“¡Pura subida!” two boys in a rusty pickup yelled, grinning at my craziness, when I told them where I was headed. I didn’t know for sure what it meant at the time, but it wasn’t hard to guess it right. That day, between the towns of San Pablo and San Marcos, I crawled into the sky by way of 40 kilometers of non-stop, merciless, unrelenting uphill. There was not one flat meter, not one coasting moment. I was in my granny gear from morning to late afternoon with salty sweat pooling in my eyebrows and raining off my arms, glittering in the jungle sun. As if Mexico were heavier, as if gravity had been stronger there and the erosive forces more intense, or as if the height of mountains were controlled by nationalistic sentiments or cultural flavor, I crossed the border straight into a world of pure slope. Most every place I have seen in this country has been on the edge of some cliff, overlooking an abyss of blue sky and churning white clouds.
Today me and three other guys decided to seek out the hot springs that sit high up on one of the neighboring volcanic peaks. The bus ride to the town at the foot of that mountain was an adrenaline-splashed roller coaster in its own right — but the way up to the spring itself was less like riding in the back of a pickup truck than like clinging to the wing of a small aircraft that is executing stunt maneuvers high above a landscape so verdant and vertical that it looks like some imaginary planet. Surely not the Earth I thought I knew.
In three days of riding I’ve only managed to dig myself 120 km into Guatemala, but aside from the punishing ascents it’s been beautiful. The landscape inspires awe at every turn, and the people seem much friendlier here than they were through most of Oaxaca and Chiapas. I am as weird to them as ever, but they seem slightly more amused by it and slightly less disturbed. My Spanish seems to work much better here too. People speak loudly and clearly — perhaps because they must always be talking up and down such steep cliffsides.
Other differences:
Photo courtesy Floor den Haas
- The banana has switched gender from female to male. It is now El Banano. What it was ever doing being female, I don’t know.
- The churches are seldom anything as grand and elaborate as their kin to the north — sometimes they’re just concrete bunkers — but on Sunday they ring with music and singing.
- The buses here are repurposed American school buses, but they’re all painted with the wildest and most beautiful color schemes: feather patterns in red/orange/green, flames lining the windows, big chrome side panels. They are glorious.
Nice post! Sounds like you’re enjoying Guatemala. I laughed hard when I read your comment about the banana switching genders. I just watched a documentary on macchu picchu last night. You’re still a ways off from there, but I know you’ll make it. Enjoy every moment, even the ones you don’t enjoy… if that makes any sense.
Sounds like you’ve hit a sweet spot on your journey. Hope you can hang out there for a day or two. Meanwhile, we’re having our first big snowstorm of the season. I know you would love it, but personally I’d rather be climbing volcanoes in Guatemala! You are living the dream. Keep posting!
Eli! I have seen your parentals! They miss you! Other notes include Holy Shit! Way to go! Whoa heeeeeya! Stay on the climb. Stay on the brakes (a little bit). Keep going beyond and and and. Dude, cousin, you sound relaxed and momentified (in the moment) (the heavy moment) Um inspired. Free and lost and conversing and thank you for your sharing. Inspire in little momentum. Big time!
I like the banana sex change too. I like the up and down hill yelling. Real pro journalism, with flavor! VQ!
That is crazy about the Banana. I love those re-purposed Blue Bird busses, especially the ones with crazy sound systems playing hits from the 80s. Enjoy the ride.
Glad to see you’ve arrived in Guatemala. Further South those same school buses are still our wonderful yellow so enjoy it while you can. I traveled all of Central America in those buses. Such a colorful and wonderful country. I hope you can take a flight up to Tikal while you are there as well. It’s very unique and special among the Mayan ruins since it sits in the jungle. I know your moments in Guatemala you will remember for a life time. Enjoy!
Don
I am still with you in spirit. Your words are enchanting to read. You now have me wondering if I sliced up a male or female on my Nutella this morning.
With prayers for your safety,
Bonnie in South Dakota
::hoping you’ll be able to take a lengthwise picture of one of those busses::
Guatemala sounds enchanting. Hope the climb becomes a rewarding coast somewhere further down the way.
Thank you for the pictures, and I commend you on the offtrack adventuring. Keep ‘em coming.
Hi there! Wonderful to hear about a follow adventurer off the beaten track. I came through Guatemala about 8 months ago, intending to continue south, but fell in love with Quetzaltenango. If you´re curious to learn more about the area, and about other backwater gems, you should stop in at the EntreMundos office on 6a calle. They´re a Guatemalan NGO that sets volunteers up for about 100 different organizations, check em out – http://www.entremundos.org. They helped set me up with some cool community contacts, I ended up volunteering in a few rural areas fixing bikes and harvesting bananas.
Happy and safe trails.