Blogs from Tikal, Petén Region, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean - page 7

Wow, I've been having a really good time and haven't been updating this as much as I should have been.... anywho.... I stayed in Flores, Guatemala (the jumping off point for the Tikal ruins) for about 3 nights I guess. Had no problems crossing the border, thank goodness, and was surprised at how hot it was in Flores. I was expecting it to be quite cool and only brought a pair or two of shorts. I signed up for a sunrise tour of the Tikal ruins and had to hop on a 3am bus to catch it... once we arrived at the park we hiked for about 30 minutes in total darkness to temple IV, on which we sat and waited for the sunrise. It was amazing hearing the jungle come alive.... it was quite foggy ... read more

Hi all, Internet is scarce in N. Guatemala and Belize so these won't be as often as they were when I was stationary and in school. My last night in Antigua consisted of my family there giving me a purse (I've seen several people go and they haven't done anything special for anyone but me that I've seen) and 2 letters from Andres and Maria. It brought tears to my eyes. It was so touching!!! I went to the Guatemala City Airport to meet Adam and wait a few hours for our flight to Flores. It was so great to finally see him after so long!!!!!!! We flew for about 30 min (vs an 8+ hour bus ride and by now most of you know how much I love Guatemalan drivers :) and arrived in an ... read more

A little difficulty getting to and staying at the Guatemala's most famous Mayan ruins made finally seeing them that much more rewarding. As I said in my previous entry, after the splendour of Semuc Chempey, the town of El Remate on the Lago Peten Itza was a bit of a let down. I'm not sure if it was just because it was the low season for tourism and the place looked like a ghost town, or whether we just had high expectations due to all the hype we had heard from other travellers. The Hostal El Mirador admittedly had a wonderful view. We were close to a cerro (nature reserve) and there were some decent restaurants. Somehow the place lacked enthusiasm or soul. Either way we decided to stay in Tikal for the second night. We ... read more

Tikal, immortalised forever in pop culture as the rebel base in Star Wars, a few seconds of celluloid imprinting it indelibly on the visual cortex of geekdom. I was no exception, and instantly recognized the view this morning when we had clambered up 200 odd steps to the top of one of the temples. Looking out, I could almost see the Millenium Falcon swooping in to deliver the plans and the princess. We arrived in Tikal late yesterday afternoon, expecting to secure cheap accomodation that our guide book assured us was available. No fools, though, the Guatemalans, they had torn down the bungalows in the campground that were our first objective. Lacking a tent and the desire to sleep in the open with the howler monkeys, tarantulas, and sundry other large insects, we were forced to ... read more

Well, we just finished seeing Tikal and it was really fantastic. We started by getting hooked up with a fantastic guide who spoke beautiful English and was very unhurried from the outset (a significant difference from the rushed guide at Copan). He gained aour confidence right away by saying that he would not only give us a tour of Tikal but also of the natural wonders, including the wildlife, that can be found in the park. And he delivered! We started by going to the northern complex, but stopped along the way to track down some howler monkeys, which we had heard in several places in Guatemala, but never seen. Here though, we followed the "howling" (more like a grunting noise) and did catch a glimpse of one, which was very nice. The tour guide's impression ... read more