The Rio Dulce and the Ruins of Tikal

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After a hazy three days in San Pedro, Calum and I headed off for the Rio Dulce, supposedly the Amazon of Central America. It was beautiful, the boat ride down the river was two hours of high cliffs on either bank and lush jungle tumbling into the river. We stopped at a hot springs and a birding island, before cruising to the ultra-laid back Garifuna town of Livingston. It is the only real Carribbean town in Guatemala, and really feels more like Jamaica. We stayed right on the river, in a cool joint that was built over the water, basically a network of wooden pathways cutting through the mangroves.

The next day we headed off for the famed Tikal. We spent a day en route, stopping to hike at a nature reserve overlooking Lake Petzen Itza in northern Guatemala. We arrived at the ruins just in time to climb up the highest temple for the sunset, which was truly breathtaking. Unfortunantely the dorms were full, so we spent a completely restless night in hammocks, but it was pretty cool being under the sounds of the jungle all night long. The next morning we were up at four am to climb back up the high temple for sunrise. It took about two hours to come to full light. I spent a while imagining the expanse of the greatest Mayan city right before me, and it left me with shivers running down my spine. For about an hour nobody spoke, and we just listened to the sounds of the jungle awakening to a new day beneath us. It was really one of the coolest experiences I´ve ever had.

We´re now off to the Chiapas, home of the Zapatista revolution and the only ¨independent¨state in Mexico. Which means, a new country to collect the local beer labels.

Cheers,

Ian

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