The Mysteries of Tikal!

We awoke at 5 am on Tuesday morning to catch a 7 am flight from Guatemala City to Flores, in the Peten region of Guatemala. As soon as we got off the plane, I felt the distinct change of region--it was steamy and sunny and jungly. Just the way I like it! We were met at the airport by a tourist shuttle and made our way further north to Tikal, home of the ruins of a mysteriously disappeared Mayan superpower.

Overcome by enthusiasm, we dropped our stuff at our hotel and set off under the noonday sun to see the ruins. About 15 minutes up the path, however, it became evident that we were asking for heatstroke and we decided to return to our hotel for siesta (like every other sane person!) and to try the park again in a few hours. This was a good idea and by the time we got back to the park at 3:30, it had cooled down enough for us to really enjoy ourselves. That first afternoon, we spent time touring the complex ourselves and getting a feel for the lay of the land. Unexpectedly, one of the best things about the park was the wildlife! On the first afternoon, we saw anteaters!, toucans!, wild parrots!, and peacocks! It was so amazing to see these animals just strolling around outside of a zoo. We had a particularly nice time watching the parrots kibitz with each other just before the sun went down. After our interlude with the birds, we came upon a huge temple, which had stairs for tourists to climb. We ascended to watch the sunset, which was so peaceful. However, we stayed too long and had not thought to bring a flashlight, so the next 25 minutes as we made our way out of the park were somewhat harrowing. First Peter was scared, then I was scared. We were both thinking of the fact that the Tikalese jungle contains jaguars! And then there were the screeches of the howler monkeys and Peter´s sandal broke! We sang loudly as we stumbled over roots and tried to intimidate whatever might be lurking. Thankfully, we made it out safely and had a very nice dinner once we got back to the hotel, turning in early that night as we had signed up for the sunrise tour the following morning.

The next day, we woke up in the pitch dark and dressed by candlelight (the generator at our hotel only functioned between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.) for the sunrise tour. The guard from our hotel was nice enough to take us to meet up with our group and then it was about an hour´s hike into Temple Four which we ascended to watch the jungle wake up. On the way, we saw a troop of howler monkeys (less scary with a guide and flashlight in hand!). The sun rising over the trees and the mist and the temples put on a show that more than justified the early wake up. After the sunrise, we got a three and a half hour tour of the park in the cool early morning air by ¨Little Cesar,¨a charismatic guide with impeccable English and an obvious love of Mayan lore. The tour was informative and entertaining and afterwards, we spent some more time wandering the park, heading back to the hotel around 10 as it started to get hotter.

I almost was too Tikaled out to want to head back for the second afternoon, but am so glad that we did! On the recommendation of a guide, we headed to the remote Northern Zone of the park, which is the only major part that we had not yet seen. The road was steep and we began to wonder if we should continue. Just then, crash! Through the trees came swinging an entire family of spider monkeys! Peter´s all-time favorite animal! It was amazing to see the monkeys eating, playing, traveling through the trees. . .I even saw one climbing on a temple! They were so quick, though, that they were extremely hard to photograph, so they aren´t in the pictures above. . we´ll have to see if any of the prints come out once we get home. We spent about 45 minutes just watching them play, making our last experience with Tikal an incredible one. Satisfied, we headed back to the hotel and were on the road to Rio Dulce the next day (yesterday). In about an hour, we will board a 46 foot Catamaran for a four-day sail through Lake Izabal, down the Rio Dulce, to the town of Livingston and back again, stopping at hot srings and other points of interest along the way. . .more on that in the next blog entry!

xoxo, robyn & peter

(Pictures above: Us on top of Temple V for sunset; our feet--it would be a long way down!; Peter in front of the Temple of the Jaguar; Sunrise over Tikal; An anteater!)

Chichicastenango and Goodbye to Western Guatemala!

Peter and I are finishing off our time in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. It has been very special time because, for me, it was an introduction to a part of the world and its people, as well as a new insight into Peter. For Peter, I suspect, it was a visit to dear friends and closure and perspective on a very impactful part of his life. This morning we came into the capital on a chicken bus and tomorrow we will fly to the western, jungly part of Guatemala to view the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal.

Since I last wrote, we did a day-hike around Nebaj, which was more strenuous than we either wanted or expected, but which left us with new information (from our guide Nicholas) about the Guatemalan civil war and a healthy respect for the Cuchumatanes mountains! It is amazing to see the near-vertical plots of land farmed by the Maya and to think about all of the strength and endurance of the men, women, and children who farm this land. We then went back to Santa Cruz del Quiche to see Maria and Mateo (Peter´s second host family) again. Maria is the indigenous vice-mayor of her region, so they invited us to accompany them to a public mediation, which was as interesting as it was long and drawn out. There were two cases: the first was one of a shooting (with thankfully no victim!), where the accused did not show; the second was a separation of a newly married couple, which ended in separation, despite the exhortations of the community and elders. After the mediation, we repaired back to Maria and Mateo´s house to say goodbye, which was very sad, since we do not know if we will see them again.

Saturday night, we took an overcrammed "minibus" ride to Chichicastenango, which is the largest and oldest market town in Guatemala. The market happens every Sunday and Thursday, so we wanted to be there for all of the action! Some people even say that the market dates back thousands of years to ancient Mayan times, and it is a hub for the selling of handwoven textiles from all over the highlands. Unfortunately, we both woke up on Sunday with some stomach distress, but that did not deter us too much and we mostly spent the day wandering through the vast market, bargaining, fending off over-agressive vendors, and enjoying the scene.

So, that brings us to today! It feels good to be up-to-date! Thanks, to everyone for your comments and opinion poll participation. . .it´s nice to know that people are reading along and thinking about us. . .we miss you, too!

Pictures, above: Peter with our Nebajense guide Nicholas; Peter with Maria our boxboles instructor in Nebaj; Peter with adorable, young Diego--a Chichicastenango street vendor who was trying to convince him to buy a too-small head wrap; Peter and the market; Mayan bishops in Chichicastenango performing a ceremonial rite on the steps of the Catholic church.

Pictures from recent adventures

I wasn´t able to post pictures last time, so here are some from Nick and Elizabeth´s wedding, visiting Peter´s second host family (Maria and Mateo) in the Quiche, and from our time in Nebaj. . . .Enjoy!