Mayan Ruins at Tikal

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Booked a day trip in advance through our guesthouse to the Mayan ruins at Tikal. Woke up at the ungodly hour of 4am to catch the flight to Flores. Our guide Carlos was very entertaining, and it was a sight to see him and his pals fleece the Americans in our bus for sunrise tours & jungle canopy trips.

It's Sunday & the beginning of Semana Santa (Holy Week). There were lots of local families and tourists alike enjoying the ruins - a very festive air. The ruins were truly magnificent. The guidebook says that the Maya settled Tikal around 700 BC, and it became one of the dominant ceremonial centres in the region until it was abandoned around AD 900 & engulfed by the jungle. No one quite knows why.

There are 5 massive temples, and several plazas & acropolises. We did a circuit of most of the major ruins. Some may look familiar as they were featured in 'Star Wars'. First one we saw was Temple 5 (58 metres tall), which I climbed up. I must have been out of my mind as it was almost as scary as bungy jumping. But the panoramic view of the Great Plaza (Temples 1 & 2) above the tree tops was spectacular. Nothing stopped me after that; ended up scrambling up Temples 2 and 4 as well. I won't bore you with the details but will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Have really enjoyed Guatemala even though it was only a short stay. It's hard to believe that it was in 1996-97 that the country emerged from a 36-year civil war. I would recommend anyone else to do a week's spanish school in Antigua & then travel through the rest of the country, but best to stay out of Guatemala City.

Good night everyone. Another early call at 3.30am to catch our flight to Cuba.

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Photos

Temple 5
Damn scary climb to the top

Mundo Perdido
Plaza of the Lost World - the best place for sunsets

Temple 4 View
Panoramic view from top of Temple 4 (72 metres tall) which is great for sunrise. Can see tops of Temples 1, 2 & 3

Temples 1 & 2
Heading into the Great Plaza