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Sara Wheeler

Travels in a Thin Country

For those of us living in the Northern hemisphere, Chile is a far-away country. Sara Wheeler decided to get to know the country better. In this book she describes her journey from the one end of the country to the other (and on to Antarctica). On the way she visited some remote places with spectacular scenery, but the book isn't so much about geography, it's more about the stories of individual people living there, together with the history of the country, and in particular its path towards democracy. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to hear about the story of Chile and about life in some of the remotest areas of the world.

But there was one thing that was puzzing about the book. It is presented as the journey of a traveller who makes her way from one end of the country to the other and then writes a book about the experience. However, one always feels that there is more going on than a simple journey. Of course Wheeler doesn't just go directly from one end to the other, she makes sure her journey takes in places of interest to write about. But she seems to have too much influence in, for example, getting on a flight to Antarctica to fit in with the idea of an independent traveller making a fairly ad hoc journey. Maybe it shouldn't really detract from reading the book, but I always had the feeling in the back of my mind that I wasn't hearing the whole story.

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Paperback 320 pages
ISBN: 0349105847
Salesrank: 1947261
Weight:0.57 lbs

Published: 1998 Abacus

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Paperback 320 pages
ISBN: 0349105847
Salesrank: 286465
Weight:0.57 lbs

Published: 1998 Abacus

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Paperback 320 pages
ISBN: 0349105847
Salesrank: 358194
Weight:0.57 lbs

Published: 2004 Abacus

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Product Description
Squeezed in between a vast ocean and the longest mountain range on earth, Chile is 2,600 miles long and never more than 110 miles wide - not a country which lends itself easily to maps. Nor, as Sara Wheeler found out, does it easily lend itself to a lone woman with two carpetbags who wishes to travel from the top to the bottom, from the driest desert in the world to the sepulchral wastes of Antarctica. Yet, despite bureaucratic, geographic and climatic setbacks, Sara Wheeler managed to complete that journey in six months, discovering en route a country that is quite extraordinarily diverse. This is an account of an odyssey which included Christmas Day spent with a llama sandwich on the Tropic of Capricorn at 13,000 feet, a sex hotel in the capital, four days wedged aboard a cargo boat, a wet tent and and high street bank in Patagonia. In Santiago she talked her way into the prisons, in Tierra del Fuego she hitched a lift around Cape Horn on a supply boat delivering a coffin, and in the high Andes she lived on a Vedic commune. From Easter in the slums to an eventful week on Robinson Crusoe Island, the author picks her way through the complex reality of South American Catholicism and the fragile peace of a newly-born democracy. She also drinks a lot of wine. This improbable ribbon of land has been home to Andean tribes who remain the most scientifically neglected people in the world; it has been conquered by conquistadores, pillaged by Sir Francis Drake (no hero in Chile), exploited by foreign imperialists, blighted by the Panama Canal, governed by the world's first democratically-elected Marxist president and stamped upon by one of this century's most reviled dictators. And, as Sara Wheeler discovered, they have all left their mark on today's Chile - an extravagantly complex country, hidden behind the Andes and stretching to the end of the world. Other work by the author includes "An Island Apart".

Product Description

Squeezed in between a vast ocean and the longest mountain range on earth, Chile is 2,600 miles long and never more than 110 miles wide - not a country which lends itself easily to maps. Nor, as Sara Wheeler found out, does it easily lend itself to a lone woman with two carpetbags who wishes to travel from the top to the bottom, from the driest desert in the world to the sepulchral wastes of Antarctica. Yet, despite bureaucratic, geographic and climatic setbacks, Sara Wheeler managed to complete that journey in six months, discovering en route a country that is quite extraordinarily diverse. This is an account of an odyssey which included Christmas Day spent with a llama sandwich on the Tropic of Capricorn at 13,000 feet, a sex hotel in the capital, four days wedged aboard a cargo boat, a wet tent and and high street bank in Patagonia. In Santiago she talked her way into the prisons, in Tierra del Fuego she hitched a lift around Cape Horn on a supply boat delivering a coffin, and in the high Andes she lived on a Vedic commune. From Easter in the slums to an eventful week on Robinson Crusoe Island, the author picks her way through the complex reality of South American Catholicism and the fragile peace of a newly-born democracy. She also drinks a lot of wine. This improbable ribbon of land has been home to Andean tribes who remain the most scientifically neglected people in the world; it has been conquered by conquistadores, pillaged by Sir Francis Drake (no hero in Chile), exploited by foreign imperialists, blighted by the Panama Canal, governed by the world's first democratically-elected Marxist president and stamped upon by one of this century's most reviled dictators. And, as Sara Wheeler discovered, they have all left their mark on today's Chile - an extravagantly complex country, hidden behind the Andes and stretching to the end of the world. Other work by the author includes "An Island Apart".

