"THIS IS NOT THE TALE OF IMPRESSIVE DEEDS IS A PIECE OF TWO LIVES TAKEN IN A MOMENT WHEN THEY WERE CRUISING TOGETHER ALONG A GIVEN PATH WITH THE SAME IDENTITY OF ASPIRATIONS AND DREAMS Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, 1952" "The Plan:" "To travel 8 thousand kilometers in four months" "The method:" "Improvisation" "Objective:" "Explore the Latin American continent that we only know by books motorcycle diaries" "Good Night Granado" "Equipment: "La Poderosa" (The Powerful)" "A '39 Norton 500 that's battered and leaks" "The Pilot:" "Alberto Granado" "A chubby friend, 29 years old and biochemist  self proclaimed scientific vagabond" "The Pilot's dream: crown the trip with he's 30th birthday" "Copilot:" "That would be me" "Ernesto Guevara de la Serna" ""El Fuser", 23 years old" " Ernesto is going away?" " No, Ernesto stays" "Ernesto, could you takes us with you, please" "Look dad, I'm sorry, but no matter how many times you tell me..." "Please Ernesto, you are only 3 assignments away from your MD title" "And that can wait" "MD student" "Leprosy specialist" "Amateur Rugby player" "Hey Fuser...nice Fuser!" "And occasionally, asthmatic" "Departure date..." "January 4th" "The route: from Buenos Aires to Patagonia and then Chile then to the north up to 6 thousand meters by the spine of the Andes to Machu Picchu" "From there, to the lepers home of San Pablo in the Peruvian amazonia" "Final Destination: the Peninsula of Guajira in Venezuela at the north point of the continent" "We settle at the Peninsula of Guajira, the point of this great continent" "Mouths full of wine, nice music" "That beer is good, ah?" " Fuser, on January 4th, you should be done with all your exams, right?" " Yes" " If you want, i can make a detour to Miramar to visit your little girlfriend - "little girlfriend"" "A couple of days" " Look Fuser, look at that guy over there" " What?" "Do you want your life to be like that?" "You don't want your life to be like that, Fuser" "What you want is to fuck in every country in South America" "Hey boy...and in every town if we are lucky enough That's and extra ingredient, right" "What we had in common: our restlessness, our dreaming spirit and the untiring love for the route" "BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA January 4th, 1952 Km 0" "Let's go Ernestito, we don't have the whole day" " Isn't it too much Granado?" " Not enough chief." "Norton 500, "this" is a motorcycle" "Your son is in good wheels, don't worry" "You should expect some difficult times son" "But the truth is that i always dreamed of doing something like this" "And i have to confess that if i had a couple less years on me..." "I would jump right along with you on that motorcycle" "Try to think that i do it for the both of us" " 10 years planning this trip, uncle" " Since you were a kid" "Meanwhile..." "I trust you eh?" "And the revolution uncle, for when?" "Here?" "In a century" " Are you already leaving?" " Yes, I'm off" "You should only worry about taking your medicines, nothing more, ok?" "And writing me..." "The most beautiful letters you have ever read mom" " Bye, my love" " You'll see." "Bye." "I love you" "Bye" "Bye little sister, take care" "Bye man" "Send me postcards" "Ok, stop it or I'll start crying." "Please" "Take care, ok?" "Just like Don Quixote had Rocinante and Saint Martin had his mule" "We have "La Poderosa"" " Yeah, that pisses oil" " Yes, pisses oil, but what I'm trying to say is that in this precise moment" "The young Fuser and myself are embarking in a trip to the most remote places of the human spirit where we will meet new lands, listen to new anthems, eat new fruits..." "Granado..." "I'm making you responsible." "If something happens to Ernesto I'll find you." "Put on the handkerchief darling" "Don't worry mam, he will come back to become the doctor we all want him to be" "It better be" "Ok, is time to leave!" "Animal!" "Careful with that bike!" "Dear mom..." "Buenos Aires is behind us behind is as also the miserable life the faculty, the exams and the dissertations that make you sleepy" "Before us lies all of Latin America" "From now on we will only trust in "La Poderosa"" "I wish you could see us." "We look like adventurers and inspire admiration and envy everywhere" "Go Mial." "Assume aerodynamic road position" "C'mon baby, don't fail me baby." "C'mon, c'mon" "What happened Mial?" "!" "I'm