Bugs, Beetles and Bleeding Noses
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From visiting a maggot factory to filming sting rays, the Travel Bug team’s visit to Mexico was typically full of surprises. Director/cameraman Giles Pike, paramedic Michelle Keating and associate producer Sina Walker left New Zealand earlier this year to shoot the final two episodes of a series being made as a co production with National Geographic Channels International and Travel Channel. The series, due to air later this year, sees intrepid virologist Dr Mike Leahy journey around the globe to learn more about creatures who love nothing more than to take a little vacation of their own on, around or inside the human body.Mexico City proved to be brimming with culture, history and much to their delight, an army of iconic green Volkswagen taxis. “The traffic was definitely a third world congestion nightmare but Mexico City had a contemporary, modern feel. It was definitely a place of contradictions,” Sina says. Alongside navigating the chaotic roads, the biggest challenge for the team was constant bloody noses caused by heavy pollution. Mexico City is located in the Valley of Mexico in the high plateaus of central Mexico. Due to its geographical location, the air quality is very poor. The high mountains surrounding the city disrupt wind currents, and the creation of thermal inversion layers trap the city's smog, making it considered one of the worst polluted places in the world. A couple of hours drive from Mexico City, the beautifully restored, historic town of Charmula presented the team with pollution issues of a different kind. Their arrival coincided with a festival featuring the regular and noisy discharge of cannon and gun fire. While this yielded some great color shots for the program, it did make piece to cameras difficult for Mike who at times appeared to be reporting from a war zone! Next on the schedule was Tuxtla Guiterriez where Mike’s presentation skills were again put to the test when the team had the dubious honor of filming inside a maggot factory. You’ll have to watch Episode 7 for the full story but turns out Mexico, and in particular its cattle, have been under attack by a nasty fly with a voracious appetite and a penchant for live flesh. In a bid to rid the country of this scourge, scientists have devised a clever process for creating sterile flies. Before entering the factory the team were required to undertake a comprehensive sanitisation process, donning special clothing and walking through troughs of disinfectants. Once inside, Sina describes the stench as “overpowering”. Despite the strong aromas, the operation was extremely impressive yielding fascinating footage for the series and lasting memories for the crew. |
