Oh goodness, where to begin...
On Sunday, Kirsty, Hannah, and I headed to Tikal from Flores. Hannah and I packed everything needed the night before so we would be able to sleep a little bit longer. Our bus was set to come at 5am, we were to be in front of Cafe Arquelogico at 4:55. In true us style, just for the mental image, Hannah rather calmly taps me on the shoulder and says, "Hey, it's 4:53." I spring out of bed while simultaneously changing into the clothes I laid out while Hannah did the same...there were little words exchanged but the ones that were seem vital at the time. At some point, Hannah was digging for something....I look over and see a toothbrush in hand. "No time for that, I have gum." Also, "deodorant!" We were SPRINTING up the mountain of a cobblestone street that we live on and down the other side with multiple trips along the way, but no true wipeout. As we round the corner at the bottom of the hill we see the bus do the same on the opposite end of the street. Kristy, who was staying in a hostel above the Cafe/pickup area had only just stepped outside 20 seconds before that. She informed us that she told the driver, "Oh, there are two more coming I believe." The guy slowly turns his head and points to the two gringas hauling ass down the street, waiving their Nalgene bottles franticly and says, "You mean those two?" Haha. In hindsight, what better way to start the day than a brisk jog and a huge dose of adrenalin.
The ride to Tikal was pretty uneventful, except for us swerving to avoid what I believed to be roadkill at the time...only to find out later, it was a man, sleeping off a bad night of rum, in the middle of the only road that leads from Flores to one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Latin America. Oh Guatemala.
Tikal is a HUGE collection of ancient Mayan ruins that rest in the middle of the Petén region of Guatemala that served as one of the largest and most populated "cities" in the Mayan world during the 3rd-7th century-ish. The ruler at the height of its popularity has a very prestigious name...I won't really use that one because it is historical and not nearly as fun as one of his aliases - Lord Chocolate. No chiste. As we walked in, being part of the guideless crew, we were a bit confused being led into the park by someone who appeared to be a guide. Turns out, they did us a solid and led us just beyond the armed guards out of sight and then said, "Okay, go now." And we did, in true human mimicking sheep-like style. One person made all the navigational decisions and everyone else followed.
Good thing too since the navigator led us to the grand plaza, where two temples face each other and there is an acropolis of sorts sitting behind them. As we approached the center, an eerie buzzing became louder and more prevalent until we saw the culprits....thousands of bees in the grass. Luckily, they were domesticated bees because they didn't seem to notice us at all. There were lots of noises once we reached the center of the Grand Plaza....howler monkeys, toucans, and this weird hawk-like bird that makes a sound similar to radio static interrupted by an old-school telephone ring. It made the experience that much more enchanting. Walking in, you are greeted with Temple I and Temple II, which sit opposite one another and simply command your attention...an acropolis of sorts nestles behind them. We ascended "stairs" (or in normal person English, a ladder) to the top of Tempe II, took in the views as we read about the significance of Tikal and each of its features specifically. So wild to read about something you are sitting on....seriously, it's not like "History of Our Sofa" is sitting on your bedside table...just sayin. After relishing the moment for a while, we took obligatory jumping pictures in attempts to pay respect to the Mayan God's and rulersnof the past....we thought they'd appreciate it maybe? We meandered into the woods and found the Central Acropolis, which I liked because you could literally see how it was functional as a living space and quarters. Then came Temple V...one of our favorites - you weren't alllowed to ascend it but its location and vibe made it seem that at any moment a brachiosaurus would round the corner and eat leaves from the tree we were standing under. And, in sticking with the theme, we followed signs to "The Lost World" and "The Seven Temples." Just amazing to think how much time and effort went into making ANY of these structures!
At one point in between ruins, we came across a group of howler monkeys playing chase and hide-n-go-seek around the fat trunk of the tree. Sooooo cool. They are basically humans...just with no fear of heights/falling and a little bit more hair. We literally watched them for 30 minutes and only stopped because we were distracted by a group of ants actually cutting a leaf into little bits to haul back to the mothership/mother mound? They are worker those ormigas. Sheesh. Nature is amazing! Then....Temple IV. From the base, it looked closed to the public due to active excavations. However, we found some wooden stairs leading up to the top. Near 360-degree panoramic views of the hundreds of miles of lowlands in Peten with scattered tops of ruins was what greeted us! The only thing that could have made that moment better would've been a hammock (or so I thought at the time). I was corrected as we were asked to be in a picture of a middle school group of students by their teacher...I asked, "Porque somos gringas?" He responded emphatically, "Si! Y porque hablan ingles y mi class esta aprendiendo ingles tambien." So, here we are again - sitting amongst Guatemalan tweens, on top of a Mayan ruin constructed in 200BC that overlooks the rest of the national park and most of the Peten region, while listening to JLo/Pitbull's "On the Floor" emerging from one girl's cell phone and posing for a photo being taken by their teacher/our new friend, Marco. Classic! Thank you Tikal for those memories.
