Dancing Saddle

I had finally finished my first country. I thought I would be happier but between having to bus the last stretch and how amazing Mexico had been I was feeling quite sad. Also, considering my last misadventure crossing a border, I was feeling nervous as well. I had already exchanged money from Peso to Quetzales but had kept some Pesos back just in case. Crossing the border turned out to be very easy. The extra pesos I kept turned out to be unneeded. The exchange rate wasn’t great but I decided not to bargain too hard as it wasn’t a lot of money and I had a good laugh with one of the money changers.

Guatemala showing it bright green colors as soon as I crossed the border. Auto Hotels were all over Guatemala with their very suggestive logos.

One of the first things I noticed is that Guatemala is definitely a poorer country than Mexico but at the same time more colorful and more vibrant. The initial plan for the day was to make it to San Marcos. Little did I know that I was totally unprepared for the mountains ahead. More specifically the steepness of the terrain that would be insurmountable. Just outside of Malacatan I met Juan Carlos. He is a cyclist that lives in San Rafael. He warned me about the climb up to San Marcos after San Rafael and offered to put me up for the night. After hiding out in a building during a downpour I continued onwards. I ended up not even making it to San Rafael as the kick up in gradient was too much after a long day of riding.

Juan Carlos treating me to breakfast. If you look carefully you can see the insane climb that was waiting for me.

The next day I finally made it to San Rafael where I joined Juan Carlos for breakfast and met some of his family and had a delicious breakfast. Thank you. The real adventure started soon after. I barely cycled one kilometer and I dismounted and had to start pushing. I wasn’t geared low enough for the gradient and I felt every kilogram of extra weight. Soon I was very frustrated and I knew I wouldn’t make to Xela by the end of the day.

Thank you Miguel for giving me a lift to San Marcos. The road was insanely steep and way beyond what I was capable of.

I was exhausted and I had barely covered four kilometers. Honestly, I was feeling quite emotional at that point as well. Thankfully Miguel pulled over. He was on his way to San Marcos and offered to give me a ride. At that point I knew I wouldn’t make it to San Marcos on that day. Let alone the next day. We put my bike in the back of the truck and then got in his truck. November Rain was playing and the emotions hit me hard. I couldn’t speak for a while as I tried to control my emotions and fight back tears.

Absolutely exhausted before my first trail magic.

The road to San Marcos was insanely steep and it made me appreciate the lift even more. In San Marcos I got a sim card, a quick coffee and lunch. A long steep downhill was quickly followed by more steep climbs and was back to lots of pushing and exhaustion. I stopped for a long break and had a motorcyclist stop and gave me some peaches and then a baker in a van stopped and gave me some leftover pan. The pushing continued until another truck stopped. They offered me a lift and considering that I had already gotten a lift that day, I took it. Thankfully they were a great laugh and they lifted my spirits. They dropped me off at the next peak and I was ready to go. But then the climbing started again and for the third time that day I was offered a lift and this time all the way to Xela. I couldn’t say no as I was totally beaten and needed the help. The four of us crammed into the cab. My left butt cheek on the seat and my right butt cheek hanging in midair.

All the trail angels that got me to Xela on my hardest day. I am very grateful.

In Xela I stayed with Monica Maria and her family. I spent a few days there exploring and cleaning my bike and repacking my gear. One special moment was when I got invited over for lunch. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with her family in Spanish. They were great at speaking clearly and slowly and I really appreciated having longer conversations in Spanish.

Lorraine all clean and ready to ride. Beautiful Xela.

My next stop was Lago de Atitlan. While checking the route I decided to go through a tiny village partly because it would be a short cut and partly to explore. The village turned out to be a great way to experience a different part of Guatemala, but soon after the real adventure begun. My chain came off by the crank while I was freewheeling which was unusual. My initial diagnoses were that the spring on the rear derailleur was sticking and I was quickly able to find a car mechanic with some WD40. This didn’t help the situation. With some more trouble shooting and some consultations with my friend John, I realized that my chain would only stay on if I stayed in the lowest four gears. It was not an issue as I had lots of uphill to do and I thought I could freewheel the downhills.

The village I detoured through. At the first peak I was in the clouds.

