Leaving Coban, we headed out on the fairly busy road that is the main connector to Guatemala City. Luckily we were only on this road for maybe 10 miles before turning onto the less used route to San Cristobal Verapaz where we were counting on catching some form of transportation to help us over the steep, gravel road that was wiped out two years ago by a massive landslide. This landslide not only destroyed an enormous section of the road, but it buried over 100 people, some of which are still missing.
Due to the festive and well traveled celebration week of Semana Santa, the buses and collectivos were extremely packed. Finding space took a bit longer than anticipated. We patiently waited, tucked next to a building with our bikes and in the shade. Ryan busily spoke with the drivers hoping for us to hitch a ride when another American couple walked up with backpacks in tow. Ian and Liz are New Yorkers who have spent the last few months volunteering in Nicaragua, and were spending their last few weeks of travel in Central America exploring Guatemala. They are great people and we really enjoyed their company as we were fortunate enough to meet up with them later in another city as well. Anyway, an enormous truck pulled up filled with 100 pound bags of corn and 5 locals standing atop the corn. We were happy to pass all our gear up and hop aboard. Bikes, backpacks, maybe 100 bags of corn and 9 people held tight to the sides of the truck for the 3 1/2 hour ride over the rough terrain. A slow and bumpy climb and descent, we eventually made our way to Uspantan where we stayed the night in a clean, cheap hotel.
Soon after arriving at the hotel, the seasonal rain that usually hits Central America in May and June started and since then, we have had a consistent daily rainfall most afternoons. We now understand why everything is so green. I cannot imagine the intensity of the colors come July. What a beautiful country.
The ride to Sacapulas had a few steep ascents and the last climb brought us to a pass with a great descent. The road was well paved, few cars traveled in our direction and the grades were not too intense. It was a nice change. Spending the night in the only decent, newly renovated hotel in Sacapulas, we were quickly out the door for dinner. Along the the main road that connects to the market town of Chichicastenango, there are plenty of small restaurants called comedors, woman carrying large baskets atop their heads filled with peanuts, bread or sliced mango's, and small roadside stands. As always when looking for food, we followed Anthony Bordain's advice and went where the people were. Craving mostly carbs these days, I ordered a simple meal of rice, beans and tortillas. Dinner plates are often served piled high with boiled vegetables like potatoes, carrots and onions along side the beans, rice, and side salad. I gladly ate everything besides the lettuce, still at times avoiding the recommended foods in hopes of not getting sick. This time it didn't matter. The next morning I woke with a nauseous feeling in my stomach and had to force food down my throat for the long ride ahead of us. Ryan however enjoyed the breakfast of tamales and a delicious hot beverage of rice and cinnamon.
A few hours of climbing, my stomach was a mess. I felt terrible and the this was the beginning of my first experience with some nasty overseas stomach bug. Boy have we had some interesting luck since we arrived in Mexico. Most of the day went by and I didn't feel an ounce of hunger, which if you know me, you know that is extremely odd. I eat quite a lot and pretty often. We were suckered into staying at a run down, gross hotel in Chichicastenango by a man who was insistent on showing us the cheapest and cleanest place in town. Unfortunately, we took his word for it first and assumed most of the hotels would be full and overpriced because of Semana Santa. We strolled the streets of Chichicastenango, a market town that is supposedly one of the best in Guatemala and possibly even Central America. The Mayans travel to Chichicastenango every Thursday and Sunday for a stall to sell their goods. I guess it is pretty amazing and offers loads of trunks of hidden treasures like beautiful stones to be cut down, old coins, etc. Rather than strolling the market, I was stuck in bed. Yuck.
That night, the bug truly hit my system and I was a mess. I won't go into detail, but I basically didn't eat for 4-5 days and my stomach looked like I went on a massive eating bender because it was so bloated. I felt full and nauseous for days before I gave in and took an over the counter antibiotic from the pharmacy. Did I need a prescription? Nope. Not here. Once can pretty much get anything over the counter at the pharmacy. Very different than the US. 5 days of antibiotics and I was good to go. Because of being sick, we unfortunately had to stay in Chichistenango for 3 nights versus 1, but we did move to another hotel for the same price that was much cleaner and even had a few channels in English to watch movies as I barely moved from the bed. I was thankful for the movies and the fact that I could still drink liquids. Always have to find the pluses in life!
