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Narrator: COMING UP ON "HOW DO THEY DO IT?"...
HOW DO THEY CAST BELLS FIT FOR THE WORLD'S GREATEST CATHEDRALS?
HOW DO THEY CLEAR THE WRECKAGE LEFT
BY ONE OF AMERICA'S WORST STORMS?
AND HOW DO THEY HARVEST MILLIONS OF POUNDS OF DATES
FROM THE DESERT?
WE TAKE YOU AROUND THE WORLD TO SHOW YOU HOW
ON "HOW DO THEY DO IT?"
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
[ BELL TOLLS ]
FOR CENTURIES, THE SOUND OF BELLS
HAS RUNG OUT FROM CLOCK TOWERS AND CATHEDRALS,
TEMPLES AND CITY HALLS...
TELLING THE TIME, CALLING PEOPLE TO PRAYER,
CELEBRATING A MARRIAGE, OR MARKING THE END OF A WAR.
GIANT BELLS CAN WEIGH THOUSANDS OF POUNDS,
AND YET THEY HAVE TO BE PRECISELY TUNED
AND PITCH-PERFECT.
SO, HOW DO THEY DO IT?
ASTEN, HOLLAND -- FOR OVER 140 YEARS,
THIS IS BEEN THE SITE OF THE ROYAL EIJSBOUTS FOUNDRY,
THE WORLD'S LARGEST MAKER OF BRONZE BELLS.
[ BELL TOLLS ]
HERE THEY CAST THIS SIX-TON BELL FOR PARIS' NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL
AND THE WORLD'S LARGEST TUNED BELL FOR THE LONDON OLYMPICS.
THESE DAYS, MAKING A BELL WITH PERFECT PITCH
CALLS FOR A BLEND OF ANCIENT TRADITION
AND 21st-CENTURY TECHNOLOGY.
WHATEVER THE SIZE OF A BELL,
THE PROCESS OF MAKING IT HASN'T CHANGED MUCH IN 1,000 YEARS.
PUT SIMPLY, THEY FIRST CREATE A MOLD
FOR THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE BELL.
THEN, THEY FIT THE TWO MOLDS TOGETHER
AND POUR HOT BRONZE INTO THE SPACE IN BETWEEN.
WHEN THE BRONZE COOLS, YOU HAVE YOUR BELL.
BUT THE ACTUAL PROCESS TAKES A BIT MORE TIME.
FIRST, THEY CREATE THE INNER AND OUTER MOLDS.
AND THAT JOB FALLS TO BELL MOLDER ROOD ADRIANS.
I MAKE SAND CASTLES WITH THE BEST.
ROOD'S SAND CASTLE IS, IN FACT, THE INNER MOLD,
WHICH CREATES THE SHAPE OF THE INSIDE OF THE BELL.
THE SHAPE OF THE BELL DETERMINES ITS SOUND.
SO HE USES AN ALUMINUM STENCIL CALLED A STRICKLE
TO CARVE PRECISE CONTOURS.
IN THE OLD DAYS, THEY MADE THE MOLDS WITH LOAM --
A MIXTURE OF 1/3 SAND, 2/3 CLAY, HORSEHAIR, AND MANURE.
NOW IT'S A BIT MORE HIGH-TECH --
99% SAND, 1% FURAN RESIN,
A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CHEMICAL BINDING AGENT.
Adrians: IT LOOKS EASY, BUT IT'S NOT.
IF I'M DOING THIS TOO HARD, IT WILL COLLAPSE.
IF I'M DOING THIS TOO SOFT, IT ALSO WILL COLLAPSE.
Narrator: ONCE THE INNER MOLD HAS SET,
IT'S COVERED WITH A PROTECTIVE GRAPHITE COATING.
NOW THEY START TO MAKE WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE FALSE BELL.
USING JUST WET SAND, WITHOUT ANY BINDING AGENT,
THEY CREATE AN EXACT REPLICA OF THE FINAL BELL.
ON TOP OF THE SAND GOES A LAYER OF WAX.
HARD WAX ISN'T AS EASY TO SHAPE AS SAND,
SO THEY HEAT THE STRICKLE WITH A BLOWTORCH.
THEY DRAW UP THE LETTERS AND ORNAMENTATION
USING A MOLD AND MORE WAX.
Adrians: IT'S THE WHOLE ALPHABET.
