Blogs from Flores, Petén Region, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean - page 17

We left the hotel at 3am, were picked up in collectivos and whisked off to the ruins at Tikal for the sunrise at 5am. Upon arrival, we were greeted by our guide, Luis, who led the way on into the park and through the rainforest. Even in darkness, the spiritual importance of these Mayan ruins was instantly evident, particularly as the guides were adamant that we did not make a sound or use flash lights whilst walking up to the temples. Scaling Temple IV at 5.20 as the sun rose, we were greeted by a magical view over the rainforest canopy, broken only by the towering Temple V and those in the Gran Plaza next to the Northern Acropolis. I highly recommend taking a sunrise tour at Tikal, as you get to view the park in ... read more

Uaxactun (pronounced ) is an ancient ruin of the Maya civilization, located in the Petén Basin region of the Maya lowlands, in the present-day department of Petén, Guatemala. The site lies some 40 km (24.9 mi) north of the major center of Tikal. The name is sometimes spelled as Waxaktun. With recent achievements in the decipherment of the ancient Maya hieroglyphic writing system, it has been determined that the ancient name for this site was something like Siaan K’aan or "Born in Heaven". The name "Uaxactun" was given to the site by its rediscoverer, United States archeologist Sylvanus Morley, in May of 1916. He coined the name from Maya words Waxac and Tun, to mean "Eight Stones". The name has two meanings; the Morley's stated reason for the name was to commemorate it as the first ... read more

Hello friends...Its taking me a while to post new entries, I know I'm a bit behind I'm just having too much fun and keep forgeting to post. Tikal is the largest excavated site in the American continent. It is Guatemala’s most famous cultural and natural preserve. Tikal possesses a certain magic... Like all puzzles without answers it fascinates everyone and we dare say... Tikal is so irresistible once you are here, you’ll find yourself wanting to stay just a little longer! . Tikal remained a mystery for centuries, after being abruptly abandoned by the Maya over 1000 years ago and overgrown by a relentless jungle. Only a legend survived among the Indians of a lost city, where their ancestors had achieved a high cultural development. In 1848 the legend faded, giving way to an exciting era ... read more

Tikal July 17, I left for a four day trip to Tikal. For those of you unfamiliar with Tikal, let me briefly describe it for you. Tikal is about a 12 hour bus ride from Xela. It is in Northern Guatemala and is the site of one of the great Mayan Civilizations. The Mayans occupied Tikal in the 1200’s (if I remember correctly), and today many of their temples have been uncovered and restored. We left for Tikal at around 8 in the morning on Thursday. My Spanish school, Celas Maya, planned the whole trip for us; all I had to do was pay a whole lot of money. We took the school’s van. It held 14 students, our tour guide, and our driver. Twelve hours later we arrived at our hotel in Flores, the closest ... read more

Flores We´ve spent the past couple days in Flores, which is just half an hour or so away from El Remate on the lake. Flores sits on an island on the lake called Lago de Peten Itza. Flores is unlike any other town that we´ve visited thus far because it has cobblestone streets, bright colored buildings, and is a little cleaner. It is more what we expected to see in the towns we´ve stayed at up to this point. The lifestyle here is still very laid back, likely due in large part to the heat and high humidity. We´ve never sweat so much in our lives. Everyone here has been very friendly and the town is a good base for trips to Tikal, Semuc Champey (where we´re headed tomorrow) and any other jungle or ruins tours. ... read more