 00:04:55,614 --> 00:05:01,007 Hemingway had a prodigious appetite for these daiquiris he'd invented. 47 00:05:01,174 --> 00:05:04,962 There's a bit in this book, "Hemingway in Cuba" by Fuentes. 48 00:05:05,134 --> 00:05:09,730 "Antonio Meilán, a barman recognised as an authority on the daiquiri, 49 00:05:09,894 --> 00:05:12,806 "says Hemingway could drink a dozen in one afternoon. 50 00:05:12,974 --> 00:05:17,604 "He'd carry one of the specials home in a large, chilled glass, 51 00:05:17,774 --> 00:05:19,969 "filled with ice and wrapped in a napkin. 52 00:05:20,134 --> 00:05:23,092 "Hemingway called this 'one for the road'." 53 00:05:23,254 --> 00:05:25,131 Thank you. 54 00:05:34,494 --> 00:05:40,251 In Havana, every road seems to lead either to a band or a bar - usually both. 55 00:05:40,414 --> 00:05:42,405 (LATIN MUSIC) 56 00:05:42,574 --> 00:05:47,443 The Bodeguita is another spot where Hemingway got his creative juices flowing. 57 00:05:48,774 --> 00:05:54,292 Their speciality is the "mojito", a rum cocktail guaranteed to break down inhibitions. 58 00:05:54,454 --> 00:05:58,049 It comes with an official endorsement. 59 00:05:58,214 --> 00:06:01,206 (SINGS IN SPANISH) 60 00:06:20,294 --> 00:06:23,525 That's my drink. 61 00:06:26,654 --> 00:06:28,645 That's not mine. 62 00:06:43,414 --> 00:06:47,885 Gracias. Gracias. Wonderful evening. Wonderful evening. Thank you. 63 00:06:50,814 --> 00:06:56,093 Hemingway once said, "Liquor is my best friend and my severest critic." 64 00:06:56,254 --> 00:06:59,246 I think I'll get a good telling-off tonight. 65 00:07:00,694 --> 00:07:05,165 Next morning I have a vision that may be mojito induced. 66 00:07:11,174 --> 00:07:16,168 That's not bad. Dead 38 years and he can still get a lady in his room. 67 00:07:17,414 --> 00:07:22,807 I have the feeling that Cuba is a place where opportunities have to be seized. 68 00:07:22,974 --> 00:07:25,408 - Hello? - Hello. 69 00:07:25,574 --> 00:07:28,327 I'm from England. Michael. May I come in? 70 00:07:28,494 --> 00:07:31,486 - Yes. - Thank you. It's open. 71 00:07:31,654 --> 00:07:33,804 This is quite something. 72 00:07:33,974 --> 00:07:37,569 I know this room in my mind. I've read about it. 73 00:07:37,734 --> 00:07:42,683 So it's really exciting to be here. It's quite small. 74 00:07:43,854 --> 00:07:46,573 I was just reading in this book, 75 00:07:46,734 --> 00:07:51,012 which is some of his writings, about the view. 76 00:07:51,174 --> 00:07:54,644 Can I have a look? He describes it rather well. 77 00:07:54,814 --> 00:07:57,203 "If you sleep with your feet to the east, 78 00:07:57,374 --> 00:08:02,971 "the sun, coming up over the Casablanca side, will shine on your face 79 00:08:03,134 --> 00:08:07,047 "and wake you up no matter where you were the night before." 80 00:08:07,214 --> 00:08:11,366 So this is where he'd be with his feet pointing to the east. 81 00:08:11,534 --> 00:08:16,085 - It's quite a small bed. - Yeah, but is original bed. 82 00:08:16,254 --> 00:08:21,282 - Original bed? Can I just? - No, no, you can't. 83 00:08:21,454 --> 00:08:25,970 OK. That's too much to hope. Um... That's it. 84 00:08:26,134 --> 00:08:31,811 He would have written at this typewriter. He would have had to take this off. 85 00:08:31,974 --> 00:08:38,243 All those things he shot. He shot a couple of trunks - weren't even moving. 86 00:08:38,414 --> 00:08:42,327 That's from Africa. We've been to Africa to see his journeys. 87 00:08:42,494 --> 00:08:46,851 - No. This is Finca Vigia. - Oh. That's his house here. 88 00:08:47,014 --> 00:08:51,132 It's outside Havana. About 12 kilometres. 89 00:08:51,294 --> 00:08:55,048 - That's where most of his things are? - Yeah. 90 00:08:55,214 --> 00:08:57,603 - That's a museum too? - Yeah. 91 00:08:57,774 --> 00:09:02,529 I should go there. This is more exciting 'cause I've got the room next to it, 92 00:09:02,694 --> 00:09:06,323 but I'll go to the museum and have a look. 93 00:09:06,494 --> 00:09:09,725 - Thank you very much. - You're welcome. 94 00:09:09,894 --> 00:09:14,046 I might come in again. Thank you. Very inspirational. 95 00:09:18,374 --> 00:09:21,684 Havana is not short of transport alternatives, 96 00:09:21,854 --> 00:09:27,326 from the buses they call camels to the taxis of the Humphrey Bogart era. 97 00:09:29,014 --> 00:09:34,805 But I can't visit Cuba without trying out my favourite way of getting around - the railway. 98 00:09:40,614 --> 00:09:44,289 I've been told there's a rail line running from Havana 99 00:09:44,454 --> 00:09:48,413 almost to the village where Hemingway lived. 100 00:09:48,574 --> 00:09:52,203 Una ticketa para Vivola. La Vivola? 101 00:09:52,374 --> 00:09:57,528 Buying a ticket isn't easy, and all negotiations are strictly in Spanish. 102 00:09:57,694 --> 00:09:59,013 OK. Whatever. 103 00:09:59,174 --> 00:10:03,292 I lose the gist and have to rely on the all-purpose, uncomprehending grin. 104 00:10:06,214 --> 00:10:08,728 This is not the last of the problems. 