Superficial and disappointing *
This is a 2006 reissue of a book written more than ten years earlier, and in her introduction to the reissue the author describes it as a young woman's book, but she is too kind: a rather silly and ignorant book would be more accurate. The central problem is that she doesn't seem to have decided what sort of book she was trying to write. A travel book may fall into one of three genres: a tourist guide, an analysis of the political and social character of the country visited, or an account of the adventures experienced by the author. Sara Wheeler doesn't appear to have had any adventures, so the third of these is a non-starter, but her book fails in both of the other two as well: it has too few descriptions of the places visited and too many accounts of the conversations she had about politics to succeed as a tourist guide; as a social and political analysis it has much too much chit-chat. In any case case her knowledge of Chile is very superficial -- the kind of thing she would have heard from her political exile friends in London before she went, rather than things she saw with her own eyes. One has the impression that her main objective was to confirm the ideas she had before going to Chile, and within Chile she stayed (amongst other places, of course) at the British Embassy and on the estates of very wealthy people, where no doubt, she was able to confirm her prejudices. She tells us, for example, that the Chilean population is riddled with anti-semitism: she could easily have picked up that idea from talking with her wealthy friends, but as a description of the population as a whole it is complete nonsense. Who could visit Lake Chungura in the far north of Chile without finding anything at all to say about its beauty? Who could pass through the Region de los Lagos in the south, but refrain from stopping because she didn't think it would tell her much about Chile? Sara Wheeler, that's who. She mentions (correctly) that the Region de los Lagos is a favourite place for Chilean people to go on vacation, but it doesn't seem to have occurred to her that seeing where ordinary people go on vacation and what they do there would tell her more about the ordinary life of the country than visiting a military base in the Antarctic. All in all a very disappointing book, with very little of interest to say.

Superficial and disappointing *

This is a 2006 reissue of a book written more than ten years earlier, and in her introduction to the reissue the author describes it as a young woman's book, but she is too kind: a rather silly and ignorant book would be more accurate. The central problem is that she doesn't seem to have decided what sort of book she was trying to write. A travel book may fall into one of three genres: a tourist guide, an analysis of the political and social character of the country visited, or an account of the adventures experienced by the author. Sara Wheeler doesn't appear to have had any adventures, so the third of these is a non-starter, but her book fails in both of the other two as well: it has too few descriptions of the places visited and too many accounts of the conversations she had about politics to succeed as a tourist guide; as a social and political analysis it has much too much chit-chat. In any case case her knowledge of Chile is very superficial -- the kind of thing she would have heard from her political exile friends in London before she went, rather than things she saw with her own eyes. One has the impression that her main objective was to confirm the ideas she had before going to Chile, and within Chile she stayed (amongst other places, of course) at the British Embassy and on the estates of very wealthy people, where no doubt, she was able to confirm her prejudices. She tells us, for example, that the Chilean population is riddled with anti-semitism: she could easily have picked up that idea from talking with her wealthy friends, but as a description of the population as a whole it is complete nonsense.

Who could visit Lake Chungura in the far north of Chile without finding anything at all to say about its beauty? Who could pass through the Region de los Lagos in the south, but refrain from stopping because she didn't think it would tell her much about Chile? Sara Wheeler, that's who. She mentions (correctly) that the Region de los Lagos is a favourite place for Chilean people to go on vacation, but it doesn't seem to have occurred to her that seeing where ordinary people go on vacation and what they do there would tell her more about the ordinary life of the country than visiting a military base in the Antarctic.

All in all a very disappointing book, with very little of interest to say.

Journry through Chile *****
Travels in a Thin Country: A Journey Through Chile (Modern Library)A very intertaining journal of travels through Chile.

