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A review by liberrydude
The Last Train to Zona Verde: My Ultimate African Safari by Paul Theroux
5.0
No iron roosters or express trains here. A very misleading title and not the book he intended to write when he started his trip. Probably one of his best books and it's not a happy book. You have to admire him, a 70 year old, taking on a trip alone like this. No trains in this one despite the title-it's the trip not taken-it's all by bus and car. Theroux is quite opinionated, some would say elitist at times-loathes foreign aid, noble Bushmen image, etc... He stays in opulent digs occasionally while mocking himself and others who experience Africa through luxury safaris. But he's more than capable of holding his own in the shanty towns. Lots of soulful reflections on travel, Africa, and himself. He meets some great people, three of whom die during the course of his trip and during the writing of the book. He covers three countries (four if you count the sliver of time and land he was in Botswana): South Africa, Namibia, and Angola. The Zona Verde is the bush-the jungle-the rural Africa. He has a plan but he loves circumstance too and revels in those unforeseen moments of travel when he meets an astonishing person or sees something extraordinary. So many great insightful lines in this book and some are candid and frank, especially about the country of Angola. He's probably persona non grata for life there now. I just watched Anthony Bourdain's CNN show on the Congo. You get a feel for how much parts of Africa are so messed up. The bush is a hard life but it's better than living in a city and that's
the problem with Africa and the world-the exodus of the rural have-nots to mega cities where they have even less-only hope. However, Theroux in his book paints an even better picture with words. In his chapter, "This is What the World Will Look Like When It Ends" the dystopia is alive and well and flourishing in Luanda, Angola. Another chapter has the title, "The Frontier of Bad Karma." Circumstances like terrorism prevented Theroux from finishing his trip to his planned destination, Timbuktu, and it is an experienced traveler who knows when to say when. Even though this trip might be considered a disappointment by some it was another life affirming experience for a guy who had seen everything and done everything but always knows there's something new over the horizon.
the problem with Africa and the world-the exodus of the rural have-nots to mega cities where they have even less-only hope. However, Theroux in his book paints an even better picture with words. In his chapter, "This is What the World Will Look Like When It Ends" the dystopia is alive and well and flourishing in Luanda, Angola. Another chapter has the title, "The Frontier of Bad Karma." Circumstances like terrorism prevented Theroux from finishing his trip to his planned destination, Timbuktu, and it is an experienced traveler who knows when to say when. Even though this trip might be considered a disappointment by some it was another life affirming experience for a guy who had seen everything and done everything but always knows there's something new over the horizon.