It started as a publicity stunt for his latest memoir. His publishers thought a "survival" themed launch would be edgy. They didn't account for the small charter plane’s engine failing over the Amazon.

Miguel Ángel Revilla was never one for quiet retirements. At eighty-three, the former president of Cantabria was more recognizable for his anchovy-themed ties and blunt honesty than for any skill in survivalist tactics. Yet, here he was, standing in the middle of a dense, humid rainforest, clutching nothing but a leather-bound journal and a digital tablet pre-loaded with an e-book file titled La Jungla .

"Hierarchy?" Revilla muttered to a passing macaw. "I’ve dealt with the Spanish parliament. I’ve looked into the eyes of bankers and kings. You think a few vines and some humidity frighten me? Listen, my friend, back in Polaciones, we have hills that would make these trees look like toothpicks."