In Trouble Again: A Journey Between the Orinoco and the Amazon

by Redmond O'Hanlon

O'Hanlon takes us into the bug-ridden rain forest between the Orinoco and the Amazon--infested with jaguars and piranhas, where men would kill over a bottle of ketchup and where the locals may be the most violent people on earth (next to hockey fans).

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Adventure, Nature, Memoir, Humor, Brazil

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Redmond O'Hanlon is a British author, born in 1947. Mr. O'Hanlon has become known for his journeys into some of the most remote jungles of the world, in Borneo, the Amazon basin and Congo. He has also written a harrowing account of a trip to the North Atlantic on a trawler.

Reviews

[Joseph Pfeffer]

A mixture of minute, old-fashioned naturalistic observation of plants, mammals, and especially birds in the Amazonian rain forest, and the vicissitudes of traveling with a motley crew of locals along with O'Hanlon's alcoholic English friend Simon, who comes along for a kind of comic counterpoint to the meticulous O'Hanlon but can't take any more and drops out a little more than halfway through the book. In Trouble Again loses something when Simon goes, because he is a kind of cynical everyman, having no idea why he decided to come along with the obsessive Redmond in the first place. He thus provides spice to what might otherwise be a throwback to the standard 19'th century Englishman's dogged exploration of the wonders of foreign lands. Without Simon, O'Hanlon is left with a Colombian scientist and two or three hanger-on roustabouts who go with him for the money. These people are interesting for a while, but gradually become rather tedious and tend to blend into one another. In the last fifty pages or so, O'Hanlon and crew come upon the legendary Yanomami, who they expect to annihilate them with poison arrows then eat their flesh. The natives, it seems, have even more fear of their jungle compatriots than do outsiders conditioned by the tendentious, largely discredited ravings of the infamous Napoleon Chagnon, who forms O'Hanlon's view of the tribe as much as he does everyone else's. The Yanomami, however, turn out to be a friendly, humorous, lively group of hunters, gatherers, and tricksters who want O'Hanlon and his bunch to give them things but never act remotely aggressive or "fierce." Four of them even join O'Hanlon's party and travel with him, becoming good friends in the process, valued for their expert hunting skills. O'Hanlon has great fun decimating the stereotypes of anthropologists, which is perhaps the book's most attractive feature. All in all, In Trouble Again is well written, sumptuous, at times harrowing and at times funny, but lacks much narrative drive and is weighted down by O'Hanlon's overly detailed, heavy naturalistic descriptions, most of which seem to come from his reading of earlier books rather then actual observation. A bit slow, but worth reading for its several virtues.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is armchair travel writing at its finest. O'Hanlon's account of his journey along the river systems of Venezuela is funny, exhausting and enthralling, as he battles swarms of black fly, poisonous snakes, grumpy colleagues and recalcitrant guides. He is as observant as only a dedicated naturalist can be, and his account is the next best thing to being there. No, actually I would say it is better than being there, since it has convinced this reader that this is one place I will never wish to visit, notwithstanding O'Hanlon's entirely matter of fact acceptance of all things parasitic, mouldy and otherwise gross. But for reading while snuggled up in a comfortable arm chair with a ready supply of coffee and croissant to hand, this is a wonderful account.

[Stephan van der Linde · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book because O'Hanlon describes his journey with so much detail, you get the delusion you are at the Amazon yourself.

While reading, you got a lot of sympathy for Redmond. His patience, curiosity, the way he acts and accepts the things he's got to deal with. But for the most of his writing with much detail and especially a lot of humour.

All environments are described very well, dialogue's and his travel-partners, the wildlife, tribes and their habits and the danger of it all.

Often you think O'Hanlon won't survive the book. A real adventure.
A very special read-experience and very instructive as well.

[Scott Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for those who enjoy funny Englishmen and their travels.

