TIKAL

The shuttle driver was waiting outside of our Antigua inn at 3:55am. Slinging our backbacks into the van, we set off for the airport where we boarded a plane to Flores. Arriving at the Tikal Inn a little after 9, we were sunscreened, bugsprayed, water-toting and ready for our tour of the ruins by 10. Our guide was very competent and spoke excellent English, but I had my typical anthroplogical freak out while listening to the disparaging way he spoke about the Mayan people. Most ancient Mayans, like contemporary Mayans, were uneducated and believed things happened on account of dieties rather than science. The guide, however, mounted his soapbox every five minutes to expound upon how silly, ignorant and dim-witted they were to have done so.

Nonetheless, the tour of the ruins was magical. I took dozens of pictures, but none of them does the archaeological site any justice. On the first afternoon, we climbed Temple IV and saw the Gran Plaza and the twin pyramids. Spider monkeys in the canopy above and giant Cieba trees and Spanish cedars provided an ideal backdrop for our adventure. We exited the park at 2pm and decided to rest for the afternoon before re-entering the park the next day. The heat is extraordinary in Peten, Guatemala, so we spent several hours in the hotel pool.