glad to have left behind civilization, and be closer to the earth" "Wait, something is coming out...something is coming out" "Fuser, are you alright?" "What happened puppy?" "Are you alright?" " What the fuck is that?" " What the fuck does it look like?" " A fucking dog?" "!" " Oh fuck, you are a shitty driver..." "What the fuck is that dog doing on the bike?" "Is for Chichina and his name is Kamba" "Pick up the bike." "Miramar, Argentina January 13th, 1952 Km 601" "Where the fuck are we?" "Switzerland?" " Good morning" " Good morning" " Chichina?" " She's inside with the rest of the family" "That bike is giving you problems, uh?" "Esteban, please tell us about your trip" "It was great Don Horacio, i had the opportunity to take a seminar in Cambridge and stay a couple of weeks in London, a fascinating city" " What a privilege!" " Yes it was" " Esteban is getting his PhD soon, right?" " Yes" " Medicine?" " No, Law" "Ah, law" "Sorry." "1, 2, 3, 4" "Is your turn, come" "I never saw a pig who wanted to dance, never." "C'mon" "Knock it off!" " With this hand...back...side" " What are you laughing at?" " I'm laughing at you." "Tonight?" "My dad ask aunt Roxanna not to take her eyes off of me" "My mom promised the Lady of the Valley that she would walk to her sanctuary if we broke up" "And your parents can't see that the more they bury the diamonds, the more decided is the pirate to steal them?" "Believe me, this diamond wouldn't mind being stolen" "Dance" "Look" "Let me see your bathroom" " Good night" " Good night ladies" "Aunt Roxanna, which room is mine?" "Get away Kamba!" " How many days did you say we were staying here?" " You already know" " Two" " And how many days have we been here?" " If you become a Doctor, will you operate with wire too?" " Six days, Fuser" "Someone will see us" "If you'd stay we could do many things, Ernesto, but only if you'd stay" "I didn't like the sound of that" " What do you want me to say?" "That I'm going to wait for you?" " I told you I'm coming back" " Yes, i have the dog as proof" " You didn't like it?" "What do you want Ernesto, what do you want to hear?" "That I'm going to wait forever, that I'll wait for months and months till you come back?" " What's going on?" " What do you want?" "What do you want?" "I'd like you to stay like this forever." "Quiet." "I want to look at you, cause I'm not going to see you for a long time" "Of course I'm going to wait for you, but please don't take an eternity" " And how long is an eternity?" " That's slippery ground mister" "I'm not going to touch you" "Did i hit you?" "Did i hurt you?" "Did i hurt you?" "That was a trick, a very bad trick" "Ok lovebirds...is time to leave." "Fuser" "Miss Ferreira..." "Thanks for everything" ""I used to listen the bare feet splashing in the ship "And had a feeling of the faces darkened by hunger" ""My heart was a pendulum between her and the street" ""I don't know with what strength i freed myself from her eyes, "I broke away from her arms" ""She was left clouding with tears her anguish "Behind the rain and the glass" " Lorca eh?" " No" " Neruda" " No" " Who?" " I don't remember" " Good bye" " Bye" "Wait, wait." "The snot is..." "And so...with Chichina, nothing..." "Not even after giving her the German shepherd with pedigree...nothing" "I mean, at least you saw a tit...one" "Ahhh...." "You saw her tits, Ernesto" "Scalpel, Scalpel" "North American Dollars?" " Fifteen" " Chichina?" " Yes" "I like that girl for you, i always said that she was your girlfriend." "We will eat better now" " No..." " Protein food" "No, she gave me this money for when we get to the US." "She asked me to buy her some pants." "I told her i would" " What?" " Forget about this money." "It is out of our budget." " Fucking moron, he is testing me..." " Che are you talking to the bike again" "Listen to me man, what is wrong with your head?" "That chick's got you by the balls." "Calm down" " Good evening" " Hi" "Piedra de Águila, Argentina January 29th, 1952 Km 1809" " How do you feel the bike?" " The wire is making wonders, it works great" " Son of a bitch...fuck" "Are you alright Fuser?" "It was the curve" "Son of a..." "Look at the pipe..." "son of a bitch!" "Pass the stakes, I'm all out" "Wait, wait, don't fuck with me" " You had to choose this place, you idiot..." " No you chose this place" "Hold that side" " No...fuck" " Son of a..." " The