I've done the unthinkable....

[Mad Doggy Dog]

I've done the unthinkable....

Something I swore I would never do....



Pay for a hotel room when on a company layover.



Why?

Two words....


Antigua Guatemala!


[Thanks to our own Sky Cougar for suggesting this city. You were spot on, babe! ;-)


!Yo gusto Guatemala! What a terrific country! So beautiful. So rich in culture. So cheap!


Yes, I flew another trip to GUA! I'll bid as many of these as I can get. Our layover hotel is in Guatemala City and is a very nice luxurios property in a very fun area....

....But then there is the village of Antigua.

Antigua is a 45 minute car ride [or chicken bus ride if you are brave] away from GUA. Antigua used to be the capital of Guatemala until it was destroyed by an earthquake 200 years ago. But the ruins have been preserved.....ala Rome or Athens.

Antigua is like Santa Fe, NM from 30 years ago. Low priced, friendly, artsy, not too crowded, and full of great places to see/eat/drink/stay.......and with lots of activities nearby. The climate is great too since the city is at 5000'. And the scenery, with 3 massive volcanos standing over the city, is beyond words.

Well, I had a 48hr layover in GUA. So I decided to go mountain biking on my day off. Antigua has lots of outfitters so I headed up there in order to get an early start the next day.

Arrived in GUA on day one, took cab to Antigua, did a guided walking tour that afternoon, and wen't cantina hopping that night. Met some really cool people, including some Aussies. [Aussies are always fun to party with!] The tour company, Old Town Outfitters , hooked me up with this hotel called Palacio Chico, right in the middle of town, near the Plaza Mayor. And it was only $43 a night. The place was rustic-trendy....and clean.....no telephones or clocks. A nice courtyard too for mellowing out.

Day 2.
Had a hearty breakfast of local fare, then set out on a mountain bike ride along the flanks of Volcan Agua. I was with some other guy from Switzerland. Antigua attracts touristos from all over the world. A pleasant surprise was our mountain bike guide, a very pretty young local woman named Luisa. Wow! She was in awesome shape too and I spent all morning trying to keep pace. We rode on the side of the mountain through forests, small villages, open fields of flowers, and plantations.

Returned to Antigua and I went to a cool cafe called Sabor Rico. The food was great but the portions were huge. Fortunately, the place had hammocks next to the table so one could siesta after stuffing their belly.

Met up with another group of riders that afternoon and did a more mellow tour of some nearby pueblos. We connected these villages via sweet single track going through fields and forests. The ride concluded with a screaming killer 1500 vertical foot downhill through the forest, then back to town.

Yeah!

Was going to go back to GUA that night and meet the captain for beers. But I can drink beer with khaki pants golf shirt wearing pilots anytime. So I decided to spend one more night in Antigua. Went back to my favorite cantina, Pena del Sol Latino, and partied with the Aussies again, as well as the expat owner and musician, Bill.

On day three, had another monster breakfast. Had cab take me to local artist market and bought lots of cool things. And lots of coffee.

I'll be back for at least a week on my own time soon. There are many more hikes, bike rides, river trips, restaurants to explore. Wife wants a cool vacation. There are also lots of Spanish schools in town. Might do a second visit there in order to gain fluency.

And I'll bring my guitar for Monday open mic night at Pena del Sol.



I have a 48hr Quito, Ecudaor layover next week! Can't wait to tear that city apart, never been there yet. Anyone have gouge on adventuring in Quito?


[Doug, this is why I haven't bid NYC yet!]


Here are the pics:
Pic 1-5, Volcano Agua ride with Luisa
Pic 6, el restarante Sabor Rico
Pic 7-8, downhill section of Villages ride
Pic 9, Cantina La Pena del Sol Latino w/ Aussies, and giant bottle of Gallo cerveza
Pic 10, my hotel room entrance

[Tld]

Looks like it was well worth it! Thanks for the photos....but you should have taken the chicken bus.

[Swen]

Really good share chief!

You probably enjoyed your time following the guide....

[Nick]

Good stuff. Sounds like a lot cheaper than Europe too.

[Mad Doggy Dog]

Originally Posted by Swen

You probably enjoyed your time following the guide....

Si si, es verdad!

She did have cuerpo muy bonita. [Not that I could see much of it as I was huffing and puffing, slogging up the hills. My beer belly is nearing the end of it's 1st trimester.] But better yet, she was really nice with a great personality. She spoke perfect English too for the times when my Espanol broke down.

Oh, and when I returned from my afternoon ride, she had cleaned up and was working in the office, wearing this killer white dress. I just about fell over!

!Yo gusto senoritas Latinas!

[Mad Doggy Dog]

....And before I get in trouble with Kristi, or any of the other ladies, my favorite mountain biking hottie lives at my home.....and I need to give her props too!





Since someone will ask...
Pic 1, 8-9; Thunder Mountain trail. Near Bryce, UT
Pic 2, Cedar Breaks NP, near CDC, UT.
Pic 3-4, Gooseberry Mesa, near Zion NP, UT.
Pic 5-6, JEM trail, below Gooseberry Mesa.
Pic 7, Powell Point, UT. Near and above BCE VOR. UT. Over 10000' msl.

