This book will entertain you; make you laugh; inform you; and, sometimes, make you squirm. It is a book that can be dipped into when you have a few spare moments and take you on amazing adventures to the ends of the earth. The inspiration for this book is Dermot and Mary Douglas’ itchy feet, which have brought them to places both close and remote – from Achill, to the Amazon rainforests, to the Galapagos Islands. It is a book of self-contained stories, written with humour, affection and insight. Wherever they travel, Dermot and Mary consider themselves outsiders, or foreigners, permitting them the curiosity to look beyond the superficial to experience the depth and richness that lies beneath. These stories relate experiences with fascinating and complex cultures; encounters with rare and increasingly vulnerable animals and plants; consequences of nutritional adventures – both exquisite and disgusting; and reflections on fascinating aspects of the historical development, or physical achievements, of ancient peoples. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dermot Douglas graduated from University College Dublin with a Bachelor degree in science and a Doctorate in zoology. His career in higher education involved teaching, researching, consulting and senior management. He and Mary, his wife, travel to satisfy an insatiable curiosity about indigenous peoples and cultures, places and natural history. Dermot, when he is at home, lives in Blessington with his wife Mary, near his two daughters, son in law and two delightful grandchildren Holly and Liam.