105 00:10:11,014 --> 00:10:17,010 There follows an unscheduled two-hour wait while the train is welded together. 106 00:10:23,214 --> 00:10:28,208 By the time we do pull out, I could probably have walked there and back. 107 00:10:58,294 --> 00:11:02,287 It's getting on by now, so I opt for a bar lunch. 108 00:11:05,974 --> 00:11:09,683 A bar of what I'm not quite sure. 109 00:11:11,574 --> 00:11:17,570 An hour later, the train reaches its destination. Unfortunately, it's not mine. 110 00:11:17,734 --> 00:11:23,730 The branch line's closed, which is probably what the ticket lady was trying to tell me. 111 00:11:26,774 --> 00:11:29,891 San Francisco de Paula is not a smart suburb. 112 00:11:30,054 --> 00:11:33,649 The road to Hemingway's house is the same as in his day - 113 00:11:33,814 --> 00:11:37,693 full of modest houses and local characters. 114 00:11:39,574 --> 00:11:44,602 Hemingway first walked through the gates of his new home in the summer of 1939. 115 00:11:44,774 --> 00:11:48,164 Buenos dias. Uno billete. Ah... 116 00:11:49,294 --> 00:11:51,762 - Cuánto es? - Three dollars. 117 00:11:54,894 --> 00:11:58,170 The house is called Finca Vigiía - Look-0ut Farm. 118 00:11:58,334 --> 00:12:04,045 Like so much of Hemingway's life, it's now a tourist attraction. 119 00:12:04,214 --> 00:12:08,844 But here the contents are deemed so valuable, no one is allowed inside. 120 00:12:09,014 --> 00:12:13,565 We're left to peer through the windows like nosy neighbours. 121 00:12:29,734 --> 00:12:33,329 - Do you like this place? - Yes, very much. 122 00:12:33,494 --> 00:12:40,650 - It's amazing, everything kept as it was. - You can feel the spirit of Hemingway. 123 00:12:40,814 --> 00:12:43,806 And, indeed, the spirits of Hemingway. 124 00:12:43,974 --> 00:12:47,887 (WOMAN) Isn't it a lovely floor? (WOMAN) It is beautiful. 125 00:12:48,054 --> 00:12:55,290 (WOMAN) I like his books. Just as tatty as mine. Real old friends. Each one's an old friend. 126 00:12:56,894 --> 00:12:59,886 My favourite room in the house is the bathroom. 127 00:13:00,054 --> 00:13:03,842 It contains an unpublished work of Hemingway's... 128 00:13:05,174 --> 00:13:09,850 the back wall on which he kept daily records of his weight, 129 00:13:10,014 --> 00:13:14,724 plus occasional excuses like "with slippers and pyjamas". 130 00:13:14,894 --> 00:13:18,409 - (WOMAN) That looks like a frog or a lizard. - It's a lizard. 131 00:13:18,574 --> 00:13:22,567 - A lizard, I think, that his cats caught. - Oh, right. 132 00:13:22,734 --> 00:13:27,125 - And what's in the other side? - It's his teeth, I think! 133 00:13:27,294 --> 00:13:30,331 Every object is cleaned religiously. 134 00:13:30,494 --> 00:13:32,928 Including his record collection, 135 00:13:33,094 --> 00:13:37,565 which can never be played as they've run out of needles. 136 00:13:42,734 --> 00:13:45,328 The holy relics are not confined to the house. 137 00:13:45,494 --> 00:13:50,124 In the garden, moored in a sea of concrete, is a very famous boat. 138 00:13:58,614 --> 00:14:02,084 If you're a Hemingway aficionado, this is sacred ground. 139 00:14:02,254 --> 00:14:06,452 I've taken my shoes off because Hemingway never wore shoes on deck. 140 00:14:06,614 --> 00:14:09,048 And he never wore underpants. 141 00:14:09,214 --> 00:14:14,004 I'm on the Pilar - Hemingway's boat he bought in 1934 in New York. 142 00:14:14,174 --> 00:14:18,326 Brought it to Cuba and sailed it almost to the end of his life. 143 00:14:19,494 --> 00:14:22,213 It also gives you some... Sshh! 144 00:14:22,374 --> 00:14:27,494 ...gives you some idea of why he spent so much of his life in Cuba - the fishing. 145 00:14:27,654 --> 00:14:33,968 The fishing on the Gulf Stream north of Havana is some of the best in the world. 146 00:14:34,134 --> 00:14:38,127 He was probably as happy here as anywhere. 147 00:14:38,294 --> 00:14:43,322 During the war he armed the boat with grenades and tried to find German U-boats 148 00:14:43,494 --> 00:14:46,725 until his wife told him to stop being silly. 149 00:14:46,894 --> 00:14:50,569 It's here. It's sad that it's ten miles away from the sea, 150 00:14:50,734 --> 00:14:54,613 but at least it's looked after by the Cuban authorities. 151 00:14:54,774 --> 00:14:58,403 Now I'm going to do something I've always wanted to do. 152 00:14:58,574 --> 00:15:04,444 Actually sit in the chair that Hemingway's ample and un-underpanted bottom... 153 00:15:04,614 --> 00:15:07,890 - No, señor, por favor. - Oh. Sorry. 154 00:15:08,894 --> 00:15:13,092 Cuba works on an unbeatable combination of "Don't do thatl" 155 00:15:13,254 --> 00:15:15,245 and "I couldn't care less." 156 00:15:25,494 --> 00:15:27,962 I've been to Hemingway's house 157 00:15:28,134 --> 00:15:33,333 and, wonderful though it was, I felt it was Hemingway in aspic. 