Antigua, Guatemala Biking in Guatemala is the best, because it's all downhill From the April 22, 2002 Issue of New York It's not as far as you think, but it's more exotic than you can imagine. One could easily spend an entire weekend in Antigua, Guatemala, visiting churches, convents, and museums, and bargaining for textiles in its bustling markets. But if all Guatemalan blankets look alike to you, sign on for a more adventurous excursion with Old Town Outfitters. You'll start early, piling into co-owner Matt Hartell's van for the ride up into the mountains. At the top, you'll don a helmet for a two-hour bike ride down, slowing only for a roadside picnic and the periodic tumulos (speed bumps) that herald sleepy mountain villages. At the bottom is Lake Atitlán, and the lakeside town of Panajachel, where you'll board a water taxi to La Casa del Mundo, a simple lakeside lodge offering incomparable views of the water -- and a well-earned dinner. -- SANDY SOULE Details Taca (taca.com) flies to Guatemala City, where Old Town Outfitters (packages start at $145; 703-855-3058 or bikeguatemala.com) will pick you up.       Photograph: Carl & Ann Purcell/Corbis