Summary of Paul Theroux's The Last Train to Zona Verde

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

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#1 I followed a group of hunter-gatherers around the world, and the best of them were bare-assed. They lived in northeast Namibia, and they were Khoisan-speaking, a subgroup of the !Kung people, who call themselves Ju/’hoansi. They had no history of using money, and they probably did not think about money.

#2 Hunter-gatherers, who have no history of using money, still share food and fire because they understand how fundamental it is to their communal life.

#3 Hunter-gatherers who have no history of using money still share food and fire because they understand how fundamental it is to their communal life.

#4 Hunter-gatherers, who have no history of using money, still share food and fire because they understand how fundamental it is to their communal life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Oct 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9798350033199

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Insights on Paul Theroux's The Last Train to Zona Verde

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 14

Insights from Chapter 15

Insights from Chapter 16

Insights from Chapter 17

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

I was traveling through Namibia with the Ju/’hoansi, a group of Khoisan-speaking people who had no history of using money. They still supplemented their diet by hunting and grubbing, and they accepted pitiful handouts.

#2

The Ju/’hoansi people are careful about sharing food, as it is in their communal life that they bond. They have fire, and share their roots.

#3

The Ju/’hoansi were a tribe that had been persecuted and harassed by the Dutch since they first landed in Africa in 1652. They were known for their ancient and indestructible way of life, and many anthropologists wrote that their behavior was typical.

#4

The Ju/’hoansi were a peaceful, egalitarian people who had thrived because of their tradition of sharing and living communally. They had never been a match for the people who persecuted them, including the whites.

#5

I had longed to visit the Ju/’hoansi people and wander around their country. I wanted to get away from people wasting my time with trivial matters. I wanted to travel unconnected, away from anyone’s gaze or reach.

#6

Traveling in Africa was my way of resisting the increasing speed of technology. I wanted to experience the world as it is still rather empty, and full of possibilities.

#7

Africa is a great place to visit as it allows you to be whoever you want to be. It is a place where you can see how history has been turned upside down, and it is possible to see where we have gone wrong.

#8

Traveling to unknown lands can be like dying. It takes you away from your comfort zone, and while you may experience a sense of foreboding, you also feel like you’re experiencing something new and exciting.

Insights from Chapter 2

#1

Curiosity has ruled my life as a traveler and a writer. I have always wanted to know more at first hand, and this vitalizing itch has