river is taking it" " Grab it, grab it" "It took it" " Che and what if we go there?" " We should ask for help over here, with the common people" " Which one are we doing?" "The broken headlight?" " No, Red October." "You have the experience right?" "Good Night" "What do you want" "Maybe our appearance doesn't show it, but we are doctors from Buenos Aires and Córdoba, respectively" "We are traveling all over the country, doing some research with hopes of curing some of the worst diseases of the 20th century" "Plagues that not only consume our energy but that also keeps Argentina in need" "When by just reading the medical literature, you could notice, just as us..." "What the fuck do you want, pair of bums?" "Look sir, the wind took our tent, we are starving and we need a place to spend the night" "Ok, out there in the shed there's a good ground." "You can sleep with the workers" " We are doctors..." " Hmm...i like your face a lot, but i don't like yours fatty" " Fine?" " Yes, its fine" " Thank you." "Dear Mom...we are still hitting the road, but to tell you the truth, the bike is less powerful every day" "San Martín de los Andes, Argentina January 31st, 1952 Km 2051" "Money and food are scarce, but we manage to find opportunities to eat and sleep for free" "Thanks to our secret weapon:" "Alberto's infallible sweet talking ...plagues that not only consume our energy but compromise the modernization of Argentina" " So, you are doctors" " Well, no." "Alberto is a biochemist and I am an MD student" " He is practically graduated, we are like doctors" " Then i would appreciate it if you could look at a swelling i have in the neck" " Gladly, eh..." "Mr.?" "Von Puttkamer" "Does it hurt?" " This is a tumor" " What do you mean a tumor?" " Yes" " Do you think so" " Yes" " Allow me" "I don't know Fuser, fat sedimentation it could be a cyst" "No." "It is a tumor in the occipital area" " Schatzie, these gentlemen say i have a tumor" " Tumor?" "Good morning mam, i sincerely don't believe it is a tumor but a sebaceous cyst" "If you could give us a place where we could eat and sleep we might be able to treat it" "No, no look...we can't treat it." "You will have to go to Buenos Aires." "I can recommend you a specialist" " Or we could try to help him, don't you think?" " Help with what?" "With the grass, with prayers?" " I understand, you can't do anything for me" " Yes we can, if you give us a place where we could eat and sleep." " Around here there's a lake with lots of fish and a shed" " Sir, the diagnostic is very..." " We have nothing more to talk about, doctors." "Let's go Schatzie" " The next time could you try to help us a little" " Of course i can give you a hand, but never at the price of the health of a man" " Ok, let's say that you are right and the old guy has a tumor, how the fuck do you tell him like that?" "Is the truth, if he can't handle it he can go to hell" " You can't treat a patient like that, you can't" " The guy has a serious problem, the sooner he looks into it the better" "That's the proper treatment, didn't they teach you that at biochemistry school?" "Don't talk to me about proper medicine" "Nurse." "First graduate and then talk." "You think you know everything, moron" "I'm going to look for food" "Duck!" "duck!" "duck!" "." "Give me gun, move it!" "move it!" "Son of a..." "Great Mial..." "I hit it, man" " How did you do it?" " I can't fucking believe it..." "Well, there's no other choice but to get in the water and pick up dinner, no?" "Fuser, to the water to get the food!" "You are really crazy if you think I'm going to get in there." "Do you know how cold is that water?" "Yes, i know you are allergic to cold, water, hot and all that but you know what, i am older, wiser and i shot the duck, so you have to go" " That shot came out of your ass, besides i have asthma" " Ok, you are right." "If you can't I'll do it" " I didn't say i couldn't" " You can't or you don't want to" " I didn't say that i couldn't" "Or you don't want to and that is the same." "Or you could give me Chichina's fifteen bucks and we eat as God intended, c'mon." " Look if i get to find that fucking duck, I'll eat it all by myself" " Ah!" "in the water, in the water, duck." " I'm going to get my balls frozen" " For the use you give them, Fuser..." "Good Fuser, good...bring on that duck with potatoes." "Is it cold Fuser?" "Hey!" "cold?" "Not