[Bookguide · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in Dutch. Interesting information in the second half about the Yanomomi tribe of indians in the Venezuelan rain-forest. The first part, about the journey itself, drags by the middle of the book, and there was too much about the birds which would have been better illustrated with coloured illustrations or photos. What happened to all the photos Simon and Redmond took? There is a beautifully-illustrated account of a more recent expedition online: http://www.jandungel.com/en/books/po_...
It was also interesting to note that the Yanomami(who from the Western perspective are a "stone-age tribe" and own virtually nothing, living a subsistence lifestyle), pity O'Hanlon, who is clumsy, unskilled and childlike. The Yanomami treat him as a child, echoing and reflecting the colonialist view of so-called primitive peoples.

Nederlands:
Gelezen in het kader van de '6 Continents, 6 Countries, 6 Books Challenge'.

Op de één of andere manier had ik het idee dat Redmond O'Hanlon bekend was omdat hij grappig was, en daar was ik een beetje bang voor, want ik wilde mijn schaarse boeken over Zuid-Amerika niet verspillen aan flauwe grapjes. Onder het lezen heb ik af en toe iets opgevangen over O'Hanlon, en ging op zoek naar reviews. Een aantal mensen zijn afgehaakt omdat het "te grof" was, maar gezien de ontberingen van de reis, heeft hij zich waarschijnlijk goed ingehouden. Anderen waren wel te spreken over zijn humor. Ik heb het zeker niet te grof gevonden, maar zo grappig was het ook weer niet. Wat het wel was, was een verhaal over een lange en moeilijke reis over de rivieren en moerassen van Venezuaela, met een aantal merkwaardige reisgenoten. Doel is exploratie en kennis te maken met de Yanomami-indianen, door een andere antropoloog getypeerd als 'het woeste volk' - iedereen is bang voor hun. Geleidelijk aan leer je alle mensen kennen met hun eigenaardigheden:
- Simon, de Engelse casino-eigenaar, die als fotograaf meegaat, alleen maar zeurt, weigert hetzelfde te eten als de rest, weigert om een foto te maken als het er echt op aankomt, en uitendelijk vroeg teruggaat;
- Juan, de boekengeleerde Colombiaan, die doet zich voor als expert, maar wil liever de Yanomani niet ontmoeten, en ziet de hele expeditie als verloren zaak;
- Chimo, zelf indiaan (maar geen Yanomami) en gids, met zijn grote buik en veel praktische kennis;
- Valentine en Pablo, indianen die meegaan om te helpen;
- Culimacaré, indiaan met een extra duim die overal meedoet.

Tot het middel van het boek, gaat het verhaal langzaam, en op een gegeven moment wordt het saai, en de klachten van Simon worden vervelend. Nadat hij vertrokken is, gaat de expeditie verder, en op een dag ontmoeten ze eindelijk een ge-isoleerde familie Yanomami, met de vader Jarivanau. Iedereen slaat doodsangsten uit, maar gelukkig valt het allemaal mee. En dan moeten ze hem proberen te overtuigen verder als gids met hun mee te reizen, om op zoek te gaan naar meer Yanomami.

Het laaste stuk van het boek is het meest interessant, met informatie over de levenswijze van de mensen, hun geloofssysteem, mythes en gewoonten. Wat ik erg mis in dit boek zijn goede foto's en een betere kaart. O'Hanlon is erg ge-interesseerd in de vogels, en beschrijft ze allemaal met hun roep en uiterlijk. Ik had graag ook een plaatje met alle vogels willen hebben (met name omdat ik de nederlandse namen niet ken). Hier is een heel mooi boek van een recentere expeditie met prachtige foto's en plaatjes: http://www.jandungel.com/en/books/po_...

Ik vermoed dat O'Hanlon meer "colourful language" in het oorspronklijke Engelse tekst gebruikte, en dat mis ik in de vertaling. In z'n geheel was dit een interessant boek met veel informatie, maar het maakt dat ik meer wil lezen over de Yanomani-indianen, en dat heb ik gisteren ook gedaan. Blijkbaar wordt hun leven nu meer onder druk gezet, door illegale goudmijners, de ziekten die ze brachten, milieu-vervuiling, en sinds 2000 is er ook kritiek op antropologen zoals Chagnon die, zoals nu beweerd, gebruikte de Yanomami om op te experimenteren. Misschien in O'Hanlons boek dus één van de laatste waar de mensen nog op hun oorspronkelijke levenswijze geobserveerd werden. In ieder geval, heel interessant.
NB. Misschien wil Paperfish dit lezen?

