Back on the Road

In July 1953, recently graduated as a doctor at the University of Buenos Aires, Che Guevara decided to set off once again to explore the Latin American continent. His principal interests were in archaeology and politics, and his first stops were Bolivia, which had recently experienced a far-reaching revolution, Peru, where he visited Cuzco, the Inca remains at Macchu Picchu, and Lima and Guayaquil in Ecuador. Subsequently, he sailed up the Pacific coast to Panama, Costa Rica and Guatemala, where he witnessed the CIA overthrow of the Arbenz government, and later Mexico, where he was to meet Fidel Castro for the first time. Throughout his travels Guevara kept a spasmodic diary in which he recorded his impressions of his two year journey. It was an expedition which thousands of young backpackers accomplish today and thousands more dream of achieving.