158 00:15:33,494 --> 00:15:39,171 I'd like to find someone who actually did meet Hemingway and, apparently, Castro did. 159 00:15:39,334 --> 00:15:41,404 They met once here in Havana. 160 00:15:41,574 --> 00:15:47,683 I'm going to try and get an appointment to talk to Castro about Hemingway. 161 00:15:47,854 --> 00:15:52,689 And here are some photos for you to look at which prove my point. 162 00:16:03,934 --> 00:16:08,291 Well, Castro wasn't in there, of course. He's very busy. 163 00:16:08,454 --> 00:16:11,924 They said he's rushing around. Maybe there's a chance. 164 00:16:12,094 --> 00:16:18,203 They'll pass the message on. So I've left my phone number and we'll keep in touch. 165 00:16:18,374 --> 00:16:20,410 So who knows? 166 00:16:21,734 --> 00:16:27,525 President Castro has been the central figure in the lives of Cubans for 40 years. 167 00:16:27,694 --> 00:16:32,609 If I do get the chance to meet him, I should like to take him a gift. 168 00:16:32,774 --> 00:16:37,564 I nip into the Corona factory, which makes some most exclusive items. 169 00:16:40,294 --> 00:16:45,129 (WOMAN SPEAKS SPANISH OVER TANNOY) 170 00:16:45,294 --> 00:16:51,005 Ironically, it's a Communist country that produces the ultimate symbol of capitalism. 171 00:16:55,054 --> 00:16:57,966 Improving literature is read to the workforce 172 00:16:58,134 --> 00:17:02,127 as they toil away producing 160 million cigars a year. 173 00:17:06,454 --> 00:17:09,685 What kind of cigar are you making now? 174 00:17:09,854 --> 00:17:12,732 - I making Palma. - Palma, yeah. 175 00:17:12,894 --> 00:17:16,409 - They're good? - Pretty nice. 176 00:17:16,574 --> 00:17:18,530 Yeah. Expensive. 177 00:17:20,494 --> 00:17:24,248 How long did it take you to learn to make cigars? 178 00:17:24,414 --> 00:17:26,928 I working here since 1995. 179 00:17:27,094 --> 00:17:33,249 Since 1995. And how long does it take you to train to actually make the cigar? 180 00:17:33,414 --> 00:17:37,327 - Five months. - I'm expected to do it in a day. 181 00:17:37,494 --> 00:17:39,928 - Do you smoke yourself? - Cigar, no. 182 00:17:40,094 --> 00:17:45,851 I don't. I gave up. The reason was I could never really get a decent cigar. 183 00:17:47,174 --> 00:17:49,688 Tie a ribbon round, no one will notice. 184 00:18:06,654 --> 00:18:09,566 0n the way out I take the chance to use their phone. 185 00:18:09,734 --> 00:18:12,123 Hello? Yeah. 186 00:18:12,294 --> 00:18:18,051 Hello. Si. Michael Palin about interview with President Castro. 187 00:18:19,054 --> 00:18:22,330 Palin. Castro. 188 00:18:23,334 --> 00:18:24,813 Si, si. 189 00:18:26,014 --> 00:18:28,892 Sheffield, England. 190 00:18:30,894 --> 00:18:33,533 Mm? Er, green. 191 00:18:34,894 --> 00:18:37,613 OK. No? 192 00:18:37,774 --> 00:18:39,924 I see. Not... 193 00:18:40,094 --> 00:18:43,052 Try again tomorrow. OK. 194 00:18:43,214 --> 00:18:45,682 Si. Gracias, gracias. 195 00:18:49,494 --> 00:18:51,962 Tomorrow's already a busy day. 196 00:18:52,134 --> 00:18:56,127 I'm paying a visit to the fishing village of Cojimar. 197 00:18:56,294 --> 00:19:02,324 From this harbour, Hemingway set out on fishing trips aboard the Pilar. 198 00:19:02,494 --> 00:19:04,724 He loved the skills of the local fishermen 199 00:19:04,894 --> 00:19:09,126 and they loved him enough to raise hard-earned cash for this memorial. 200 00:19:10,094 --> 00:19:14,246 Something about Hemingway seems to defy the sculptor's art. 201 00:19:14,414 --> 00:19:17,611 I've yet to find a bust that looks anything like him. 202 00:19:17,774 --> 00:19:21,164 This one looks like a cross between George V and Lenin. 203 00:19:21,334 --> 00:19:26,362 Hemingway didn't like being sculpted anyway and maybe that's it. 204 00:19:26,534 --> 00:19:30,527 This was the first Hemingway Plaza anywhere in the world. 205 00:19:30,694 --> 00:19:35,529 But for true aficionados, there is a more important shrine in Cojimar. 206 00:19:35,694 --> 00:19:41,451 The person who lives here knows more about Hemingway in Cuba than anyone alive. 207 00:19:41,614 --> 00:19:45,004 His name's Gregorio Fuentes. He's 101. 208 00:19:57,374 --> 00:20:02,243 Hello. I wonder if it's possible to speak to Gregorio for a while. 209 00:20:02,414 --> 00:20:07,010 My grandfather is not here now. Go to the boat yard. 210 00:20:07,174 --> 00:20:09,244 - That way? - That way. The boat yard. 211 00:20:09,414 --> 00:20:11,723 Thanks very much. 212 00:20:18,294 --> 00:20:22,924 It seems entirely right that I catch up with Gregorio amongst fishing boats. 213 00:20:23,094 --> 00:20:29,408 It's been his world for over 80 years, 26 of them as mate, then captain, of the Pilar. 214 00:20:30,614 --> 00:20:36,166 For a man born before Hemingway, he's remarkably fit and still smokes. 215 00:20:36,334 --> 00:20:39,770 But where do I start? I suppose it's obvious, really. 