Due to the festive and well traveled celebration week of Semana Santa, the buses and collectivos were extremely packed. Finding space took a bit longer than anticipated. We patiently waited, tucked next to a building with our bikes and in the shade. Ryan busily spoke with the drivers hoping for us to hitch a ride when another American couple walked up with backpacks in tow. Ian and Liz are New Yorkers who have spent the last few months volunteering in Nicaragua, and were spending their last few weeks of travel in Central America exploring Guatemala. They are great people and we really enjoyed their company as we were fortunate enough to meet up with them later in another city as well. Anyway, an enormous truck pulled up filled with 100 pound bags of corn and 5 locals standing atop the corn. We were happy to pass all our gear up and hop aboard. Bikes, backpacks, maybe 100 bags of corn and 9 people held tight to the sides of the truck for the 3 1/2 hour ride over the rough terrain. A slow and bumpy climb and descent, we eventually made our way to Uspantan where we stayed the night in a clean, cheap hotel.
Soon after arriving at the hotel, the seasonal rain that usually hits Central America in May and June started and since then, we have had a consistent daily rainfall most afternoons. We now understand why everything is so green. I cannot imagine the intensity of the colors come July. What a beautiful country.
The ride to Sacapulas had a few steep ascents and the last climb brought us to a pass with a great descent. The road was well paved, few cars traveled in our direction and the grades were not too intense. It was a nice change. Spending the night in the only decent, newly renovated hotel in Sacapulas, we were quickly out the door for dinner. Along the the main road that connects to the market town of Chichicastenango, there are plenty of small restaurants called comedors, woman carrying large baskets atop their heads filled with peanuts, bread or sliced mango's, and small roadside stands. As always when looking for food, we followed Anthony Bordain's advice and went where the people were. Craving mostly carbs these days, I ordered a simple meal of rice, beans and tortillas. Dinner plates are often served piled high with boiled vegetables like potatoes, carrots and onions along side the beans, rice, and side salad. I gladly ate everything besides the lettuce, still at times avoiding the recommended foods in hopes of not getting sick. This time it didn't matter. The next morning I woke with a nauseous feeling in my stomach and had to force food down my throat for the long ride ahead of us. Ryan however enjoyed the breakfast of tamales and a delicious hot beverage of rice and cinnamon.
A few hours of climbing, my stomach was a mess. I felt terrible and the this was the beginning of my first experience with some nasty overseas stomach bug. Boy have we had some interesting luck since we arrived in Mexico. Most of the day went by and I didn't feel an ounce of hunger, which if you know me, you know that is extremely odd. I eat quite a lot and pretty often. We were suckered into staying at a run down, gross hotel in Chichicastenango by a man who was insistent on showing us the cheapest and cleanest place in town. Unfortunately, we took his word for it first and assumed most of the hotels would be full and overpriced because of Semana Santa. We strolled the streets of Chichicastenango, a market town that is supposedly one of the best in Guatemala and possibly even Central America. The Mayans travel to Chichicastenango every Thursday and Sunday for a stall to sell their goods. I guess it is pretty amazing and offers loads of trunks of hidden treasures like beautiful stones to be cut down, old coins, etc. Rather than strolling the market, I was stuck in bed. Yuck.
That night, the bug truly hit my system and I was a mess. I won't go into detail, but I basically didn't eat for 4-5 days and my stomach looked like I went on a massive eating bender because it was so bloated. I felt full and nauseous for days before I gave in and took an over the counter antibiotic from the pharmacy. Did I need a prescription? Nope. Not here. Once can pretty much get anything over the counter at the pharmacy. Very different than the US. 5 days of antibiotics and I was good to go. Because of being sick, we unfortunately had to stay in Chichistenango for 3 nights versus 1, but we did move to another hotel for the same price that was much cleaner and even had a few channels in English to watch movies as I barely moved from the bed. I was thankful for the movies and the fact that I could still drink liquids. Always have to find the pluses in life!
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