La Ruta de Maya

After a whole lot of preliminary work, 1 missed connecting flight, 1 lost piece of luggage, we finally made it to Guatemala. My fiancée Tanya and I are in the land of the Maya, and so far the country has lived up to the 'enchanting' label most of our friends and acquaintances have placed on it.

We're here ostensibly to set up a new trip for Sacred Rides, but also to explore this fascinating country in advance of having our first child this spring. From what I've heard, infants tend to have a detrimental effect on one's ability to travel to developing countries (but a positive effect on one's happiness!), so we decide to get a good Latin American jaunt in before little Pancho/Panchita joins this world.

We arrived last Thursday, and headed straight to Antigua, a stunning colonial town an hour from Guatemala City. We met my Guatemala partners from Old Town Outfitters - the people who are helping us set up our new tour here. Our plan was to have dinner, discuss the bike trip (which will run from Mar. 6-14), do a sample ride, and then head north into the highlands for 2 weeks.

On Friday, Luisa and Matt took me for a fantastic first ride above Antigua, through picturesque villages and along smooth singletrack trails. Although the ride was short - about 2 hours - it gave me a good taste of what's in store when the rest of our riders show up. We also met some people from Maya Bike, an organization with which we will be partnering both through Sacred Rides and through Bikes Without Borders, our non-profit organization.

From Antigua we headed to Lake Atitlan. The pre-trip hype described this as one of the most spectacular lakes in the world, and it didn't disappoint. The lake is sapphire blue and ringed by giant volcanoes, the largest of which is almost 4,000 m high. The town we stayed in, Panajachel, is an old hippie haven from the 60s, now host to hordes of tourists of a different stripe, but it still manages to maintain its laid-back feel. We didn't stay long enough to fully appreciate the lake, but we'll be back in a couple of weeks when we come ride around the lake.

We decided to forgo the frequent shuttles in favour of the local 'chicken bus.' Even the locals call it the chicken bus. The ride through the mountains is stunning and scary: the roads have been carved out of the hillsides somewhat haphazardly, and there's a switchback about every 100 metres. Crammed into a 40-seater bus with 60 people makes for an interesting experience. One that I don't think we'll repeat, in spite of its charm.

Last night we stayed in Chichicastenango, so that we could get up early for the famous market that takes place every Sunday and Thursday. People started streaming into town on Saturday night from the surrounding countryside, bringing their wares - ornate masks, beautiful shawls and huipiles (shirts), weavings of every sort, and as many tomatoes as you can pack into the back of a pickup truck in between a family of 15. By 9 o'clock a festive air had overtaken the main square and excitement was beginning to build for the market day ahead.

We woke at 6 am to the sound of a thousand roosters, a cacophony that would have sounded almost symphonic had they not forgotten to tune up before squealing. We headed to the market, which was already in full swing. The front steps of the iglesia were covered in flowers and people; incense burned in every direction and inside a mass was getting under way. The cofradias, or religious brotherhoods, were readying themselves for the Sunday parade. Spirituality in these parts is a mix of Catholicism and pre-Christian Mayan rituals, tending toward the Mayan side of things. Every woman was dressed in the bright huipile and colourful skirts typical of the Maya. The market not only crowded the main square, but spilled at least 3 blocks in each direction. The whole city became a giant market, and it was electric.

Tomorrow we head to the highlands, to a town called Nebaj and a small cheese finca, or farm about 3 km north of Nebaj. Matt from Old Town Outfitters tells me the mountain biking in this area is sublime, as are the mountains. Time will tell.

By the way, our first mountain bike trips to Guatemala will take place next winter. If you're looking for a great reason to escape the cold northern winter... join our mailing list (at left) and we'll keep you posted as to the first dates.