216 00:20:39,934 --> 00:20:43,165 I read in a book by a guy called Norberto Fuentes 217 00:20:43,334 --> 00:20:47,407 that Hemingway never wore underpants on board ship. Is this true? 218 00:20:47,574 --> 00:20:50,850 (SPEAKS SPANISH) 219 00:20:51,014 --> 00:20:54,165 (TRANSLAT0R) It's all just blah-blah-blah, ugly rumours. 220 00:20:54,334 --> 00:20:59,966 How would he know Hemingway didn't wear underwear without seeing him? Eh? 221 00:21:00,134 --> 00:21:03,809 If Norberto Fuentes had seen him, then 0K, but he never did. 222 00:21:03,974 --> 00:21:09,970 He never watched Hemingway getting dressed or saw him without underwear. 223 00:21:10,134 --> 00:21:12,967 What did Hemingway think about Castro? 224 00:21:15,254 --> 00:21:19,088 (TRANSLAT0R) They got on very well. I only heard them talking. 225 00:21:19,254 --> 00:21:23,930 I wasn't about to join in their conversation, but they got on really well. 226 00:21:24,094 --> 00:21:30,090 What do you think about the political future? Will things change with America? 227 00:21:31,534 --> 00:21:37,643 (TRANSLAT0R) I tell you, I heard Hemingway say there was going to be a big war 228 00:21:37,814 --> 00:21:43,252 where the entire world was going to defeat the United States, 229 00:21:43,414 --> 00:21:48,169 and then the USA would be less powerful than the little island of Cuba. 230 00:21:49,734 --> 00:21:53,090 - Do you believe that? - Si. Si. 231 00:21:53,254 --> 00:21:58,612 Hemingway said, "You could never fight a fish with a bottle in your hand." 232 00:21:58,774 --> 00:22:02,847 - Did he ever drink and fish? - No. 233 00:22:04,654 --> 00:22:07,214 (TRANSLAT0R) No, it's not true. He always drank. 234 00:22:07,374 --> 00:22:13,370 But many people saw him from afar and started talking rubbish. 235 00:22:13,534 --> 00:22:18,892 They saw him with a glass in his hand and they started saying he's a drunk. 236 00:22:19,054 --> 00:22:24,731 How do they know he's a drunk? Because they saw him with a glass in his hand. 237 00:22:24,894 --> 00:22:27,169 They can all go to hell. 238 00:22:28,934 --> 00:22:34,292 (PALIN) Before I leave, Gregorio gives me a card which he says might be useful. 239 00:22:34,454 --> 00:22:38,083 Marina Hemingway. A sister I've never heard of? 240 00:22:38,254 --> 00:22:41,724 Yet another wife? Intriguing. 241 00:22:46,574 --> 00:22:50,203 Back in Havana, I decide to follow up this new lead. 242 00:22:50,374 --> 00:22:56,927 Her address is out of town and, not trusting the railways, I hail a taxi in the square. 243 00:22:57,094 --> 00:22:58,846 Taxi! 244 00:22:59,014 --> 00:23:00,891 Taxi! 245 00:23:01,054 --> 00:23:05,093 As so often in Cuba, I don't get quite what I expected. 246 00:23:17,014 --> 00:23:19,972 Still, it's very comfortable. 247 00:23:20,974 --> 00:23:26,765 It reminds me of growing up in Sheffield where you were nobody without a sidecar. 248 00:23:40,734 --> 00:23:44,522 Marina Hemingway is very different from my vision of her. 249 00:23:44,694 --> 00:23:51,293 She turns out to be a tourist resort with three hotels, 500 yacht moorings and a disco. 250 00:23:54,614 --> 00:23:59,734 The good news is that she has a fishing tournament currently underway. 251 00:24:03,214 --> 00:24:08,925 After checking out the various boats, I'm helped by one of the American crews. 252 00:24:09,094 --> 00:24:11,767 The US government allows them to compete 253 00:24:11,934 --> 00:24:15,973 as long as they don't spend any money here. 254 00:24:16,134 --> 00:24:20,525 The Gulf Stream off Cuba has the best marlin fishing in the world. 255 00:24:20,694 --> 00:24:25,006 For Hemingway, catching marlin was the ultimate thrill. 256 00:24:33,334 --> 00:24:36,406 Less than half an hour out, we hit the Gulf Stream - 257 00:24:36,574 --> 00:24:40,726 a warm and fertile current 60 miles across and a mile deep. 258 00:24:40,894 --> 00:24:43,488 Terry and the crew call me down. 259 00:24:46,374 --> 00:24:50,413 - So we're ready now? We've got the lines out. - I feel ready. 260 00:24:50,574 --> 00:24:53,611 How do you know when there's a bite? 261 00:24:53,774 --> 00:24:56,049 How do you know when you're in a car wreck? 262 00:24:56,214 --> 00:24:58,728 When a fish pulls, it drives the hook in, 263 00:24:58,894 --> 00:25:02,523 there's a lot of noise and he's on the reel ready to fight. 264 00:25:02,694 --> 00:25:07,814 - What do I do then? What is that? - This is called a gimbal belt. 265 00:25:07,974 --> 00:25:10,772 It's like being strapped to a urinal! 266 00:25:12,414 --> 00:25:15,884 - Will you stop filming? - Did you eat a big meal? 267 00:25:16,054 --> 00:25:20,127 - It's beginning to feel like I did. - Are you pushing that out? 268 00:25:20,294 --> 00:25:25,766 - Basically, this holds the butt of the rod. - Makes me feel better, certainly. 269 00:25:28,534 --> 00:25:32,493 See how the rod is grooved? Has to be placed into there. 270 00:25:32,654 --> 00:25:35,612 Reach as high as you can with your left hand. 271 00:25:35,774 --> 00:25:40,894 Is this what Hemingway would have done? I have this picture. This is my ideal. 