During the days I felt myself slipping into a kind of madness. Solitary confinement has an astonishing effect on the mind. The trip was to stay calm and keep myself occupied. I spent hours working out how to break free. But trying to escape would have been instant suicide.

Through bitter experience I have learned that it is best to promise little and then to reward hard work with generosity.

There's nothing like a pack of mules to give one a sense of entourage.

On a hard jungle journey nothing is so important as having a team you can trust.

Spend sixteen weeks in the jungle and you being to question your own sanity, especially when you are the one goading everyone else ahead.

Explorers like to pretend that they are a select breed of people with iron nerve and an ability to endure terrible hardship.

With an enthusiastic team you can achieve almost anything.