The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto Che Guevara
I checked this out of the local library, along with a few motorcycle how-to books. It is a quick read and it chronicles Che's travels with a friend throughout most of South America in the early 50s. They do start out their travels on a motorcycle, but about a third of the way in they abandon it and end up hopping boats and trucks and hiking the rest of the way. It was interesting to read Che's own thoughts, as everything I know of him is from other people presenting their thoughts and ideas on who he was.
These are also his younger days (he was 24), and his notions of who he is and what he stands for are still being formed. They are both medical students, and they do stop and "help out" at various villages and hospitals along the way. You get a sense of their desire to do good, and their desire for adventure. They seem a little bit crazy, and you can tell that they're having a good time, even when they aren't sure of their destination or the source of their next meal.
Word on the street is that Robert Redford is making a movie of the book, so take the opportunity to read it before that happens. I mean, the movie might be good or it might be bad, but the book is always better.
lex 11:52 AM