Journry through Chile *****

Travels in a Thin Country: A Journey Through Chile (Modern Library)A very intertaining journal of travels through Chile.

Walking on a thin line ***
Since I did a similar trip to the one in this book a few years ago, I was curious to see whether Sara and I also had the same experience. We didn't. Whereas I just left home, Sara apparently first spent much time learning Spanish and gathering a network of contacts in Chile, including a number of official tourist offices that gave her free or cheap accommodation and transportation, very briefly mentioned here and there. Her contacts in Santiago, some at the British Embassy and some filthy rich families, Chile's de facto aristocracy, gives her access to interesting people and a level of luxury that "normal" travellers seldom encounter. So reading the book is not the best way to figure out what you can expect to see and do on your own trip through Chile. Nevertheless there's a lot of background information about the country which may be useful to you. Also because she did her trip in the early 1990s, so a LOT has changed since then. All the destinations she mentions are still very much open to tourism, and you get a general idea of what they are like. I was disappointed that she only spent half a day in Torres del Paine, which to me was the most beautiful spot in the country. Also, she goes to "Chilean Antarctica", but there's not much of value to be gathered from reading her account of it. She only spent one day there, being guided by Chilean officials in and around a tiny settlement. Sometimes she's funny in a very British manner, but it rarely lasts more than one sentence at a time. One of the other reviewers appears to find Sara rather promiscuous, going off with one man after the other on, well, overnight adventures to remote places. I often travel like that, and although it may seem like a stupid/crazy thing to do to some people, travelling in certain regions often means suddenly sharing a car/tent/meal with people you just met the day before. Although I'm sure there must have been short-term romance in the air at times, I certainly don't think less of Sara for not "admitting" it in her book. It just wouldn't add any value to the tale.

Walking on a thin line ***

Since I did a similar trip to the one in this book a few years ago, I was curious to see whether Sara and I also had the same experience. We didn't.

Whereas I just left home, Sara apparently first spent much time learning Spanish and gathering a network of contacts in Chile, including a number of official tourist offices that gave her free or cheap accommodation and transportation, very briefly mentioned here and there. Her contacts in Santiago, some at the British Embassy and some filthy rich families, Chile's de facto aristocracy, gives her access to interesting people and a level of luxury that "normal" travellers seldom encounter.

So reading the book is not the best way to figure out what you can expect to see and do on your own trip through Chile. Nevertheless there's a lot of background information about the country which may be useful to you. Also because she did her trip in the early 1990s, so a LOT has changed since then. All the destinations she mentions are still very much open to tourism, and you get a general idea of what they are like. I was disappointed that she only spent half a day in Torres del Paine, which to me was the most beautiful spot in the country. Also, she goes to "Chilean Antarctica", but there's not much of value to be gathered from reading her account of it. She only spent one day there, being guided by Chilean officials in and around a tiny settlement.

Sometimes she's funny in a very British manner, but it rarely lasts more than one sentence at a time. One of the other reviewers appears to find Sara rather promiscuous, going off with one man after the other on, well, overnight adventures to remote places. I often travel like that, and although it may seem like a stupid/crazy thing to do to some people, travelling in certain regions often means suddenly sharing a car/tent/meal with people you just met the day before. Although I'm sure there must have been short-term romance in the air at times, I certainly don't think less of Sara for not "admitting" it in her book. It just wouldn't add any value to the tale.

so how many beaus were there on the trip **
I read the book and thought it dullish- I agree with the previous reviewer that it did not come to life. I also thought the book dishonest. Sara had what appeared to be a long line of lovers on this trip- a man named Pepe that she slept on a deserted island with, yet there is no mention of sex or how most of these men came into her trip or out of it. some of her ideas, like spending two nights with three Chilian police officers was down right stupid or hitchhiking with Bolivian loggers. I wonder if she knows that many men in many cultures have one word for this kind of woman? Not that I care whether she did or not, but she took risks that seemed stupid- and I dont appreciate her withholding the truth,especially when other women might think she gave them the green light and then they end up raped. so did Sara have a love life that she hid in a prudish manner? Seeing how much she was holding back , made me realize she was writing a clean-up dull version that Hallmark or Her Mother would approve of.