LATIN -- THE EIJSBOUTS MADE THIS BELL AND THAT YEAR.
Narrator: WAX LETTERS, GRAPES, AND LEAVES,
CAREFULLY EXTRACTED FROM THEIR MOLDS,
STICK PERFECTLY TO THE WAX COATING OF THE FALSE BELL.
FINALLY, THEY NEED TO SECURE THE FALSE BELL IN PLACE,
SO ROOD SPRAYS IT WITH A SERIES OF HEAT-RESISTANT COATINGS.
NOW THEY NEED TO MAKE THE OUTER MOLD.
A HOOD IS PLACED OVER THE FALSE BELL,
AND IT'S PACKED TIGHTLY WITH MORE SAND AND FURAN RESIN...
...WHICH IS THEN LEFT FOR A FEW DAYS TO SET.
WHEN THEY WINCH AWAY THE HOOD,
THE SOFT SAND OF THE FALSE BELL CAN BE BRUSHED AWAY.
AND THEY'RE LEFT WITH THIS -- THE INNER MOLD, OR CORE,
AND INSIDE THE HOOD, AN OUTER MOLD,
COMPLETE WITH A NEGATIVE IMPRESSION
OF THE OUTSIDE OF THE BELL, LETTERING AND ALL.
Narrator: AT THE ROYAL EIJSBOUTS FOUNDRY IN HOLLAND,
ROOD ADRIANS SCRAPES AWAY THE REMAINS OF THE FALSE BELL,
BLOWTORCHING ANY LEFTOVER WAX.
NOW THEY HAVE THEIR TWO MOLDS.
THE NEXT STEP IS TO CAST THE BELL.
THE OUTER MOLD IS LOWERED OVER THE INNER MOLD.
THIS TIME, THERE'S A BELL-SHAPED GAP
BETWEEN THE TWO WHERE THE FALSE BELL USED TO BE.
IT'S THIS VOID THAT IS ABOUT TO BE FILLED WITH HOT BRONZE.
THE FOUNDRY FURNACE LIQUIFIES BRONZE
IN A BLAZE OF MOLTEN GLORY.
IT'S TENDED BY A TEAM OF MEN IN FIREPROOF SUITS.
INGOTS OF BRONZE ARE FED INTO A FURNACE
THAT BURNS AT OVER 2,000 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
BELL BRONZE IS AN ALLOY OF ROUGHLY 80% COPPER AND 20% TIN.
THE EXACT PROPORTIONS INFLUENCE THE SOUND OF THE FINISHED BELL.
IN THE OLD DAYS, THEY'D THROW A COIN INTO THE MIX FOR GOOD LUCK.
NOWADAYS, THEY WANT PURE BRONZE, SO THEY ADD A COAGULANT,
WHICH CAUSES ANY IMPURITIES TO CLUMP TOGETHER, FORMING A CRUST,
WHICH CAN BE SCOOPED UP AND DISCARDED
LIKE SKIMMING *** FROM A POT OF SOUP.
FINALLY, THE BRONZE IS POURED INTO RUNNER BOXES,
WHICH FUNNEL THE MOLTEN METAL
BETWEEN THE INNER AND OUTER MOLDS.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT ANY AIR BUBBLES
WOULD CAUSE THE BELL TO FRACTURE.
THE SOLUTION IS A RISER, WHICH ACTS LIKE A CHIMNEY.
MOLTEN METAL COURSES DOWN THE RESERVOIRS,
PUSHING AIR AND SMOKE AHEAD OF IT,
FORCING THEM SAFELY UP AND OUT THROUGH THE CHIMNEY.
AMAZINGLY, THE BRONZE IS AS HOT AS MOLTEN LAVA,
AND IT TAKES UP TO TWO WEEKS TO COOL.
WHEN IT FINALLY DOES,
THE OUTER MOLD IS LIFTED OFF TO REVEAL THE BELL.
THE FINISHED BELL NOW LOOKS THE PART.
THE NEXT CHALLENGE IS TO ENSURE IT SOUNDS IT.
FINISHED BELLS ARE FINE-TUNED BY THE FOUNDRY'S MASTER TUNER,
PETER URIS, WHO METICULOUSLY TWEAKS THE BELL'S FINAL SOUND.
