Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu by J. Maarten Troost; Unabridged MP3 Audio Book; Narrator Simon Vance

Getting Stoned with Savages reveals Troost’s wry wit and infectious joy of discovery in a hilarious account of life in the farthest reaches of the world.

After two grueling years on the island of Tarawa, Troost was in no hurry to return to the South Pacific—until he began to feel remarkably out of place in modern America—and he knew it was time to set off for parts unknown. Here he tells the story of his time on Vanuatu, a cluster of islands where he struggles against typhoons, earthquakes, and giant centipedes but finds himself swept up in the laid-back, clothing-optional lifestyle of the islanders. When his wife Sylvia gets pregnant, they decamp for slightly more civilized Fiji, a fallen paradise rife with prostitutes and government coups, where their son takes quite naturally to island living.

“A cross between Bill Bryson and Hunter S. Thompson, Troost is a delightfully unreliable reporter. And Simon Vance delivers each line with charm. A buttery voice like his is the closest many of us will come to experiencing anything like kava.”—AudioFile

“A funny travelogue with a sentimental heart, Troost's latest work genuinely captures the search for paradise as well as the need for home.”--Publishers Weekly

“For those readers sitting in offices, yearning to break free and live on a tropical isle, this book provides a wonderful, witty view into the experience—the good and the bad.”—Library Journal

“A travel writer who delivers the gratifying, old-school goods: curious cultural practices; encounters with venomous, nay murderous, creatures; perspective on recent history, with all the chaos wrought by European interlopers.”—Kirkus Reviews

Simon Vance, a former BBC Radio presenter and newsreader, is a full-time actor who has appeared on both stage and television. He has recorded over four hundred audiobooks and has earned over twenty Earphones Awards from AudioFile magazine, including one for his narration of Theft by Peter Carey. A twelve-time Audie finalist, Simon has won three Audie Awards, including one for Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, and the 2008 Booklist Voice of Choice Award. He has also been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009.