Book Details

	Climbing the Equator, Running the Jungle: Adventures in the Jungles and Mountains of Ecuador By: Shulman, Neville Published By: Summersdale Publishers Ltd. ePub for Digital Editions Price: $14.99 PDF for Digital Editions Price: $14.99 Mobipocket Reader Price: $14.99 Microsoft Reader Price: $14.99 Available to read online in eb20 (what's this?) PDF for Digital EditionsePub for Digital EditionsMobipocket ReaderMicrosoft Reader	EBOOK OPTIONS ADD TO CART ADD TO WISHLIST TELL A FRIEND RECEIVE ALERTS
	Creatures from another time, volcanic mountains five million years old, Indian tribes surviving from the pre-Inca period, jungles and rainforests: Ecuador has all this and more. Only in its Galapagos Islands did Charles Darwin discover such a variety of extraordinary fauna that on his return to England he wrote his groundbreaking On the Origin of Species. With a philosophical yet humorous approach, Neville Shulman provides an in-depth background to Ecuador and its diverse peoples and tells intriguing stories of spectacular creatures and exotic flora, many not found anywhere else in the world. Neville Shulman is the author of Some Like It Cold and Zen Explorations in Remotest New Guinea. He is a Fellow of the Explorers Club and of the Royal Geographical Society.

Excerpt

The snowstorm swirls furiously around me, its thick flakes dazzling and blinding me from seeing a way ahead as well as preventing me from finding any way back. I feel trapped and isolated, as I lie exposed at full stretch across an unrelenting rock face, which is becoming more slippery and coated in wet ice with every passing moment. Luis is shouting something across to me but whatever he is saying is all too easily swept away by the force of the wind, whipping ferociously around me and threatening to loosen my grip on the one jutting stone on which my safety seems to depend. I strive hard to hear some of his words, not even being certain whether they are spoken in English or Spanish, although I suppose them to be probably a mixture of the two. I try to understand the meaning of the muffled sounds, guessing at the instructions that he is trying to convey; ‘jump, va, rápido, let go, forward, ahora.’ Am I really hearing Luis’s shouts, or merely imagining something fashioned out of the noises created by the frenzied wildness of the wind? Whatever his words are I know it has to be my choice. I can’t remain as I am for much longer and it is time for a fast – and urgent – decision. I need to go for it, somehow, some way. I remember the Russian proverb I have carried as a mantra on many mountains before, ‘Doveryai no proveryai’ – ‘Trust but verify’. There’s no chance of that now. Here I will have to trust without knowing. I prepare myself mentally to let go and to slide forward, hoping to find another secure hold to prevent myself falling further down the rocks. How many times in the past have I experienced moments such as this and how many more would there be to encounter on these high Ecuadorian mountains? This now - or - never moment feels as if it has locked me into its own space. High up on a mountain the thin atmosphere can play very strange tricks on the mind. Time has no real meaning in the ordinary sense and can stretch in any direction, creating its own dimension. My body is refusing to let me move and my mind starts to flash backwards. I am again feeling the call of the wild, and it is time to plan a journey to another remote part of the world. Many friends working for charities I’ve supported in the past are also asking when and where I will go next, and if I would consider fundraising for them. It’s the extra spur I need. But where should I go? As always, needing some inspiration, I begin by looking through my maps and atlases, searching for a place, a name even, which will pull me in a certain direction and help me to decide. I always strive to find a unique corner of the world, some intriguing spot in which to attempt another challenge that might again persuade friends and colleagues to support my efforts, whilst also providing me with opportunities to expand my understanding and gain some personal insights. I always cover the cost of the entire expedition myself, so at least they can be confident that the entirety of any donations will go directly to the particular charity, and that has usually encouraged them to give more. Having already climbed a number of mountains on several continents, trekked through many remote jungles and rainforests and even travelled to the Arctic and Antarctic Poles, finding a fresh challenge that is equally inspiring won’t be easy.

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• Travel > Exploration & Discovery
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