so how many beaus were there on the trip **

I read the book and thought it dullish-
I agree with the previous reviewer that it did not come to life.
I also thought the book dishonest. Sara had what appeared to be a long line of lovers on this trip- a man named Pepe that she slept on a deserted island with, yet there is no mention of sex or how most of these men came into her trip or out of it.
some of her ideas, like spending two nights with three Chilian police officers was down right stupid or hitchhiking with Bolivian loggers. I wonder if she knows that many men in many cultures have one word for this kind of woman?
Not that I care whether she did or not, but she took risks that seemed
stupid- and I dont appreciate her withholding the truth,especially when
other women might think she gave them the green light and then they end
up raped.
so did Sara have a love life that she hid in a prudish manner?
Seeing how much she was holding back , made me realize she was writing
a clean-up dull version that Hallmark or Her Mother would approve of.

kept the magic of Chile alive... ****
I disagree with the other reviewer's comments who felt he had to slog through the book waiting for it to payoff. I thoroughly enjoyed Sara Wheeler's writing on Chile and reccomend this book to anyone who has traveled to Chile or is contemplating a trip. I started reading her book at the end of a 2-week adventure in Chile and many of her comments and thoughts resonated with my own experiences in Chile. I hated to leave the country and its beauty behind, but her book allowed me to retain and relive the magic of my own trip for another week+ as I savored her writing.

kept the magic of Chile alive... ****

I disagree with the other reviewer's comments who felt he had to slog through the book waiting for it to payoff. I thoroughly enjoyed Sara Wheeler's writing on Chile and reccomend this book to anyone who has traveled to Chile or is contemplating a trip.

I started reading her book at the end of a 2-week adventure in Chile and many of her comments and thoughts resonated with my own experiences in Chile. I hated to leave the country and its beauty behind, but her book allowed me to retain and relive the magic of my own trip for another week+ as I savored her writing.

Entertaining, insightful and full of humour ****
This is "travel writing" in the sense that we know it these days. Author thinks of a trip. If successfully published previously, gets an advance. Makes arrangements, connections and contacts, sharpens pencils, buys dictaphone tapes and tickets and goes. The result is what was intended from the start - a book. OK, no harm in that. This is what Sara Wheeler does for a living, just like Bryson, Theroux, Palin et al. Other authors go nowhere, make it all up - that's fiction. Somewhere in between is Bruce Chatwin, who went to places and then made a lot of it up. So, for those of us who have bought these books and in fact pay for these trips, was this one worth it? I'd say it was. Sara Wheeler writes well. She's humorous but not jokey. She's thoughtful but not pedantic. She gives us social and historical background without becoming boring, didactic or turgid. It's very entertaining, interesting and a pleasure to read. It's not a Guide Book. Buy one with "Guide" in the title for that. It's not even a book to guide you to Chile. It's only just a book about Chile at all. Like many books of this type, it is about the author and her reactions and reflections on being who she is wherever it is she happens to be. Of course, along the way we are told a good deal about Chile. I particularly liked the even-handed way she dealt with the Allende-Pinochet period. This is still central to Chilean life, so it was important to get it right and I believe she did. I also like her "coming out" in her admission that she does not like the poems of Chile's cultural patron saint, Pablo Neruda. She even decides she doesn't like him as a man. But she does nevertheless understand and acknowledge his importance and status in Chilean life. I'd like to have been able to subtract another half-star. The half-star would have been deducted for the account of her final period on the Chilean mainland, down in the south. The descriptions of the landscape there become a bit over-heated. The adjectives fly thick and fast. One is up to one's ears in them in no time. This is why they say a picture is worth a thousand words because sometimes a thousand words are nine hundred and fifty too many. The whole star I have deducted on account of her rather snooty attitude to other travellers. She even has a passage where she refers to people [back-packers, I think] "doing South America". Well, if she's not "doing Chile" I don't know what "doing" a place means. Like anyone not a resident, or employed to be in a place, she's a visitor - tourist, if you like - just like anyone else. There's a good case for saying that those who travel in a place without any of the prior contacts that Sara Wheeler made, have a more authentic experience of that place. In my experience, one's arrival at a place can define the whole trip - it certainly sets the tone for a good deal of it. Sara Wheeler was met at the airport by a British Council couple and whisked off to a 13th floor penthouse "set amongst manicured lawns and acacia trees". When you get there, you'll take a cab, hoping not to be too ripped off, heading for a hotel you may regret - or can't afford. She was fortunate in the connections she established before she left UK. Persuading Linguaphone [who get a credit and recommendation, complete with contact details, in her Acknowledgements] was a fine prelude. Having a friend who can set you up to stay with staff of The British Council in the capital of the country you are going to visit is a gold-plated start: likewise having an introduction to one of the country's haute bourgeoisie, with whose family you subsequently experience la vie en rose unavailable to 99% of the local population, let alone the average visitor "doing" Chile. Still an' all, her good fortune in this is grist to the mill and what she has written is certainly a good read, if a little lacking in humility in places. Others have said it has inspired them to visit Chile. For me, that inspiration comes from Chilean wines and Isabel Allende's "My Invented Country".

