{"id":3588,"date":"2012-05-28T09:12:38","date_gmt":"2012-05-28T13:12:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/?p=3588"},"modified":"2016-12-28T10:40:35","modified_gmt":"2016-12-28T15:40:35","slug":"top-5-reasons-to-go-bicycle-touring-in-guatemala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2012\/05\/top-5-reasons-to-go-bicycle-touring-in-guatemala\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Reasons to Go Bicycle Touring in Guatemala"},"content":{"rendered":"

A brief look at\u00a0everybody’s\u00a0favorite bicycle touring spot in Central America from guest author Bob Stanley.<\/h3>\n

1. Tikal<\/h3>\n

Buried in the jungle, Tikal has the premier Mayan ruins in Guatemala. It is recommended that if you do decide to hang around there that you don’t get completely baked as you might find yourself having a few religious moments (especially in front of Temple 5 – which is particularly scary and mind bending). I defy any to go there and not come away with a modified sense of your (insignificant) place in the space\/time continuum and the universe more generally.<\/p>\n

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2. Tikal Encore<\/h3>\n

Tikal gets a second photograph as it\u2019s such a cool place.<\/p>\n

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3. The Island of Flores<\/h3>\n

Flores is a lovely, if not heavily touristed, little island. Blessed with internet cafes, expensive gringo food and beer and loads of intense looking backpackers, some of whom are sporting hippie regalia and gibber inanities on cue.<\/p>\n

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4. Scenic Camping Spots<\/h3>\n

After a day of cycling through the searing heat, try camping in a banana plantation for a bit of stealth camping. Pitch a tent without the fly just to keep the mosquitoes and creepy-crawlies at bay and catch a passing breeze while gazing up at a huge blanket of bright stars, the fire-flies flicking about in the tops of the banana fronds. Then be serenaded by the screeching moneys.<\/p>\n

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5. The colorful Locals<\/h3>\n

The local Mayans are difficult to photograph unless you are particularly sneaky with your candid photography and have a long lens and one of those screens that flip around.<\/p>\n

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