272 00:25:41,054 --> 00:25:44,808 (TERRY) This is what we're looking for. Those are large fish. 273 00:25:44,974 --> 00:25:48,410 Back in the days of Ernest, those were plentiful. 274 00:25:48,574 --> 00:25:51,486 Fish of that size, 700-800 pounds. 275 00:25:51,654 --> 00:25:56,091 A lot of his fish were from the chair. His original chair was a wicker chair. 276 00:25:56,254 --> 00:26:01,248 This locks in like it locked into your gimbal. Hand on the handle grip. 277 00:26:01,414 --> 00:26:05,373 The feeling of the fish is gonna be somewhat like that. 278 00:26:05,534 --> 00:26:07,604 So what do I do then? 279 00:26:07,774 --> 00:26:11,403 - At the beginning you just hold on. - (WHIRRING) 280 00:26:11,574 --> 00:26:16,170 - That's the sound you wanna hear. - Thank you. I'd like it just there. 281 00:26:16,334 --> 00:26:18,484 About 600 pounds. OK? 282 00:26:24,494 --> 00:26:27,645 No one seems that concerned about slowing down. 283 00:26:27,814 --> 00:26:31,602 Apparently, Marlin are attracted by the speed of the bait. 284 00:26:34,014 --> 00:26:39,247 0r in this case, not attracted by the speed of the bait. 285 00:26:39,414 --> 00:26:42,406 0r anything else for that matter. 286 00:26:44,174 --> 00:26:46,483 The day wears on. 287 00:26:50,014 --> 00:26:52,653 Come on, you marlin. 288 00:26:52,814 --> 00:26:55,282 I know you're down there. 289 00:26:55,454 --> 00:26:58,446 Just for me. Marlin! Marli-marli-marlin! 290 00:26:59,574 --> 00:27:01,212 Marlin! 291 00:27:02,334 --> 00:27:03,972 Swordfish? 292 00:27:04,134 --> 00:27:09,333 Shark? Shrimp? Come on, shrimps! 293 00:27:10,374 --> 00:27:11,853 Whitebait? 294 00:27:13,654 --> 00:27:15,372 Goldfish? 295 00:27:17,574 --> 00:27:23,285 All right, a polystyrene cup. Anything. Please. I'm going mad. 296 00:27:33,974 --> 00:27:38,889 Well, the light's coming down, the sea's coming up, it's the end of the day, 297 00:27:39,054 --> 00:27:43,252 and it looks like I'm not destined to meet any marlin after all. 298 00:27:43,414 --> 00:27:48,408 But I'm here and I must keep reminding myself that I'm not Hemingway. 299 00:27:48,574 --> 00:27:52,772 Hemingway fished this for maybe 20-25 years 300 00:27:52,934 --> 00:27:55,926 and not every day was special. 301 00:27:56,094 --> 00:27:58,654 Most of the days were ordinary - like today. 302 00:27:58,814 --> 00:28:04,172 And as Terry said earlier, that's why they call it "fishing" not "catching". 303 00:28:04,334 --> 00:28:07,087 I'll remember that. 304 00:28:08,094 --> 00:28:11,245 As we head for home, I take comfort from the fact 305 00:28:11,414 --> 00:28:14,804 that Hemingway's book, "The 0ld Man and the Sea", 306 00:28:14,974 --> 00:28:19,570 was about a fisherman who'd gone 84 days without catching anything. 307 00:28:19,734 --> 00:28:22,487 At least I managed it in one. 308 00:28:22,654 --> 00:28:25,930 Cheers, Terry. Good fishing next time. 309 00:28:26,094 --> 00:28:29,245 You too, Mike. Enjoyed having you. Michael? 310 00:28:29,414 --> 00:28:32,531 - Yeah? - The gimbal. 311 00:28:32,694 --> 00:28:36,687 - I'll get you one for Christmas. - Good fashion item. 312 00:28:39,374 --> 00:28:41,729 The boat behind us has struck lucky. 313 00:28:41,894 --> 00:28:48,003 You get more points for tagging and releasing a fish than you do for killing it, 314 00:28:48,174 --> 00:28:52,167 but there's no doubt what impresses the crowd. 315 00:28:53,854 --> 00:28:56,971 I've missed out. Again. 316 00:28:57,974 --> 00:29:00,727 Typical. I mean, typical. 317 00:29:01,934 --> 00:29:05,210 At least I know what a marlin looks like. 318 00:29:12,814 --> 00:29:17,524 Just as I'm becoming irrationally fond of Havana's rich and unpredictable street life, 319 00:29:17,694 --> 00:29:20,254 I must think of leaving. 320 00:29:20,414 --> 00:29:24,248 I've exhausted all my Hemingway leads - except one. 321 00:29:24,414 --> 00:29:30,205 You said to ring again about the interview with President Castro. Yes. 322 00:29:30,374 --> 00:29:34,253 Not today. Tomorrow maybe. 323 00:29:35,614 --> 00:29:40,130 Yeah. We leave fairly soon. OK, yes. I'll ring. I'll ring. 324 00:29:40,294 --> 00:29:43,206 Yes. All right. Thank you. 325 00:29:52,414 --> 00:29:55,008 All right. I'll give them one more day. 326 00:30:01,414 --> 00:30:03,882 Well, it's tomorrow. 327 00:30:13,814 --> 00:30:18,604 There's no answer to my call and no call from them. Time's run out. 328 00:30:22,494 --> 00:30:26,692 I leave Cuba, as Hemingway did, reluctantly. 329 00:30:26,854 --> 00:30:29,163 Because of the Communist revolution, 330 00:30:29,334 --> 00:30:34,727 he felt he had to get out of a country that was closing the door on the world he knew. 331 00:30:34,894 --> 00:30:37,613 (SPEAKS SPANISH) 332 00:30:41,014 --> 00:30:45,565 40 years later, it's a country opening up again. 333 00:30:51,374 --> 00:30:57,006 But I'll always envy Hemingway one thing - he got to meet Fidel Castro. 