Todos Santos Guatemala | Travel Tuesdays

In my daily life I am highly organized. I constantly make “to do” lists and plan my days in advance. However, all of my planning and general preparing often goes out the window when I start to wander. People always ask me what I’m going to do just before I leave for one of my trips and I will just shrug my shoulders and say, “I haven’t figured it out yet.” My trusty Lonely Planet doesn’t get cracked until I board the plane. Having the freedom to be flexible while traveling is unbelievable and often leads me to my most favorite memories. There is nothing like discovering places to visit and things to do based off of other travelers suggestions rather than a fixed itinerary.

Attending All Saints Day in Todos Santos, Guatemala was one of these experiences. Drunken horse racing in a tiny mountain village? Yes please. Sounded like an event I couldn’t pass up.  My free bird attitude had me scrambling for accommodation at the last minute in a totally booked town but a friendly tip told me to inquire at the local Spanish School who helped me find a tiny, filthy room with a local family that would do just fine while I was visiting.

The whole horse racing event was a complete circus. All Saints Day weekend consists of a normally dry town indulging in excessive amounts of rice liquor leaving the men of the village completely sloshed. The “race” is more of an endurance event with no clear winner but rather just try and stay on your galloping horse while drinking non-stop. A once men only race, this was the first year women were allowed to participate and in my broken Spanish I managed to borrow a guys horse for $3 and race with the men up and back the sand road. Racing horses in Guatemala is definitely near the top of my list of the most terrifying things I have ever done. Would I do it again? Oh yeah.                              

                                                                                                                                                   Here I go!