A fleeting reading of a friend's profile somewhere (do not remember where) brought to my notice that 'The Motorcycle Diaries' was a book. In fact, it was her favourite. I had seen the movie and I thought the movie had done a pretty impressive job of showing the adventurous nature of Che Guevara's pan-american trip. But since I was having similar fascinations of recent, I decided to give the book a read.
The story provides a more vivid description of the hardships that the two travellers faced. But the movie provided a more graphic description of the journey and the American landscape. Both together complete the effect that Guevara might have wanted to create. The initial travel on the bike and the various accidents and mishaps that they are subjected to, and later on the completion of the journey on foot and hitching rides in a state of utter impecuniousness and ingenuity; all of these strike a chord somewhere in the heart of anyone who harboured dreams of adventure at some time in his life. The journey ends in a very inspired Guevara, something that the reader understands when he reads about the things Guevara sees.
Alberto Granado and Ernesto Guevara start off on their journey to the North America on La Poderosa II from Argentina. They plan an unrealistic itinerary and find themselves far away from either their target or their loved ones. The idea of completing their adventure drives them on. The bike eventually breaks down in Cuba and they continue thenceforth hitching rides on trucks and living off the meals offered to them in hospitality. They travel through Cuba and Peru, in the valleys of the Incas. Guevara observes the state that the natives live in. The kind of labour that the miners are forced to do for foreign firms and how it was eroding the spirit of a united Latin America. The two travellers develop a strong fascination for the natives and the poorer class of the society. They also meet a lot of leprosy experts and develop a liking for research in the domain. Granado and Guevara finally part in Venezuela and go their separate ways.
Guevara has made a pretty good travelogue but his limited skills as a writer make this travelogue a little incomplete for the reader. Fortunately, Walter Salles's rendition of the book makes up for Che's lacking skills. The complete effect is a very inspiring one. Atleast for the adventurous of the soul. Guevara, however, is not on my reading list. I might get around to reading his other works on guerilla warfare and communism sometime but it is not on the top of my list.
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