334 00:31:01,014 --> 00:31:07,487 Señor Palin! The president say he can see you at four o'clock this afternoon! 335 00:31:11,014 --> 00:31:15,530 After leaving Cuba, Hemingway lived in the American West. 336 00:31:15,694 --> 00:31:18,891 The Big Country had attracted him since the 1920s 337 00:31:19,054 --> 00:31:21,648 when he first came here to write and hunt. 338 00:31:25,934 --> 00:31:30,450 The Rocky Mountain states are being colonised by the Hollywood crowd, 339 00:31:30,614 --> 00:31:34,732 but not all the backwoods character has gone. 340 00:31:43,974 --> 00:31:47,125 Like Hemingway, I've booked into a dude ranch. 341 00:31:47,294 --> 00:31:50,491 (COW-LIKE MOOING) 342 00:31:52,814 --> 00:31:55,612 I've an awful feeling this is for me. 343 00:31:55,774 --> 00:31:57,605 This for the ranch? 344 00:31:57,774 --> 00:32:03,292 The horned limousine speeding me through Montana is the brainchild of Ellen Hargrave. 345 00:32:03,454 --> 00:32:05,445 (PALIN) What is a dude? 346 00:32:05,614 --> 00:32:10,210 Basically, I'd say somebody that is not from the country 347 00:32:10,374 --> 00:32:12,808 that wants to come to the country, 348 00:32:12,974 --> 00:32:18,844 get their fingernails a little bit dirty and learn about the real ways of the West. 349 00:32:20,094 --> 00:32:22,733 They wanna live the legend. 350 00:32:25,374 --> 00:32:28,332 The legend doesn't involve any more limousines. 351 00:32:28,494 --> 00:32:34,126 From now on, I will be in the saddle - a prospect which, quite frankly, terrifies me. 352 00:32:39,414 --> 00:32:44,090 And I'm not the only one. Most of us are from way out east. 353 00:32:44,254 --> 00:32:47,371 Many have rarely seen a live horse, let alone ridden one. 354 00:32:51,774 --> 00:32:56,325 Everyone's allotted their own mount for the duration of the stay. 355 00:32:56,494 --> 00:33:00,806 This is mine. He's a distinctive colour. What do you call this? 356 00:33:00,974 --> 00:33:03,488 - Palomino. - A palomino? 357 00:33:03,654 --> 00:33:07,329 - A palomino stallion. God. - His name's Pal. 358 00:33:07,494 --> 00:33:10,691 Have you got anything smaller? 359 00:33:10,854 --> 00:33:16,690 There's a rumour we're going to be moving cattle. I haven't even got on yet. 360 00:33:16,854 --> 00:33:21,484 Ooh. It's a long way up and a long way down. 361 00:33:21,654 --> 00:33:23,645 OK, Pal. 362 00:33:25,734 --> 00:33:30,444 They're understanding? If they feel someone up there is not really... 363 00:33:30,614 --> 00:33:35,165 These horses are used to beginner riders, so they'll be pretty quiet. 364 00:33:35,334 --> 00:33:39,612 When you move cattle, do you gallop along going, "Ye-up!" 365 00:33:39,774 --> 00:33:42,572 - We do that, yup. - He heard that. 366 00:33:42,734 --> 00:33:45,692 You have to whoop at 'em to make 'em move. 367 00:33:47,814 --> 00:33:52,649 Not much use for that in London, but I might get addicted to this. 368 00:33:53,814 --> 00:33:58,729 Maybe it's thanks to our laid-back instructors, but we all seem to learn the basics quickly. 369 00:33:58,894 --> 00:34:01,328 Pretty soon we're let loose. 370 00:34:08,214 --> 00:34:12,890 I'd expected to be confronted with a rebellious dust-stomping herd of steers. 371 00:34:13,054 --> 00:34:15,727 In fact, it's much more gentlemanly than that. 372 00:34:15,894 --> 00:34:19,170 I say, you cows, out of the way. 373 00:34:20,094 --> 00:34:22,324 Instead of recalcitrant critters, 374 00:34:22,494 --> 00:34:26,646 we're up against half a dozen fluffy calves and some nursing mothers. 375 00:34:26,814 --> 00:34:30,773 This is hardly a round-up, more like chasing a crèche. 376 00:34:36,294 --> 00:34:40,082 But a few hollers later, we've turned into the Wild Bunch. 377 00:34:42,054 --> 00:34:47,253 I don't know what this does for the cattle, but it scares the hell out of me. 378 00:34:59,094 --> 00:35:03,053 Wrist and elbow. Wrist and elbow. Wrist and elbow. 379 00:35:03,214 --> 00:35:06,570 What you got here is a good, wide-open loop 380 00:35:06,734 --> 00:35:11,330 and you can feel when it's right, it's in your wrist and elbow. 381 00:35:11,494 --> 00:35:16,329 Wrist and elbow. Then you just throw it at what you're roping. 382 00:35:16,494 --> 00:35:20,248 - Did you learn to do this? - When I was young. 383 00:35:20,414 --> 00:35:23,804 - Really? How old were you? - I was four. 384 00:35:23,974 --> 00:35:25,532 Really? 385 00:35:27,374 --> 00:35:32,573 Amazingly enough, for the first time on this trip, I actually catch something. 386 00:35:33,734 --> 00:35:36,965 All right! Take the slack out. 387 00:35:40,614 --> 00:35:43,447 Got you, Nige. Got you where I want you. 388 00:35:45,014 --> 00:35:47,005 (BANGING) 389 00:35:48,094 --> 00:35:52,485 Don't hit my finger. Hit that. Hit that bugger. 390 00:35:53,494 --> 00:35:55,291 - Hit that what? - The bugger. 391 00:35:55,454 --> 00:35:59,129 - You didn't say that. - Is that bad? 392 00:35:59,294 --> 00:36:01,489 Say what you feel. 393 00:36:01,654 --> 00:36:05,249 There we go. That'll last for a thousand minutes. 