88 pages 2 hours read

Che Guevara

The Motorcycle Diaries

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1992

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Chapters 11-15

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 11 Summary: "Objects of curiosity"

On the Modesta Victoria, Guevara and Granado work operating the ship's pump to earn their passage. By this time, they have learned that Chilean doctors are impressed by their knowledge of leprosy, a disease that is rare in Chile, and their curiosity has been piqued by tales of the leper colony on Easter Island.

While working in the pump room, Guevara and Granado meet a doctor from Valparaíso, Chile, who offers them any sort of help they might need. They ask him to introduce them to the president of the Friends of Easter Island, who also lives in Valparaíso, and he agrees.

When the Modesta Victoria makes port in Petrohué, Guevara and Granado plan to head for Osorno. Guevara meets a man who needs a station wagon driven to Osorno, and accepts the job despite his limited experience changing gears at high speed. After a stressful ride, Guevara arrives in Osorno and reunites with Granado, who has ridden La Poderosa there.

The men leave Osorno and travel north through the countryside before arriving in the port city of Valdivia, which is celebrating its 400th anniversary. In Valdivia, the local newspaper writes an article about Guevara and Granado, who dedicate their journey to the city.

Related Titles

By Che Guevara