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Published: October 12th 2013
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Nocturnal butterflies...
Where you ask?! Those two long blobs on the tree, mama and daddy to the light-colored egg sack on the tree to the left of the blobs. Thanks to Oliver for seeing those... Hi all, just recovering from the overnight bus from Flores to Antigua. Great way to travel, no wasting a day but hard on the body. But I can rest up later, on to my day at Tikal.
I travelled on a chicken bus from Rio Dulce to Flores hoping to catch the last public bus to Tikal. But since it's low season, there are no afternoon buses to Tikal, boo, I wanted to stay at the park. Thank heavens I didn't pre-pay for a reservation, whew... So I have no other choice but to stay in Flores, get up at 4am for the 4:30 bus if I want to be at the park at 6am. Those are the times, dawn and dusk, when the wildlife are most active. So me and 10 other bleary-eyed people are riding in the dark at 4:30am wondering 'are we there yet?' Finally, we make it to the park and the first thing I hear is all this amazing birdsong unlike anything I've ever heard. I'd decided I was going to hire a guide at the park counting on him to spot the wildlife that would go unnoticed by this city slicker's eyes. Let me
tell you, Oliver, my guide, did not disappoint. We saw a group of spider monkeys making their way across the tree tops, would have missed those because they were up high. Also saw a group of howler monkeys and Oliver is a terrific mimic as he got them talking. Holy moley, for such little creatures, they are loud and seem to have a lot to say. Encountered some interesting birds, some that had birdsong that sounded like video games and static, strange but amazing. I took video, not of something to see but just of the birds all around. But enough of the wildlife, I could go on forever, on to the jewel of Tikal.
Once you enter the park, you're about 15 minutes from the first set of ruins. You walk through the jungle along paths surrounded by gigantic trees. It's almost zen-like because there is no man-made sounds, just nature all around. As we walk, I'm humbled and feeling blessed that I can be here to experience this place. We come to a clearing where we visit the first ruin and Oliver, a Mayan man who is studying to become a shaman, tells us about the significance
Gran Plaza Temple 1
I'm that tiny little pink speck in the front. of what we are seeing. The Mayan calendar is made up of 18 pieces, each being 20 days for a total of 360 days. The remaining five days were thought to be days where the spirits could come from the Underworld and wreak havoc so people didn't go outside much on those days. And we were shown how the Mayans incorporated those timelines into their pyramids, statues (or Stelea) and Altars. We were told that this particular site, Tikal, was used by the Mayans for about 1800 years, from 900 BC to around 900 AD and that it was abandoned due lack of resources to sustain the population. Many sites in Tikal are still being uncovered as it is thought there were thousands of buildings at one time. We went to the Gran Plaza and saw Tikal's most photographed site and Oliver told us about other Mayan traditions, many of which are still practiced today.
Our official guided tour was done at 10:00 and the bus was due to take everyone back at 12:00 but I asked if I could have my return ticket changed to stay until 4:30. I was taking the overnight bus to Antigua which was
My guide, Oliver
Telling me about how the Mayans still use that altar today. leaving at 8pm and I'd rather explore Tikal than be bored at a pub in Flores. So after everyone left, I explored. Managed to go to remote sites were there were few, if any, tourists. Kept having to top up my Deep Woods Off, those mosquitoes will eat a person alive if not protected. When the can says 8 hours of protection, about 7.5 hours in, those mozzys are finding the areas of weak protection on your skin and let you know to top up. The rocks and jungle floors were very slick, it rained and drizzled a bit too, add that to the organic matter growing on the floors and it made for slick footing. But other than a few mozzy bites and a muddy rear end (yes I fell, lol) it was a day up there in my top ten amazing days. And if the day couldn't get any better, just as I was leaving, I got to hear more howler monkeys shouting at each other, saw an animal that I have no idea what it was, like a cat crossed with a fox, mama and babies agouti, turkeys that fly (Les Nessman might have been right), and
Large mask below ground
That mask was huge, probably at least six feet high. more birds. Made that 12 hour day totally worth it!
So I'm in Antigua now, funky little town with a cool mix of old world and new. Need to explore, see what I can find here. Have a great weekend everyone - happy Thanksgiving 😊
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