After Tikal, we had our customary Sarita Choco-cone and had a little rest time before dinner with the Danes, two other girls in our Dos Mundos program, and Kirsty at Los Raices. Pretty sure I laughed to the point of crying on multiple occasions during that dinner. We compared our nursing programs and once again general healthcare with one of the Danish girls. They spoke about their daily lives - they get paid by the government to go to university, free and abundant healthcare for all, and higher salaries...of course, that all comes with the price of paying 70% taxes. Yikes! But, with all the amenities and services provided by the government, you don't really need much more money on top of that for daily living expenses. Yeaaaa, pretty sure America would never go for that! Crazy though, they are the "happiest" nation on earth. At one point, we were talking about dating and how some people create "bases" for that...always tying in that American pastime. One of the Danes, who is now working on learning her 4th language, got a little mixed up listening to the conversation and asked with the most bewildered face ever, "You have bases for sexual acts?!" Oh gosh, little language translation difficulties make me smile. Also, we were comparing travelers' insurances and realized ours may be more expensive because it covers transport of the body back to the States. Sophia said, "no, we would just bring them with us...'Don't mind my friend, he is nauseated so he is a little pale and really tired....he is just gonna sleep right up against the window so he won't be much of a bother." Morbid, but funny!
Before we left on Monday morning, Senora Gilma made us one last breakfast....because she is the cutest and kindest mamita ever! We said our goodbyes, which was quite sad...made worse by the fact she looked like she was going to cry at any moment. We have her address, so we hope to send her postcards along the way. After waiting an hour or so, we boarded a very warm and crowded shuttle van and headed out to Semuc Champey....after a stop for a tire, a stop for gas, an unloading and rearranging of gear/people, a stop to wait for someone they forgot (who never actually caught up with us), a stop for lunch, a stop for restroom usage, a stop to carry some random guy's 4 cases of liquor, and a stop to have a chat with an old friend. Three hours after the projected time of arrival, we arrived to a town called Lanquin....in the middle of nowhere. Apparently, Semuc Champey is simply the name of the huge national park, not an actual travel destination. A few "where are we?"s and a couple "soooooo"s later, we walked into town to grab some cena typico. The place we did stay in, the Zephyr Lodge, was set in the best possible location for that area, on a small hill resting between to huge valleys with dramatic rolling countryside surrounding you on all sides. Te rooms were made of thatched roofs, so the main rule of the entire lodge was "No smoking in the rooms." It's kinda sad they even had to say tat, but extremely helpful advice nonetheless.
Though we didn't necessarily have reservations for the pre-booked tour with a guide, we waited until they were loading up to ask if we could join....ps, best time to do that ever, because what guide is really going to turn down more money? So we loaded into the back of a 4WD pickup with bars on the back...very much exploiting ourselves as gringo cattle. Really...just like all the other cattle trucks we've passed on our travels thus far. The ride was quite fun...like a mini roller coaster with huge gaps in the railings that you jump and bounce over. Once we piled out of the truck bed upon arriving to Semuc Champey, we were told to remove our shoes, socks, shirt, and if wanted, pants as well. Now normally, one might question this very odd request...buuuut for whatever reason, we didn't because it is Guatemala and that's how they roll. A majority of our basic functioning in this country (as I'm sure will be true for many others) requires us to blindly trust the locals we ask about things...ie, "Buenos Señor, vamos a Xela - sabe cuando necesitamos cambiar los autobuses?" "AHORITA!!" AHHHH....OK!! So once shoeless and shirtless, we were handed candles and headed down into the caves. Yes, we purchased high-tech caving headlamps before leaving the States...and yes, we only had candles when it came down to it. Nice!