[Rebekkila · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is probably better than a three, but I have a weak stomach and there are some disgusting things in the jungles of South America not to mention lots of snakes. I give a lot of credit to the auhtor for what he did. He boated down some rivers in the Amazon basin looking for the Yanomami Indians. He set off with his friend from London, Simon, and South Americans who worked on expeditions in that area.

The journey sounded quite harrowing and Simon who was a bit of comic relief left relatively early. Redmond O'Hanlon really immersed himself in the culture eating Fear Factor type meals and bonding with an outcast Yanomami even doing Yoppo, the local drug with him. When he finally reaches some real Yanomami Indians I was nervous for him and his South American cohorts. The Yanomami are a dangerous bunch, and they don't like those who don't follow their customs.

I do wish that I was a bit more up on birds. I don't really know enough to match their whistles and calls with their species and frankly I am not a morning person and that is when they are at their most active and it rather annoys me. But I do think he stumbled upon some birds that are uncommon and to a bird lover that would be really quite thrilling.

[Les Dangerfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different style of travel book! With zany humour. The jungles of the world have always attracted me as little understood frontiers of experience and places full of wildlife wonders. I read his book about travel in Congo jungle years ago and felt much the same about this one. There is something missing (clear narrative maybe) which made it difficult for me to get into. It didn't hold me as I would have expected it to. I was also disturbed by the tendency for his group to kill everything that moved, though they had to find their food somehow, I suppose.

[Phyllis Fredericksen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A trip down the Amazon has always been on my bucket list- so I enjoy reading about others who have accomplished this. O’Hanlon attempts this trip with native guides in canoes...not what I would do! Interesting birds and other animals are found along the way. They even meet and stay with Yanomami people....said to be the most fierce people on earth. Readable and interesting on the whole. But I did enjoy Fleming’s book more.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second half really picks up and is much more interesting than the first. Redmond is so wacky.

[Iulia · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most absorbing books I read all year. It had everything: humour and laughter; joy, hope and tenderness; danger and darkness; colourful people; gorgeous descriptions of nature and wilderness; the uknown and unknowable. I loved how O’Hanlon draws you in so you too can smell the smells, hear the sounds, see the colours of Amazon rainforests and waterways, all the while revealing the extraordinary physical and mental toll such a journey takes on those crazy and brave enough to undertake it. It’s raw and brutal at times, and so beautiful! I’m longing for the Amazon jungle again…

[Maud Hermans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only didn’t like the parts where he was bribing the crew to come to the Yanomami. He made everyone (including his friend Simon, which made me sympathize with Simon weirdly enough)hate him because they need the money but they were scared for their lives…
The rest is hilarious

[John Haake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book -- unfortunately I read it with my wife and this was not as enjoyable to her. It is about several males that head out into the wilds together -- and very much a man's story, much as any hunting or fishing story, with plenty of bathroom jokes and farting jokes. The descriptions of the wilderness and the flora and fauna are wonderful - I really like how the author frequently compares his experiences with those of previous explorers in the same area, with liberal quotes from those former explorers included. This is an excellent read for anyone with interest in this area of the world.

[Penelope Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill Bryson said this was the best travel book he had ever read, which is why I read it. It was fascinating. Took a while to get going, I would have preferred less of the preparation and less of his companion Simon, but once they get going it really takes off. It's more a book of exploration rather than travel. O'Hanlon is a very deft writer, can really make the situations come to life. And he spent quite a bit of time about the birds he saw, and I could look them up. Btw it takes place in Amazonia in 1988.

[Gennadyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in a Guatemalan eco-hotel in the jungle and it couldn't have been more appropriate.
A hilarious and fascinating account of an englishman's journey through the jungles of Venezuela in the 1980's with a crew of vivid characters to meet a tribe of Indians known for their ferocity and violence towards each other and outsiders. things you can expect: tapir groin ticks, clash of cultures, funny dialog and weird foods.
great travel read.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have traveled the Amazon this is a way to relive the experience, the animals and birds, insects and sense of the rainforest His formidable knowledge of the flora fauna and his fellow man is presented in an off hand way and his feigned innocence of the dangers provides the right touch of wry humor. If you haven't been there or plan to go however this may not be to your taste

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has to be a first - a travelogue that managed at its conclusion to dissuade me from ever traveling to a certain part of the world. Granted this book is literally now > 30 years old and I suspect that at least a portion of the landscape encountered by O'Hanlon might have changed a bit in the interim. Though a part of me even wonders about that, given the utter remoteness of the region depicted by O'Hanlon, it is possible that the jungle and river region he traversed has remained much the same given how arduous it was to get there in the first place. The book itself is wonderfully written and I do feel bad that I could only muster 2-stars for it. It reads more like a naturalist's memoir as O'Hanlon travels along the Rio Negro and beyond to see various exotic birds and wildlife, depicting his encounters with care and detail. The latter third depicts his encounter with the infamous Yanomami tribe for which much has been written about their fierce nature and violent encounters with outsiders.

However, the constant humidity, mold creeping into everything O'Hanlon and his group owned, the innumerable hornet/wasp stings, the ant bites, the fungal infections, the crotch-rot, the ever present wet clothing, and any number of other parasitic encounters did not make for a great advertisement of the region. Never mind the utterly disgusting array of things he had to hunt and eat (cayman, tapir, piranhas, turtles, spider monkeys!). I like to think of myself as well traveled but I think I would rather starve then eat a monkey's brain or a cayman's tail. Or I'd have to pack about 10,000 protein bars because this was a 4-month journey in total. That being said, the portion I loved the most was O'Hanlon's friend Simon whom he convinced to go on this journey who was nothing short of comedic genius due to his utter disgust at the whole event. He lived on cans of Spam, complained about nearly everything and ultimately had to bale half-way thru because he was desperate for clean clothes, reasonable food, and a night free of mosquitos and other critters. His presence was sorely missed in the latter half of the book.

Overall, this is probably a well-written and quite accurate account of traveling in the Amazon region of Venezuela that clearly conveys the author's enthusiasm and cultural interest for the area. It just ended up not being the book I thought it would be from the jacket description.

[Pineapple Pizza · Rating 2 out of 5]

No soy biólogo. El libro tiene su humor pero llega un momento donde se hace repetitivo y predictivo y va perdiendo el interés. La parte de la selva (un 90% del libro) se puede resumir en: selva, mosquitos, mira un [insertar nombre de animal de la selva], eso lo llamamos [insertar nombre nativo], revisión de los diarios de un inglés del siglo XIX, más mosquitos, matamos un tapir/rata/caiman/20 pirañas para comer, hamacas, mosquitos, canoas, vemos pájaros/anaconda/jaguar, canoas, mosquitos. Y entonces, aparacen los nativos yanomamis (no tiene nada que ver con Rosalía) y pasamos a yoppo, comidas, ver más animales, yoppo, miedo a una matanza. Y finalmente, vuelta a casa.
Es interesante ver las dinámicas entre los miembros de la expedición y su evolución en las distintas partes del viaje: pérdida de compañeros, complicaciones logísticas, caída del entusiasmo, fijación del líder (pseudo-locura), éxitos y fracasos y vuelta a casa.

Se me hizo algo pesado y estaba deseando que acabara.

Después vi que O'Hanlon está metido en un docu sobre la búsqueda de la ciudad perdida Z. Quizás vea la película...

[Celeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was recommended to me as a light hearted and fun read, but I did not find that to be true. Parts of it were difficult to read; such as the hunting, the state of mind of the author’s fellow travelers, and the living conditions of many of the “Indians”. I applaud the author for his matter of fact manner of stating his observations, and his attempt to remove any sense of judgement. All the while I thoroughly appreciated his way of injecting self deprecating and general humour into almost every situation. I will admit I laughed out loud more than once.

I loved the descriptions of the birds and animals; I spent a lot of time looking them up online to get a better idea of what the characters were experiencing.

[Steve Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is armchair travel writing at its finest. O'Hanlon's account of his journey along the river systems of Venezuela is funny, exhausting and enthralling, as he battles swarms of black fly, poisonous snakes, grumpy colleagues and recalcitrant guides. He is as observant as only a dedicated naturalist can be, and his account is the next best thing to being there. No, actually I would say it is better than being there, since it has convinced this reader that this is one place I will never wish to visit, notwithstanding O'Hanlon's entirely matter of fact acceptance of all things parasitic, mouldy and otherwise gross. But for reading while snuggled up in a comfortable arm chair with a ready supply of coffee and croissant to hand, this is a wonderful account.

[Richard Schwindt · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book for the boy in me is Conan Doyle's The Lost World. It is funny, scary and makes amusing points about the fierce courage of scientific minds faced by the terrors of the Amazon. Remember that if you find yourself on this particular journey. O'Hanlon has a knack for putting himself in terrifying places with inappropriate companions. Having also read "The River of Doubt", Candice Millard's account of Theodore Roosevelts disasterous exploration of the Amazon, I can say that O'Hanlons journey is every bit as frightening as Roosevelts but much funnier. His ability to find humor and reflect on his oddball companions only serves to make the stories scarier. Highly recommended.

[Melissa Marchand Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be fascinating in more ways than one. For example, the author’s joy at every new discovery in spite of the many physical hardships, his amusing sidekick, Simon, and his handling of so many awkward moments that arose between his companions. I found it immensely pleasurable to reach for my IPhone to see photos of the many species that I had never heard of.
However, I was puzzled and disappointed by the lack of photos in the book. Especially since photography was an important aspect of this journey. I also was saddened by the fact that Simon was not mentioned at the end of the book. He was such a vivid character
that I was dying to know about his trip home etc.

[Richard Nicklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wild ride through the Amazon and a man’s mind.

O’Hanlon is always worth reading as he dreamily wanders through the wildernesses of this world. A great tale of amateur exploration and anthropology. The candid descriptions of the Yanomami alone are well worth the price of the book, although the character of Simon, a London casino manager, seems the most alien somehow.

It is impossible to read this book and not pine for a hammock, contemplate the taste of smoked piranha, and start searching for flights to Menaus.

[Peer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The has two parts, one with Simon and one without. Redmund catches the atmosphere of his surroundings really good. So good that the first part with his travel mate Simon never really comes to fullfilment and stays depressed. But as soon as Simon quits the expedition, the story goes like honey, very like In Borneo. By that I mean: reading is like being there in the Rainforest. So the first part is 2 stars, second part 4 stars. Only the end is a bit raffled.

[Des Bladet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this at the exchange library at the first camping. I can imagine no better holiday reading than Redmond O’Hanlon doing his anachronistic Victorian naturalist routines, with a bush-crazy city-boy companion, a colourful cast of indigenous persons, unrelenting privations and as always endless descriptions of the local birds.

[Andrew Paget · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful bit of armchair travelling. Definitely one of my new favourite travel writers. Old school “this is what I saw” type travelling with a passionate naturalist as a guide. Right up my street.

[Jake Berlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

a fun and fascinating adventure, full of humor and an overwhelming awe for the wonders of nature

[Balloon Bruce · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it.

[Els · Rating 3 out of 5]

Geestig reisverslag met een groot gevoel voor humor en zelfrelativering

[Tom Leland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creatures and dangers and rituals you can't imagine, described by an adventurous and brave nature expert.

[Stijn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessant, vrij langdradig