Rocks, Jocks, and Loch
Although our Guatemala adventure is nearly over, our last few days have been filled with enough activity to warrant their own post. Three days ago, we sadly left El Tortugal and Rio Dulce (but not before partaking in a farewell daquiri and an hour of fishing) for the jungles of northern Guatemala. We elected to take the nice bus, which was great but for the fact that we arrived in Flores in the middle of a rainstorm at night and our hotel was in El Remate, a 40 minute cab ride away. Luckily there were cabs waiting for the bus and one driver agreed to take us for a relatively expensive fee. We arrived at Hotel Mon Ami where we were greeted by the french expat hotel owner. He was very business-like until Liz began speaking French with him and then his eyes shone and a smile appeared. Of course such genial treatment didn´t extend to me (I didn´t want to offend him with my butchering of his romantic language), but Liz´s bi(tri?)-lingual skills served us well.
The next morning, we were up and ready to go at 5:30 AM to catch our shuttle to Tikal. This former powerhouse of the Mayan empire is now, as the Texan manager of El Tortugal put it, "a pile of rocks...but one of the most impressive pile of rocks I´ve ever seen!" And for the most part, I would agree with his analysis. The size of the city is mind boggling and the temples they built are truly awe inspiring. Temple IV is the second tallest pre-Columbian building in the Americas and from the top, the treetops of the jungle stretch as far as the eye can see, punctuated only by the tops of four smaller Tikal temples. The original Mayan roads weave through the jungle from temple to temple with howler and spider monkeys swinging in the trees and mosquitos vying for human blood. One of my favorite things about the site is that many of the temples are still unexcavated/covered in trees, dirt, and vines; so as you walk around, you'll see a pyramid shaped mound of 'dirt' that actually holds a temple underneath. The site strikes a great balance between unexcavated, excavated but not restored, and restored monuments.
We returned to our hotel (again) amid a driving rain storm that limited our van driver's visibility to 20 feet but had no effect on his velocity. Needless to say, I slept for the whole ride. But once back at the hotel, Liz was kindly informed in French that we couldn't stay another night because a couple had previously reserved our room, but hadn't shown up yet. Not wanting to take our chances, we caught a public bus to Flores and quickly found a fine hostel. We had a leisurely dinner of nachos and beer while sitting on the verandah of a restaurant, looking out over Lake Peten Itza. The reason for the 'Jocks' in the title of this post is that on the drive into town, we passed 10+ soccer fields lining the lake that were filled with locals kicking around a ball or playing a pickup game. My one regret from this trip is that I didn't get to play any soccer. Oh well...it's always good to leave something to do in order to entice a return trip.
The small town of Flores is situated on an island in Lake Peten Itza. As with every other body of water we've seen here, it is absolutely gorgeous, the water is clean, and the locals get between towns via dugout canoes. The town is very small, about the size of Princeton's campus, filled with brightly painted buildings and a laid-back vibe. Today, Liz and I have had no trouble spending 12+ hours reading by the water, lounging in cafes, and walking through town while we wait for our night bus. Either we are expert relaxers, very lazy, or soaking in everything that Flores has to offer...I'll choose the third option.
We are heading to Antigua to pick up our souvenirs tomorrow morning and then off to Guatemala City for one night before flying home. It has been short, sweet, and full of adventure.
The next morning, we were up and ready to go at 5:30 AM to catch our shuttle to Tikal. This former powerhouse of the Mayan empire is now, as the Texan manager of El Tortugal put it, "a pile of rocks...but one of the most impressive pile of rocks I´ve ever seen!" And for the most part, I would agree with his analysis. The size of the city is mind boggling and the temples they built are truly awe inspiring. Temple IV is the second tallest pre-Columbian building in the Americas and from the top, the treetops of the jungle stretch as far as the eye can see, punctuated only by the tops of four smaller Tikal temples. The original Mayan roads weave through the jungle from temple to temple with howler and spider monkeys swinging in the trees and mosquitos vying for human blood. One of my favorite things about the site is that many of the temples are still unexcavated/covered in trees, dirt, and vines; so as you walk around, you'll see a pyramid shaped mound of 'dirt' that actually holds a temple underneath. The site strikes a great balance between unexcavated, excavated but not restored, and restored monuments.
We returned to our hotel (again) amid a driving rain storm that limited our van driver's visibility to 20 feet but had no effect on his velocity. Needless to say, I slept for the whole ride. But once back at the hotel, Liz was kindly informed in French that we couldn't stay another night because a couple had previously reserved our room, but hadn't shown up yet. Not wanting to take our chances, we caught a public bus to Flores and quickly found a fine hostel. We had a leisurely dinner of nachos and beer while sitting on the verandah of a restaurant, looking out over Lake Peten Itza. The reason for the 'Jocks' in the title of this post is that on the drive into town, we passed 10+ soccer fields lining the lake that were filled with locals kicking around a ball or playing a pickup game. My one regret from this trip is that I didn't get to play any soccer. Oh well...it's always good to leave something to do in order to entice a return trip.
The small town of Flores is situated on an island in Lake Peten Itza. As with every other body of water we've seen here, it is absolutely gorgeous, the water is clean, and the locals get between towns via dugout canoes. The town is very small, about the size of Princeton's campus, filled with brightly painted buildings and a laid-back vibe. Today, Liz and I have had no trouble spending 12+ hours reading by the water, lounging in cafes, and walking through town while we wait for our night bus. Either we are expert relaxers, very lazy, or soaking in everything that Flores has to offer...I'll choose the third option.
We are heading to Antigua to pick up our souvenirs tomorrow morning and then off to Guatemala City for one night before flying home. It has been short, sweet, and full of adventure.
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