Survivor: Tikal Guatemala

Saturday, April 3, 2010
Day 7 of my adventures in Belize with Auntie Diana and Mom
Times are loose and approximate

6 AM: Annoying wake up knock. Diana has already been awake for hours. We’re not sure if she ever sleeps.

6:30 AM: Long lazy breakfast.

7:30 AM: We were supposed to be getting into the van, but breakfast was still not over. Mom and Auntie Diana (who don’t yet understand the Caribbean idea of time) are panicking.

8:00 AM: After a short 15-minute drive, we arrive at the Guatemalan border. Mom gets a nervous feeling in her stomach going through “customs” – should we claim the granola bars? Other then waiting in long lines, there is nothing to fear. We don’t even see Guatemalan authorities; the guide gets our passports stamped.

8:45 AM: Guide is speaking to us about Guatemala in a microphone but we cannot hear due to the loud gravel bumpy dusty highway we are barreling down. All we know about Guatemala so far is that the dust looks like snow and that many people like to travel in the back of a truck.

10 AM: We pull over to a little souvenir shop for a bathroom break. Auntie Diana has her most gleeful moment on the trip when she finds a pair of Columbia walking sandals for sale. You would think she had found God at that roadside stop. Most people are buying postcards and she buys a pair of American shoes.

11 AM: We arrive at Tikal National Park after our scenic view of Guatemala. We are surrounded by mostly Guatemalan tourists with large bottles of coke under their arms. Is there a party we were not informed about?

11:10 AM: Diana sees a mini-toucan. She can now leave Belize happy.

11:11 AM: We see the Ceiba, the national tree of Guatemala. A few minutes later we see spider monkeys and get some close-up pictures. All this excitement and not yet one Mayan ruin!

11:30 AM: We get a glimpse of one ‘small’ pyramid that has been excavated and then move on to see three more identical ones that are still mounds covered in trees, roots and grass. It is hard to imagine how an entire civilization can simply disappear into overgrowth. It is even harder to imagine how the person felt while discovering it.

12:00: Our guide speed-walks up a long hill and we get a taste of what the day will be like ahead. We are all dripping in sweat wondering what we have done to ourselves.

12:15 PM: We get our first glimpse of a Mayan skyscraper, Temple of the Jaguar, the home of (get this) Lord Chocolate or King Moon Double Comb.

12:30 PM: Our guide knows the hidden paths at Tikal, and keeps us away from the crowds. We see a typical Mayan home and bed (for nobility), and see the huge tree-filled valley below, which would have been a reservoir in Mayan times. He also knows the most picturesque views in the complex, and leads us there.

12:45 PM: We round a corner, our guide tells us to prepare our eyes, and we have a full view of the Gran Plaza below.

1:00 PM: We are given a break to explore, or eat a bag of chips (whichever you most desire). I climbed the ‘small’ temple, for views of the plaza and saw two beautiful wall masks – we also manage to squeeze in a bag of chips.

1:30 PM: We move on to the Lost World section of Tikal. We are told that this city would have reached a population of 100,000 and are beginning to understand that this won’t be a little walk in the woods. To put it into perspective, there are only just over 300,000 people who now live in all of Belize.

1:45 PM: We arrive at the most impressive temples in Tikal, temples IV and V. Since leaving, we are having trouble keeping them straight. One had a staircase that went straight-up, and even the guide said that he did not like to climb it. Everyone at the top looked like a pancake pasted to the wall, because the ledge is NOT wide. As you can imagine, we did not climb this one. However, my Mom and I did climb the second one which was a much more reasonable climb, and gave even more spectacular views overtop of the jungle canopy (with the other temples sticking out above!) We overcame our fear of Mayan skyscrapers and there were no more panic attacks to be had. Diana stayed at the bottom to guard our stuff and suntan.

1:55 PM: Our guide tells me horror stories of all the people who have fallen down the stairs. Thank goodness he didn't tell me before we climbed up.

2:00 PM: We hike through thick jungle (much of Tikal is yet to be explored) and were fed a meal of rice, chicken and vegetables. We even had Auntie Diana drinking a local beer! During lunch we see more monkeys, wild turkeys etc.

3:00 PM: We are finished our touristy shopping and back on the bus, drenched from the sun and exhausted from the hiking.

3:00-4:00 PM: I am a little fuzzy on the details, because I am sound asleep. I am sure Auntie Diana and Mom could add some great anecdotes here.

4:30 PM: Back across the border into Belize in about 3 minutes flat. This time Mom contemplates claiming the Guatemalan purses she purchased.

5:30 PM: Drinks, dinner and games at the bar await.

9:00 PM: We are all sound asleep, even Auntie Diana.