Just Finished Reading: Chasing Che – A Motorcycle Journey in Search of the Guevara Legend by Patrick Symes (FP: 2000)

It probably seemed like a good idea at the time. In fact it was a good idea at the time but, only days into the long journey he was already beginning to regret it. Despite speaking flawless Spanish and knowing the South American continent fairly well things had already started to go wrong. He had expected his BMW motorbike to have arrived a few days after he did – by ship rather than plane – but the port had lost it if it had even arrived yet. Day after day he asked for his bike only to be told that they still couldn’t find it. Not exactly auspicious. But finally there is was and the journey could begin.

Of course much had changed in 40 years so a simple recreation of Ernesto Guevara’s famous trip – brought to the public’s knowledge by the publication of a pair of books and the subsequent Spanish language Oscar winning movie in 2004. For one thing many of the dirt roads Guevara and best friend Alberto Granado travelled on had been upgraded to more modern standards. Likewise the authors more modern BMW machine was far superior to the previous travellers 1940’s Norton. But the author tried his best and only deviated from the original route when he had compelling reasons to do so. Along the way he met people who said they knew Che before he was Che and others who had actually known him as the young idealistic doctor and before he became the political icon that launched a thousand T-shirts and a million dorm room posters. What was more surprising was the number of people the author met who had never heard of Che and had no idea why an American journalist would want to follow in his tyre tracks so much later. Of much more interest was just how FAST the BMW could go. Somewhat more understandable were the number of people who vilified the historic Che for his revolutionary endeavours and his legacy that had resulted in violent revolutionary movements across the region and the subsequent brutal repression by the authorities from Argentina to Brazil and beyond. One encounter in particular which stuck with me was when the author visited a prison containing captured ‘Shining Path’ guerrillas who ran political education classes in their cell blocks with almost complete impunity. Violent revolution in all its many guises is far from dead in that continent. In an almost mirror image I was also struck by the brutality measured out by the authorities who spent a great deal of time crushing any revolt with overwhelming force and brutality – all without generating the long hoped for political awakening of the masses that would usher in a new world order that many are still waiting for.

Despite being fascinated by the ‘real’ Che Guevara the author was not afraid to ask some serious questions regarding the man, the myth and the legacy such an iconic figure. Nor is he afraid of pointing fingers at the Left and Right for using Che to gain their own ends as well as those who sell Che to the masses in a capitalist friendly faux revolutionary way [full disclosure: I own a Che T-shirt. It’s red of course]. What made the book so readable – indeed often a delight to read – was the way the author wove his journey, Guevara’s journey and the history of that turbulent land into a single page turning narrative. I certainly know a lot more about South America than I did prior to reading this and am interested in knowing a lot more. Recommended – especially for independent travellers and motorbike enthusiasts.