The Guatemalan Mountains

Posted by Alex on 3 February 2010

From the start of the trip, we had associated Guatemala with mountain riding and some steep climbing, and it did not let us down. The moment we crossed the border, which, against all expectations was actually easier than getting through immigration at a French airport, we started climbing... steeply. having ridden along the coast for the last part of Mexico, we found ourselves in tropical heat at the base of 3500m volcanoes, up onto which the road climbed to nearly 3000m. Now, one would naturally assume that a bicycle is faster method of transport than walking. We have found this to be true throughout the majority of the trip, however, the gradient of the roads in Guatemala we so steep that riding was barely faster than walking, the latter often being the preferred option when the road reared up in front of us like a unsurmountable wall. In summary, getting up the hill was a bit of a struggle.

Up on top however, the air was cool, the views stunning and the coffee was delicious, our efforts had been largely rewarded. Once up on the Altiplano, we traversed half the country staying above 2000m before dropping down into Lago de Atitlan, a large lake formed from a collapse volcano. The place was truly picturesque with large cones rising out of the waters to well over 3000m. Although the lake looked pristine, a severe and persistent problem lurked beneath its crystal clear waters. It periodically suffers from eutrophication, or algal blooms as a result of the large amount of untreated domestic and agricultural waste that runs into it from its bordering townships. The problem has been worsening over the last few decades and at the moment, there is little sign of change.    

Climbing back out of the lake and onto the high plateau again we cruised over to Antigua, the colonial gem of Guatemala to meet both the film crew and our good friends Eric and Paul who passed us effortlessly on their motorbikes while we were pedaling like hamsters ina  cage up a hill.  

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