over here." "Duck" " Are you feeling sick?" " No, I'm just perfect" "Bariloche Train Station, Argentina 3 days later Km 2270" "Easy" "Fuser..." "Fuser, listen to me." "Give me Chichina's fifteen dollars and let's go to a hospital like the people" "If you say that to me again, I'll throw up all over you." "Dear mom...what is it that's lost when you cross a border." "Each moment seems to be split in two" "Melancholy for what was left behind and on the other hand all the enthusiasm at entering new lands" "Frias Lake, Argentina February 15th, 1952 Km 2306" " Look Mial, Chile" " Chile!" "Viva Chile!" " Is it your first time out of the country?" " Yes, of course" "You are almost a man, Che" "Look Mial, when we are old and tired of traveling, we should come back and set a clinic on this lake" "That's a good idea" "Providing attention to everybody, if anyone ever comes" "Count on me, brother" "Hey, things are getting better Fuser, eh?" " Yeah" " Hey, it is snowing" " No, is just frost" " Help me" " On three, 1, 2, 3" " Done" "Go, go, go" " Fuck is cold!" " Some summer, uh" "Che, you told me we would enter Chile like two conquerors." "Not on foot like a pair of losers" "If you don't like it, go fuck yourself Ernesto" "TEMUCO, CHILE February 18th, 1952 Km 2772" "What if we dump this shit that gives us so much trouble" "And go on foot through the whole continent, you genius" "Yes, we would see more and meet more people..." "you would lose weight" "You sissy, but if with a couple of dollars from Chichina this gets fixed immediately" "And again with the same thing." "Forget about that money" "Ok, perfect." "If you get that mad then go all the way to Venezuela walking and leave me here alone with the boss's money" "Know what?" "I would get there in half the time and stop meddling with other people business" "Fuck you bastard!" ""Uy, Ernestito, bring me the little Yankee pants from Miami"" "Can't you see that you will never see them on or off?" "You wanker!" "Fuser.." "You know what your problem is?" "Your fucking honesty." "You should tell a lie from now and then to help us." " Hold it for a second" " Hey, hey, what are you doing?" " Come, Come" "Thank you" " What?" "Do you have "mate"?" "Thank you." " It has sugar" " Excuse me, what's your name?" " Teresa" " Teresa, Ernesto, nice to meet you" " It would be nice as a souvenir, eh?" " A souvenir?" "I'll take back to Argentina" "You are traveling?" " Yes we are traveling, we are the owners of that old bike" " A the big one over there" " What are these?" " This is "malton"" " And This?" " These are oysters" "Maybe next time ,ok?" "next time..." "Austral Newspaper, 3 pesos, Austral Newspaper, only 3 pesos" "Get informed about Chile and the world, for only 3 pesos" "Yesterday evening, Temuco was honored by the arrival of 2 of the most renowned leprosy specialists of Latin America" " Dr. Alberto Granados from Córdoba" " What do you mean "Granados"" " That's what it says" "Dr. Alberto Granados from Córdoba and Dr. Ernesto Guevara de la Serna from Buenos Aires" "They have embarked on an epic trip from their homeland to the north point of Venezuela" "The charismatic adventurer scientists, experts in their field, have treated three thousand patients in all the continent." "They hope to complete their trip in a record time of five months, just in time to celebrate the 30th birthday of the youthful Dr. Granados" " It says youthful, eh?" " Yes, and so i get informed too." "Do you think it will work?" "Hello, good evening" "My friend and i have some problems with our bike The direction is broken, the brakes are practically gone and the shift box as always..." "And my backside is killing me..." "Let's see." "I can fix the direction, the brakes and the shift box." "But i can't do anything about your backside." "We don't have any money" "What?" "You don't have any money?" "When we get to Valparaiso we will receive some money, when we have it we will send it to you..." "You know, i wouldn't want to be rude, but if you don't have any money, you have nothing to do here, so please..." "Excuse me the interruption, but if you help us right now you will contribute to the bilateral relationships between our countries" "If i understand correctly, you want me to fix it for free" "I think we are not making ourselves clear besides we can't expect everybody to know who's who in the Latin-American medicine