From the beach he lives on with only a stray dog for company to his ultimate departure and the tearful goodbyes that accompany it, this is the story of the author's trip to South America as he searches for freedom of the soul. Written with a self-deprecating sense of humor and an equally refreshing emotional honesty, the book speaks candidly of friendships, drugs, sex, and politics--and the fear and elation of wandering off the map. With a central theme focused on how dangerously close "letting go" can come to "losing it," this biographical work looks at what happens when the boundary between exploration and hedonism becomes blurred.