David Moffatt had no intention whatsoever of leaving the comforts and familiarities of his native Tyneside where he had grown up during the post-war years.
But his university tutor set him something of a challenge. Would he like to travel with him to the other side of the world to Mato Grosso, in Brasil?
His love life was a bit troubled, his beloved football team seemed doomed to relegation. So a year living in the Brazilian jungle seemed very appealing.
But the events that happened during the next twelve months were to change David's life forever.
David found himself thrust into an entirely different world. A world of real and genuine dangers and challenges, of no running water, no electricity, no 'phones and no radio.
But it did give David some truly awesome stories!
There was Taituba, the guide who David had to disarm when things started to get nasty.
But then David was bitten by the bug, well by the bug of travelling and several other bugs along the way!
There was the incident in which he saved an elderly entomologist who David had to save from the very wasps he was there to study, a dangerously incompetent camp cook, threats of kidnap, an unfortunate incident in the bathroom of a Cairo hotel, getting lost (caused by the right-hand swing factor) and trying to work out the exchange rate for eggs versus coffee and sugar.
We also follow David to The Gambia in Africa, Egypt and many other points around the globe.
It's a fascinating read illustrated with a number of photographs.
The book is published by Matador at £10.99 and is an ideal read for the armchair traveller.
You can buy the book at the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop, which is to be found to the right hand side of this book review.
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ReplyDeleteMazen Otabashi