Thursday, November 29

Guatemalan Adventure - The Finale

By Chris Hallman
Woodward Camp

Sunday we played the tourist game. First we went to a big market in Guatemala City and then we headed for a town called Antigua. Highlights for me included chasing pigeons in a big square with a bunch of children, eating food from vendors on the street, and sharing a beer with a local in a small corner store in Antigua. Antigua is a colonial town with cobblestone streets and is also the most touristy place we visited. The town is full of Spanish schools, markets, quaint restaurants and is the only place that I saw other white people. That night we got hosed in a local bar and I discovered that being drunk is being drunk, no matter where you are in the world.

The next morning I woke up hung over and experiencing what travelers refer to as "Montezuma's revenge." After about a dozen trips to the bathroom I felt secure enough to venture out. Freddie and Estuardo showed up around eleven o'clock and we headed out. First we drove around for a few hours, changed cars, dropped off Freddie's wife, and then finally made it to the trails. The trails were actually just one trail. Three jumps in the small field between some houses. There was a puddle before the first jump, which I took as a good opportunity to teach them about drainage. I explained that you need to dig a hole next to any pits so that the water can drain out of the pit. While digging the drainage hole I discovered that about a foot and a half down the dirt turned into clay just as it does here in Pennsylvania. Hence lesson number two: you need to use the clay to build your jumps!

We soon got the jumps running and had a little session. The jumps were not that great. Hopefully they'll get inspired to do some more digging. After that we enjoyed a meal at Freddie's house before setting off for the BMX track. By the time we finally got to the track it had started raining, so we headed over to Lester's house to meet up with all of the other riders. Lester runs the race track in Guatemala City, and he had arranged a party for the other riders and I. He had a jump box in the driveway and a dirt tabletop built after that. Everything was wet and muddy, but the guys wanted to ride anyway. By this time I felt quite sick and politely declined. A wet jump box and mud jump session ensued. It was crazy. I wished I felt better because it would have been fun to get all wet and muddy but I wasn't feeling up to it. I tried to give them pointers on tricks and took photos to remember them by. It was a good time. The scene there is small but very tight.

It was fun hanging out with the riders again. They're just like BMXers anywhere. They love to ride and they're eager to learn new tricks. At one point I had everyone doing what my friends and I used to call "carpet airs." Kids were laying on their backs trying lookdowns, tailwhips and no-footers. A few of them went back out to the mud jump to give it a go for real. I guess a mud jump is kind of like a resi jump.

After dark I was ready to go. I thanked everyone and we said our goodbyes. Just before I left I gave them my bike. Estuardo had broken his frame at the contest and I wanted him to have mine. I told them to share the rest of the parts so they all wrote their names on pieces of paper and raffled off the remaining parts. Everyone was stoked and I was happy to have made some new friends. I headed back to the hotel, took some aspirin and went to bed.

On the flight home I experienced culture shock all over again. Just as the chaos of Guatemala shocked me going down, the absolute order of America impressed going home. Even from high in the air you can see it. The streets and the lights are all perfectly aligned, and everything works as it should. Traveling definitely does open your eyes and makes you appreciate the things that you have, but it also makes you realize what you are missing. There's a vitality that I think gets lost when life is too orderly. It's the chaos and the possiblities that attract me to riding, and in a way, the people of Guatemala are all "Freestylers."

I'd like to thank Robin Miller for extending the invitation, and my new friends in Guatemala for their hospitality. Hopefully I will be able to return to Guatemala and explore more of the beautiful country. Besides, there's still volcanoes to climb, ravines to descend, and streets to be ridden. If you ever get a chance to travel, jump fast at the chance.

Related Photos:
Getting Started wtih BMX Photography
Guatemala Living Gallery