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At the end of July 1953 Ernesto and Alberto crossed the Peruvian-Bolivian border on a truck and got to Lima. Ernesto came into contact with Latin American exiles and received information on what was happening in Guatemala, where the progressive government of Jacobo Arbenz had taken a number of steps for the benefit of the people and was facing actions and threats by the United States and Guatemalan reactionary individuals.After a couple of weeks in Peruvian capital they left for Guayaquil, Ecuador, a tropical hothouse. Marooned in the banana port for almost three weeks, along with the other friends from Argentina, Ernesto suffered constant distress, both financially and healthwise. He learned that the heat and damp of the tropics were devastating for his health. In the scorching weather of Guayaquil, young Guevara abandoned his plan of moving on to Venezuela and decided to go to Guatemala following his interest to know what was going on in that country. His asthma and lack of funds made the journey longer and more difficult. He had to make a series of more or less planned stops, mainly in San Jose, Costa Rica and Panama, where Che was published for the first time. During these months Ernesto also saw the immense plantation of United Fruit Company in Costa Rica, which caused a consternation in him.
"I had the opportunity of traveling through the domains of United Fruit, confirming once again the terrible nature of these capitalist octopuses. I have sworn before a picture of our old, much lamented comrade Stalin (who had died nine months earlier) that I will not rest until I see these capitalist octopuses annihilated."
In San Jose Ernesto met with Romulo Betancourt, who would late be president of Venezualy precisely when Guevara, by then a Cuban minister, was conspiring with Venezuelan guerrilla forces. He had a spat with him and branded him a traitor when Betancourt expressed his inclinations toward USA. His brief stay in San Jose mainly served another purpose. It was there that he had his first contact with Cubans, meeting two exiled survivors of the so-called Moncada assault that took place in Santiago de Cuba. They told him the incredible story of Fidel Castro trying to overthrow the regime of Fulgencio Batista by storming the military garrison. He struck an immediate friendship with them, which will continue for quite a while. 

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A
detailed chronology of Che's life you can find
in this book "A Brave Man" on Cuba
Directo website |
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