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We're back, and it is day 3 of the father and son expedition through the ancient land of the Mayans. We said our farewell to the Rio Dulce and saddled up for another exciting bus ride across the country. On this occasion, we were not the only gringos along for the ride. There was one other couple by the names of Sue and Biff Johnson (a classic name). Poor Biff and Sue didn't know what was in store when they decided to travel across Guatemala by bus. The sweat soaked, long sleeve shirt and look across Biff's face was priceless. These greyhound style buses are all on their last leg. Most of the overhead compartments are broken and hanging open, a number of the windows are cracked or shattered, passengers fill up the center aisle, and you occasionally catch a glimpse of a roach or two scampering across the wall.

The Lost World

Jeremy Curl
2006-08-28 14:49:18

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-“They must have just upgraded to 5 Star status.” …..and so forth. He tried to stutter his way out of it but we were too quick. We actually didn’t think it was too outrageous so we went ahead and booked a room. We also tipped poor ole Rahul just for the fun we had with him and because we left him in a baffled, speechless state.

We arrived at the Tikal Inn just in time to make our way out to the ruins for sunset. Few people had gathered atop the temple of El Mundo Perdido (The Lost World) to watch as the sun dropped below the horizon. As darkness crept in, the Howler monkeys roared (sounds like the roar of lions; no joke) and parrots fluttered all around from branch to branch. The sunset was absolutely beautiful; especially with the presence of Mayan Temples towering above the tree line. Dad and I just sat there and imagined what it must have been like when tribes inhabited the area.

We crawled out of bed early the next morning, ate our complimentary breakfast, and headed out to the ruins. The structures of Tikal date back date to 700-200 BC and are surround by jungle and giant Cieba trees. Swinging about the jungle canopy are Howler (rarely seen but definitely heard) and Spider monkeys. We spent most of our morning off on side trails chasing down monkeys. They were tough to get pictures of because they were constantly moving or behind branches and foliage. We ran into a family of monkeys, which had three little babies just bouncing about the tree tops. The critters on the ground were just as interesting. Dad and I watched as thousands of Cutter ants marched single file through the brush clearing everything in there path. We also came across a scorpion, which of course I had to prod with a twig and irritate into a fight. There was one point in the day when numerous Howler monkeys were all roaring at once. It was awesome! The fierce sound echoed through the jungle.

The panoramic views you get from the tops of the temples ...