So after procrastinating in the writing of a review, it is quite apropos that I find myself compelled to to do so now, on New Years eve when many look... read more back on their lives and take stock of what they have done.... or not done with their lives and try and make sense of it all. In doing so I would have to say that my 3 day trip mountain biking in Guatemala was the highlight of my year and though I don't do new years (un) resolutions, I have resolved in general to do at least one biking trip a year from now on.
I just turned 49, live in Atlanta,Ga and have done several local enduro races,50-60 miles over the years, mostly in the Chattahoochee forest in North Georgia. I would consider myself an advanced intermediate to advanced rider, though I did discover that I have little to no ability on technical downhills. It's not something that bothers me, I prefer going uphill anyway and as I told Brendan, Old dog new tricks....not happening here. I would advise anyone who wants to do a trip here to know their level as it definitely is not a jaunt in the park. It's not that Brendan and his staff wont accommodate you, but most of us don't decide to run a marathon after only running a 5K.
My pre trip training comprised of trying to get 3-4 hour uphill rides in Dahlonega, up Coopers Gap and Winding Stairs, twice a week. I think given our first day ride from Tecpan to Panajachel, which was the hardest day, this is the minimum amount of trianing required. The hills are steep and hard and the terrain is definitely not like the well worn trails in the US and the altitude is up there at over 10,000 feet. This is genuine off road cycling.
Brendan,the owner, is a cycling vagabond, a peripatetic pedaling pioneer and through his years of experience has mapped many remote trails and routes. We cycled on ancient Mayan trails, through remote farmland and discovered the real meaning of fields of gold. Maize. It is everywhere. It is a life source and probably the thing that most defines the people that grow it, eat it and respect it. Pabulum, but in a good way. As we drove from Panajachel up the hill past San Andreas to our second day cycling, this is the image that I remember most .As we reached the plateau just how stunningly beautiful the fields of golden corn were. Perfect, perfect weather in the mid 70s coupled with the most perfect panaromic views of the many volcanoes situated around Lake Atitlan.
While the biking was difficult, the rewards were spectacular landscapes ,a privilege to experience. Alex, whom is from Tecpan, took us on a guided tour of the ancient Mayan ruins. He learned us, as we say back home, about his people and ancestors, their customs and beliefs. Eric our driver, a local with in depth knowledge of the area as only a local can have, maneuvered us safely around the Altiplano never missing a pick up point even in the remotest of places.
So yeah the biking was great,spectacular, hard,the pain that makes one a mountain biker and a masochist at the same time I guess. The people were kind and welcoming. Talk had turned after time to the stereotypes of Guatemala that are out there, so I feel compelled to say that at no point during the trip did I feel unsafe, actually quite the opposite. I walked around Antigua and Panajachel at night on my own and felt completely secure. Most of us who come from big cities probably couldn't say the same about our downtown areas.
The only complaint I do have about the trip is that Brendan doesn't know the difference between cake and pie. After arriving in Panajachel and having some dinner, Brendan said there was a lady who made the most amazing pie and hoped she was selling her deliciousness's that night. Fortunately for us she was. So we sat on plastic chairs at a plastic table, on an anonymous street corner eating the most exquisite homemade CAKE. I asked for a coffee and got a plastic cup of simple, but good coffee and somehow I felt like a King.
And finally, you see Brendan once we start talking the writing is the same, in the words of William Wallace who said "They can try and take our BIKES but we'll take their lives" ,or the immortal words of your cousin Christy Moore, RIDE ON!!