Admittedly, being a Denver B-cycle gal, having had the pleasure of a Venice Beach oceanside cruises and family bike rides on the Cape... my expectations may have been off.
Our guide pulled the last two bikes out of a dusty pile and quickly filled the tires with a hand-pump. Then we were off! As we rumbled over arm-numbing cobblestone streets, competing with pedestrians, tuc tucs, cars and motos through unmarked intersections, I thought about the travel insurance I had not yet purchased. I wished for a helmet.
There were some shady, tree-lined avenues, however, and it wasn't long before we were outside of the main drag and on our way up a nice steep hill. Our seats were at the right height to ensure that our knees would brush our ears with each pedal stroke; I was going slow enough as to almost not be moving. Johnny encouraged me as trucks spewed exhaust in my face and runners passed me on the shoulder-that-was-not-at-all-a-shoulder. Other members of our group stalled out, red-faced and suffering mild altitude sickness.
Don't worry, there's a happy ending to this tale.
San Juan del Obispo is a tranquil town with lovely views of Antigua. Our first stop was an artesenal chocolate shop (not exactly a shop but rather someone's house). There were samples of various flavors to be had: cafe, macadamia, cardamomo, arroz... Who needs a bottle of water when you have fresh chocolate? Each pebble-sized bite was delightful. We got a quick lesson on the process of how it was picked and ground by hand, and bought our ruedas de chocolate. For about 25Q (divide by 8) you get a tower of four hard wheels of chocolate, about 4 inches across, wrapped in brown paper. It was only later that evening, when I was sitting at the dining room table breaking off bites of chocolate de cardamomo and stuffing my face, that Miwa told me the ruedas were meant to be used to make hot chocolate. (About a quarter rueda makes two rich cups). But did that stop me from eating it "raw"? No indeed.
Stop number two on our bike ride was another house, home to El Vino del Abuelo (Grandpa's Wine). We were invited to sample an assortment of sweet wines with flavors like plum, nance, mango and piña.
We returned to Antigua tired and dirty, but glad to have made the trip. (And surprisingly, without stomach aches). We stumbled over to Dona Gavi's shop for a nice cold vegan ice cream cone to round out the afternoon.
Reflection: Next time you take a bike ride, be grateful for mandatory emissions testing.
P.s. Don't worry, we now have travel insurance.
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