All these trails are experto and very fun!

[Capt. Caucasian]

Now I know what I can look forward to when I come back to ATL in June. Is it direct from ATL to GUA or were you doing the LAX to GUA? I saw lots of the latter in the NYC bid pack.

Doug,
After one bad commute I think I am going to get out of NYC. I can always come back if I miss being a lineholder .

[Mad Doggy Dog]

Did a ATL -GUA - ATL, 3 day trip worth about 16 hours. Was like a paid vacation! Ya gotta take those rare good deals when they come up!

We also have long [32-48hr] UIO and SJO layovers too.

[JA Yawd Bwoy]

Great Pics!!

[Firebird2XC]

Now that's a layover story!

We need to dig up more stuff like that.

[surfCRQ]

Re: Quito
I went to Ecuador last year and spent some time in Quito. Its an amazing city. Some fun stuff in Quito:
go to the equator spots. (there are two, they both claim to be the real deal)
go to the teleferico, they have a gondola that takes you up to like 14,000 ft. amazing view of the city and hiking.
if you want to shop you could take a bus to Otavalo (about 2 hrs.) they have a huge market.
They use the US dollar and everything is CHEAP!!!
We went to a bull fight too... that was crazy!

[N826AW]

Dood! You did all of that in three days? Hmmm I might have to make that my next weekend trip! Would a beginner mountain biker have trouble in Antigua?

[MQAAord]

So, I take it you're not on the 88?

[falconvalley]

Yeah! That's farking awesome! I would love to visit Guatemala.

[coa787]

Awesome photos!

[Doug Taylor]

Very nice, MDD!

I'm off to Brazil this evening. All I can think about is "Where can a brother get some good Rodizio-style beef?"

BTW, you know you'll have to tell your "Children? Be careful mountainbiking on layovers story, maing!"

[Mad Doggy Dog]

6AW,

A begginer mtn biker should be able to ride here no problem as long as you are not a total spaz!

The elevation of 5000' might be a challenge for some if you are really really out of shape. No biggie, just slow down and rest a lot then.

The tread is mostly volcanic soils. It was packed, dry, and dusty. Rainy season makes it muddy. Technical stuff included roots, creek bed crossings, loose dirt, some rocks, an burro caca. There were also some tight squeezes on rare occasion. Worst case scenario, you hike-a-bike over the section you don't want to ride. The Volcan Agua ride was intermediate to advanced, IMO. But do-able if you are careful for a newbie. The Villages ride was intermedate and no problem for a 1st timer.

Similar riding can be found in the US near Flagstaff, San Bernadino mts, or the lower Wasatch front, to name but a few.

Guatemala is a great country. I highly recommend it as a vacation place.

We had a Skywest guy with his wife non-reving down there on my flight to GUA. I actually ran into them again in Antigua. They were spending a week there.

My nice hotel was only $43. There are cheaper options too. Many nice hostels in town if that is your style.....there were lots of European and American hottie girls milling about these hostels. You can also stay with a local family for under $100/week with food inlcuded. Or rent a flat or house for about the same price. The Spanish immersion schools can arrange that.

You can reach GUA on DL via ATL, JFK, LAX, or AA via MIA, and CO via IAH.

I plan on going back for a week soon and will do a Spanish immersion course. Four hours of class in the morning, then mountain biking all afternoon, and pub crawling at night. Yeeee haaaaw!

[Mad Doggy Dog]

Originally Posted by Doug Taylor

Very nice, MDD!

I'm off to Brazil this evening. All I can think about is "Where can a brother get some good Rodizio-style beef?"

BTW, you know you'll have to tell your "Children? Be careful mountainbiking on layovers story, maing!"

------------------------------------------------------------------



Doug,

You got Sao Paulo or Rio?


Either way,

Be careful.............very very careful. Mucho Banditos. Crime is the number one career choice in Brazil. I think they teach it up through the graduate level in college. PHD down there stands for "Pimpin Ho Degree." Take "safe" cabs called by hotel or restaurant, do not walk or ride the chicken bus. Cabs are really cheap.

You will have no problem finding beef, those places are everywhere.

Enjoy your 3 hours of continuous moderate turbulence crossing the ITCZ!

Have fun trying to translate freaky deaky Portugese!


No falo Portugese.

[JayAre]

Originally Posted by Mad Doggy Dog

....And before I get in trouble with Kristi, or any of the other ladies, my favorite mountain biking hottie lives at my home.....and I need to give her props too!





Since someone will ask...
Pic 1, 8-9; Thunder Mountain trail. Near Bryce, UT
Pic 2, Cedar Breaks NP, near CDC, UT.
Pic 3-4, Gooseberry Mesa, near Zion NP, UT.
Pic 5-6, JEM trail, below Gooseberry Mesa.
Pic 7, Powell Point, UT. Near and above BCE VOR. UT. Over 10000' msl.

All these trails are experto and very fun!

I miss my backyard!