IN THE AMERICAS WITH DAVID YETMAN III



#301 ABC Islands: The Dutch Legacy in the Caribbean
The last vestiges of the once-mighty Dutch empire live on in the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. David visits Curaçao, now independent, and wanders the streets of Willemstad, its capital city. In its colonial buildings, he finds hints of a past glory made possible by the slave trade. In Bonaire, still a colony, he dons Scuba gear to mingle with its incomparable marine life. Then, he witnesses the extraction of tons of salt from Bonaire's tidal flats. Finally, David treks into a national park home to dense groves of tall cacti, hordes of lizards and tranquil flamingos.

#302 Bahian Reconcavo of Brazil: Quilombos, Candomblé, and the Mata Atlantica
The region known as Reconcavo supports a distinct culture and heritage. Over the centuries, slaves escaped their owners and founded their own towns. They, along with other colonists, shaped the local society and exploited its tropical riches. Recently, a local company took on the challenge of preserving and restoring the once-great Atlantic Forest, the Mata Atlantica.

#303 Colombia: Capital & Coffee
Bogotá serves as Colombia's capital and its social, cultural and economic center. To help decrease traffic congestion and air pollution, Bogotans created an extremely effective mass transit system called Cyclovía: each Sunday they cordon off their downtown and turn it over to bicyclists and pedestrians. While traveling to Zona Cafetera, the source of most Colombian coffee, David explores the history of the world's most popular beverage.

#304 Sierra Nevada and the Making of California
The product of earthquakes, the mighty Sierra Nevada mountain range influences much of California's weather and produces most if its water. Tectonic geologist Eldridge Moores helps host David Yetman decipher the mysteries of the range's origins and describes the Sierras' importance.

#305 Brazil's Land of Sand
Vast sand dunes, some of them the size of small mountains, line long stretches of Brazil's northeast coast. Their color, shape, and composition, and their relationship with wind, provide a striking variety of landscapes, each with its own ecological character.

#306 Lake Superior: Circling the Sweet Water Ocean
Straddling the U.S.-Canadian border, the largest lake in the world supports thousands of residents along its forested shores. Its icy waters also harbor a remote national park, Isle Royale. David learns about the vibrant indigenous cultures that lived there long before the arrival of Europeans.

#307 Nicaragua: Land of the Shaking Earth Emerges
For 200 years, Nicaragua endured both earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and military and political interventions. Today, a democratic Nicaragua promotes its diversity of cultures, Spanish colonial heritage and natural wonders, including its lakes, forests and volcanoes. Miskito Indians from the Caribbean coast and the descendants of Aztecs still flourish within the country.

#308 Pernambuco: Brazil's Other Carnival
The megapolis of Recife, Brazil's fifth largest city, lies within the state of Pernambuco. Recife's carnival, along with celebrations in its colonial suburb Olinda and in the cities of Bezerros and Nazarene da Mata, features a flamboyant, joyous, boisterous week of elaborate parades, dances and costumes.

#309 Cuetzalan: The Celebration of San Francisco
More than 500 years ago, Franciscan priests journeyed to the remote city of Cuetzalan in Puebla State. Although less remote now, the traditions and languages continue in a town where they venerate fiestas and perpetuate ancient rituals like the acrobatic voladores.

#310 Alaska: The Wilderness of the Volcanoes
In this episode, David visits two of Alaska's vast national parks, Lake Clark and Katmai, each with a heritage of volcanic activity. Their thriving ecosystems illustrate nature's ability to recover from cataclysmic events. The villages of Native Americans continue as well, along with their traditions.