After a six hour water taxi and bus ride from Caye Caulker, Belize to Flores, Guatemala, we set ourselves down in Casona de la Isla which is a small island in the middle of a very large lake called Peten Itza. What a darling town! It reminds us of many Italian towns we´ve visited with small, steep streets and colorful buildings (mostly hotels and restaurants) clutching the shoreline. They´re all piled on top of each other, it seems, and have balconies with pots of shrubs and lovely places to sit and watch the lake while dining.
Yesterday we climbed aboard our collectivo (mini bus) and headed off for one of the most spectacular Mayan pyramid ruins. We arrived and immediately our guide Carlos led the 4 of us into the UNESCO world heritage site and began what was to be five hours of climbing, hiking, tripping over big tree roots, and making our way through the jungle surrounding the site. At first, I didn´t see any structures, but after climbing a very rough path, I could glimpse through the trees the first temple. What a magnificent sight! It rose through the jungle like some prehistoric monster with huge steps down the center and enormous blocks of stone going up 200 feet high. Then we learned we were to climb it! Luckily, there was a scaffolding up the side of it so we didn´t have to climb the very narrow and steep stone stairs. The view was breathtaking! We could see about 30 miles out over the jungle and were awed by the other pyramids sticking up past the tree canopy. To shorten the description of this place, there are hundreds of structures here; we saw approximately 50 of them, each one as majestic as the next. Of course, it didn´t take too long for us to feel our legs and knees begging for a break. So, we returned the the Jungle Lodge for lunch at 3 pm and a rest. Later that afternoon, we spotted many birds--oscellated turkeys, oropendula birds with yellow tails and marroon bodies, and bright green parrots. But, I didn´t get to see a toucan. Bummer.
This morning we awoke at 4:15 for a sunrise tour. Hiking in the dark through the jungle was quite the experience, enhanced by periodic glimpses of stunning stars through leafy boughs of kapok, gumbolimbo, teak, sapadillo (gum) and cedar trees, among others. I even spotted a falling star which fell in the direction our path was taking us. When we came to a clearing, the sky opened with millions of twinkling diamonds. The remoteness of the site allowed them to shine even more brightly than is visible in most places we´ve been. Even our lodge turned off the electricity at night. At that point, our guide Antonio informed us that we were going to climb the 200 foot pyramid called temple 4. Since we had climbed it yesterday, we felt confident that we could make it once again, but doing it in the dark was a little unnerving. We had flashlights, of course, but once we got to the top, we turned them off and sat in the dark, waiting for the first light.
We waited for about 30 minutes on top of this pyramid, facing east, before we could see a faint blush in the sky. (The pyramids are oriented toward the North Star, so one of the staircases in each pyramid faces east). At this point, we heard the first bird chirping and the brighter the sky grew, the more birds joined in, at the end resulting in a cacophony of squawks and tweets that was piercing. Added to it, the howler monkeys began their daily growling competition. It was amazing to experience that chorus of sound that seemed to awake the entire jungle. After about an hour in an increasing cooler breeze, we climbed down and saw the entire ruins again. However, this time, when we arrived at temple 5 which rises so steeply that it seems nearly vertical. We hadn´t planned to climb it because we were pretty tired, but we decided that we´d better do it now if we thought we ever would want to. So, up we went. The view was still another amazing sight that we won´t ever forget. After about 4 hours, we returned to the lodge, ate breakfast, and collapsed in bed.
The Jungle Lodge was built in a clearing at the entrance to Tikal, with seemingly endless miles of trees, vines, roots, rocks, and lots of wild orchids and bromeliads among many other plants. The small cabins, which are painted red like the pyramids were thousands of years ago, are placed along a rocky cobblestone path in a small clearing. It has a main lodge in which is located the reception area and restaurant and is run by solar and generator power. It´s a very peaceful setting, and we were sad to leave such a beautiful and tranquil place. But, it´s off to Coban tomorrow and our new residence Hostal de Doña Victoria.
