Equator

For most people, the equator is just an imaginary line, but the countries along it are among the most troubled on the planet. Simon takes a journey around the region with the greatest natural biodiversity and human suffering, meeting illegal loggers, circumcisers, drunk villagers, and a young woman stuck in the desert. He's protected by soldiers in a coca field and UN 'peace-enforcers' in a gold mine, and faces challenges like blackmail, abandonment, and navigating unpaved roads. Simon experiences white-water rafting, flamingos, and a tidal wave, and battles malaria after being warned about Ebola. He's adopted by a remote tribe, discovers a matrilineal society, and witnesses mass graves, protesting fishermen, and volcanic eruptions. Along the way, he helps an orphaned orangutan, swims with sea-lions, and climbs a mountain equivalent to half-way up Everest.