Mi Linda Guatemala!
Relieved that we passed the border easily, we make our way through the border town. We get some help from a cyclist and police motor until we reach the main road. So far so good! We do not know yet what to expect from Guatemala and get an idea when we go for a first stop at a gas station. For the first time we see a guard with a cheap shot gun and a bullet belt. A familiar sight through Guatemala and El Salvador, but quite intimidating to see for the first time! We buy a Guatemalan SIM card and put it in our phone. Incredible how cheap and easy it is to connect to the internet everywhere! With some refreshing drinks and our peanut butter sandwiches we continue to our goal for the day: a resort in Coatepeque. We are on time to see the last minutes of Ajax beating Real Madrid! We order some food and a beer and think we are all fine. But when we ask to check in, the resort is full! Since we had never had that problem anywhere before, we were a bit perplexed. Luckily we negotiate to put up our tent and decide to stay another day to enjoy a pool day. The heat is slowing us down and it is nice to spend the day on the pool side.
Auto hotels and road works
The next day we continued on to San Bernardino. The view from the road is mostly small villages and wooden huts with people laying in their hammocks. The roads are hilly and we pass many sugar can plantations. We are very happy to see all the children in their uniforms walking home after school. A lot of fun and laughter when we pass them by! Suddenly we drive past a long traffic jam and wander what is going on. After skilfully driving past big trucks and people taking selfies from their car, we see that there are road works going on. The road is actually still opened but at the same time the road is being paved. Very efficient! Fresh particles of asphalt are flying passed us, but luckily on the bike we can ride passed the traffic. And the roads can definitely benefit from the improvement. Another remarkable thing along the road are signs for auto-hotels. They feature scantily clad women, prices per hour or per night and names like ‘una momento secreto’ and ‘amor amor’. You can park your car in a kind of garage and discretely go to your bedroom. We quickly learn they are mostly used by youngsters who live with their parents, and adulterers of course. Not tempted so stay at one, we reach the town of San Bernardino and find a nice hotel to stay. It has a nice garden in the back and we get a nice meal with all kinds of different tasty local dishes.
Potholes and hotel pools
The next day the traffic jam already starts in front of the hotel and we have another day with a lot of road works. The road is very busy, also with the giant sugar cane trucks that are driving back and forth. The roads seem either bad or under constructions. Sometimes we get followed for a couple of miles by a car or motorcyclist. That can give a sense of insecurity, but all the people mean well and are probably just curious about our whikes! For lunch we find a nice road side diner and indulge on salad and pasta. Our goal for the day is Escuintla. The entry roads are very busy with all kinds of traffic and no clear lanes. And with a lot of potholes. We reach our hotel through busy streets full of people. The hotel is quite big with rooms, a pool area with a bubble bath and a large restaurant. The staff is not really friendly but we check in for two days and book a taxi for the next day: we will go to Antigua! In the pool we get talking to a young couple with children, living in the capital and on a weekend getaway. Nice to learn a bit more about daily life in Guatemala.
Strolling through colonial Antigua
In the mean time we make what later turned out to be a capital mistake: getting our laundry done. We are pleased that the hotel has a laundry service, and they take our washings that will be ready in the evening. The taxi driver that brings us to Antigua early in the morning turns out to be a free tour guide as well. He tells us more about the volcanic eruptions that hit the area last year. He points out the temporary housing/ tent camps outside Escuintla where people still live that had to flee their houses. He also points out where the lava stream crossed the road to Antigua and repairs are still being done. We drive past the culprit, the Volcan de Fuego and the other volcano; Acatenango. He drops us at the corner of one of the main squares and we agree that he picks us up there at the end of the day. We sit down for some coffee to make a plan for the day, and when we return to the square we are in for a surprise: the scenic streets are full of school marching bands displaying their skills. The square is packed with the kids and spectators, and they have a lot of fun! We make our way through the streets with restored colonial houses and take the famous pictures of the streets with the volcanoes in the background. The centre of Antigua is buzzing with tourists, but it has a relaxed vibe. We find a great place to have lunch. Meson Panza Verde is built around a courtyard overgrown with plants. The avocado-tuna tartar is to die for!
Taken to the cleaners
After lunch we sneak up the stairs to the roof terrace which feels like a door to another layer of Antigua: a stunning view of the city and other roof terraces. We walk past ruins of old churches, and visit the market. It is a great view into Guatemalan life: buzzling and colourful with fruits, vegetables, herbs, clothes and everything else you can think off. Women with colourful dresses transporting bananas on their head. It is fun to be part of the big crowds and hear the market vendors selling their wares. After a full day of sightseeing we agree that we really like Antigua and would have loved to come back and also climb one of the volcanoes. But we find our cab driver and get back to Escuintla! There we get the nasty surprise: we go and pay for the laundry at the service desk: the price is around $35! That must be the most expensive load we have ever washed. We did not ask for the price, but did not expect this at all! The price was per item, while we usually pay around $5 for a full load. Another lesson: always ask for the price first!
On to the border
The next day we already go for the border of Guatemala in San Pedro de Alvarado! Again the roads are quite rough, although not as busy as before. We meet a 68-year old Frenchmen, Jo, who started out in Costa Rica and is cycling solo to Florida. Nothing but respect! Good to see we can have these adventures for a lot of years to come. Meeting fellow cyclists is always a good way to exchange some tips and tricks. The road to the border is quite beautiful, very green and with a nice view of some lakes. The border town itself, like many other, feels a bit sketchy. We take a celebratory beer for reaching the border and wonder what El Salvador will have in store. The kitchen closed a little earlier than expected unfortunately, so our last meal in Guatemala consists of peanut butter sandwiches. The next day we exchange some cash at the bank and from across the street two tanks are greeting us. Welcome to El Salvador!