.
Yesterday we climbed aboard our collectivo (mini bus) and headed off for one of the most spectacular Mayan pyramid ruins. We arrived and immediately our guide Carlos led the 4 of us into the UNESCO world heritage site and began what was to be five hours of climbing, hiking, tripping over big tree roots, and making our way through the jungle surrounding the site. At first, I didn´t see any structures, but after climbing a very rough path, I could glimpse through the trees the first temple. What a magnificent sight! It rose through the jungle like some prehistoric monster with huge steps down the center and enormous blocks of stone going up 200 feet high. Then we learned we were to climb it! Luckily, there was a scaffolding up the side of it so we didn´t have to climb the very narrow and steep stone stairs. The view was breathtaking! We could see about 30 miles out over the jungle and were awed by the other pyramids sticking up past the tree canopy. To shorten the description of this place, there are hundreds of structures here; we saw approximately 50 of them, each one as majestic as the next. Of course, it didn´t take too long for us to feel our legs and knees begging for a break. So, we returned the the Jungle Lodge for lunch at 3 pm and a rest. Later that afternoon, we spotted many birds--oscellated turkeys, oropendula birds with yellow tails and marroon bodies, and bright green parrots. But, I didn´t get to see a toucan. Bummer.
This morning we awoke at 4:15 for a sunrise tour. Hiking in the dark through the jungle was quite the experience, enhanced by periodic glimpses of stunning stars through leafy boughs of kapok, gumbolimbo, teak, sapadillo (gum) and cedar trees, among others. I even spotted a falling star which fell in the direction our path was taking us. When we came to a clearing, the sky opened with millions of twinkling diamonds. The remoteness of the site allowed them to shine even more brightly than is visible in most places we´ve been. Even our lodge turned off the electricity at night. At that point, our guide Antonio informed us that we were going to climb the 200 foot pyramid called temple 4. Since we had climbed it yesterday, we felt confident that we could make it once again, but doing it in the dark was a little unnerving. We had flashlights, of course, but once we got to the top, we turned them off and sat in the dark, waiting for the first light.
We waited for about 30 minutes on top of this pyramid, facing east, before we could see a faint blush in the sky. (The pyramids are oriented toward the North Star, so one of the staircases in each pyramid faces east). At this point, we heard the first bird chirping and the brighter the sky grew, the more birds joined in, at the end resulting in a cacophony of squawks and tweets that was piercing. Added to it, the howler monkeys began their daily growling competition. It was amazing to experience that chorus of sound that seemed to awake the entire jungle. After about an hour in an increasing cooler breeze, we climbed down and saw the entire ruins again. However, this time, when we arrived at temple 5 which rises so steeply that it seems nearly vertical. We hadn´t planned to climb it because we were pretty tired, but we decided that we´d better do it now if we thought we ever would want to. So, up we went. The view was still another amazing sight that we won´t ever forget. After about 4 hours, we returned to the lodge, ate breakfast, and collapsed in bed.
The Jungle Lodge was built in a clearing at the entrance to Tikal, with seemingly endless miles of trees, vines, roots, rocks, and lots of wild orchids and bromeliads among many other plants. The small cabins, which are painted red like the pyramids were thousands of years ago, are placed along a rocky cobblestone path in a small clearing. It has a main lodge in which is located the reception area and restaurant and is run by solar and generator power. It´s a very peaceful setting, and we were sad to leave such a beautiful and tranquil place. But, it´s off to Coban tomorrow and our new residence Hostal de Doña Victoria.
.
1 comment:
I loved your description. How awesome to hear the jungle come alive... with the birds and howler monkeys! And to climb all those steps. You both must be in fine shape!
We stayed on Caye Caulker a few years ago - glad to hear it has not changed.What a lovely laid back place. We look forward to having some of the ceviche when you are back.
Safe travels as you move on.
Love Margaret and Bob
Post a Comment