Wild Coast : Travels on South America's Untamed Edge

As he did for Paraguay in At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig(#x1C;a raucous blend of history, travelogue, and guide#x1D;- Cond#xE9; Nast Traveler),John Gimlette now does for South America#x19;s far-flung Guianese coast. Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana are among the least-known places in South America and, in John Gimlette#x19;s hands, among the most wildly intriguing. He takes us deep into this remote edge of the world, vividly describing the stilt-sitting coastal towns; torrential, often impassable rivers (there are literally thousands); and forests so dense that even today there are no roads through them. He reveals the region#x19;s surprisingly bloody history-including the infamous cult suicide at Jonestown-and introduces us to its inhabitants: from the world#x19;s largest ants to fluorescent purple frogs; from indigenous tribes who still live by sorcery to descendants of African slaves, Dutch conquerors, Hmong refugees, Irish adventurers, and Scottish outlaws; from high-tech pirates to hapless pioneers for whom this stunning, strangely beautiful world (#x1C;a sort of X-rated Garden of Eden#x1D;) has become home by choice or by force. A fabulously entertaining, eye-popping journey.