Tikal Guatemalla

After checking out of the hotel Peten we set off for Tikal. The highway winds through the mountians with panoramic views of the country side that are spectaular. It is verdent and lush with small villages dotting the road side. All of the villages have roadside vendors that are prepared to sell crafts , vegtables and local foods that are simple but good. Once you arrive at the gates of the park you recieve a ticket and then you proceed up the highway and it is dotted with wildlife crossing signs jaguar, deer, monkey, peacock, and snake. The park was bustling with local people of Maya dissent. There was some kind of religious ceramony going on in the main square of the temples. A large fire had been built and there some kind of preists giving offerings and annointing people by spraying them will an alcoholic beverage. Once that was preformed the person would toss an offering of their own into the flames,grain corn , or tobacco seemed to be the preferred offering. The pyramids were spaced apart from each other at considerable distances, with alot of walking through the jungle with paths that meander to the next temple. All of the temples were unique in someway. Some were very high with steep inclines and others were flattened out at their summits with platforms, and large vistas of the surrounding areas . Gil and I with Kurt and Jill limbed the last temple to the top via a stairway that zigzaged back and forth to the top. There were plenty of rest stops made because of the heat and the humidity. But the view from the top was worth every step. Once we descended it was time for a beverage break at the little tiendo they had at the base of the pyramid the beer was ie cold and wonderful. The rest of the day was spent walking through the shaded paths with monkeys swinging in the tree tops as we passed through. All of the temlpes were moss covered with ferns and creeping vines growing on them. They were quite different from the ruins in Mexico and yet alot of the carvings on the stone tablets had similar hyrogliphics depicted on them. One of our last stops on the tour was their museum. As you go down the path to it you see areo pendula, which are a birds nest tha hang from the tree branches. And the path to the museum has orchids growing from the wooden handrails on them. Inside there were artifacts of jade jewellery, obsidan arrowheads and pottery with intricate designs on them. There were the remains of one of the kings who had ruled at the time on his body there was approximitly 16 ppounds of jade jewellery. It was a wonderful day of exploring and the ride back to Flores had ingredable veiw of the lake as we were coming down the mountian. It looked like the view from Montreal river hill. Absolutely breath taking. If you are down this way it is a must see place.