EACH BELL HAS FIVE NOTES, AND WE START WITH THE HUM NOTE --
THAT'S THE LOWER NOTE YOU HEAR.
LISTEN.
[ HUMMING ]
IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
I MUST TAKE METAL AWAY ON DIFFERENT PLACES.
Narrator: IT'S A TEST OF PATIENCE AND EXPERIENCE
AS PETER SHAVES THE BELL'S INTERIOR
TO HARMONIZE ALL FIVE NOTES --
THE HUM, THE PRIME, THE OCTAVE, THE FIFTH, AND THE MINOR THIRD.
PETER HAS A COMPUTER TO HELP HIM,
BUT THE FINAL DECISION IS STILL DONE BY EAR.
ONCE HE IS SATISFIED, FINISHED BELLS ARE SHIPPED
FROM HERE TO CLOCKS, CHURCHES, AND BELL TOWERS
FROM PARIS, FRANCE, TO HOUSTON, TEXAS.
SO NEXT TIME YOU HEAR THE SOUND OF BELLS,
CONSIDER THE CRAFTSMANSHIP AND CREATIVITY
THAT WENT INTO CASTING EVERY SINGLE ONE.
STILL TO COME, HOW DID THEY CLEAR THE DAMAGE
CAUSED BY SUPERSTORM SANDY?
JOIN US AFTER THE BREAK TO FIND OUT HOW ON "HOW DO THEY DO IT?"
Narrator: MOTHER NATURE IS THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE FORCE ON THE PLANET.
WHEN SHE TARGETS HER FURY ON A CITY AND ITS SUBURBS,
THE DAMAGE DEFIES BELIEF.
BUT REBUILDING CAN'T BEGIN
UNTIL THE DEVASTATION LEFT BEHIND IS REMOVED,
SO HOW DO THEY DO IT?
ON THE NIGHT OF OCTOBER 29, 2012,
A 930-MILE-WIDE STORM HITS THE NORTHEAST COAST.
SUPERSTORM SANDY HAS ALREADY CLAIMED MORE THAN 70 LIVES
ON ITS JOURNEY NORTH FROM THE CARIBBEAN.
AS IT REACHES NEW YORK, 80-MILE-PER-HOUR WINDS
SEND A STORM SURGE OVER 10 FEET HIGH CRASHING INTO THE CITY.
DOZENS OF LIVES ARE LOST.
AS THE STORM PASSES, IT LEAVES BEHIND A DISASTER ZONE.
ONE OF THE WORST-HIT NEIGHBORHOODS
IS LONG ISLAND'S ROCKAWAY PENINSULA.
AT THE WESTERN END,
FIRE HAS DEVASTATED 126 HOMES IN BREEZY POINT.
37 BLOCKS OF THE BOARDWALK, STRETCHING OVER THREE MILES,
ARE ALMOST COMPLETELY WASHED AWAY.
THERE'S NO POWER, NO WATER, NO SANITATION.
ROADS ARE IN RUINS, GAS STATIONS ARE RUNNING DRY,
LOCALS ARE LIVING ON HANDOUTS,
AND THE AREA IS A BREEDING GROUND
FOR VERMIN AND DISEASE.
FAMILIES BATTLE TO RESCUE RUINED HOMES.
EVERYTHING IS FLOODED.
WITH NO POWER, ELECTRIC PUMPS AREN'T AN OPTION.
TO REMOVE THE WATER,
THEY USE A SERIES OF DIESEL AND BATTERY-DRIVEN WATER PUMPS
STOCKPILED FOR JUST THIS EVENT.
THEY PUMP OUT GALLONS FROM HOUSES AND BASEMENTS.
WITH WATER CLEARED, RESIDENTS LIKE MARGARET McDONALD
CAN ASSESS THE DAMAGE TO THEIR HOMES.
WELL, I FEEL LIKE I'M IN, LIKE, THE MIDDLE OF A --
SOMEBODY ELSE'S NIGHTMARE.
I FEEL LIKE I'M ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN,
UNTIL I WALK IN AND REALIZE THIS IS ALL MY STUFF,
AND MOSTLY EVERYTHING THAT WAS BELOW THREE FEET IN THE HOUSE
HAS BEEN DESTROYED -- EVERYTHING.
