Classic Paul. His last? ( )

I read The Deep South before reading Last Train to Zona Verde. Reading travel books out of order is normally not a issue, but when I read The Deep South I noticed a kinder, gentler, less cranky Paul Theroux, and now I know why.
I think in some ways The Last Train To Zona Verde broke the author. I know it contained the least amount of facts I wasn't aware of even though I have never been to any of the countries visited in the book.
But sadly Africa is a mess, and no amount of western aid, NGO meddling, or foreign policy interference is likely to fix it. His descriptions of Namibia, were surprising, I wasn't aware of the enduring German influence that still exists, or how small pieces of Cape Town, are trying to change.
But I don't need to visit Angola, to know it is horrendously corrupt, and that the depth of poverty is staggering. I guess, I, unlike the author, don't need to go see it for myself.
This book is far more of a personal exploration with multiple I sights regarding what makes the author tick, and why he can and does endure travel experiences, that many people would never want to experience.
At the end though he asks himself-not for the first time- "Why am I here"? And while you never really get a complete answer, the reader is still better off for having been a part of his likely, last African adventure.
Was this his best book? No, but is was certainly personal, and it was still better than so many of books out there.


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I forgot to log this in when I read it, perhaps because I was so blown away with the writing and the description of Theroux's "last trip" through western Africa. Leaving Cape Town and heading north, he goes through Namibia and then on to Angola. Through desserts, roadblocks, deserted towns, crime, cattle crossing--nothing reliable -- harshness, poverty, crime, sadness. This is a sad book in so many ways and even Theroux who has literally been everywhere and seen about everything, wonders why he is here. A part of the world that is so removed from civilization. Not sure when I read this. ( )

Too much self-important meta-narrative, and not enough travel writing. Theroux generally did not enjoy his trip, with the exception of a stay at a luxury safari lodge. There's none of his humor. I didn't get any insights about South Africa, Namibia, or Angola.

> Often, in an overcrowded bus in Africa, I thought of nothing but death, and hating the trip I let out a ghastly laugh when I thought of anyone saying over my battered corpse, “He died doing what he loved.”

> It struck me that if I proceeded on my way, it would have been a travel stunt, like riding a pogo stick through the desert. A daredevil effort, and to what end? “Is it worth it?” Apsley Cherry-Garrard asks at the end of The Worst Journey in the World, in talking about the doomed polar trek by Robert Falcon Scott in the Antarctic. Is life worth risking for a feat, or losing for your country? ( )

A depressing account of South Africa, Namibia, and Angola. Somewhat repetitive, but well worth reading for a interesting prospective on modern Africa. ( )