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Tales from the Torrid Zone: Travels in the Deep Tropics
Part memoir, part travelogue, Tales From the Torrid Zone is rooted in his birthplace, the tiny tropical republic of Vanuatu where his father ran its hospital and his mother, in her front garden, built its first school. From this obscure South Seas group he ranges over the hot, wet, beautiful swathe of the world that has haunted him ever since dines
with a tropical queen in a leper colony, makes his way across tropical Africa (and two civil wars) in a forty-four-year-old flying boat, delivers a new church bell to a remote Oceanian island and visits scores of countries to learn about their history, politics, medicine, flora and fauna (including the remarkable role of the coconut in tropical life). But, as becomes plain, the torrid zone is not just a geographical phenomenon, it's also a state of mind. The result is a witty, entertaining and immensely readable book from a fine storyteller.
Brief Description:
Part memoir, part travelogue, this work describes the author's way across tropical Africa (and two civil wars) in a forty-four-year-old flying boat, and discusses how he visits to scores of countries to learn about their history, politics, medicine, flora and fauna (including the remarkable role of the coconut in tropical life).
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