The Rambling Tramps

In the latest issue of People Magazine, Matthew McConaughey revealed his ten life-changing moments. One of was his visit to the Amazon forest and how the experience was a life-changing experience. There was no doubt about it if one would recall the memoir of Che Guevara. It seemed hard to believe, being the poster boy of rebellion and all. But stranger things happened.

In 1952, Ernesto Guevara and Alberto Granado decided to leave their native Argentina and travel around South America. It was supposed to be a highland-to-island adventure, where Granado spent $800 on a 1939 Norton 500 motorbike that took them to Chile, Bolivia, and Peru. Granado, six years older than Guevara, was a biologist and researcher. He was tired, bored, and fed up. Both men yearned for freedom and knowledge. Politics came into focus after several days on the road.

Open your eyes

Many centuries ago, the Andes region was the site of the Incan Empire. When Francisco Pizarro and his men set foot, all that were left were ruins. The Spaniards were obsessed by the tales of El Dorado. What remained of the mighty fortresses won't tell a word. For the young Che, this would make a huge impression on him. How could a mighty continent ended up in a sorry state? This was his sentiment when he encountered workers in the tin mines in Chile, many of whom were dying of silicosis. But the visit to a San Pablo leprosy colony transformed him.

It was his 24th birthday, and Granado recalled his friend's determination to swim across the river. Che didn't think of the piranhas that might attacked him. He wasn't afraid of the whirlpools either. The lepers saw him as a Messiah. His believers would like to remember this, but the journey had its share of anecdotes.

Granado fondly recalled their attempt to sail to Easter Island, where they were told have more women than men. The rambling tramps also have a chance encounter with Alfredo Di Stefano, who played for Real Madrid. (The football star was astounded to learn that a scrawny traveler would turn into a revolutionary leader.) The young scientist was wistful about Argentina during the 1950s, an era of good soccer and good tango. Nothing could be better than hearing the songs of Carlos Gerdel. Che had a different view.

"Fifty years after that marvelous adventure, it's a little difficult to say I had any influence on Che Guevara," he said during an interview ten years ago.

"Che Guevara was a real person, a person of flesh and blood. At the start, I was the older one, the one with more responsibility, but more and more, Che assumed this responsibility. First medicine became too small for him, then the revolution became too small for him and then Cuba grew too small for him. You can define Ernesto by the things he couldn't stand - he couldn't stand lies or unfairness or getting things he didn't deserve."

Che's heroic nature would be the stuff of legend. Most of Latin America would be involved in a political struggle, and like Tom Joad, Che would be where the trouble was. This was where the matter turned gray. But he did it for a cause.