Entertaining, insightful and full of humour ****

This is "travel writing" in the sense that we know it these days. Author thinks of a trip. If successfully published previously, gets an advance. Makes arrangements, connections and contacts, sharpens pencils, buys dictaphone tapes and tickets and goes. The result is what was intended from the start - a book. OK, no harm in that. This is what Sara Wheeler does for a living, just like Bryson, Theroux, Palin et al. Other authors go nowhere, make it all up - that's fiction. Somewhere in between is Bruce Chatwin, who went to places and then made a lot of it up. So, for those of us who have bought these books and in fact pay for these trips, was this one worth it?

I'd say it was. Sara Wheeler writes well. She's humorous but not jokey. She's thoughtful but not pedantic. She gives us social and historical background without becoming boring, didactic or turgid. It's very entertaining, interesting and a pleasure to read.

It's not a Guide Book. Buy one with "Guide" in the title for that. It's not even a book to guide you to Chile. It's only just a book about Chile at all. Like many books of this type, it is about the author and her reactions and reflections on being who she is wherever it is she happens to be. Of course, along the way we are told a good deal about Chile. I particularly liked the even-handed way she dealt with the Allende-Pinochet period. This is still central to Chilean life, so it was important to get it right and I believe she did. I also like her "coming out" in her admission that she does not like the poems of Chile's cultural patron saint, Pablo Neruda. She even decides she doesn't like him as a man. But she does nevertheless understand and acknowledge his importance and status in Chilean life.

I'd like to have been able to subtract another half-star. The half-star would have been deducted for the account of her final period on the Chilean mainland, down in the south. The descriptions of the landscape there become a bit over-heated. The adjectives fly thick and fast. One is up to one's ears in them in no time. This is why they say a picture is worth a thousand words because sometimes a thousand words are nine hundred and fifty too many.

The whole star I have deducted on account of her rather snooty attitude to other travellers. She even has a passage where she refers to people [back-packers, I think] "doing South America". Well, if she's not "doing Chile" I don't know what "doing" a place means. Like anyone not a resident, or employed to be in a place, she's a visitor - tourist, if you like - just like anyone else.

There's a good case for saying that those who travel in a place without any of the prior contacts that Sara Wheeler made, have a more authentic experience of that place. In my experience, one's arrival at a place can define the whole trip - it certainly sets the tone for a good deal of it. Sara Wheeler was met at the airport by a British Council couple and whisked off to a 13th floor penthouse "set amongst manicured lawns and acacia trees". When you get there, you'll take a cab, hoping not to be too ripped off, heading for a hotel you may regret - or can't afford.

She was fortunate in the connections she established before she left UK. Persuading Linguaphone [who get a credit and recommendation, complete with contact details, in her Acknowledgements] was a fine prelude. Having a friend who can set you up to stay with staff of The British Council in the capital of the country you are going to visit is a gold-plated start: likewise having an introduction to one of the country's haute bourgeoisie, with whose family you subsequently experience la vie en rose unavailable to 99% of the local population, let alone the average visitor "doing" Chile.

Still an' all, her good fortune in this is grist to the mill and what she has written is certainly a good read, if a little lacking in humility in places. Others have said it has inspired them to visit Chile. For me, that inspiration comes from Chilean wines and Isabel Allende's "My Invented Country".

