The Cloud Garden: A True Story of Adventure, Survival, and Extreme Horticulture

by Tom Hart Dyke and Paul Winder

Book Overview

The Dari n Gap is a place of legend. The only break in the Pan-American highway, which runs from Alaska to the tip of South America, it is an almost impregnable strip of swamp, jungle and cloud forest... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592284302
• ISBN13: 9781592284306
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Lyons Press
• Length: 323 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Thunderous Adventure

Being an absolute plant fiend and traveler, Tom and Paul really went to the wall with this adventure. They knew there was an absolute possiblity of extreme danger. They went anyway. Kidnapping in Columbia is no laughing matter. Establishing their identity beyond what the guerillas wanted to believe was difficult. All the while, I was hoped they would not give the guerillas information to make things worse, but Tom is honest to a fault. They have an intuitive way of collaborating together in the telling of the story. The book is written from both their points of view, which sometimes is hilarious - though serious as hell. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who loves adventure, travel and of course plants! I would also recommend visiting the Lullingstone Castle web site if you want to know more about the tremendous garden that Tom Hart Dyke has developed. [...]

Big, but risky adventure...

It took me 2 days to read this book. Page-turner account about two backpackers who found themselves in a deep problem... and as captives of colombian guerillas they needed extraordinary endurance, patience, and adjustment for survive next 8 months in the jungle. I would give 5 stars, but... 1. Long fragments about flowers, horticulture, orchids was REALLY boring for me, and they are too long for average reader who's not so interested in all this botanical stuff. 2. some errors in Spanish names of people, places and dialogues.

Risky undertakings

A fast paced, rousing read to satisfy the thirst for adventure and curiosity. Two young men, one looking for bold undertakings the other for orchids, attempt traveling through the improbable and perilous Darien Gap between Panama and Columbia. This is a story of being kidnapped and held for ransom by a revolutionary Columbian guerrilla group for nine months in a most inhospitable environment. Their day to day existence in this bug-ridden, disease-infested jungle amid these radical insurgents is a page turner. Conveyed with wit, sensitivity and anxiety, Dyke and Winder's escapades make for a riveting read.

True Adventure Fun Read

The Cloud Garden came to my attention through a review in Outside Magazine. True adventure books make for an excellent break from novels and heavier literary works. This one is a perfect example. The story is gripping, the characters are likeable, and the book is hard to put down. The bad guys are painted honestly and roundly as real people. No one is all good nor all bad. This is a story about survival, wits, humanity and the romantic ideals of adventure of which so many of us dream. Find your synopsis elsewhere.

Not Where I Want to Go

The discoveries made by eccentric British naturalists down through the years have literally turned the scientific community on its ears. But not all exploring trips have yielded spectacular results. In 2000, a young botanist set off to Central America in search of rare and beautiful species of orchids. He met up with another young explorer in northern Mexico. Where else to go but the Darien Gap, the only place where the Pan-American Highway isn't finished. Traveling through the Gap, collecting along the way, they were just hours away from the Colombian border when they were ambushed by FARC guerillas who were to hold them hostage for the next nine months. From then on, their survival was a matter of extraordinary endurance, incredible ingenuity and not just a bit of luck. The book written by this pair is a combination of travelogue, adventure store, and surprisingly not without a bit of humor.