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Published: November 1st 2005
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Sean: Words are almost inadequate to describe the feeling yesterday as we finally reached the top of one of the tallest temples in the Mayan Kingdom and glimpsed the view from above the jungle canopy. Staring out over the dense growth we saw two thousand years worth of history in the other temples of Tikal poking through. Along with the cacophony of monkeys and birds hollering back and forth it truly gives the place an ancient feel. We were definitely not in Kansas anymore.
We had such an amazing day.
We left Flores at the crack of dawn so that we could get to the ruins an hour away before the heat started in earnest. When we got there the place was surprisingly empty, but we decided skirt the “Gran Plaza” and head all the way to the far end to climb Temple IV, the second tallest temple in the Mayan World (the tallest - called El Mirador - is still only accessible by hiking 3 days into the jungle). The ruins at Tikal are quite spread out and Temple IV, being the furthest away, was a decent little hike that took around 35 minutes via the “leather express”.
On the way there, we encountered some of the “lesser” temples, though they were still quite impressive. Even though we would see much taller and inspiring ones later in the day, it was still pretty awesome to get our first glimpse of a Mayan temple at 7am. Standing atop this ancient ruin, alone, as dawn was breaking in the jungle, we began to hear hundreds of wild animals howling at the top of their lungs. The noise was deafening and completely surrounding us. You couldn’t help but think they sounded angry, as if Shannon and I had intruded into their private domain. It took us a few minutes of looking around assessing the situation - as the words “dismember” and “eviscerate” flashed through my mind (note that while I had never been through a jungle before, I did watch “Jurassic Park” and I’ll tell you that this had the exact same feel) - before we realized that these were howler monkeys singing their early morning refrains. Some were swinging placidly from branch to branch while others were belting out such anguished tones that I wondered what they had to be so sad about. Unrequited love perhaps, unrealized expectations of an
overbearing parent, I’m not sure…
When we finally reached Temple IV, and looked at the steep climb to the top, I wondered if the Mayan Priests possessed some pretty stout legs. I don’t know what their daily routines were like, but I’m sure that they learned to be pretty efficient with how often they went up and down. The climb (up some Guatemalan-built wooden steps) was long, rickety and steep, but the view was phenomenal. As I said before, looking out at the tops of the other temples above the jungle canopy really made you feel like you were peering into the past. I was looking out at the exact same view (you are too thanks to modern digital photography) that these ancient indigenes saw some two thousand years ago.
Even though this is the tallest temple in Tikal, I didn’t think it was that impressive from the ground because so much of the bottom part was still swathed in growth. I wasn’t disappointed for long, though. A short walk away is El Mundo Perdido (The Lost World), another series of temples within Tikal. The main attraction in this complex is a large pyramid temple which has been
partially restored. This one you are able to climb via the temple steps, though they are no less steep than the wooden ladders. The views from the top looking back at Temple IV and towards the Gran Plaza are impressive.
From there we scooted around the grounds visiting one amazing temple after another. They’re still restoring and discovering quite a lot of artifacts so the park had a “work-in-progress” feel to it in much of the outlying areas. We deliberately left the best for last - the crowning glory that was once the capital of the ancient Mayan Empire is the Gran Plaza. This area has the most impressive temple structures surrounding a huge complex of stepped buildings. Temples I and II - probably the most impressive of the lot - are here, facing each other. You’re not allowed to climb Temple I anymore - some unfortunate souls tumbled off the steep steps to their death in years past - so being safety conscious the powers that be have closed off the stairway. But thankfully because no one has died falling off Temple II - or the myriad of other temples with insanely steep drop-offs - they haven’t decided
that the steepness of those warrant closing them yet. Sigh, I guess it’s just a matter of time until some poor fool ruins it for the rest of us.
Shannon: We ended the day in the Tikal museum, which had an interesting display showing photographs of what Tikal looked like in 1895, roughly 45 years after it was “rediscovered” and about 14 years after archaeologists began working at Tikal. The pictures show the temples covered with almost 1,000 years of accumulated debris and vegetation. They reinforced something that Sean and I talked about as we toured the site: As we travel, I’m always interested in how sites have changed over the years. I’ve seen old black and white pictures of people who did the “Grand Tour” in the 1920’s - back when it was still ok to have dinner on the head of the Sphinx - and in some ways I’m a little jealous. Some part of me wants to be in that “first” wave of travelers, to be able to do cool things before so many others have tramped through the place that they’ve ruined it for everyone. But walking through Tikal, I was actually glad to be
on the “back end” of traveling history. Consider the pictures of Temple I from 1895 and 2005. Sure, it would have been neat to peer through the jungle at overgrown temples, but as you can see, back then you really would have been peering at overgrown hills, the view choked with vegetation. Since the late 1950’s, archaeologists have been busy restoring the temples - backbreaking work to clear, excavate and restore them. As we visited, they’re hard at work on Temple IV. As Sean mentioned, it’s the tallest temple on the site, but it’s really not that impressive because so much of it is essentially buried under vegetation. Perhaps in another 10 years, though, it will be the highlight of the complex due to the work that they are doing now to restore it. Perhaps being the “last” isn’t so bad sometimes. Though having dinner on the head of the Sphinx still looks pretty damn cool.
Sean: After this long day of traipsing through the jungle we finally headed back to Flores to pack up and get ready to move on. Flores is a nice little island in the middle of large lake, attached to the mainland by a
short bridge. It’s fairly touristy (by Guatemalan standards) due to the fact that it is where the majority of people traveling to Tikal stay. It’s small but charming with cobblestone streets and cool breezes blowing off the lake. If we had more time, it would have been nice to stay for another day to wander.
Right now we are back in Guatemala City, with tickets to fly to Panama in the morning. It’s time to bid farewell to Guatemala, the first country on our jaunt around the globe. As this is the last note from here I wanted to include one final point of interest; one of the staples of the Guatemalan diet that I have come to enjoy quite a bit. Many days I began my day with what I liked to call the “Guatemalan Slam”: two eggs (as you like), refried beans, a hunk of cheese, and fried plantains. Along with some tortillas, a cup of coffee and costing around $2, you just couldn’t go wrong.
Happy Halloween to everyone!
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Laura
non-member comment
Hey guys, we are thoroughly enjoying your escapades and are sharing them with our friends and my family. We even sent your blog link to Nicolas' 4th grade teacher in hopes that she shares it with the class. Mark and I are very jealous but feel as if we are travelling with you. Thank you for taking the time and effort to share this amazing experience with the rest of us.