Narrator: AS THE COMMUNITY RIPS APART WATERLOGGED HOMES,
ACROSS THE CITY, ALMOST A MILLION TONS OF DEBRIS
ARE PILING UP IN THE STREETS.
BUT THOSE STREETS NEED TO BE CLEAR FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES
AND FOR WATER AND POWER TO BE RESTORED.
ONLY ONE ORGANIZATION HAS THE MANPOWER, THE EQUIPMENT,
AND THE EXPERIENCE TO REMOVE THE MOUNTAINS OF DEBRIS --
NEW YORK'S EMERGENCY SERVICE -- THE DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION.
DEPUTY CHIEF JAMES McGOVERN
IS IN CHARGE OF CLEANUP IN THE ROCKAWAYS.
FIRST, HE MUST MOVE
OVER A HALF A MILLION TONS OF WRECKAGE.
McGovern: OUR CONCERN NOW IS TO GET THE DEBRIS OFF THE STREET.
IT'S GETTING COLD, AND PEOPLE ARE STARTING FIRES.
THEY DON'T HAVE ANY HEATERS. THEY DON'T HAVE ELECTRIC.
THEY HAVE NO WATER, SO THEY'RE OUT IN THE STREET STARTING FIRES
JUST TO KEEP WARM.
Narrator: CLEARING THE STREETS IS TOP PRIORITY.
WITHIN HOURS OF THE STORM HITTING,
OVER 6,000 SANITATION WORKERS ARE DEPLOYED ACROSS THE CITY,
DOING 12-HOUR SHIFTS.
AT THE MOBILE OPERATION CENTER IN THE ROCKAWAYS,
THEY'RE WORKING 24/7 DIRECTING CREWS
TO THE LATEST CLEANUP SITE IN A COORDINATED PLAN OF ATTACK.
WE HAVE ABOUT 500 SANITATION WORKERS,
I WOULD SAY A FEW HUNDRED PIECES OF EQUIPMENT.
PRETTY SOON WE'RE GONNA GET THIS JOB DONE.
Narrator: MANY STREETS ARE TOO NARROW FOR HEAVY MACHINERY.
SO, THEY MUST USE SQUADRONS OF SMALL, MANEUVERABLE SKID-STEERS.
THESE MINI-LOADERS RACE THROUGH NARROW ALLEYS,
CLEARING DETRITUS INTO THE PATH
OF THE CITY'S GIANT FRONT-END LOADERS.
THIS ARMY OF EXCAVATORS SCOOPS TON AFTER TON
INTO AN ENDLESS LINE OF TRUCKS.
SANITATION WORKERS, LIKE ED "SHEVY" SHEVLIN,
HAVE NEVER FACED ANYTHING LIKE THIS.
WE'RE FILLING UP TRUCKS IN TWO STOPS --
THAT MEANS TWO HOMES.
WE PULL UP TO ONE HOUSE AND WE GET HALF A TRUCKLOAD THERE,
AND THEN WE GO TO THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR
AND WE GET THE OTHER HALF OF A TRUCKLOAD.
WE'RE GETTING TONS FROM EACH HOUSE.
IT'S NOT REALLY PLAIN OLD GARBAGE.
THERE'S A LOT LIFE IN IT. THERE'S A LOT OF EMOTION.
Narrator: IN NORMAL OPERATIONS, TRUCKS CARRY THEIR LOADS
TO LANDFILLS MILES FROM THE CITY.
BUT THIS IS FAR FROM NORMAL.
THE TRUCKS NEED TO BE EMPTIED AND BACK ON THE STREETS
IN MINUTES, NOT HOURS.
THEY NEED SOMEWHERE NEARBY
TO STORE THE TRASH AND KEEP THE CLEANUP GOING.
ASSISTANT CHIEF JOSEPH HICKEY HAS THE SOLUTION.
Hickey: WE'RE IN ROCKAWAY, QUEENS.
WE'RE AT A PARKING LOT OF RIIS PARK.
LUCKILY FOR US, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT
IMMEDIATELY AUTHORIZED US
TO USE THIS AS A TEMPORARY TRANSFER STATION.
Narrator: EACH OF THESE TRUCKS IS CARRYING UP TO 10 TONS OF DEBRIS,
AND THE DEPARTMENT HAS 2,000 TRUCKS ON THE ROAD.
Hickey: THIS IS A MASSIVE, MASSIVE UNDERTAKING.
