ChiChicastaGongshow

For the past week my buddy Simon and I have been riding all over Guatemala training for next weeks race in Mexico. For the first 3 days were were joined by the Race Organizer of Guatemalas 3 day mtb SR El Reto del Quetzal. He toured us across the 300 km course on countless miles of singletrack and up thousands of meters of climbs. Having a Guatemalan guide was pretty sweet as we got an inside look into the country and taken to some places we never wouldve found ourselves. After our friend returned to his home in Guate city, Simon and I headed out with a change of clothes in are packs and headed up to the highlands for 3 days were we road across a 3000 m plateau from the town of Nebaj over to HueHuetenango. The dirt track we were on was freshly made and didnt mess around as it headed straight up for 4 hrs of riding. Up top the sceneray was amazing as the landscape was barren and full of small huts with people running around the hillsides. After touring around for the last 7 days, riding over 36 hrs, we are pretty worked over and now sitting in Chichicastenango on market day. After walking the markets for an hour we have optly renamed the town ChichicastaGongshow. Everywhere we look people are decending out of the mtns to the small town transforming the streets into a carnival setting as they try to sell everything from axe heads to chickens. We are accompanied by gringos all over the place as tour buses have acended into the town to join the chaos. Later today we will try to make our way over to Guatemala city to get our bikes repaired and pick up the rest of our luggage before we head out to Mexico for some restful days of surfing in Puerto Escondido before the TransMexicana race starts on the 22nd.