Description
Book SynopsisThe Darién Gap is a place of legend. The only break in the Pan-American highway, which runs from Alaska to the tip of South America, it is an almost impregnable strip of swamp, jungle and cloud forest between the vast landmasses of North and South America. Stories of abduction and murder there are rife and in recent years more people have successfully climbed Everest or trekked to the South Pole than have crossed the Darién Gap.
In 2000, Tom Hart Dyke, a young botanist, set off to Central America with one thing on his mind: orchids. He knew that in order to find the rare and beautiful species he so fervently admired, he would have to visit some of the most inhospitable places on earth. Unbeknown to Tom, another young explorer, Paul Winder, was backpacking through the area at the same time. Though he sometimes worked freelance in the City of London, Paul was a fearless and intrepid traveller, happier scaling volcanoes than lounging on beaches. In every bar and café along his
Trade Review
'Funny, engrossing and moving... Throughout the dark days, the luminous personalities of Hart Dyke and Winder shine through' * Guardian *
'Part adventure story, part travel memoir, part personal revelation, The Cloud Garden is one of the most exciting and interesting books I have read for years' * Sunday Telegraph *
'Truly captivating' * The Scotsman *
'A terrifying but hilarious story of true British grit and eccentricity...An emotional rollercoaster of fear and farce' * Daily Mail *
'An amazing story, well-told, thrilling and moving...kidnapped by terrorists, held hostage at gunpoint, in fear of being beheaded...A mixture of hell and farce' * The Times *
