Tikal

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After spending three and a half weeks in western Guatemala, I finally decided to head east and quickly make my way to Tikal, through Belize, and into Mexico.

From Xela, I took a 4 PM four hour Linea Dorada bus to Guatemala City. I had heard that I would be in the new, modern bus station on Guatemala City, but I ended up in a small, hot, and definitely seedy transfer station in the middle of the city. I didn't risk going outside, so I was sadly happy to get the last shrimp-flavored Ramen noodle bowl in the station.

I couldn't figure out much of a difference between first class and grand class, aside from the latter being a double-decker bus, having blankets, and costing 40 Quetzales more. The woman at the desk said that the seats are the same. I was at least grateful that they didn't play movies all night.

The bus went all the way through Santa Elena and into Flores, which is an island in the middle of Lake Peten Itza, connected to the mainland with a bridge. I arrived before 6AM and ignored the taxi touts, opting to walk just a few minutes to the city center. While the town / island looks extraordinary from bird's eye photos , it's only mildly interesting on the ground. I searched for ten minutes and found Los Amigos hostel. They were pretty easy to deal with at the desk, and they surprisingly let me go to my bed immediately to get a few hours of sleep. I woke up at ten, got some breakfast, and started to sort out how to get to Tikal. Most had told me that the absurdly-early morning tour (leave at 3:30 AM, get there at 5:00, walk a half an hour to Temple IV, watch the sunrise, then take a tour) is the best choice, but after talking to some other travelers who were about to leave for the 12:30 PM journey, I quickly signed up for a 100Q tour (and there's a 150Q fee to get into the park as well).

It worked out perfectly. The crowded van ride from Flores took close to two hours and rain was threatening when we arrived. It continued to thunder throughout the four-hour walking tour, but we avoided all but a few drops of rain. The guide was knowledgable and passionate and was able to give short anecdotes about everything we asked about. We were the only group in the park (apparently it's much more crowded in the morning) and we were allowed to climb on basically all of the temples and other ruins. We climbed Temple IV at the end of the day to watch the sunset over one of the largest tropical reserves in the world. We were home by 8:30, and what with the heat and my time restraints, I ate a tasty and filling dinner at the hostel, had some a drink in the club upstairs, and moved on to Belize early the next morning.

There are more photos below.

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Photos

Star Wars Shot
Google "Star Wars Tikal"

Forum
with a small Mayan ball game court in front