BookMarks #87: A Bear, A Dog and A Kangaroo

Title: A Bear, A Dog and A Kangaroo: Three Comedy Memoirs… with Teeth and Claws 

Author: Tony James Slater 

Genre: Travelogue, Memoirs 

Published: 2020 

BookMarks 

This is not one but a collection of three books: “That Bear Ate My Pants”, “Don’t need the Whole Dog” and “Kamikaze Kangaroos”. They narrate the adventures of the author Tony Slater, a person who will not be bound by a regular job but rather go around gathering experiences and making money as it comes through volunteering and temporary jobs. The adventures take him across Ecuador, USA, UK, Thailand, Myanmar, Australia and New Zealand and more. 

The first book is set in Ecuador where he has a volunteering gig at a animal shelter. The main sources of hilarity are Tony’s attempts at proving himself to be “a man” and his inability to speak the Spanish language, leading to often deadly situations for himself. 

The second book, while mainly about his adventures in Thailand, where he volunteers at a animals clinic and has a job as a diving trainer, also throws more light on his family. It starts in USA, where he is on a holiday with his mother and sister and friends. Then there is an attempt to flip a house in his country Wales, which is also a part of a reality show on real estate business. Throw in some paid volunteering for medical purposes (to earn money), a trip on a sailboat and even a stint in the Territorial Army. Life in Thailand comprises mostly about partying, getting drunk, and losing stuff and making regular trips to Burma for visa renewal. 

The third book are the adventures in the great Australian outback, where he along with his sister and a friend make journeys by van and hiking. In between, they also do temporary jobs to make a living. Finally they end up in New Zealand, where they are working on a ski resort. 

The books are long (1700+ pages combined), there is the regular comedy although some of it gets a tad boring. We barely see the touristy side of the places he stays, but its more of the actual stay which is described. And across the pages Tony, his quirks and the friendships he forges keep growing on the reader, as we vicariously live the adventures though him. Not exactly a life most people would be interested in, but it does grow on you. 

Previously on BookMarks: Three Men in a Boat