Tikal

Thursday morning, I had to wake up at the crack of dawn because we had a tour in Tikal.  We met the tour guide the speed bum outside my house.  I was so excited, and I couldn't sleep.  The next morning was so fun.  We were driven to the boarder, and then we all went through customs and walked across the boarder to get into Guatemala.  We then got into another van and kept on driving.  Someone commented on how the road was so much nicer in Guatemala, but then less than five minutes later, the road turned to dirt.  The road came and left for the next hour and a half.  A herd of cows created a bit of traffic at one point in the drive. 

We then continued on the drive all the way to Tikal.  When we got in the park, the were signs warning of wild animals00one of the wild animals was a wild turkey.  I thought that it was funny.  Just after parking, there was a giant replica of the city.  They explained that most of the city has been over run, and that we only have evidence of the downtown area.  The city was established about 600 BC, and it was fascinating to see how it operated.  There were five temples.

One thing that the tour guide explained was that the Maya Calendar that ends in December 2012 states that this year will be a rebirth, or that there will be a great change in society in this year.  It was really fascinating how he explained his culture.  He told us that he is from the jungle and also explained the precautions that he has to take in the jungle to avoid snakes, and certain death.  He showed us various plants that are edible.  We saw lots and lots of monkeys.  He told us a story of a jaguar that came in and ate a wild bore in front of a group that he was guiding. I secretly prayed that it would happen again. 

I'm not sure I can adequately describe the city. So, pictures will have to do on this one.  I thoroughly enjoyed walking around in the jungle.  It was beautiful to see nature growing around the ancient temples to hide the stones.  I couldn't believe how earth could hide a huge temple so easily.  There were even a few temples that they left covered--it looked just like another hill.  There are theories that every hill is hiding some sort of archeological site in Guatemala.  I now look at the hills of San Ignacio a little differently, especially Cahal Pech, which is an archeological reserve for the area. 

What was missing?  The journey.  It was too simple to just get into a van and go.  Everything was too easy.  Nothing like the quest to find the beautiful beach.  Don't get me wrong, the destination was amazing, but the journey was too simple.  I know that it is not safe for me to travel across Guatemala by bus, but I wish that I could have.  I wish, I wish, I wish.    I probably would have been OK in a small group, but traveling with a bunch of Gringas… not a chance.