field" " Please doctor, come on in" " Yes, precisely today there was an article published on the paper..." " Let me see...allow me" " Yes of course" " Look Piedad, Tulio look..." " Well the picture is not very good" " Yes we are not favorably depicted" "Look, is them..." "Gentlemen, for me it will be a great honor to fix your bike, once i finish this card game with my wife" "Of course, there's no problem" "That's the main priority." "Do you know that tonight there's a dance and God willing, all the ladies of the town will be there" "Oh, what a shame." " Could you give me the paper back?" " Thanks a lot, you are very kind" " I'll bring the bike over" " Please bring it over, we will fix it" "Could i have this dance?" "Cheers!" "You know, i was just thinking about you" "And why is that?" "You made quite an impression when i met you" "Thanks" " Would you like to dance?" " No" "I don't dance" "My husband fell asleep, he's drunk." "I don't have a dance partner" "Well, if you teach me, yes?" "Hey, you finally remembered that you are a man?" "You had forgotten?" "It's been a long time since i danced, but is coming back to me, is coming back..." "I can't dance here" "Would you like to keep dancing?" "Wouldn't you prefer to go out" "I would love to, yes" "Let's go" " What's going on?" " No, we better stay" "Let me go!" "The Argentinean is leaving with your wife" "Let me go!" "Sorry, sorry..." "I'm sorry" "Argentinean mother fucker!" "Aren't you tired?" "No" " Don't you want to switch?" " No" "Are you sure?" "Cows!" "cows!" "I can't Stop, I can't stop!" "The brakes don't work" "Fucking mechanic" " Are you ok?" " Perfect, what do you want me to tell you Fuser?" "Shitty mechanic" "Is he your father?" "Yes" "Hey, that cow is going blind" "...for the shit it's going to see" "Los Angeles, Chile February 26th, 1952 Km 2940" "We are 25 days behind" "Wait wait wait wait" "Hello" "There's a rumor that the Chilean women are the most daring in all the continent" "Well, the rumors have no scientific support Dr. Granado." "We have to make a field test" "You didn't like them, really?" "Here they come" "Hello girls" " Excuse us, the place is packed..." " Can we sit with you?" " Yes, of course" " Thanks" " How are you?" "..." "Ernesto" " He is Alberto" " Miss?" " Jazmín" "Daniela" " Nice to meet you" " Nice to meet you" " So are you Argentineans?" " How did you know?" "I don't know...the accent, because you say "Che", i don't know" " Had you noticed that Che?" "i hadn't" " No me neither" " Do you know what day is today?" " February 26th" "February 26th...we are going to seem like liars, but it has been a year..." "A year?" "A year since when?" " A year since we started this trip" " That's nice" " Damn, one year and we don't have one cent to celebrate" " Wouldn't you like us to invite you a bottle of wine?" " Wine?" " Yes..." "Lucho, bring a bottle of wine to our Argentinean visitors that have made such an effort" "But ladies, please don't takes this the wrong way, but i can't drink wine" " But why, why can't you drink a little wine to celebrate?" " Exactly..." " Well there is an old tradition in Argentina that..." " Please c'mon, don't..." " What?" " I think they deserve and explanation" " Is adequate, yes" "Thanks Lucho..." "Well, there is a long costume in Argentina that doesn't allow us to drink with empty stomachs" "And since we don't have any money at the moment, we can't buy food and we must reject your generous offer" "Please, don't be like that...wait." "Lucho, could you bring us some empanadas" " Do you like Chilean empanadas?" " I have never tried them" " four, eight?" " They are really hungry." "Twelve." "I've always liked that number" " I would really like to stay here" " Too bad we don't have a place to stay, but we can sleep at the plaza" "Hey, but my father loves Argentineans." "I think he can help you" "He is the chief of the fire department, so he knows a lot of people" "Wait, are you sisters?" "Yes, of course, you hadn't noticed?" "Look..." "They hadn't noticed." " The mechanic doesn't come back until tomorrow, but the bike can stay here" " Thanks a lot" "Guys, let me introduce you to two Argentinean volunteers that will be staying here with you" " Let me introduce you to Dr. Che Skinny and Dr. Che Fatty" " Nice to meet you" " Hey, would you like to see more of the town?" " Yes" " But..." " Don't worry sir" " Excuse