Brazil and Back

A travel account of a journey up the Madeira River from Porto Velho to the Bolivian border in South America.

The book follows a London office worker trapped in routine who abandons his comfortable life for a voyage aboard the tramp steamer "Capella" to the Amazon and Madeira rivers. The narrator, a former Londoner, leaves his routine job to escape the confines of urban life, seeking adventure in the South American jungle. The journey begins in Swansea, Wales, and takes him through the treacherous Madeira River rapids to Porto Velho, Brazil. Along the way, he encounters the challenges of navigating the river's dangerous waters, the harsh realities of life aboard a cargo ship, and the stark contrast between the lush jungle and the cold, industrial world he left behind. The central conflict is his internal struggle between the safety of his old life and the allure of the unknown, as he grapples with the decision to abandon his comfortable existence for the uncertainty of the jungle.