Move over, Bill *****
Bill Bryson has always been my fantasy ideal travel companion. That is, until I discovered Sara Wheeler. (sorry, Bill). Having just read another book on Chile, "Between Extremes", this one shines in comparison to that rather turgid volume. The same route from north to south is taken - though as Chile is indeed such a "thin country" there really isn't much alternative. Sara Wheeler is everything a travel writer should be: well-informed, funny, and self-deprecating. I laughed long and often; once, on a train, I had to stop reading it as I was getting such strange looks. (quote: "our room was made entirely of hardboard, the bathroom locked on the outside and we had to unscrew the lightbulb the turn the light off") She is prepared to suffer in her research: sea sickness, scabies, and hangovers. She is an adventurer, hitch hiking with truckers, horse riding, and forming ever-changing liaisons with the people she encounters. From night to night she swops tents with estancias, ferries, boarding houses and aristocratic residences. ("the other passengers were all men, and when they weren't sleeping, they entertained themselves by staring at me"). The geography, politics and people of Chile are laid before us; not exactly neatly, because Chile is anything but neat - but satisfyingly and comprehensively. And anyone who travels with Gavin Young's "Slow Boats To China" must be ok. I'm riding in the Torres del Paine in February - want to come, Sara?

Move over, Bill *****

Bill Bryson has always been my fantasy ideal travel companion. That is, until I discovered Sara Wheeler.
(sorry, Bill).
Having just read another book on Chile, "Between Extremes", this one shines in comparison to that rather turgid volume. The same route from north to south is taken - though as Chile is indeed such a "thin country" there really isn't much alternative.
Sara Wheeler is everything a travel writer should be: well-informed, funny, and self-deprecating. I laughed long and often; once, on a train, I had to stop reading it as I was getting such strange looks.
(quote: "our room was made entirely of hardboard, the bathroom locked on the outside and we had to unscrew the lightbulb the turn the light off")
She is prepared to suffer in her research: sea sickness, scabies, and hangovers. She is an adventurer, hitch hiking with truckers, horse riding, and forming ever-changing liaisons with the people she encounters. From night to night she swops tents with estancias, ferries, boarding houses and aristocratic residences. ("the other passengers were all men, and when they weren't sleeping, they entertained themselves by staring at me").
The geography, politics and people of Chile are laid before us; not exactly neatly, because Chile is anything but neat - but satisfyingly and comprehensively.
And anyone who travels with Gavin Young's "Slow Boats To China" must be ok.
I'm riding in the Torres del Paine in February - want to come, Sara?

This is not a travel guide - but it's not meant to be!!!! *****
Travels in a thin country is a beautifully written and vividly described journey through much of the length of this fascinating counrty. The book discusses much of the troubled past of this country in a sensitive manner whilst not hiding the part played by external influences such as the Americans or British. This is not a travel guide, if you want one of those go buy Lonely Planet or any of the other plethora of guide books. The previous review that mentioned no sense of purpose is incorrect, there is a sense of purpose, that of discovering the people of Chile. If you want a book that may inspire your travels (it did mine) that spends much of the time with local people, not other back packing foreigners, and vividly describes landscapes and people this is an ideal book.

This is not a travel guide - but it's not meant to be!!!! *****

Travels in a thin country is a beautifully written and vividly described journey through much of the length of this fascinating counrty. The book discusses much of the troubled past of this country in a sensitive manner whilst not hiding the part played by external influences such as the Americans or British.

This is not a travel guide, if you want one of those go buy Lonely Planet or any of the other plethora of guide books. The previous review that mentioned no sense of purpose is incorrect, there is a sense of purpose, that of discovering the people of Chile.

If you want a book that may inspire your travels (it did mine) that spends much of the time with local people, not other back packing foreigners, and vividly describes landscapes and people this is an ideal book.

Good(ish) tour of Chile, but lacking ****
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.

Good(ish) tour of Chile, but lacking ****

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.

