Flores and Tikal

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So here we are, finally in Guatemala!
In Palenque when we tried to find out how to cross the border, everybody (and I mean everybody) told us it wouldnt be possible without taking a "tour". Even the local tourist info only tried to sell us their own tours. It seemed it easnt possible to just cross the border without seeing magnificent waterfalls or ancient mayan-ruins...
But after some research, we found the place where to take a colectivo to Frontera Corozal.
We had to get up at 5am and packed our stuff and tried to get out. I litterally mean TRIED to get out of the hotel, but we couldnt! We were locked inside...All the windows hade "fences" and all the doors were closed, and no nightwatch...Feeling a slight panic approaching, we tried all the keys we could find in the deserted reception and tried all possible exicts. In the basement there was a wooden fence, but it was locked with a huge lock, so the only way would have been to climb over it. I actually found a ladder...and placed it so we could climb, but it would have been to high to jump down on the other side. But during this mission with the ladder, I apparently woke up some guy who worked (??) for the hotel and he finally came with a key to let us out...Then a quick run to the colectivos and finally there, out of breath we hear that we still have to wait for some people so we'll leave in like 20 minutes, which of course in reality was more like 30min or so.
But the colectivo tour was ok (we actually napped in the back) and took 2,5hrs to Frontera Corozal. That looked like a deserted mini-village in the country side with a couple of houses. One of them was the immigration, and after visiting that we bought out lancha-ticket, 300pesos for 3 people. The lancha ride was very nice, although we didn't see any crocodiles. We did, however, see some monkeys and the lancha driver stopped to show them to us, so we politely took some pictures...
Arriving in Guatemala was nothing as we would have expected. We got off the boat on a muddy beach and walked up to a couple of houses and a wooden bench and a "bus". There we waited for some other people to arrive and headed for the immigration on the Guatemalan side. It was like a small kiosk and if you needed to change the poses into quetzales, you had to do it there. But nothing official, just some guys changing...
We heard that the first part (65km) would be a bad road, but I thought the whole trip was as bumpy and sandy and dusty. The windows had to be open so we were all covered in dust when we arrived in Flores in the afternoon. The same "agency" that had the bus, sold, (well, insisted until we gave up and bought) us the tickets for the tour to Tikal the next morning.

At 3:30 am (or a little later..) the bus picked us up and we took the 1hr ride to Tikal ruins.
After a quick hike and clibp up to one of the highest pyramid, we got our reward. The feeling of looking out over the djungle in the misty morning, listening to the monkeys and birds...it's simply incredible. Then the sun came up and we had som coffee and crackers.
Then the tour started and all others than I, loved the guide and the tour. Personally I thought Palenque was nicer, but the opinions are not the same in our little group...
The tour ended at 10am, so when we got back to Flores at noon, it felt like it would be late afternoon.
We then decided to change hotels, and buying plane tickets to Guatemala City...

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