394 00:36:05,414 --> 00:36:08,087 One done, three miles to go. 395 00:36:09,014 --> 00:36:11,653 Ellen's husband, Leo, teaches fence mending 396 00:36:11,814 --> 00:36:16,763 which, like the ranch as a whole, seems to attract a lot more women than men. 397 00:36:16,934 --> 00:36:20,006 Fantastic. Where did you learn to do that? 398 00:36:20,174 --> 00:36:22,642 Chasing my husband! 399 00:36:24,334 --> 00:36:27,690 - Where did you come here from? - Massachusetts. 400 00:36:27,854 --> 00:36:32,609 A long way away. Quiet Massachusetts. Why did you come out here? 401 00:36:32,774 --> 00:36:35,208 Ride horses and escape. 402 00:36:35,374 --> 00:36:39,367 - What is it attracts women here? - Cowboys. Men! 403 00:36:40,694 --> 00:36:44,846 - At the end of it, when you go back... - We cry. 404 00:36:45,014 --> 00:36:47,608 - We cry at the airport. - Do you? 405 00:36:47,774 --> 00:36:51,244 - Yup. - We do. They're not kidding. 406 00:36:51,414 --> 00:36:54,565 It's not just due to a ticketing problem? 407 00:36:54,734 --> 00:36:58,170 (SOFT GUITAR) 408 00:36:59,974 --> 00:37:04,445 # Where the cattle are prowling, the coyotes are howling 409 00:37:04,614 --> 00:37:08,732 # Out where the dawgies bawl 410 00:37:08,894 --> 00:37:10,885 # Where the spurs are a-jingling 411 00:37:11,054 --> 00:37:17,209 # The cowboy is singing his lonesome cattle call # 412 00:37:17,374 --> 00:37:19,365 (YODELS) 413 00:37:19,534 --> 00:37:25,006 The last lesson is campfire skills, where we learn to listen to the singing cowboy. 414 00:37:25,174 --> 00:37:28,166 I fail this one miserably. 415 00:37:35,574 --> 00:37:39,726 # For hours he would ride o'er the range far and wife 416 00:37:39,894 --> 00:37:43,853 # The night wind blows up a squall 417 00:37:44,014 --> 00:37:46,687 # His heart is a feather... # 418 00:37:46,854 --> 00:37:50,130 Hemingway came here to get away from people. 419 00:37:50,294 --> 00:37:52,808 He discovered the West when he was about 30, 420 00:37:52,974 --> 00:37:56,364 and it became a refuge where he could get away, 421 00:37:56,534 --> 00:37:59,651 write, do a bit of hunting and shooting. 422 00:37:59,814 --> 00:38:03,807 He really couldn't stand all this phoney cowboy business. 423 00:38:03,974 --> 00:38:06,807 To him it was serious what cowboys did. 424 00:38:06,974 --> 00:38:09,886 He used to come to cabins and write. 425 00:38:10,054 --> 00:38:16,448 Here's a picture of him looking very gritty, working on a novel or two. 426 00:38:16,614 --> 00:38:21,483 So, in the spirit of Ernest, I'm going to do a little bit of writing myself. 427 00:38:21,654 --> 00:38:23,372 18th. 428 00:38:23,534 --> 00:38:27,209 (YODELLING CONTINUES) 429 00:38:41,854 --> 00:38:44,414 (COWBOY HOLDS HIGH NOTE) 430 00:38:51,734 --> 00:38:54,646 (PALIN) Aaagh! 431 00:38:54,814 --> 00:38:58,807 (SONG: "PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE" BY THE TEMPTATIONS) 432 00:38:58,974 --> 00:39:02,171 When he discovered the Rockies, Hemingway wrote, 433 00:39:02,334 --> 00:39:04,529 "This is cockeyed, wonderful country." 434 00:39:04,694 --> 00:39:10,212 He kept coming back, driving hundreds of miles in search of good air and good hunting. 435 00:39:10,374 --> 00:39:14,572 # Papa was a rolling stone 436 00:39:14,734 --> 00:39:18,249 # Wherever he laid his hat was his home 437 00:39:18,414 --> 00:39:20,325 # And when he died 438 00:39:20,494 --> 00:39:24,692 # All he left us was alone... # 439 00:39:26,294 --> 00:39:30,526 (RADl0) The fresh scent of a mountain morning, the bugle of a majestic elk 440 00:39:30,694 --> 00:39:32,924 and the misery of cold, wet feet. 441 00:39:33,094 --> 00:39:38,088 Treat your feet right with the elk hunter boot, available exclusively... 442 00:39:41,894 --> 00:39:47,412 (PALIN) Hunting still goes on, though now it's controlled with permits and seasons. 443 00:39:47,574 --> 00:39:50,884 Today is the start of the elk hunting season. 444 00:39:54,414 --> 00:39:57,929 I wonder if the kind of hunting Hemingway celebrated hasn't - 445 00:39:58,094 --> 00:40:04,010 like many aspects of traditional life - lost out to environmental correctness. 446 00:40:04,174 --> 00:40:09,202 Is there a place left for the devil-may-care mavericks of the past? 447 00:40:09,374 --> 00:40:14,812 I asked the folks at a local pull-in if the old West hasn't just gone soft. 448 00:40:14,974 --> 00:40:17,932 (SMASHING AND GROANING) 449 00:40:34,094 --> 00:40:39,009 I asked again, further up the road, but this time phrased it a little differently. 450 00:40:40,174 --> 00:40:44,929 It's certainly clear that modern hunting is not without a few risks. 451 00:40:45,094 --> 00:40:51,442 We got in between two cubs and a grizzly sow and she charged us. 452 00:40:51,614 --> 00:40:55,368 Greg got up a tree. My buddy Mike got bit on the thigh. 