Tikal

Stunning.  Majestic.  Awe-inspring.  These are a few of the many words filling our heads as we first came upon the massive temples sprouting out of the jungle -- out of place, to say the least.  Tikal impresses on a vertical and horizontal scale, the tallest temple (Tempolo IV) shooting 70m into the air and the excavated buildings covering six square miles.  It is believed only about 10-20% of the once great civilization has been excavated, which was first "discovered" by the modern world in 1848.

Side note: The Gran Plaza rivals Chichen Itza, and has me questioning Chichen Itza's place on the "7 Wonders of the World" but not Tikal.  The main structure there, El Castillo, is 'only' 30m high.

Amber has fully indulged my curiosities (love you!) as we were able to explore Tikal Nacional Park not only last night but also this morning.  Our 4am sunrise tour was lucky indeed -- today was the first morning they could see the sunrise in almost two weeks.  By staying at Tikal, instead of taking a day trip here, we've been able to explore the park in the evening and early morning, after/before the tourists have swarmed the area.  Needless to say, we were able to get some pretty incredible pictures sans the normal throngs of tourists.

To be able to sit high in the "Acropolis Sur", overlooking the Gran Plaza with Tempolo I to our left and Tempolo II to our right, without literally ANYBODY below was an incredible experience.  It was not only peaceful but spiritually moving -- to allow oneself to be transported to millennia before and imagine who walked through the plaza, the rituals and ceremonies that took place on the rocks below us and limestone concrete we were sitting on, was incredible.

As most reading this probably know, the true downfall of the Mayan civilization is shrouded in mystery (though many possible and feasible answers exist).  All great empires have met their fate -- Egyptian, Chinese dynasties, Incan, Mayan, Roman.  In moments like these, how can one not question when ours will suffer the same fate and what it will be caused by?  I take solace in noting the human species is a resilient species -- we have persevered through each of these "extinctions" of a group of people, and no doubt we will do so again.

Well, on that note -- we're off to the island tomorrow! :-)  No idea what the internet situation will be like, but I can tell you we'll be taking a taxi from Tikal to Flores, a flight from Flores to Belize City, another flight from BZE to Dangriga, and finally a boat ride out to the island in the early afternoon.  If all goes according to plan, we should be sipping Mojitos in about 24 hours!

¡Ciao!

El Ramate

Our 3am taxi pick-up had us to the airport in Guatemala City by 4am to catch a 6am flight from GUA to Flores, a small beautiful town on the edge of Lago Peten Itza with a 500m causeway connecting it to the mainland.  We however made our way to the "peaceful, slow rambling" town of El Ramate, opting for a one night stay on the edge of the lake while cutting the journey to Tikal in half.  Unfortunately, the guide book led us astray and the town was, shall we say, slow.  Too slow.  Most of the shops were boarded up, and only a few restaurants remained open.  The weather was bad, and brought back bad memories of Ometepe in Nicaragua.  We couldn't wait for the bus the next morning to take us to Tikal.

Of note, Amber is still a killer cribbage player and continues to beat me even after I started enforcing "muggins"...

¡Ciao!

Santa Semana

Serendipitously, we were in Antigua during Holy Week, with festivities beginning on Palm Sunday.  It is truly a sight to behold and I am so glad our paths crossed with this millennia old tradition.  Everyday, there are processions, reenactments, and most amazing of all -- groups of people decorate the streets with elaborately designed sand murals (about 8' wide by 10-20 or even 30' long).  These murals are first blocked off with 2x4s and straw grass is laid on the cobblestone street; then sand is filled in about 2-3" high, and finally the top is decorated with fantastic designs of colored sands, fruit, etc.  Perhaps most amazing of all, these murals are made everyday before the procession walks over them and they are "ruined" -- only to be redesigned again the following day.  We're not sure about the exact meaning, but it's obviously considered an offering of some type.

The procession itself snakes its way through the city of Antigua, taking the entire day.  Men and boys (no women) line each side of the street in purple robes and walk slowly through the city, stretching as far up and down the road as far as the eye can see.  Floats are brought past, with each telling a piece of the story of Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem, and his subsequent persecution, death, and resurrection.  The floats are elaborate if not grotesque, with no details spared.

Also occurring throughout the day (and presumably week) are actor portrayals of the events of Easter weekend.  The actors are in the streets (which are all blocked off to vehicle traffic) with microphones and their voices emanating from speakers on nearby pick-up trucks.

All in all some very cool sights to behold and we happily traded being able to experience this for spending a night in Guatemala City (though it did require a 3am taxi pick-up to the airport).

We really loved Antigua and the generosity of the people.  Everyone we have interacted with has been patient, helpful, and more than willing to allow me to stumble over broken Spanish as I recall the correct verb conjugations.  Next stop: El Ramate and Tikal.

¡Ciao!

Cerro de la Cruz

Amber informs me we've walked 7.1 miles today and I suddenly do not feel guilty for all the street food and traditional candies we've tried today.  Our favorite was a sandwich served in front of "La Iglesias de Merced" which included a rich baste on a toasted bun filled with carne asada, onions, and tomatoes.  I'm getting ahead of myself though...

We began the morning hiking to the top of Cerro de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross) with majestic views over Antigua and the Volcan Agua providing a towering backdrop (picture on Amber's Facebook).  It was well worth the many steps to the top and came with a welcomed breeze to go with the views as a reward.

We continued our self-guided walking tour and explored many more churches, convents, and thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the city.  Lunch was provided by a few different street merchants, all as delicious as the last.  We ate and people watched in a beautiful shade covered court yard in front of the church.  Thoroughly ready for a cerveza, we headed back to the tiny bar we discovered yesterday and watched some more basketball before being shuttled outside of the city and up the side of a mountain for a sunset dinner overlooking Antigua.  The sun would not cooperate, and it was a bit chilly, but the food was delicious and as night fell and the city lights came on we were overwhelmed with the sprawling size of "little" Antigua.

We sit now on the rooftop terrace of our hostel, enjoying a cool evening breeze and a cold beer.  One last day tomorrow here before we are off to El Ramate and the Mayan ruins of Tikal.

¡Ciao!

¡Bienvenidos a Antigua!

An early morning departure had us being picked up at 5:00 (thanks Kevin!) and fighting security lines with spring breakers -- just kidding.  Thanks to a Global Entry Xmas gift (courtesy M&D) we bypassed the easily hour plus line and walked through TSA pre-check...already worth the five year investment after one flight!  Our flights to ATL and GUA were uneventful and our hostel was there to pick us up at the airport.  Guatemala City is notoriously dangerous so we made a beeline to Antigua and checked in to "Casa de Don Ismael", a quaint seven bedroom inn a few blocks off the Parque Central.

We started with lunch on a rooftop terrace and had delicious chorizo tacos with a guacamole to rival all guacamole.  We spent the afternoon visiting some beautiful colonial churches, some in better shape than others. At its height Antigua boasted 38 churches but has since been ravaged by earthquakes and volcano eruptions over the centuries.  As you can imagine the rebuilding process has been slow but I'm sure the 5-8x markup on "extranjeros" entry fees is helpful. :-)

We people watched in the Parque Central, marveled at the colorful facades of every building, and successfully strolled the cobblestone streets with no ankle injuries.  We even found a bar with March Madness on and relaxed with a few Gallos, Victorias, and game of darts.

All in all a very successful first day to our trip.  The people are friendly and helpful, the food delicious, and my Spanish has still proven enough to get by.

¡Ciao!