Synopses & Reviews
Whether hes looking for wild orangutans on Borneo or diving off the coast of South Africa, Randy Wayne White is one of Americas most adventurous travelers. In Last Flight Out, White challenges and charms us with tales of his excursions into the dangerous, into the ludicrous, and - especially - into the heart of humanity.
Randy White is a “mover” and has no time for people who cant keep up. Join him as he dives in the infamous lake called the Bad Blue Hole on the desolate Cat Island in the Bahamas. Search for the perfect hot pepper in Colombia, and closer to home; go raccoon hunting in Pioneer, Ohio, where the hunted almost always outsmart the hunters. Get in the ring with Shine Forbes, an eighty-year-old fighter in prime condition and Ernest Hemingways former sparring partner, and go on a secret mission to steal back General Manuel Noriegas bar stools. Though he rarely finds what hes looking for - such as the half-human, half-alligator creature known as “Gatorman” - he cultivates his unique ability to revel in the unique and comical situations of each exotic trip.
From a jungle survival school in Panama to a week at a professional wrestlers training camp, White leaves the reader mesmerized by the potential of undiscovered places and the promise of endless adventure in unfamiliar territory. An icon of the new breed of thick-skinned, high endurance travelers, Randy White is the real deal.
Review
"There's more than a little of the old Hemingway code in these pages. There are right ways to do things. And there are no wrong turns, only new roads that might lead to something or someone interesting." --
Miami HeraldRandy Wayne White is always an entertaining read. His life is a wannabe's dream and a poser's nightmare. His essays are conversational tales of daring and do that are just plain fun to read." -- The Reel News
Review
"He is a masterly writer, evoking people and places with a minimum of words." --
Tribune & Times, Tampa, FL
"White spins most yarns with contagious enthusiasm... [and] the ease of a born raconteur, deftly sketching all manner of colorful characters." --Bee, Sacramento, CA
Synopsis
Whether he's looking for wild orangutans on Borneo or diving off the coast of South Africa, Randy Wayne White is one of America's most adventurous travelers. Now Randy's back in Last Flight Out, a brand-new collection of essays keeping us up to date on his latest excursions. Randy White is a mover and has no time for people who can't keep up. Join him as he dives in the infamous lake called the Bad Blue Hole on the desolate Cat Island in the Bahamas. Search for the perfect hot pepper in Colombia, and closer to home, go raccoon hunting in Pioneer, Ohio, where the hunted almost always outsmart the hunters. Get in the ring with Shine Forbes, an eighty-year-old fighter in prime condition and Ernest Hemingway's former sparring partner, and go on a secret mission to steal back General Manuel Noriega's bar stools. Though he rarely finds what he's looking for-such as the half-human, half- alligator creature known as Gatorman-he cultivates his unique ability to revel in the unique and comical situations of each exotic trip. From a jungle survival school in Panama to a week at a professional wrestler's training camp, White leaves the reader mesmerized by the potential of undiscovered places and the promise of endless adventure in unfamiliar territory. An icon of the new breed of thick-skinned, high endurance travelers, Randy White is the real deal.
Synopsis
The author of Batfishing in the Rainforest takes us on his latest adventures.
About the Author
Randy Wayne White, a former fly-fishing guide whose "Out There" column ran for many years in
Outside magazine, currently writes a monthly column for
Men's Health magazine. Among the many books he's written are
The Sharks of Lake Nicaragua,
Batfishing in the Rainforest,
Last Flight Out, and the "Doc Ford" mystery series. His novel
Sanibel Flats was chosen as one of the 100 Best Mysteries of the 20th Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. White is the winner of the Conch Republic Prize for Literature and the John D. MacDonald Award for Excellence in Florida Fiction. He also served on the Florida Judicial Nominating Commission for four years, and currently serves on the Florida Bar Association Grievance Committee. He lives on Pine Island, on Florida's southwest coast.
Table of Contents
Vii Introduction
Xv A Second Introdution: An Open Letter To He Who Hides Behind the Casket of Innocents
3 Cat Island
13 Above Suspicion
21 The Man with the Iron Cast
29 Paradise Fouled
39 The Invisible Orangutans of Borneo
47 'Coon Hunt
57 Jungle Survival School
67 Gatorman
77 Survival Spanish
87 Noriega Sat Here
97 The Jumper's Club
107 The Lost Divers
133 The Curse of the Giant Jaguar
143 Shine Forbes
153 Cuba
165 Scavenging Angel
175 Bike Cops
183 Dr. Pepper
193 The Moss Man
203 Professional Wrestling Camp
217 The Horse Eater, I presume?
227 Sweat Lodge
237 Last Flight Out