It's A Jungle Out There! (The Rani Adventures Series) - Softcover

Snell, Ron

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0929292839 ISBN 13: 9780929292830

Publisher: Hannibal Books, 2008

Synopsis

Book One of the Rani Adventures begins with Ron Snell's birth as the eldest child of missionary parents living in the rainforests of Peru. Colorfully depicting what it was like growing up in such surroundings, Snell has captured a wide-ranging audience ranging from homeschool children to senior citizens. "I wouldn't trade my childhood for any other," Snell writes. "Conceived in the Amazon rainforest, I learned to walk and talk among the Machiguenga Indians who, to this day, call me "Rani". "The 'Machis' were my first babysitters and friends. From them I learned to tie a house together, eat monkeys and macaws, and make dugout canoes. They laughed at my log rides down rampaging rivers and caught exotic pets for me. Life was one great adventure after another. After all, what could be more fun than perching in thorn trees at night to escape a herd of stampeding pigs? "The Machiguengas adopted me and my family into theirs. As they touched our lives we discovered what it would cost us to touch theirs. "I hope this first book of the Rani Adventures will bring you laugher, tears and a new perspective on the old cliche: 'It's a jungle out there!' " The second edition (5 1/2 inches by 8 1/2 inches) is larger than the first edition (4 1/4 inches by 7 inches.

About this title

About the Author

Ron Snell has lived and worked extensively in Peru, Mexico, and Indonesia. He currently lives with his family in Texas, where he dabbles in boat building, real estate, conducting tours to Peru, speaking, and writing. One of his greatest joys is helping people in all walks of life learn to admire and love people of other cultures. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Chapter One--The Mighty Push Chapter Two--Yarinacocha Chapter Three--Air Knockers Chapter Four--Timpia Chapter Five--Midnight, Matso, and the Menagerie Chapter Six--Arturo and Maria Chapter Seven--Canoeing the Tushmo Chapter Eight--Man of the House Chapter Nine--Spam Stampede Chapter Ten--Yellow Brother, Yellow Mother Chapter Eleven--Bats & Rats & Status Symbols Chapter Twelve--Lonely Souls Chapter Thirteen--Riding the Flood Chapter Fourteen--The Posse Chapter Fifteen--Yarinacocha to Tingo Maria Chapter Sixteen--Tingo Maria to Lima;

From the Back Cover

"I wouldn't trade my childhood for any other. Conceived in the Amazon rainforest, I learned to walk and talk amongst the Machiguenga Indians who, to this day, call me 'Rani.' They were my first babysitters and friends. As the Machiguengas adopted me and my family into theirs, they touched our lives. And we discovered what it would cost us to touch theirs. I hope this first book of the 'Rani Adventures' will bring you laughter, tears, and a new perspective on the old cliche: 'It's a jungle out there!'

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"I learned to crawl on our mahogany floor while Dad and Mom tried to figure out which tribe they would translate the Bible for. That wasn't quite as simple as it sounds, since no one quite knew what tribes were out there. Uncle Cam Townsend, the founder and director of Wycliffe Bible Translators, had already recruited Dad to do some pretty hairy work trying to sort it all out.

"'Wayne, we need someone to go exploring for us. Would you spend some time finding out who's out there in the jungle and whether or not we could work with them?' Never mind that some of those unknown tribal groups were inclined to kill outsiders.

"Whenever the Machiguengas came up, my folks said no thanks, they weren't interested. But of course they said they would pray about it because even if you're not at all jazzed about something, when you're a missionary you have to say you'll pray about it. Eventually the Machiguengas were about the only ones left, so Dad and Mom became their linguists. We've never been sorry."

"I would never have voluntarily gone swimming in the Tushmo. It was a creepy inlet off Lake Yarinacocha that wound its way beside and then behind our linguistics center. The bottom was so gooshy that it sent prickles up and down my spine to think of ever putting my feet in it. There might be slithery creatures just waiting to chomp on bare toes. Trees hung out over the narrow Tushmo. They were certainly picturesque, full of orioles and kingfishers and buzzards, but it wasn't hard to imagine snakes and iguanas and spiders dropping on your head when you drifted under them.

