In Trouble Again: A Journey Between Orinoco and the Amazon

Redmond O'Hanlon (1988)

THE A5 BOOK REVIEW

Redmond O’Hanlon’s next adventure after IntoThe Heart of Borneo was a four month journey to the Amazon rainforest in Venezuela, in search of more exotic flora and fauna, and more crazy adventure.  The book is, accurately, called In Trouble Again: A Journey Between the Orinoco and the Amazon.  His previous traveling companion wasn’t going to be subjected to another reckless experience, but O’Hanlon found another victim to brave the dangers of the uncharted jungle.  One of the highlights was the quest to find the Yanomami tribe, purportedly the most violent people on earth, but his more dangerous encounters are with fire ants, scorpions, crocodiles, piranhas, and an anaconda.  We recommend reading The Heart of Borneo first, but this is a similarly enjoyable, funny and enthralling book.  
Click here to see reviews and prices for this book on Amazon.

OTHER A5 RECOMMENDED TRAVEL BOOKS - REDMOND O'HANLON

In Trouble Again is only one of O'Hanlon's trips to remote wild places, following the celebrated Into the Heart of Borneo (1984) for which he is most famous.  We also like Trawler (2003), his closer-to-home but no less extreme tour with a commercial fishing crew in the North Atlantic.  Learn more about Redmond O'Hanlon by clicking here.

GREAT QUOTES:

"There was certainly, I knew, a powdered-love-potion which every young warrior carried at the bottom of his quiver: you crept up behind your beloved and clapped it across her nose (being careful not to bang the septum-stick).  One deep sniff and she was moist all over.  In fact it happens so quickly that you must lure her to your chosen bush (and make sure that the ground beneath it is prepared well in advance).  But watch out - because girls too have chemical weapons.  If you are a bad hunter, or a coward, or just plain ugly, she may get you first with an equally powerful powder that shrivels the penis; one sniff and it goes back to where it came from."

INTERESTING LINKS:

  • Read Mark Ford's review of In Trouble Again in the London Review of Books.  You need to register with your email to read the whole text.
  • National Geographic has a nice video on the Orinoco river.