Blogs from Petén Region, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean

We found the Altamira (Look High) park by accident and didn't regret it. A taxi took us up the long, twisted road to this beautiful park with outstanding views. Everything at the park is made from recycled items, painted decoratively, and shaped into natural eye catching art. There weren't many people there so it was easy to navigate around. Many restaurants, restrooms, and benches to rest at. In order to get views like this, the park is built on a hillside so there are many switchback trails leading people to the views and structures. If you go higher, there is another park called Hobbitenango which is also very similar. We didn't have time to visit both parks but have heard great reviews about the other one. 3-4 hours is enough to cover the park, take pictures ... read more

Hola chicos Nogle fede dage i Flores og Peten er overstået Peten er lig Maya civilisationen. Det var her det hele startede, her de største og vigtigste templer ligger - der ligger mange Maya templer og ruiner i Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua osv. Men det startede i Peten ca 5000 fkr og havde deres storhedstid til ca 1200 ekf da kristendommen for alvor tog over. Men hvad skete der så med dem? Såmænd ikke noget, mayaerne trives stadig i Guatemala og en stor del af befolkningen er Maya. Når man lærer ansigtstrækkene at kende, ser man tydelig forskel. De er lavere har lidt skæve øjne og høje kindben. Central Americas kinesere kan vi kalde dem ;) Vi besluttede at lave en plan der hed: se nogle små mayaruiner, derefter noget stort - Tikal, og slut af med ... read more

So I was wrong about Belize - that's tomorrow.Today we were in Tikal - a major Mayan site only partially excavated and dating from about 800 BC. Many sites over a large area - we walked about 8km and climbed several monuments. Fabulous views from the top with the ruins emerging from the green sea of the tropical rain forrest.The day ended at lovely lake side hotel with a fab sunset.... read more

Ich bin am Montag Abend, den 19. März, nach einer sehr langen Busfahrt in Flores angekommen. Ich bin mit einem Bus von Chetumal aus dorthin gefahren und war mit 3 anderen Leuten unterwegs, die ich im Hostel kennengelernt hatte : Laurenz aus Berlin und Anja und Skander (ein Paar) aus Bern. Laurenz hatte ich in der Bank kennengelernt, wo ich für ihn Geld getauscht hatte, da er seinen Pass nicht dabei hatte. Komischerweise verlangten sie dort den Reisepass, aber der Wechselkurs war gut, also was solls. Wie ich kurz vorher war auch Laurenz ohne Pass dorthin gegangen, aber da ich es schon hinter mir hatte zurück zum Hostel zu gehen, wollte ich ihm das ersparen und habe sein Geld mit umgetauscht. Die Busfahrt nach Flores war sehr lang und ermüdend gewesen und wir waren froh endlich ... read more

I got a bit ahead of myself in the last blog. We actually spent some time in Tikal after crossing the border into Guatemala and back into Belize. Commence Tikal… We (Cheryl, Chuck, and I - Leila) arrived to Tikal Wednesday, January 10, 2018 in the afternoon. It was nice to return and to drive the countryside of Guatemala once again. Guatemala is a very beautiful country with endless hills, valleys, greenery, fincas, lots of livestock, and farms. It had it’s own feeling, as have really all of the places we’ve visited. I am always reminded it is best to take the back roads and take your time getting to know the place, the people, the history and culture, and also the sites, the sounds, and smells. Introduce yourself, make new acquaintances, act with respect, courtesy, ... read more