One of the best travel books I've ever read. *****
I could probably have lived a full and happy life without ever visiting Chile, but after reading this book I'm determined to go. Sara Wheeler's account of a North-South journey through the "thin country" is entertaining, well written, funny and insightful. Towards the end of her trip she wangles her way to Antarctica with the Chillean navy and this led to another excellent travel book. Highly recommended

One of the best travel books I've ever read. *****

I could probably have lived a full and happy life without ever visiting Chile, but after reading this book I'm determined to go. Sara Wheeler's account of a North-South journey through the "thin country" is entertaining, well written, funny and insightful. Towards the end of her trip she wangles her way to Antarctica with the Chillean navy and this led to another excellent travel book. Highly recommended

Worth the read ****
Although the writer's attitude might be construed as slightly condescending and arrogant, she is truly a gifted writer who often just teases you with her stories true to mission of "travel literature"--that of encouraging the reader to visit. Her writing style is so eloquent that it is hard to put down. The historical perspective was very helpful in spite of her obvious political leanings. Reading this book might make you concerned for her liver however as she does focus often on the alcohol consumed and the inevitable hangover. I was particularly moved by her chapter on Santiago and the darker side which most travellers would probably never experience. I read it as I travelled through Chile and found it a wonderful companion.

Worth the read ****

Although the writer's attitude might be construed as slightly condescending and arrogant, she is truly a gifted writer who often just teases you with her stories true to mission of "travel literature"--that of encouraging the reader to visit. Her writing style is so eloquent that it is hard to put down. The historical perspective was very helpful in spite of her obvious political leanings. Reading this book might make you concerned for her liver however as she does focus often on the alcohol consumed and the inevitable hangover. I was particularly moved by her chapter on Santiago and the darker side which most travellers would probably never experience. I read it as I travelled through Chile and found it a wonderful companion.

You can Visualize the WHOLE Thing! *****
As someone who spent a couple of years in Chile and familiar with the geography from Arica down to Puerto Montt, this book is very descriptive; a very good and amusing read. Sara Wheeler's personal exploits, mixed in with travel and fairly detailed maps, provide one with the desire to spend some quality time in Chile. It is definitely worth reading and I would recommend it if you want to know about off-the-path traveling in Chile.

You can Visualize the WHOLE Thing! *****

As someone who spent a couple of years in Chile and familiar with the geography from Arica down to Puerto Montt, this book is very descriptive; a very good and amusing read. Sara Wheeler's personal exploits, mixed in with travel and fairly detailed maps, provide one with the desire to spend some quality time in Chile. It is definitely worth reading and I would recommend it if you want to know about off-the-path traveling in Chile.

Reactionarism *
Read "The Long Valley" by John Steinbeck first.

Reactionarism *

Read "The Long Valley" by John Steinbeck first.

Fun and Fast *****
O.K. Let's all loosen up. Travel writing is supposed to be fun and it's not just about the place traveled to. It's about the people doing the traveling and the place they came from. I read Sara's book while traveling in Chile last month. All of her observations were right on the mark. She didn't go to Easter Island (I did) so I consider that a significant omission. Otherwise, this is a fun and fast book well worth reading.

Fun and Fast *****

O.K. Let's all loosen up. Travel writing is supposed to be fun and it's not just about the place traveled to. It's about the people doing the traveling and the place they came from. I read Sara's book while traveling in Chile last month. All of her observations were right on the mark. She didn't go to Easter Island (I did) so I consider that a significant omission. Otherwise, this is a fun and fast book well worth reading.

Terrific book! *****
I didn't want this fantastic book to end. I picked it because I know so little about South America (why did we study it so little in school??) It is factual enough about geography and sociology and politics and history to be worthwhile that way, but as entertainment it's superb. I just couldn't put it down, and regretted her trip ending. She tells enough about herself to be interesting but not tiresome. Some travel writing is really about the writer; not this time. She's a shrewd and appreciative observer in a wide gamut of settings. Her style of writing is very clear, quite interesting , and witty. It's a magical book and I'll read anything else she writes, no matter where she goes!

Terrific book! *****

I didn't want this fantastic book to end. I picked it because I know so little about South America (why did we study it so little in school??) It is factual enough about geography and sociology and politics and history to be worthwhile that way, but as entertainment it's superb. I just couldn't put it down, and regretted her trip ending. She tells enough about herself to be interesting but not tiresome. Some travel writing is really about the writer; not this time. She's a shrewd and appreciative observer in a wide gamut of settings. Her style of writing is very clear, quite interesting , and witty. It's a magical book and I'll read anything else she writes, no matter where she goes!