"My folks were pretty good about trying to find fun things to do together as a family when we could, to make up for times when we were apart. The outing in the aluminum canoe was probably meant to be one of those, but I'm not sure it was such a great idea, at least in hindsight. We headed straight for the Tushmo. For half an hour or so we paddled up the Tushmo, chattering and dipping our hands in the water to tempt the piranhas.

"Just as we were about to exit the Tushmo and paddle back into the friendlier waters of the lake, we hit a big log that was hidden just under the surface. The right side of the canoe tipped right down to where water gushed in over the side. Before Mom could yell 'SIT DOWN,' we had all fallen into the creepy Tushmo. If ever I had wished to walk on water, that was it, but there was no time to think about it, what with both the canoe and (our sister) Sandy sinking. I grabbed Sandy and perched on the log that had dumped us so I wouldn't have to put my feet down. Terry and Towner emptied the canoe while Mom waded to shore, amazingly uneaten by anything."

"From the moment I first laid eyes on (Matso), sitting in his seller's lap at the airport, I knew I had to have him. After all, how often do you get the chance to own an ocelot cub?

"Once at our house, he had the run of the place. Unfortunately that meant a lot of noise at night, since he didn't sleep when we did. The good part of it was that we didn't have trouble with rats while he lived with us.

"He had huge golden brown eyes and a matching coat of stiff hair with tawny yellow and black spots in it. His tongue, even at that young age, would put a wood rasp to shame. `

"Often in the mornings Matso woke me up by licking my ears with his rough tongue. I found his bright eyes and playful spirit irresistible, but my ears were nearly ground off in the process.

"Of course we had to feed him raw meat. The hope, foolish as it seems now, was to get him so used to the meat we fed him that he would have no inclination to hunt. That hope was dashed the first night he escaped and went cruising. Sad to say, our neighborhood was full of exotic meals. Just down from us, the Shanks family had a stunning blue and gold macaw that had been in the family for twenty five years. Matso found him while out for his night on the town. In the morning Squawky had lost his squawk and was basically a pile of blue and gold feathers attached to a chain.

"Uncle Jim thought he'd be able to reform Matso. That lasted until Matso discovered and then dismembered the flock of chickens in the back yard of the children's home. In the end, Matso went to a nearby zoo. It was him or us, and there wasn't room for the six of us in the cage they were going to give him."

"Mosquito nets were pretty essential (while camping.) Since we didn't have mosquitoes in that area, about the only other thing the nets did was keep out vampire bats. They weren't even good for that if you didn't stay inside them, and Terry was a thrasher.

"That's why we woke up the next morning to find Terry had blood all over his face and a puddle of it on his pillow. In his sleep he'd stuck his head out and a bat took the bait. Since bats inject a bit of anesthetic and an anticoagulant when they bite, Terry hadn't felt anything from start to finish, and he kept bleeding long after the bat filled up and fluttered off.

"Melody was still too young to care, but Sandy and I couldn't believe Terry's good luck. Most of the Machiguengas had little scars from bat bites, but no one in our family had ever gotten one before, and having a scar from a bat bite was about the best badge of honor we could imagine. I kind of left it to chance until I could get bit by accident, as Terry had. Sandy slept for weeks with a corner of her net open and a little stalk of bananas inside. To our everlasting regret, neither of us ever got vampired. It would almost be worth a trip to Peru to try again."

"For a nine-year-old, there isn't much to match riding your very own log down a cool clear river in the middle of the jungle with your big brother. As we approached the first rapid, our speed picked up to an exhilarating pace.

"A frightening pace, to be exact. Being totally out of control added to the thrill, and we both screened our fears behind screams of enthusiasm as we lifted our legs, dug in our fingernails and balanced for dear life."

Edition details

• Publisher: Hannibal Books
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0929292839
• ISBN 13: 9780929292830
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 172