We don't even know what the holiday was for on Feb 9, but the 3-day weekend sneaked up on us.  At first we planned to head to a resort in El Salvador, but since it was full we had to quickly look for another adventure.  I found a cool hike with our usual adventure company, but the qualified guides were already booked.  Luckily, I was able to find another company with a similar trip to the Western Highlands.  We had not yet explored the western part of Guatemala, so it was perfect.

Our trip left from Antigua, so we went there on Thursday night.  After finding a hotel, we headed to our favorite sports bar, The Mono Loco.  I was finally ready to go back, since the last visit ended badly - watching the ND-USC game.  We walked in and they seemingly rolled out the red carpet for us:  Coldplay on the stereo and ND basketball vs. DePaul on TV.  Unfortunately, the game ended with more Irish misery, so that was officially our last visit.  I don't care how good their giant chicken burritos are.

Friday morning our driver, Antonio, and guide, Rafael, picked us up and we drove towards Lake Atitlan.  After a quick look at the cool Mayan ruins/temples of Iximche, the first part of our adventure was some mountain biking.  We had heard horror stories about adventure companies' lax safety standards - taking unsuspecting beginners down advanced, single-tracks with cliffs on the side.  After expressing our concern, they convinced us we could handle it.  The route started down a steep dirt road, and our bike-brakes got more of a workout than our legs.  The dry, slippery track was pretty intense at times, and Sarah chose to walk her bike down parts of it.  We rode through a few tiny Mayan villages before Rafael took us completely off-road.  Now a single-track took us into a river basin.  Since it is dry season, we criss-crossed the "river" at least a dozen times.



Managing the single-tracks, rocks, water, soft gravel, climbs, and descents was serious business.  It was fun, but I definitely took it easy to avoid an injury.  Sarah handled it like a good sport, but a few times when I glanced back at the look on her face, I thought it might be "Schoolmarm" all over again (some of you know about our Rocky Mountain ski slope fiasco).  We finally reached the paved road, and Antonio was waiting for us.  We decided to ride our bikes for 2 more km, which included 2 climbs and 2 downhills.  I barely made it up the first ascent, but I brilliantly took a downhill as fast as I could in order to carry me into the second one.  At this point we faced a 4 km climb, so we opted to climb, instead, into the van.  After lunch at a viewpoint over Lake Atitlan, we hiked downhill into the village of Santa Catarina Polopo. 



Along the way we saw some amazing fields of flowers, coffee, and tons of green onions.  Antonio again picked us up and we headed to our hotel in Panajachel.  After watching the sunset over the lake, we walked up to our usual pizza place.  During the walk, a young man on a bike rode by me and whispered, "Canche," which means "blondie," before offering us some MaryJane.  This had happened before, as Pana has always been a haven for hippies, but I don't think the next offer was of the popular cola variety, and this was a first.  We actually had to turn him down twice before he left us alone.

On Saturday we drove west to the small town of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan.  It was interesting to see a new Mayan village, because the original town was destroyed by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.  They are still constructing a big church, and the government has sent significant aid.  Here's a photo of the local "laundry mat."



This is where we picked up the Mayan Highland Trail.  The trial follows the ancient Mayan trade routes that once connected the Mayan civilizations of Lake Atitlan to those of the western city of Quetzaltenango.  We hiked the trail for about 10 miles, and it was amazing to see another side of Guatemala.  Most of the trail follows a mountain ridge at almost 8,000 feet.  On a clear day, you can see up to 10 volcanoes at once.  Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for us, as we only got a glimpse of a few of them.  The sun was peaking in and out of the clouds, and the temperature difference felt like 20 degrees.  I lost count of the number of times I put on and took off my windbreaker.  I finally put it on backwards so that I didn't have to remove my camelbak backpack.  The hillside cornfields were beautiful, and the back-breaking work by hand in the fields - tools in hand or carrying 100 lb. manure bags up the mountain - was eye-opening.  Sarah commented that this is what people think of when we tell them we're in Guatemala.  We ventured through several remote Mayan villages, and the people were even more interested in looking at us than we were at them.  Especially the kids, as they would come running down the road when we approached.  One small boy yelled inside the house to his dad, "Papa! Gringos!"  We got the feeling that the giant blondie with the head-band and a hose coming out of his backpack and the curly-haired girl with... gasp!... pants on will be the topic of conversation for a good while.  The authentic greetings and radiant smiles on the faces of these indigenous Mayans told us they were the happiest people on earth...  further proof that money has nothing to do with true happiness.

