Travels in a Thin Country : A Journey Through Chile

by Sara Wheeler

Release Date: 16 March, 1999

Edition: Paperback

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good (ish) tour of chile, but somewhat contrived

Sara Wheelers travels in a thin country is a reasonable travel book through Chile, but it is certainly not an authoritive guide. Having traveled most of the route she chooses, from North to South, prior to reading the book, it was easy to relate to many of her encounters and expeditions. And as such the book serves as a nice reminder, The problem with the book, is that is has been written soley with the ambition of creating a travel book, and this is the reason she set of to Chile in the first place. It lacks a real focus, and it is yet another journalist travels through country to write travel book epic.
The other thing which is striking is the better than thou attitide she displays to other travellers in Chile, she decides not to experience many of the highlights of the gringo trail through Chile such as torees del paine, as she isnt fond of nanging around other gringo backpackers, the excuse she gives is that she has somehow managed to get herself onto a cargo ship north, which is in fact a main route north for backpackers, of course once the captain of the ship finds out she is a journalist he offers to remove her from the confines of the other squalid backpackers, and so on.
Chile is an amzing country and one of the best places to travel on earth, this book certainly is insightful, but theres much more.

Boring, Arrogant, Patronizing. - Blech!

I picked up this book in preparation for my upcoming travels and have been disappointed. It somehow manages to make Chile sound as alluring as a mid west strip mall. Don't waste your time and money.