me..." " Yes?" "I wouldn't like to bother you, but are you really doctors?" " No" " Yes" " No" "I'm a biochemist" " Could you visit a lady that is sick" " Yes, when you tell me..." "Could it be right now, cause she is really sick." "It's been a very long time since she saw a doctor" "Ok, let me pick up my things and we will go." "Is nice to be faithful to the Hippocratic oath, Fuser" "Excuse me" "Look at my eyes" "I'm going to touch your neck a little" "Has she eaten?" "I don't know" "Look, Doña Rosa, I'm going to leave you these pills" "Take one with each meal" "And one before bedtime." "This will help you feel better" "Dear mom..." "I knew i wouldn't be able to help that poor woman" "That up to a month ago she had been serving tables, panting like me" "Trying to live with dignity" "In those dying eyes, there was a humble request for excuses" "And a desperate plea of consolation that gets lost in the emptiness" "Just as her body will get lost very soon in the magnitude of the mystery that surrounds us" "Fuser, you still haven't asked me how was the field test with the Chilean sisters" "You know how i fear that you might become the new sexual ambassador of Argentina" "Are you the two lazy asses that travel on that piece of crap" "Her name is "La Poderosa"" "It was." "But now we could name it The Dead One, The Paraplegic" "Oh yeah, why?" "What do you mean why?" "Because I'm the mechanic, what else" "If you sell it per pound, you might obtain something, but that piece of crap arrived dead here, really" "I'll be missing you Negra" "I'll take these, let's go" "What do we do?" "Should we go on?" "Yes, we go on." "You only reach 30 once in a lifetime" "You are really something Ernesto Guevara de la Serna" " If we change the dollars..." " No, don't even think about it" "We arrived at Valparaiso" ""I love Valparaiso." "How much you encompass and how much you irradiate bride of the ocean"" ""Even far away from your deaf halo..."" " Federico García Lorca" " No" " No, it's Neruda" "Valparaíso, Chile March 7th, 1952 Km 3573" "Thank you" " From Chichina!" " Chichina, and the money?" " Should i open it?" " Yes open it" "I leave you alone love bird" "How do i love you Celia de la Serna!" "What's going on?" "Fuser" " Che, are you ready?" " Me?" " Yes you" " Of course" " Let's go" "Right away sir" "Atacama Desert, Chile March 11, 1952 Km 4960" "You know what, my plan was a lot better" "You are so fucking proud, at least answer me" "Do you want to go back?" "Go ahead..." "I'll get to the mine and then I'll tell you what it looks like" "Are you suggesting that i won't make it to the mine?" "If you can little doctor asthma, i can do it too" "Moron" "Oh, you want to win?" "Stop!" "Fuck!" " Good evening, how are you?" " What's your name?" " Ernesto" " Nice to meet you" "Yes, that's it, that's were we are from" "We didn't have much, just a dry and difficult land" "It belonged to his grandparents" "It was ours, until a landlord arrived and kicked us out" " And that is what they call progress" " We had to leave our son with the family and travel to find job" " Trying to escape from the police that wanted to catch us" " Why?" "Because we are communists" "We are going to the mine." "If we are lucky I'll find a job." "Apparently they are so dangerous that they don't care what party you belong to" "Are you looking for a job?" "No, we are not." "No?" "And then why are you traveling?" "Just because" "Bless you, blessed be your travels" "Take this" "Thanks" " Some "mate"" " Thanks" "Those eyes had a dark and tragic expression" "They told us about some friends that had disappeared under mysterious circumstances" "And that apparently ended up in some part on the bottom of the ocean" "That was one of the coldest nights of my life" "But meeting them made me feel closer to human kind." "Strange, so strange to me" "You...you too You, the next one" "Move it, guys, move it" "Chuquicamata Mine, Chile March 15th, 1952 Km 5122" "Move it, guys, move it" "Get in the truck." "The rest go to your homes." "Out" "You two, what are doing here?" "Nothing, we are looking" "Looking at what, this is not a tourist attraction." "Out" "Can't you see that these people are thirsty." "Give them some water damn it." "I will call security so they will arrest you" "Oh yeah." "Why?" "Invasion of property." "This is the property of the Anaconda Mining Company" "Let's go." "Son of a bitch"