On a Wing and a Prayer: One Woman's Adventure into the Heart of the Rainforest

by Sarah Woods

Overview

This book tells the incredible story of one woman's adventure into the heart of the rainforest.

As a young child, Sarah Woods imagined going on epic voyages to exotic, illusory lands filled with bizarre creatures, intoxicating rhythms, vibrant colours and other-worldly forests. As soon as she was old enough she packed a bag and set off to see the world for real, leaving friends and family behind to fulfil her childhood dreams.

To journey solo through Central and South America was perhaps the ultimate challenge. Leaving the tourist traps behind, Sarah ventured into the wilderness, experiencing disease-ridden swamps, shark-infested waters and dense tracts of primary rainforest that are home to jaguars, anacondas and tusk-gnashing peccaries.

One animal, though, is truly emblematic of these forests – the awe-inspiring harpy eagle. But to see it you have to be prepared for serious hardship…

Facing gruelling, energy-sapping jungle conditions and constant challenges that saw her question the deepest and most intimate aspects of her life, Sarah's intrepid travels on the trail of iconic wildlife took her through some of the toughest terrain imaginable, and led to encounters with extraordinary indigenous people of the forest, with whom she experienced kindnesses and cultures beyond her wildest dreams.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472912152
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	05/21/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Sarah Woods has been travelling nonstop for two decades, circumnavigating the globe in several directions along the way. She has scaled volcanoes, navigated windswept deserts and spent time with indigenous tribes in riverside thatched settlements. Now UK-based, Sarah works for Europe's largest wildlife conservation charity, the RSPB. She is a regular contributor to travel magazines, travel and documentary programmes and BBC radio. Sarah has won awards for her books, TV broadcasting and travel writing. She is author of the Bradt Travel Guides to Panama and Colombia.
Sarah Woods has been travelling nonstop for two decades, circumnavigating the globe in several directions along the way. She has scaled volcanoes, navigated windswept deserts and spent time with indigenous tribes in riverside thatched settlements. Now UK-based, Sarah works for Europe's largest wildlife conservation charity, the RSPB. She is a regular contributor to travel magazines, travel and documentary programmes and BBC radio. Sarah has won awards for her books, TV broadcasting and travel writing. She is author of the Bradt Travel Guides to Panama and Colombia.

Table of Contents

Map of the region
Prologue

Jungles in the City - Panama, 1999-2005
Eyeballing an Eden - Panama, 2004-2006
Meeting the Wounaan - Panama, 2008
Mangroves and the Moonchild - Panama, 2008
Shapes and Stones - Colombia, 2007-2010
Fish Man and the Floods - The Amazon (Colombia, Brazil and Peru) and Costa Rica, 2006-2010
Jailbirds and Whales - Panama, 2003
Otters, Flamingos and Jackboots - Colombia, Venezuela and Panama, 2007 - 2010
Blood, Sweat and Tears - Panama, 2010

Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Index
Plates

Editorial Reviews

Sarah Woods hacks deep into the rainforest in search of the rare harpy eagle and comes away with more: a greater insight into both the people and wildlife that exist in these tough environments, and herself too.” —Wanderlust

“I don't think I'll ever go to the jungles of South America – they seem hot, sweaty and full of biting things, but I was very glad to read this excellent account of people, places and wildlife, including, perhaps, a Harpy Eagle.” —Mark Avery, Sunday Book Review

"Even when the jungle was giving her rashes, parasites, or the runs, her catalogs of bird species read like descriptions of a feast." —Carrie Laben, 10,000 Birds

"If you have any interest at all in this region – how can you be a birder and not? – this is a worthwhile read.” —Birder's Library

From the Publisher

08/01/2015
Traveling solo often opens doors to unique experiences not afforded to groups. Award-winning travel writer Woods shares remarkable, firsthand accounts from her years as a lone traveler in Central and South America. Her travelog takes us deep into the rainforest, where the canopy is refuge not only to rare, dangerous species but also to weary, indigenous peoples who view the outsider as enemy. Woods, however, cannot be deterred, for she is on a quest to spy the legendary harpy eagle in its tropical habitat. Though discovery of this majestic creature drives the story, it fades into the shadows as the author details native village culture, exotic animal species, and an environment that seems otherworldly. The read is a little disjointed with its multiyear time line, but Woods's engaging style keeps the story flowing. There is a shine to her writing, an honesty that binds reader to writer enough that even the odd detours are forgiven. VERDICT A book for travelog readers, armchair travelers, birders, and those with an interest in Central and South America culture.—Angela Forret, Clive P.L., IA

Library Journal