6.8

Tikal
Our taxi arrives at 4:15 am instead of 4:30 and is already honking. My teeth are only half brushed, and Hallie and I are walking around in a daze trying to get our shoes on the right feet. We hop in the cab and he takes us to the Hotel de Intercontinental Real where we will meet up with Ann and her daughters, then be picked up by our shuttle. We help ourselves to coffee and a scone in the lobby; this will have to suffice for breakfast. After the Woodwards come downstairs, our shuttle pulls up to take us to the airport. We are driven straight to the plane and don't go through security or anything. Daylight has just broken, and the volcanos are clear in the distance. As we watch, Volcan Fuego blows up a black puff of smoke to say goodbye. We get in the tiny plane and attempt to sleep for the hour long ride.

Howler Monkey

When we land, we find a man holding a sign with our names and others. A few of the people who flew with us turn out to be in our group, and the guide tells us we will be 11 in all, but still need to pick up 3 on the way. It takes an hour and a half for us to drive to Tikal from the airport after stopping for the 3 remaining tourists. We've all paid for a package that includes the guide, entrance fees and lunch. We enter the park and I'm already sweating. It is so humid. The closest I've been to this weather is Houston, and it doesn't even begin to compare. The air is thick and it's hot. Immediately I regret wearing jeans and cuff them. Tikal is in the jungle. There are giant bugs, boa constrictors, and worst: howler monkeys. I hate monkeys. They're mean AND smart, which makes a bad combination. Howler monkeys aren't big, but the noises they make are terrifying. Walking the paths, it feels like I am in Jurassic Park. The trees shake as the monkeys move through them, and deep roaring growls echo around us at a deafening volume. I half expect to see a T-Rex crashing through the ruins.

Aside from all the awful animals, Tikal is beautiful. It's lush and green, with the huge stone pyramids peeking out through the trees. Our guide grew up in the villages surrounding the ruins and is well versed in not only the archeological history of the site, but is also able to communicate the personal history of today's villagers, descended from the ancient people who built this city.

Wooden steps leading to one pyramid

Deadly Temple

covered temple

There are large hill-like mounds everywhere. The guide tells us that a huge portion of the park remains uncovered, and that every 20 years, they excavate a new temple. This is to preserve what they can while archaeological processes improve. The temples are breath-taking. Some we are still able to climb, others have a wooden staircase built around the back, for safety and to preserve the pyramids. Several pyramids can't be ascended at all, because they are too dangerous (and one pyramid even claimed three lives).

Temple with small alter in front

Me on top of above temple

We spend the day hiking, climbing and sweating while we learn about the Mayans. They were commercial people. Their cities were centers of trade, and while they occasionally went to war (as people do), conquering was not the Mayan way. While they did execute enemies and criminals, they were not sacrificed to the gods as previously thought. It was an enormous honor to be sacrificed, and there were special priests who trained all their lives to take that honor. There was a special ball game (like soccer) that the priests played. Whoever won the game got to be sacrificed. The bodies also weren't thrown from the tops of the pyramids, nor even were people ever killed on them, as we see in movies.

example of unrestored steps vs restored steps

me at the tippy top of a tall temple

We end up not eating lunch until after we finish the park, which is at 4 pm. With nearly 12 hours between meals, we're famished. We eat lunch at a restaurant deep in the trees, which sounds nice except for the horrible sand flies (they bite!!) that hovered all around us for the entire meal. Don't ever eat in the jungle, if you can help it.

At around 5, we are back in the van on the way to the airport. One of our group is staying in a Mayan village doing humanitarian work. He tells stories about how the women give birth standing up, holding on to a rope, and the midwives catch the babies.  Ann, Harbour & Willow have a flight back thirty minutes earlier than ours, so we say our goodbyes in the airport. They'll be going home tomorrow. After the flight, Hallie and I take a taxi to the Home Base and fall into bed. It's been a long day, and we have work tomorrow.