I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Don't misled into thinking it's a travel guide. This is the modern story of Colombia told by a returning former short term resident. He uses his travelling into less frequented parts of the country to tell it's story and to explain why it's personal culture is stopping being a major force in the world.

Well I guess I missed something but this book really disappointed me. I feel I was misled - probably due to the way it is marketed and the critics' comments repeated on its back cover which refer to 'travel writing'. The title also led me to believe that it was a travel book, although I realise now that it was probably meant in a metaphorical sense. It may be elegantly written but it isn't a 'travel book' - it's more of a political history of the country. Colombia's political development is hugely complex, and has been unravelled in some detail by Feiling. Some chapters become quite tedious. Having lived in Bogota for 3 years in the early '90's (and I can still clearly remember the day that Pablo Escobar was killed) I was hoping to read of some interesting journeys around the country which might convey how the country had now opened up, some tales of the wonderful people along the way, and the stunning geography