"The Motorcycle Diaries" - A Book Review

November 8^th, 2004

Like most Bikers, my ears perk up with I hear something on the television about motorcycles. This is especially true on the network channels since they carry very few shows related to motorcycles. Most of the good stuff is on the Discovery or Speed channels. So if you are like me, when advertisements for "Motorcycle Diaries" started to show up on TV it caught my attention. As I watched the 60-second clips, I was sucked into a world of two South American young men making a cross-continent trip across South American. I knew I was destined to see this movie.

While visiting my local Barnes & Nobles, I saw a copy of "Motorcycle Diaries". Knowing that books are generally better than the movies, I decided to take a copy home with me. My intention was to read the book and then go see the movie.

The first thing that popped out at me from the book was that this diary was a true account of two young men who actually traveled across South American (south to north - the long way). The second eye opener was that one of these young men was Ernesto Guevara. Ernesto is better know around the world as "Che" Guevara, principal leader along side Fidel Castro in the Cuba revolution.

I momentarily hesitated when I figured this out. Not because of whom Che was or what he represented. I have read and traveled far and wide enough to learn that a closed mind is the worst sort of critic. I hesitated because I just wasn't in the mood to read a "political" account of a young revolutionary's travel into social consciousness (I wasn't up to a Bush or Kerry biography either). I wanted something light that reinforced my delight with traveling on a motorcycle. Unfortunately, the Preface written by Aleida Guevara (Che's daughter) and the Introduction written by Cintio Vitier focused on the man that Che became and his importance in the revolution. Instead of putting the book down, I quickly decided to skip that portion and start with the "Diary". I'm glad I did. I also recommend skipping the last chapter unless you majored in political science or sociology.

While there were portions of the book that I believe Che revised later in life, the bulk of the book was written about two friends in their early twenties traveling across their continent in 1951. "La Ponderosa II - The Mighty One" was their ride of choice. Che's friend, Alberto Granado, owned this 1939 Norton 500. As with many plans for motorcycle trips, this one was born out of two friends talking about the need to change their "bitch of a life" while drinking wine. Alberto had just lost his job as a doctor (biochemist) at an Argentine leper clinic and Che was preparing to take his medical exams.

The story is full of the excitement and challenges of two guys trying to ride this bike across the variety of terrains in South America. Having made a UNITAS deployment around South America, I can confirm that roads had not improved a lot by 1987. Despite the bike's shortcomings, Che speaks of the bike with affection and appreciation. Sadly, the motorcycle only lasted for about 3 months of the 8 month trip. While in Chile, the bike's will to live could not keep pace with the demands of the trip and as Che stated, "La Ponderosa finally gave up the ghost." The remainder of the story is about Che's and Alberto's continuing odyssey across South America (without the motorcycle). Che lamented the demise of La Ponderosa by saying, "It was our last day as 'motorized bums'; the next stage seemed set to be more difficult, as 'bums without wheels.'"

The Diaries provide a layman's view of the cultural and geographical highpoints of South America's west coast. While I wouldn't rate Che's writing style close to my favorite travel writer (John Steinbeck), he is successful in conveying his and Alberto's travels and the people they met along the way. As we older North American nostalgically lament about the 1950's, I couldn't help thinking about how South American must have changed over the last half century. The level of support that Che and Alberto received from the local citizens during this time period speaks to a time and place that neither continent has seen for along time. I was especially impressed with the number of times the local civil guard (national police) and hospitals feed these two "bums" and gave them a place to sleep in their facilities.

Their stories talked of the oppression of the native population to being stowaways on a boat to being chased by locals after being a little to intimate with one of the local's wife. My conclusion is that "The Motorcycle Diaries" was what I wanted. It was about a couple of young men who set out on an adventure and their transportation of choice was "La Ponderosa." Despite the early death of La Ponderosa, they kept their "biker" attitude throughout the journey.

While I like to get on my bike and just ride (mostly solo), I can not image the boldness (or naiveté) it took to decide to travel across South American (multiple countries) with only a general idea of where they were headed (north along the west coast) on roads of less quality than our local county roads and most impressive - not enough money to cover all of their expenses (I'm going nowhere without the credit card). If you can't get past the political persona of Che, don't waste your time. On the other hand, if you like reading about two bikers on a journey of wonderment and discovery, I would recommend this book. Read it if you continue to wonder about what is around the next curve or waiting for you over the horizon.

Given my slow reading pace, unfortunately, I'm going to have to wait until the DVD version of "The Motorcycle Diaries" comes out. I was surprised to do a search of the movie theaters in Hampton Roads only to find out that holiday releases have pushed it off the screen. From the reviews I've read on the internet, I'm looking forward to its release. Until then, I guess this "young man" from the South of America (USA) will have to settle for the excitement of chasing the Virginia roads over the horizon and discovering who I'll be when I return home. Stay safe and don't forget to stop by a Rest Area for an occasional break.

Also see "Motorcycle Diaries" Shows Che Guevara at Crossroads

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