Facing the Congo: A Modern-Day Journey Into the Heart of Darkness

On an unforgettable journey of discovery, Facing the Congo transports readers into the lush jungles and crocodile-infested waters of sub-Saharan Africa. Climbing the river on a barge teeming with merchants, deckhands, prostitutes, mothers, spiritual followers, fishermen, and children, Tayler partic [...]
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On an unforgettable journey of discovery, Facing the Congo transports readers into the lush jungles and crocodile-infested waters of sub-Saharan Africa. Climbing the river on a barge teeming with merchants, deckhands, prostitutes, mothers, spiritual followers, fishermen, and children, Tayler participates in the lively banter of this floating marketplace, and at night drapes mosquito netting over his cramped sleeping space, relishing a few hours of solitude between days wrought with adversity and suspicion.Yet, the climate of Tayler's trip shifts drastically when he steps off the boat packed with jeering travelers, and launches his quest to confront and vanquish this legendary waterway by descending its longest navigational stretch in a hand-carved pirogue. At times lost in the fog-covered backwaters, at others faced by hostile tribes whose ancestors were murdered by those with white skin, Tayler wrestles with anxiety as he prepares for the dangers that lie with each turn in the river. Anyone possessing even a hint of wanderlust will be swept along by the whirling currents of this "immensely gripping" tale.About the Author:Jeffrey Tayler is the author of Siberian Dawn: A Journey Across the New Russia. He writes for such publications as Condé Nast Traveler, Spin, Harper's Magazine, and the Atlantic Monthly, and he is a regular commentator on NPR's "All Things Considered." Two of Tayler's travel essays were selected by Bill Bryson for the 2000 inaugural edition of The Best American Travel Writing.