How to Walk a Puma
& other things I learned while stumbing around South America
Published on 5. April 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
264 pages
978-1-85788-566-8 (ISBN)
Description
"Plans are usually only good for one thing - laughing at in hindsight. So, armed with rudimentary Spanish, dangerous levels of curiosity and a record of poor judgement, I set off to tackle whatever South America could throw at me."
On his nineteenth birthday, Peter Allison flipped a coin. One side would take him to Africa and the other to South America. He recounted his time spent as a safari guide in Africa to much acclaim in Don't Run, Whatever You do and Don't Look Behind You. Sixteen years later he makes his way to Chile, ready to seek out the continent's best, weirdest and wildest adventures - and to chase the elusive jaguar.
From learning to walk a puma (or rather be bitten and dragged along by it) in Bolivia, to finding love in Patagonia and hunting naked with the remote Huaorani people in Ecuador, How to Walk a Puma is Peter's fascinating and often hilarious account of misadventures in South America. Ever the gifted storyteller and cultural observer, Allison makes many observations about life in humid climes, the nature of nomadism, and exactly what it is like to be nearly blasted off a mountain by the famous Patagonia wind.
His self-deprecating humour is as delightful as his crazy stunts, and his love for animals - even when they bite - is infectious.
On his nineteenth birthday, Peter Allison flipped a coin. One side would take him to Africa and the other to South America. He recounted his time spent as a safari guide in Africa to much acclaim in Don't Run, Whatever You do and Don't Look Behind You. Sixteen years later he makes his way to Chile, ready to seek out the continent's best, weirdest and wildest adventures - and to chase the elusive jaguar.
From learning to walk a puma (or rather be bitten and dragged along by it) in Bolivia, to finding love in Patagonia and hunting naked with the remote Huaorani people in Ecuador, How to Walk a Puma is Peter's fascinating and often hilarious account of misadventures in South America. Ever the gifted storyteller and cultural observer, Allison makes many observations about life in humid climes, the nature of nomadism, and exactly what it is like to be nearly blasted off a mountain by the famous Patagonia wind.
His self-deprecating humour is as delightful as his crazy stunts, and his love for animals - even when they bite - is infectious.
Reviews / Votes
Praise for Peter Allison: Allison's writing is high on colour and is packed with engaging accounts of the sort of things that are just another day at the office for the average safari guide...full of hair-raising stories of escape and adventure. * Sunday Telegraph * Peter is the perfect storyteller with the ability to poke fun at himself. Witty, exciting, and ultimately unmissable. * Real Travel * He writes beautifully and viscerally about the rhythm of bush life. * TNT Magazine *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Murray Press
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 221 mm
Width: 136 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
289 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-85788-566-8 (9781857885668)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
01/2012
Nicholas Brealey Publishing
€3.99
Available for download
Person
Only 19 when he left Australia, Peter Allison arrived in Africa thinking he'd have a short holiday before going home to a 'proper job'. But Peter ended up falling in love with the continent and its wildlife, and after a few years was hired by Southern Africa's largest safari operator to train all their experts; over a decade later, his short holiday in Africa still isn't over.