Why a Booktrail?
1952, 1990’s: One man follows in the footsteps of Che Guevara
Chasing Che: A Motorcycle Journey in Search of the Guevara Legend
What you need to know before your trail
In 1952, 24-year-old Ernesto Guevara left his native Argentina to motorcycle the back roads of South America. Eight months later, Ernesto returned, transformed into ‘Che’ the revolutionary. His account of that journey, Motorcycle Diaries, has become a classic.
Nearly half a century later Patrick Symmes set off on his BMW R80/GS along the same route in search of the people and places encountered by Che. Symmes’s own adventures – he runs out of petrol in an Argentine desert, breaks down in the Andes, and drinks himself blind in Cuba with Che’s travel partner, Alberto Granado – counterpoint those of the great revolutionary.
Travel Guide
Map of his journey from the book
The book gives an insight into the moulding of the great Latin American hero and paints a portrait of a continent whose dreams of utopia give birth not only to freedom fighters but also tyrants. But above all it is the story of a great journey on the open road, where man and machine traverse the unknown in search of the spirit’s keenest desires.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Chasing Che: A Motorcycle Journey in Search of the Guevara Legend
Destination: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru Author/guide: Patrick Symmes Departure Time: 1952, 1990s
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