Hello Volcanoes!

We weren't exactly excited to get back on our bikes the next morning, but we set off early and began the last big climb around 10 am. After 2 hours of steady climbing through ridge top villages we crested the summit at 2800 m and got a view of Volcan Santa Maria - a perfect conical volcano that stands out from the many volcanoes in the area around Totonicapan. From here we descended into Totonicapan (or Toto as it is often called), bought some fruit and chocolate dipped banans in the market and were very grateful that the last 10 km to San Cristobal Totonicapan were also gradually downhill. Our awesome Warmshowers host Carl fed us soup and salad loaded with fresh vegetables from his garden (a welcome change from our diet of beans and rice) before showing us to his dedicated guesthouse where we were reacquainted with Justin, a Canadian cyclist we had met in southern Mexico. The roundhouse is set amongst a forest of native and non-native trees that Carl has planted and is a wonderful place for worn out cyclists to recharge for another go at Guatemala's intense roads.Read more