Initially this was not an issue but soon I lost more gears and had to constantly pedal to stop the chain falling off. I was now down to just one gear and it clearly became nearly impossible to ride. I made my way to the next town to try and find a lift to Panajachel. A couple of local workers helped me get a lift on a minibus. With my bike on top and me inside with a bunch of ladies having a good laugh at my expense. We made our way to Solola, a large village above Panajachel. There the plan was to catch another minibus to the lake, but there was a festival going on and it was absolute chaos. The streets were jam packed and it was hard to find anything and the traffic was barely moving. I decided that because it was going to be downhill, I could just freewheel and then keep spinning to prevent the chain from falling off. It was also nearly dark too so I had to hurry.

My reaction to having to take the minibus to Panajachel. I first look of Atitlan before it became dark.

As hard as I tried, the chain kept falling off and it felt very risky considering that the road was narrow and the drop off was steep. Eventually I just gave up and let the chain hang loose. I eventually got down to Panajachel. My accommodation was the other side of town so I had to walk the two kilometers to get there. Thankfully Virginia and her family were absolutely amazing and made sure I got there safely. It felt like a home away from home and I quickly fell in love with Oso. The next day, I took my rear wheel to a local bike store to try and get it fixed. I had already worked out it was an issue with the ratchet inside the rear wheel hub.  While waiting for the wheel to be repaired I explored the local market had some amazing lunch.

I got up early to watch the sunrise. Murials are popular in Guatemala too.

Bike fixed, I left it at Virgina and made my way to Santa Cruz, a tiny village on the lake. It was a crazy bumpy boat ride to the village where I checked in at the hostel. There is nothing much to do except explore and enjoy the stunning lake with its beautiful volcanos. Lots of chill time and the family dinners with other travelers were the highlight. Each evening you got to hang out with fellow guests and hear stories of many adventures. We had trivia nights, pool nights and open mike nights. I ended up winning the pool tournament with my doubles partner.

The insane boat ride to Santa Cruz. My pool partner, Lauren, and I winning the weekly pool tournament.

Two of my highlights were doing the hike to San Marcos with its stunning views of the lake the three volcanos and the steep cliffs. There were a lot of little hidden houses and cabins. I would love to have a small cabin as a weekend retreat for those mental health days. San Marcos was an interesting little village with many quirky stores and restaurants.

The hike to San Marcos La laguna.

My second favorite was paddleboarding on the lake. I made my way out so that I could only hear the lake and my own thoughts. It was a beautiful peaceful moment. I just looked around and appreciated the solitude and the stunning beauty. I also got a chance to spend time in a traditional sauna. It was blady hot and humid, but the reward was some amazing conversation and then a swim in the lake.

Some more beautiful murials and the open mike night after family hostel dinner.

On my last day I took the boat to San Pedro to meet up with Gabriel for lunch. He is driving through central and south America and he also started his journey in San Diego. It is the second chance that we got to meet up and it was great to share stories about our adventures and both the mental and physical challenges we are both facing. I really appreciate having these conversations. It means so much. I raced back to Santa Cruz to beat the rain, that turned out to be another insane downpour. You couldn’t even see the lake that was just twenty meters from the hostel.

Catching up with Gabriel.

The next day it was back to Panajachel and Virgina’s homestay. I was packing up my bike to be ready to leave the next day for Antigua when I noticed a big wobble in my rear wheel. I tried trouble shooting it but I could not work out what was wrong. It was back to the bike store the next day. They called my back to let me know that rear wheel hub was cracked. The hub had to be totally replaced and they didn’t have one available. After chatting with them for a bit I decided to bus to Antigua to get it replaced. It would take at least a week to get a new hub.

Lorainne getting repaired and the awesoem guys at the bike store.

Saying goodbye to Virginia and her daughters was a sad moment. I was also going to miss Oso, the drama filled dog. If I ever get a chance to return, I will definitely be staying with them again. Thank you so much. I reserved a shuttle to Antigua and was a little annoyed when there was no roof rack. I thought I was unable to go but thankfully my bike fit inside the back. Something that was really fascinating, was to see how people drive in Guatemala. I was sitting in the front passenger seat and I was more afraid to be in the bus than on the road. Hopefully I won’t have to do too many more bus rides in the near future. Thankfully I safely made it to the hostel in beautiful Antigua Guatemala.

Virginia and her daughter. Oso the drama dog.