I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE.
Narrator: IT'S A RACE TO EMPTY THE TRUCKS
AND GET THEM BACK OUT,
BUT THIS ISN'T SIMPLY DUMP-AND-RUN.
WOOD FROM THE THOUSANDS OF TREES BROUGHT DOWN BY THE STORM
MUST BE KEPT SEPARATE BECAUSE OF THE RISK OF FIRE.
BUILDING WASTE HAS TO BE CHECKED FOR ASBESTOS
AND METALS COLLECTED FOR RECYCLING.
RELOAD THE METAL AND TAKE IT TO WHERE YOU'RE GOING.
OPERATIONS CONTINUE AROUND THE CLOCK,
AND CHIEF MCGOVERN HAS JUST ONE PRIORITY.
WE'RE JUST GONNA CONTINUE TO WORK UNTIL IT'S ALL GONE.
Narrator: FIVE MONTHS LATER, AND AS NEW YORK'S LONG, COLD WINTER
DRAWS TO A CLOSE,
THE SANITATION DEPARTMENT IS FINALLY ABLE
TO RETURN TO THEIR REGULAR ROUNDS.
AND AS NEW YORKERS REBUILD THEIR LIVES,
DEPUTY MAYOR CAS HOLLOWAY IS RIGHTLY PROUD.
THE 6,000 MEN AND WOMEN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION
WERE ON THE GROUND, LITERALLY, 24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK
FOR WEEKS AND WEEKS.
WE HAD 1.3 MILLION TONS OF DEBRIS,
WE MOVED 3,000 CARS. WE TOWED 180 BOATS.
Narrator: AT RIIS PARK IN THE ROCKAWAYS,
TRUCKS STILL ROLL IN FROM TIME TO TIME,
CARRYING FRESH LOADS.
BUT THE MOUNTAIN OF WRECKAGE IS ALL BUT GONE.
THOSE HIT HARDEST BY SUPERSTORM SANDY
WILL ALWAYS BE THANKFUL
TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION.
THESE WERE NOT JUST GUYS DRIVING DOWN THE BLOCK,
TAKING THE TRASH, THROWING IT IN THE BACK OF THE TRUCK.
THEY CAME AND THEY TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY.
AND THEY CAME IN THE HOUSE, KNOCKED ON THE DOOR,
"DO YOU WANT ANYTHING ELSE TAKEN OUT?
WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO TO HELP YOU?"
[ CHUCKLES ]
WHO WOULD THINK? NOT ME.
Narrator: THE DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION
WILL REMEMBER SUPERSTORM SANDY FOR YEARS TO COME.
WE WERE THE FIRST BOOTS ON THE GROUND
AND WE'LL BE HERE AFTER EVERYONE'S GONE.
Narrator: STILL TO COME, HOW DO THEY GROW
THOUSANDS OF TONS OF DATES IN AN OASIS IN THE DESERT?
JOIN US AFTER THE BREAK TO FIND OUT HOW ON "HOW DO THEY DO IT?"
Narrator: THE HUMBLE DATE --
THE FIRST FRUIT EVER CULTIVATED BY MAN.
TODAY THE WORLD CHEWS THROUGH OVER SIX MILLION TONS A YEAR.
BEHIND THIS SIMPLE FOOD LIES A REMARKABLE STORY.
DATE PALMS GROW BEST IN DESERT OASES,
SO WHEN IT COMES TO PRODUCING MILLIONS OF DATES IN THE DESERT,
HOW DO THEY DO IT?
[ MUEZZIN SINGING ]
THE ANCIENT VILLAGE OF TAMNOUGALT
ON THE EDGE OF THE SAHARA DESERT.
DATES GROW BEST WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS IN THE 80s
AND THE AIR IS DRY.
CONDITIONS AROUND TAMNOUGALT ARE PERFECT.
WITH ALMOST TWO MILLION DATE PALMS GROWING HERE,
IT'S KNOWN AS THE LAND OF THE DATES.
THOUGH THE DESERT CLIMATE IS PERFECT FOR THE FRUIT,
THE TREES STILL NEED WATER TO SURVIVE.
AN AVERAGE TREE REQUIRES 45,000 GALLONS A YEAR.
A SMALL FIELD WILL NEED FIVE MILLION GALLONS.
LUCKILY, THERE'S A RELIABLE SUPPLY.
