{"product_id":"the-happy-isles-of-oceania-paddling-the-pacific-9780618658985","title":"The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe author of \u003ci\u003eThe Great Railway Bazaar \u003c\/i\u003eexplores the South Pacific by kayak: \"This exhilarating epic ranks with [his] best travel books\" (\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e). \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn one of his most exotic and adventuresome journeys, travel writer Paul Theroux embarks on an eighteen-month tour of the South Pacific, exploring fifty-one islands by collapsible kayak. Beginning in New Zealand's rain forests and ultimately coming to shore thousands of miles away in Hawaii, Theroux paddles alone over isolated atolls, through dirty harbors and shark-filled waters, and along treacherous coastlines.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlong the way, Theroux meets the king of Tonga, encounters street gangs in Auckland, and investigates a cargo cult in Vanuatu. From Australia to Tahiti, Fiji, Easter Island, and beyond, this exhilarating tropical epic is full of disarming observations and high adventure.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTheroux, Paul:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - PAUL THEROUX is the author of many highly acclaimed books. His novels include \u003ci\u003eThe Lower River\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eJungle Lover\u003c\/i\u003es, and \u003ci\u003eThe Mosquito Coast\u003c\/i\u003e, and his renowned travel books include \u003ci\u003eGhost Train to the Eastern Star\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eDark Star Safari\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in Hawaii and on Cape Cod.","brand":"Mariner Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50725311676690,"sku":"9780618658985","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_81566beb-7b3a-4355-9fa6-ee722b36340a.jpg?v=1734825161","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-happy-isles-of-oceania-paddling-the-pacific-9780618658985","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}