First thing one might notice when heading into the caves, other than "I'm in a CAVE!" is "hey, this water is pretty close to freezing and I'm only anpair of shorts and a bra away from being nekkid." Truth. But once beyond the point of sharp rocks digging into your feet, it was MAGICAL! And if you knew the depths of the water at all points, some great rock climbing opportunities up the stalactites. We alternated between swimming and walking across the sandy (and occasionally rock-ridden) floor, at times climbing up and over rock ridges, ascending and descending ladders placed to get to a new elevation or terrain. After squeezing our bodies through some tight spaces (never have I regretted all those platanos fritos more than at that moment), we reached our biggest challenge - haul your plantains-filled selves up a 15-20ft waterfall! No ladder option - was that an oversight in the tour planning? But Carlos, our fearless leader and guide, said what became the repeated phrase of the day..."esta seguro!" Oh, it's safe? Well, ok then! So here we are, pulling our soaking wet selves up a rope with minimal knots (secure-r handholds) through a WATERFALL!! The worst part is when you reach the chute, the super powerful section at the top of the waterfall where the force is crazy strong! It is extremely disorienting because all you are cognizant of is there is a super strong force counteracting your attempt to ascend it...and it is a little difficult to breathe, just saying. Finally, the two other guides at the top grab you when the rope ends and all is well...in the pool of water ahead wait the others, all clutching onto their candles and looking a bit shocked! So wild! And in comes the option to do a 8 meter jump into complete darkness...after Hannah and I saw a few faces of people who just jumped (sheer confusion and completely stunned), we decided we hadn't really done much people-watching, and this seemed like an excellent time to start!
We jokingly asked, "oh, so do we go back the same way?" "Por supuesto!" No es un chiste? Oh, alrighty then. So back we went...luckily, on the way down, there was a ladder option at the waterfall part, and we had no shame in taking it! There was a small detour that took us to a small hole, not much larger than my diameter - rushing water was coming up behind us and down through that hole, and we could barely hear Carlos on the other end (wherever it was). Apprehensively, after being told "let go," I hesitated. Then Carlos responded with what has now become a mantra for this trip and life in general, although initially I thought I was in a human version of "Finding Nemo." He yelled back, though barely audible to me, "LET GO...JUST LET GO...IT WILL BE OKAY." Those simple words have helped me immensely in many of my thoughts about the past, present, and future. So thank you Carlos.
Once out of the caves and back into the sun, we stopped shaking long enough to put shoes on to walk over the next adventure...where Hannah jumped off her first bridge into the rushing waters below us!! Her excitement for trying new things is infectious! More daring individuals dove, but we currently like the position and functionality of our cervical spines, so feet first was just fine. Lunchtime followed. On the way, we stopped to buy chocolate canela from a girl that lived nearby...the chocolate is legitimately ground cocoa beans, sugar, and cinnamon, so a little crumbly but geez does it pack a punch! I literally coughed after taking my first bite. Helen, a hysterical Brit, had been sticking with us since the caves and entertained us throughout lunch with her stories from past travels. After snacking, we hiked up a short but steep trail for about 25 minutes to reach El Mirador, a 180-degree vantage point of the park and aerial of the river and its pools below. The color of the water in each of the shallow pools is quite intoxicating...we stared many a minute at them. Then the best part, we spent an hour or so just swimming in all of them. In the last pool, again with Carlos' reassurance that "esta seguro," we slid down 15 feet or so of rock into the pool below...it felt much smoother than it looked (we realized while watching others do it). Definitely no way to do it gracefully, that is for sure. Shortly after, while chilling on a rock in the middle of the aqua-colored waters like mermaids, huge Howler monkeys started playing in the trees overhead! It was an "are you kidding me moment" that we sat and appreciated until mandated to leave. The ride back awarded us amazing views in the exceptional lighting of the afternoon, as we snagged the front positions of the cattle truck!
That night brought more exploring of the pueblito, a typical dinner, and CHOCOBANANAS!! Excellent way to end an amazing day! An early wakeup call for the shuttle that took us to Antigua. At some point, 30 minutes after we passed through Coban, the driver realized he'd forgotten someone, so he dumped us all out at a tienda on the side of the road. So, we all just waited, bought and consumed more bread, waited, walked up and down the dirt road, waited some more. Shout out to the amazingly nice woman who let me into her home to use the bathroom...gracias! I pretended to sleep throughout the entire trip because the driver was CRAZY and feigning sleep makes me less nauseated! Super windy roads + speeding + dramatic lane changes (lane being oncoming traffic) + jerky braking = vomit. Really random but shout out to the Dixie Chicks for getting me through that long ride. Rolling to Antigua felt very comfortable, as it has kinda become a home base of sorts for us here in Guatemala. The staff remembered us, so that was kinda fun! Clean sheets and new beds and laundry from our favorite man down the street of course made our day. Not to mention som crepes at Luna del Miel and great conversation about our purpose in life and on this trip specifically. "Invictus" and journaling capped the night off well. Next up, Xela.
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