Lewis Dartnell dons his naturalist hat and ventures into the Amazonian rainforest of Eastern Equador

Two years ago I’d formed the somewhat misconceived notion that travelling could never amount to anything more than a GAP year of one of three expensive and clichéd models: booze & bifta fuelled tour of East coast Australia, pestering Gurus with mind to “discovering myself” or scouring the Lonely Planet Guide to Kenya for that one extra shrink-wrapped Experience that would distinguish me as a traveller. It seemed to me Tourist is to backpacker as MacBeth is to thesp, and Alex Garland’s Lord of the Flies “Beach” was doing no good in convincing me that this was my copa de mate. After two years of trying to equate Paddington delays to the travelling tales of friends in the Kings Arms, however, I decided that enough was enough and it was time to broaden my horizons. Continue reading →