FED BY SNOWMELT FROM THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS
IS THE 3,000-MILE-LONG DRAA RIVER.
USING CENTURIES-OLD TECHNIQUES,
THE FARMERS DIG IRRIGATION CHANNELS TO CARRY WATER
FROM THE RIVER INTO THE PALM GROVES.
THE TREES NEED LOTS OF WATER FOR THEIR ROOTS
IF THEY'RE GOING TO GIVE A GOOD CROP.
A WELL-WATERED TREE CAN PRODUCE OVER 220 POUNDS OF DATES.
BUT WHILE THE TREES CAN LIVE FOR 65 YEARS,
THAT STILL MEANS 30,000 TREES HAVE TO BE REPLACED EVERY YEAR.
IF THEY JUST SOWED THE DATE SEEDS,
HALF OF THEM WOULD COME UP AS FRUITLESS MALE PLANTS.
INSTEAD, THEY TAKE OFFSHOOTS FROM FRUITING FEMALE TREES
AND PLANT THEM OUT IN THE NURSERIES.
IN FIVE OR SIX YEARS,
THESE YOUNG TREES WILL BE PRODUCING DATES.
THE FRUIT IS NORMALLY READY TO HARVEST BY EARLY OCTOBER.
WITH TEMPERATURES STILL IN THE MID-80s,
FARMERS HAFI BIN-IAJA AND TAHIB AL-AUI,
GO OUT IN THE MORNING TO ASSESS THE CROP.
THEY NEED TO JUDGE
THE RIGHT MOMENT TO HARVEST EACH BUNCH.
TOO SOON, AND THEY WON'T BE RIPE,
BUT LEAVE THEM TOO LONG, AND IF THE RAINS COME EARLY,
THE FRUIT WILL BE DAMAGED.
AFTER THEY'VE DECIDED THEY'RE READY
COMES THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE.
DATE PALMS CAN REACH 25 FEET TALL.
THIS IS THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE HARVEST --
SCALING THE TRUNK OF A LOFTY DATE PALM.
ONE SLIP, AND HAFI COULD PLUMMET TO THE GROUND.
PLOTTING SAFE PASSAGE
THROUGH FRAGILE, DEAD STOCKS WITHOUT A HARNESS
IS LIKE NAVIGATING A VERTICAL MINE FIELD.
AND THERE ARE MORE PROBLEMS WAITING AT THE TOP.
THE DATES ARE PROTECTED
BY A CANOPY OF TOUGH, LEAFY BRANCHES
AND REQUIRE A MACHETE TO GET TO.
WIELDING A RAZOR-SHARP, 13-INCH BLADE SIX STORIES UP
ISN'T A SIMPLE TASK,
BUT HAFI MANAGES TO CHOP OFF EACH BUNCH WITH EASE.
GREEN, UNRIPE DATES, KNOWN AS KIMRI,
WILL BE LEFT ON THE TREE.
HE'S AFTER CRISP, NEARLY RIPE YELLOW DATES, KNOWN AS KHALAL,
AND SOFT, RIPE, BROWN DATES CALLED RUTAB.
ONE TREE CAN PRODUCE A DOZEN OR MORE BUNCHES OF DATES
WITH UP TO 20 POUNDS IN EACH BUNCH.
EACH DATE RIPENS AT ITS OWN PACE, SO BACK IN THE VILLAGE,
THEY SPREAD OUT THE YELLOW KHALAL DATES
TO BROWN IN THE HEAT OF THE SUN.
WHILE THE SUN DOES ITS WORK,
NOTHING FROM THE MORNING'S HARVEST IS WASTED.
THE SPARE BRANCHES FROM THE PALM TREES
ARE WOVEN INTO A VARIETY OF ITEMS --
FROM ROPES TO BASKETS.
AS FOR THE DATES, ONCE THEY'RE RIPE,
THEY WILL BE BAGGED UP, READY TO BE SENT TO THE MARKET.
THANKS TO AN ANCIENT OASIS IN THE DESERT,
THE WORLD WILL CONTINUE TO ENJOY THE SWEET TASTE
OF THE FIRST FRUIT EVER CULTIVATED BY MAN...
...JUST AS WE HAVE DONE FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
FOR MORE "HOW DO THEY DO IT?" CHECK OUT...