453 00:40:55,534 --> 00:40:58,651 - He played dead. - He put his hands over his head. 454 00:40:58,814 --> 00:41:02,170 She came after me and I went up the tree 455 00:41:02,334 --> 00:41:06,122 and she stood up on her hind legs and grabbed my left foot 456 00:41:06,294 --> 00:41:09,969 and tried to pull me out of the tree and I was hanging on. 457 00:41:10,134 --> 00:41:13,171 I kicked her in the face and she let go. 458 00:41:13,334 --> 00:41:16,406 I had a couple of holes through my boot. 459 00:41:16,574 --> 00:41:19,042 - What sort of bear was this? - Grizzly. 460 00:41:19,214 --> 00:41:20,727 The big kind. 461 00:41:20,894 --> 00:41:26,252 Have you ever regretted killing an animal? You've thought, "I wish I'd not done that"? 462 00:41:26,414 --> 00:41:30,532 Sure. That's the saddest part of the hunt when it dies. 463 00:41:30,694 --> 00:41:33,162 Brings a tear to your eye. 464 00:41:33,334 --> 00:41:37,566 - Why do you do it, then? - It's a real personal thing. 465 00:41:37,734 --> 00:41:40,248 It's here and I can't explain. 466 00:41:40,414 --> 00:41:43,565 I hunt 'cause I kinda depend on the meat. 467 00:41:43,734 --> 00:41:49,730 Anything I hunt, I eat. I don't like bear meat, so I don't hunt bear. My dad taught me how to hunt. 468 00:41:49,894 --> 00:41:53,648 - So you've lived here all your? - I've been here 24 years. 469 00:41:53,814 --> 00:41:57,090 - What about you? - I was his neighbour in California. 470 00:41:57,254 --> 00:42:01,293 You're old Californian hippies. Oh, I've discovered this. 471 00:42:01,454 --> 00:42:06,209 - We went to high school together. - I thought you were wild men of Montana. 472 00:42:06,374 --> 00:42:09,366 - We are now. - You're from California! 473 00:42:15,654 --> 00:42:20,091 As the hunters kick off a new season by wading through icy river water, 474 00:42:20,254 --> 00:42:24,691 I want to find out what happens to the animals they bring back. 475 00:42:51,014 --> 00:42:54,563 Most of the animal kingdom ended up on Hemingway's wall, 476 00:42:54,734 --> 00:42:57,965 and at the local taxidermist business is still booming. 477 00:43:02,294 --> 00:43:06,412 - What's this one, Jerry? A moose? - It's a Shiras moose. 478 00:43:06,574 --> 00:43:09,042 So size holds no terrors for you? 479 00:43:09,214 --> 00:43:14,288 It doesn't really matter. I've done elephants down to baboons. 480 00:43:14,454 --> 00:43:20,006 We try and bring 'em back as close as we can to what they were. Sometimes we improve 'em. 481 00:43:20,174 --> 00:43:23,883 - What's the hardest animal you've stuffed? - An elephant. 482 00:43:24,054 --> 00:43:29,811 It was just a tremendous amount of hours and skin arrangement and just work. 483 00:43:29,974 --> 00:43:34,331 - May I ask how much you charged? - $42,000. 484 00:43:34,494 --> 00:43:37,167 What's the strangest animal you've done? 485 00:43:37,334 --> 00:43:42,533 (MACHINERY WHIRRS AND MICHAEL SQUEALS) 486 00:44:11,134 --> 00:44:14,490 As I pass the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park, 487 00:44:14,654 --> 00:44:17,532 I'm on the last lap of the Hemingway trail. 488 00:44:21,294 --> 00:44:24,730 The road winds through the landscape he loved, 489 00:44:24,894 --> 00:44:29,843 out of Montana and deep into Idaho, towards the old mining town of Ketchum. 490 00:44:31,054 --> 00:44:36,003 Beside the Big Wood River, I come to the last place Hemingway ever lived. 491 00:44:48,334 --> 00:44:52,691 I've been allowed to spend a night here in the Hemingway house. 492 00:44:52,854 --> 00:44:59,407 It's slightly disturbing 'cause there are so many of Hemingway's possessions and one feels... 493 00:44:59,574 --> 00:45:03,931 you know, sort of treading on memories. 494 00:45:06,614 --> 00:45:12,484 By the time he came here, Hemingway - only 61 - was a shadow of his former self. 495 00:45:31,734 --> 00:45:33,804 Plagued by paranoia and depression, 496 00:45:33,974 --> 00:45:37,683 no longer able to write, hunt or do any of the things he valued, 497 00:45:37,854 --> 00:45:43,247 Hemingway went downstairs one July morning and put a shotgun to his head. 498 00:45:43,414 --> 00:45:45,405 (GUNSHOT) 499 00:46:09,534 --> 00:46:14,210 I've followed him round the world and now I've come to the end of the trail, 500 00:46:14,374 --> 00:46:19,368 it's a curious feeling of emptiness - like a party after the host's gone. 501 00:46:19,534 --> 00:46:24,324 He's been a good travelling companion - done some pretty stupid things, 502 00:46:24,494 --> 00:46:28,089 but he's shown me a different way of looking at the world. 503 00:46:28,254 --> 00:46:31,451 It's odd, but though he's been dead almost 40 years, 504 00:46:31,614 --> 00:46:36,768 I find myself wanting to seek his approval for the journey I've just done. 505 00:46:36,934 --> 00:46:39,573 A nod of acknowledgement from him 506 00:46:39,734 --> 00:46:44,524 for keeping alive the adventure he started a hundred years ago. 507 00:46:47,254 --> 00:46:49,290 (HEMINGWAY) Bullshit.