Songs of the Baka and Other Discoveries

Abandoning the comfort and security of a typical retirement, a couple travels and treks through the most isolated parts of the world.After their retirement, Dennis James and Barbara Grossman decide to travel where tour buses won't and where the US government says “don't," incorporating trekking into their travels as a way to see untouched areas of the world considered inhospitable by many.Armed with a passport, an interest in non-Western and indigenous cultures, a spirit for adventure, and a sense of humor, they hike through the forests in the highlands of Papua New Guinea; visit the traditional hunter-gatherer Baka Pygmy community in Cameroon; stay with the cliff-dwelling Dogon people in Mali; explore Roman ruins in Algeria; meet a nervous mother rhino in Nepal; and witness bull-jumping, a coming-of-age ritual for young Hamer men in Ethiopia.In defiance of typical tourist travel, ignoring State Department warnings, and with a curiosity and hardiness...