Our world-class ridge hike ended in the well-known local village of Totonicapan.  Our guidebook can explain this amazing town better than I....

San Miguel Totonicapan is one of the most beautiful cities of Guatemala. The predominantly Maya-K'iche' community is an artistic and agricultural center, offering travelers the opportunity to visit a community rich in the culture and tradition of both old and new Guatemala, away from the traditional tourist areas. Artisans in San Miguel Totonicapán are well-known for their textiles, ceramics, bent-wood boxes, baskets, colorful masks and costumes (used in traditional dances), plus a variety of tin, wood, and leather products. San Miguel Totonicapán is home to many traditional music groups. Some of the traditional instruments they use are the marimba, traditional drum, and the chirimía (a traditional reed flute). There are many opportunities throughout the year to hear these groups play in the city and surrounding areas. Both pre-Hispanic and colonial in origin, the different traditional dances incorporate colorful masks, costumes, and music into the storytelling of either Mayan history or myths. Normally performed during festivals or on special occasions, some of the most common dances in San Miguel Totonicapan are the Dance of the Xacalcojes, the Dance of the Pascarines, the Dance of the Monkeys, the Dance of the Deer, the Dance of the Conquest, the Dance of the Cowboys, and the Dance of the Mexicans.

We picked up a local tour guide and she took us inside 4 family homes where people shared their craft of textiles or ceramics.  We also visited the cultural center where they make traditional costumes and masks for the ancient festivals mentioned above.  We even tried on the "Dance of the Deer" costumes.  Here is a short video (my first production using my new software from Santa Claus) of our amazing experience in Totonicapan:

 
Video:
Guatemalan Culture in Totonicapan (Length: 2 min.)

On Saturday night we stayed, for the first time, in Quetzaltenango - means "land of the Quetzal," which is Guatemala's famous national bird.  Guate's second largest city is nicknamed, "Xela" (pronounced Shay-la), which is a shortened version of its original Mayan name.  After sundown, Xela's famous mountain air felt mighty cold... and even colder during an early-morning walk to and from Mass at the Cathedral near central park (I know those in the Midwest don't sympathize).  It was a short visit, but we got a good taste of Xela's character - described as strangely similar to a northern England industrial town (cool and gray with friendly locals).

Our 90-minute drive south out of Xela towards the coast (near the Mexican border) brought a spectacular change from pine trees to palm.  Sunday was spent at the National Park of Tak'alik Ab'aj.  While the main attraction is the Mayan ruins (mostly monuments from as early as 800 BC!), we actually enjoyed the tour of the plantation and natural reserve more.  The plantation included coffee trees shaded by banana trees, macadamia nut trees, and believe or not, rubber trees!  After lunch, we were transported to the ruins by horse.



My horse was so slow, the others had to stop and wait for me every 10 minutes.  I named him "Duke," after Notre Dame defensive back Chinedum Ndukwe.  I don't think I've ridden a horse since the little ponies going in circles at the Bonfield 4th of July celebration, and I wasn't a big fan (a bit hard on the nalga).  We decided to pass on the return trip, and Antonio, our hero, was there to pick us up in the van at a moment's notice. 

Our long weekend was a bit different than the relaxing beach time chosen by most of our colleagues, but the Western Highlands gave us a priceless look at a different (perhaps real) side of Guatemala.  We were lucky to hire Antonio and Rafael, as we never would have been able to find our own way in a million years.  Let us know if you want to see our full album of pictures, and we'll send you the link.  The beauty of this country continues to touch us.  This time it was the friendly faces - so empty in earthly goods, yet so full of transcendent joy - as much as it was the limitless landscape.