HOOKED ON A DRUMBEAT by RON JOHNSON
Category:	Travel	Publisher:	Trafford Publishing	ISBN-10:	1425179177	Type:
Pages:	216	Copyright:	2006	ISBN-13:	9781425179175	Non-Fiction

Five years of living in Venezuela created a diverse set of problems, adventures and memorable experiences. Buy your copy! Amazon Barnes & Noble.com Trafford Publishing WRITER'S DRUMBEAT From the jungle of despair, to the Amazon rainforest, the author invites you to join him on this true life saga.  To follow one's dreams requires sacrifice, and to do so without regrets demands forward focus.  As happened in real life, the story unfolds in many unexpected  ways.  Corruption, the sex trade, and paranormal events are just some of the aspects of the journey that are revealed in a very candid and honest manner. Excerpt I boarded the plane, and in minutes, we were airborne. I nestled into my seat, relaxed, and prepared to make the final break from traditional values. No longer did I have a home to maintain, a travel trailer to winterize, a motorbike to service or a vehicle to care for. A very profound insight overcame me as I realized that I had not owned all those things – they had owned me. My possessions had required attention, and in some cases, they had become an ongoing financial burden. The banker and I had dissolved our partnership and I was now free, truly free. With only one large pack of belongings left to my care, I let the jet propel me away from the material world below. I have always enjoyed change but this time I knew I was pushing the limits. Not only was I about to face a new job, but a strange country and language as well.

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Praise for Hooked on a Drumbeat
Have you ever felt like your life was passing you by? Your real life. That you were somehow not being true to your innermost self? Ever had a wish to just pack up and explore your greatest desires? The author did just that, when he left the security of a good job and a picture perfect lifestyle in Northern Canada, in trade for a life of uncertainty deep in the heart of Venezuela. In Ron’s first book, Hooked On a Drumbeat, the truth literally becomes stranger than fiction. His travels help him, not only experience a different culture, climate and geography, but to also discover an exciting inner journey of the heart. His language is real and sometimes raw, as he shares with us significant truths he has learned along his travels. It is a remarkable journey at times, but Ron reminds us that all journeys are in themselves remarkable. His honesty is like fresh air to the soul, as it provides us a wonderful glimpse into the depth of our own humanity.

Hooked on a Drumbeat has it all: miracles, corruption, the sex trade, restless spirits, enduring angels, and a whole mixture of human frailties. And to keep it real, the story is often politically incorrect. Ron’s account of his journey touches on subjects seldom mentioned in many contemporary travel stories, helping to unveil the human condition thread by thread. From gold mining in the Yukon, to diamond mining in the Gran Sabana of Venezuela; from seismic oil exploration in Northern Venezuela, to the Sahara desert in Algeria, the tale unfolds in ways that the author could never have imagined. His remarkable adventures are enriched by his ability to bring to life historical accounts through his own personal experience. Ron’s ability to convey such a vivid sense of place is reflected in every word and is what makes Hooked on a Drumbeat such an addictive read.
Daryl Currie