The Drunken Forest – Gerald Durrell
By: snowgood
Tags: Argentina, Gerald Durrell, Paraguay
I enjoyed this fascinating adventure story first published back in 1958.
Gerald Durrell (no longer the reluctant schoolboy seen in the Corfu based TV series) decides to collect exotic animals (bichos) in Argentina.
After a mistake in his booking the voyage out was a calamitous affair in 3rd class. Things don’t get much better once he’s disembarked in Buenos Aries.
All flights to the south are fully booked with holiday makers, and the whole trip is danger of going pear shaped.
Enter stage left one of his brother’s fascinating friends “Bebita Fanny de LLambi de Campbell de Ferreyra.
A well connected lady who can apparently arrange anything.
A few days later the little expedition boards a light aircraft bound for Asuncion, Paraguay.
Sometime later they arrive at their lodging, which has all the creature comforts of a rubbish dump and equally colourful female entrepreneurs!
Pretty soon all the locals are either helping Gerry and Jacquie discover exotic species, or bring them to their digs demanding payment.
After several weeks they’ve got everything from armadillos, anteaters, and anacondas. That’s just the beast beginning with “A”.
Then a revolution breaks out in the capital and they’re faced with a scene not dissimilar to Tom Hanks in “The Termnal”.
After a few fuzzy calls on a radio transmitter an escape plan is hatched, but virtually all the “specimens” are uncaged as they won’t fit on board a light aircraft.
If you fancy a giggle in the midst of Lockdown this book could be just the one for you.
Snowgood's Blog 
A brilliant book and one everyone should read at some point in their lives.