Guatemala

Guatemala started off at Tikal park, which was both amazing an annoying. The Mayan sites in Mexico are way cheaper (I believe 1/3 if I recall correctly) and way better marked. The map cost extra and did the museum, so I did without. I was low on money and the principal of the thing just bothered me. I loved Guatemala, but disliked the real touristy places. I found there people were just trying to rip me off, mislead me and in general treat me like a dollar figure, everywhere else, however, was great. After Tikal I hit Guatemala city, where I had an awesome host. It was really crazy cycling around the city as it is altogether huge, the main roads are more like highways and there is lots of traffic. One of the interesting features was that although it sat on a pleasures, there was rivers in the middle that formed deep gorges where houses went down, like ours would up a mountain.  One day I did take a bus & my bike and cycled around Antigua, which used to be Guatemala city. I was informed that Guatemala city has moved three times.  This is the first place I have ever been to where the sidewalks were in better cycling conditions then the roads. Not only were the roads old cobble stone, but some of them have huge folds and divers running the entire length of the road. From  Guatemala city I headed back north to Coban, where I had hoped to visit a community tea farm and processing area in order to get information for project in Kenya-JustTea- that myself and some others are trying to start.  The visit turned out to be a bust as I had hoped they processed by hand only to learn they didn't. It did however,  allow me to Visit Semic Chempey, which is a beautiful river. Of course I hit the not liking tourists destinations again here. I should mention that Antigua is a very touristy spot, but I didm't have any problems there. I did cycle around off the main track and had lots of smiles, but I think because tourists don't leave the hub. As I was misinformed that the last bus out of the closeted town left at 4:00, I asked for a ride from  a truck parked there who was headed back to Coban and agreed to take me. I got to han  out in the back of a pickup truck and use my smattering of Spanish.  I had tried to bus from Coban to the boarder, but spent over two hours searching for bus stations there and in Guatemala city. Thank goodness I had a friend in Guatemala city who would let me stay the night.