Guatemala Part 2 – Village Celebration

An hour or two into our mountain bike tour, the route took us up a hill into a rural Guatemalan village. Nothing unusual about that, but the village was having a party. Large tents, maybe 100 people, and a full band playing Christmas carols. We learned that one of the families in town had had a prosperous year and was treating the town to a party. That was pretty cool all on its own, but one of us expected what happened next.

When the host of the party learned we were touring the area on bikes, he insisted we join in the celebration and invited us to sit down for lunch. Our tour leader, Brendon, initially declined but they pressed until he accepted. It was unbelievable how quickly tables and tablecloths and chairs appeared. They set up a spot for us – a group of 10 bike riders! – right there on the road. Plates of food magically appeared, and we sat and rested and ate and celebrated with the village. It was amazing that we arrived just exactly at that moment, and even more amazing they invited us to their feast. They could have simply smiled and given us a friendly wave. You can’t make this stuff up, and I’m now convinced the Guatemalan people are the friendliest on earth.