Tikal

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After surviving the harrowing drive back to pavement from Barton Creek Outpost, I spent my last night in Belize in a campground near San Ignacio. Once again, I was their only guest. This has become a recurring theme on this trip. I fear that this relative isolation will cost me even more of the marbles that I need to keep going.

It was a 30 minute drive to the border that took two hours to cross. I think I got through the money-changing, immigration, customs, and fumigation business pretty smoothly this time but I'm pretty sure I got ripped on the toll bridge due to being confused about how much the new money was worth. I hate borders.

I made good time in spite of the border nonsense. The road into the Guatemalan interior turned out to be in great shape other than a few construction zones that didn't cause a significant delay. I stopped for pizza in El Remate and made it to Tikal by early afternoon. I set up my tent in the spacious campground where, once again, I had the whole plae to myself. I entered the ruins early the following morning at 7:00 AM when the gates opened.

Tikal is one of those places that exceeds the hype. I stood around quietly dumbfounded as the mist in the jungle dissapated to reveal the pyramids. I didn't do a tour and I'm glad for that even though I didn't learn as much as I might have. I can read all about it later in a book. It was enough, for now, to wander and wonder.

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