James Michael Dorsey - Baboons for Lunch

W HAT G REAT W RITERS A RE S AYING A BOUT B ABOONS FOR L UNCH

I think a proper story makes us laugh or feel sad or teaches us something important. James Dorsey tells those kinds of stories.

Tim Cahill, cofounder of Outside magazine , author of
Hold the Enlightenment and Jaguars Ripped My Flesh

James Dorseys writing stands outand not just because of the remote places he visits, but because of how he views the world when he gets there, and later how he shares it with his readers. Few writers understand the story arc, how we need to start somewhere to get anywhere, and in the story, Listening to the Silence, we witness a complete transformation. He moves from a restless, distracted trekker, to an inward looking, humbled member of the human race. From a typical tourist to a reflective man, who is, like all of us, searching, but who has found more than many have. His writing always provides not only a glimpse of the outside, but an endearing look at the inside, what he is thinking, and this adds a richness that few authors attempt.

Max Hartshorne, editor and publisher of GoNomad.com

These stories are a reminder to us all that there is more to this world than what we see on TV news. Thank goodness! That there are welcoming and warm hearts in every corner happily willing to accommodate a wayfarer who sees them with open eyes and mind. Dorseys Tales give us permission to be silly, soulful, and serendipitous on this adventure we call life, and a reminder of the transformative power of travel on us and on our misconceptions.

Kimberley Lovato, travel journalist,
author of Walnut Wine and Truffle Groves

Whether dodging poop balls hurled by resident monkeys of a Burmese Monastery, or reflecting on the collective consciousness of mankind, while visiting a shaman in Northwestern China, award-winning author James Michael Dorsey has opened his heart and mind to the cultural pulse of the societies he has encountered. Baboons for Lunch is a fascinating, moving, and memorable read.

Darrin DuFord, author of Breakfast for Alligators

and Is There a Hole in the Boat?

These travel stories are big, burly, and boldrather like James Dorsey. He also exudes humility and kindness. In Baboons for Lunch Dorsey masters crafting the perfect sentence and spinning an enthralling yarn. He lures us to faraway places. At this bend of Malis Niger River the lethargic water resembles dark roasted coffee as it slowly meanders on toward the fabled city of Timbuktu. (Jordans Bull)

In From the Ashes: The smoke of wood fires dulls the sunrise, silhouetting the spires of Angkor Wat as if in an impressionist painting, and as the sun climbs, I watch their hazy shadow retreat from my feet like an ebbing tide.

Dorseys stories are like inviting cave mouths, yawning wide with promises of crystals, bats, and mystery, with characters both charming and eccentric. Can I resist not diving into, Breaking Bread in Kansas: In far Northwestern China, where a shark fin outline on a map punches Russia in the belly and divides Kazakhstan from Mongolia, invisible spirits and deities roam the land.

James Dorseys storytelling casts a spell that is poetic, funny, and poignant. His travels take us on sweeping adventures most of us will never experience.

Lisa Alpine, author of Wildlife: Travel Adventures of a Worldly Woman

A master storyteller, James Dorsey took me from one side of the world to the other with this collection of travel tales. Edgy, descriptive, hold your breath writing. Once you begin reading, this bastion of the American travel narrative will steal your afternoon. Pull up an armchair and enjoy the journey.

Amy Gigi Alexander, explorer, writer,
publisher of Panorama Journal

As the editor of Perceptive Travel Ive had the pleasure of publishing some of James storiesa few appear in this bookand I always know that what he sends me wont be boring. A true explorer with more courage to face the unknown than most 20-somethings, he throws himself headlong into each situation and puts his faith in his newfound cast of local characters. With a keen eye and the patience to listen, he will continue to pile up writing awards on his memento-crowded desk back home.

Tim Leffel, editor of Perceptive Travel

Ancient Societies, nomadic people: this is the travel world of cultural explorer James Dorsey. Delving into unchartered territory seems only commonplace for the curious Dorsey. The storyteller takes us to undiscovered lands, the likes of hidden regions so far from the commonplace tourist trail, excavating deep into the far regions of the Manyara Highlands that conquer western Tanzania, where he has an astounding interaction with Hadzabe Bushmen. Dorsey weaves tales of Africa that conjure up Stanley and Livingstone, interactions with delicate vanishing civilizations that few of us will ever experience.He enlightens and leaves us lingering for the serendipitous moments of travel, far from the average tale. Life lessons exquisitely told by the humanizing pilgrim author lead us down a path that involves, clans, tribes, and rare minglings, far from the human eye. The astute chronicler, Dorsey rolls the dice on life and lost societies, and has truly come out the winner.

Nick Kontis, author of Going Local

When you read James Dorseys book, Baboons for Lunch , be prepared to wander off the beaten path. This is a beautifully written travel memoir that explores the far reaches of the planet, from Africa to Asia, Alaska to South America, and even to mythical Timbuktu. From the humorous, to the sublime, Dorseys prose covers the terrain of intuitive travel, and a life examined and well lived. James Dorsey is a unique and gifted writer, a nineteenth century adventurer trapped in the body of a twenty-first century writer. I suspect we havent heard the last of James Dorseys tales of exploration. A must read for travel enthusiasts and those who love a good Sir Richard Burton-like tale to stir the imagination.

Tor Torkildson, series editor of The Walkabout Chronicles

A LSO BY J AMES M ICHAEL D ORSEY

Tears, Fear and Adventure
(30 Years of Travel Off the Beaten Path)

Vanishing Tales from Ancient Trails

Copyright 2018 by James Michael Dorsey

All Photos Copyright 2018 by James Michael Dorsey

Travelers Tales and Solas House are trademarks of Solas House, Inc., Palo Alto, California. travelerstales.com | solashouse.com

Cover Design: Kimberley Nelson

Cover Photograph: James Michael Dorsey

Interior Design and Page Layout: Howie Severson

All photos by James Michael Dorsey

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Dorsey, James Michael, 1949- author.

Title: Baboons for lunch : and other sordid adventures : a collection of personal narratives / by James Michael Dorsey.

Description: Palo Alto, California : Travelers Tales, [2018]

Identifiers: LCCN 2017052524 (print) | LCCN 2018002856 (ebook) | ISBN 9781609521264 (ebook) | ISBN 9781609521257 (pbk.)

Subjects: LCSH: Dorsey, James Michael, 1949---Travel. | Travel--Anecdotes. | Travelers--Anecdotes.

Classification: LCC G465 (ebook) | LCC G465 .D67 2018 (print) | DDC 910.4--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017052524

Printed in the United States

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This book is dedicated to my wife and best friend, Irene.
Without her, none of this would have ever happened.

As a young child, I preferred watching travel programs on television to playing with my friends, and each month I waited for the latest issue of