MUMBAI: 1. Mogadishu in Somalia, one of the most dangerous places on the planet, where flak jackets, helmets and even ?blast boxers? - armoured underwear ? are needed to protect yourself against IEDs and grenade attacks.

2. The South African authorities use high speed boats to hunt down poachers targeting a very different sea creature called Abalone, a delicacy for which Chinese gourmets pay big money.

3. Maldives, the paradise island, features on the wish list of most travelers across the globe. Simon and the crew dined at the world?s first undersea restaurant ?Ithaa?, encased in a transparent roof offering a panoramic underwater view.

4. Simon also discovered where the Maldives dumps its rubbish, the ?Rubbish Island?, where up to 300 tonnes of trash are shipped here every day.

5. It is believed that Queen of Sheba?s palace was first excavated near Salalah, Oman and that Sinbad the Sailor set sail from one of its ancient ports.

6. The isolated village of Kumzar in Oman boasts its own unique historical language (the only one of Persian origin on the south side of the Gulf) and a distinctive lifestyle that hasn?t changed much over centuries
7. Khasab, the Musandam region?s capital, has a splendid fort, built by the Portuguese to keep their sailors supplied with dates and fresh water.

8. Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, is also witness to the fight to save one of the country?s most bizarre species, the Javan Slow Loris. The endangered species has a bear-like head and hands that resemble a monkey?s but it moves like a sloth.

9. In Australia, the Kimberley is one of the world?s greatest and unspoilt wildernesses. Also Barramundi fish farm is the home to a real life crocodile hunter, who captures giant saltwater crocodiles which pose a danger to humans and transports them to a natural reserve.

10. An eccentric Englishman is fighting back to turn his private paradise island in Seychelles into the world?s smallest national park - largely populated by giant tortoises who start their life in his bedroom.