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Back in Guatamala
On the 9th November, the day after my birthday, we travelled back to Guatemala. Within 20 minutes of arriving in Guatemala City airport we were off to the hotel. Nice and quick compared to when we left! One night in Guatemala City was necessary so we could get the 9:00am Litegua bus back to the Rio. The bus ride wasn’t bad, just a little over an hour of hold ups and delays on the road. However I still find 6+ hours on a bus draining, dreadfully boring.
All was great back at Aeeshah. Chico looked fit, and Kevin was there with him to greet us. There had been no problems and so life was back to normal.
Visit to Hacienda Tijax Hotel and Marina.
Ever since arriving at Rio Dulce we had been intending to visit Tijax, not for the marina or hotel but for a nature walk they supposedly had. Really expecting it to be not much more than a nice stroll around gardens we went there for a morning meander.
What we found was a really pleasant hike.
Starting off there was a series of hanging walkways through the mangroves where the rental cabanas are located, followed by a couple of long hanging walkways till you reach the land entrance/parking area for Tijax.
The next part starts with a small hanging bridge followed by a walkway between fields that gradually wind uphill to the Museo. At the museum we saw info about the different birds and trees found on the walk ahead.
From there it is downhill to the virgin rainforest where you follow pathways and a series of longer hanging bridges that are in the treetops looking down into the jungle below.
After these you find a track that leads up hill to the pool/pisca. This is a natural pool formed from a small stream that flows down into it.
Across the pool the track continues uphill to the rubber plantation. John and I both found the rubber plantation fascinating. The trees are growing in rows, they each have a diagonal slash across the trunk, which leads and “bleeds” down to a cup where the rubber is caught. The rubber is white, solid but supple sitting in the bottom of the cup.
The Mayans started collecting rubber by this method in the BCs. They made very large rubber balls for their ball games at their festivities. It’s amazing that rubber production still continues using the same method. At Tikal the ancient Mayan city you can see the massive rubber trees with the diagonal slash – scars – along their trunks.
This Tijax rubber plantation is huge some 500 acres, we only walked a small corner of it and then emerged at the hill below the lookout tower.
Atop the tower we climbed and really enjoyed the view across the Rio and all the surrounding countryside as far away as Lake Isobel and Belize. The view is spectacular and the breeze divine! After the tower it’s basically downhill where the path meets up with the hanging bridges through the rain forest to return by. It was an excellent walk and we highly recommend it.
Off to Tikal and Flores
Transportation:
I arranged for us to spend a few days in Tikal and then Flores. I chose the FDN bus that runs from Guatemala City through Rio Dulce to St Elena. Well that was a big mistake. We got onto a full bus and more and more people were crammed in with us. The bus was the size of a coach, it had 4 people wedged into double seats, the entire aisle full of us standing with our bags so tightly jammed together you could not move your feet and then off he zooms. And he would stop for more people along the way. In the driver’s compartment there were 8 people, John being one, sacks of produce and buckets. Periodically the driver would scoop a large cup of water out of a bucket and pour it into a funnel in the dash-board. We guessed this was for the radiator? This was while he was driving flat out…he also chatted away on his phone, ate a full chicken lunch, throwing all his trash out the window all while driving with his elbows and/or knees along a single lane roadway over-taking any vehicles in the bus’s way. John caught some video footage and wishes he had caught more, as it’s a scream. Guess he is either very talented or lucky as we got there in one piece.
Arriving in St Elena after 4 hours of standing on the crazy uncomfortable bus ride we got a taxi to Tikal. I had thought we would get a collective, but we both needed a bit of luxury. From the taxi we were lucky to see a Red Brocket deer and fawn grazing on the roadside.
At Tikal we were staying in the National Park at Tikal Inn. This was a very nice place to stay in our own small bungalow. Peten Turkeys and Central American Agouti, (like giant guinea pigs) would wander across the lawn in front of our bungalow.
Sunrise tour
We were up the next morning at 3:30 to go for the sunrise tour. The tour starts at 4:00 in the dark as you hike through the ruins with the rain forest all around, you can’t see anything as it’s by torchlight. We did come across a snake coiled in the pathway blinded by our torchlight. Apparently it was a poisonous snake too. After a fast hike of about an hour we arrived at the foot of a staircase.
We were told to climb up and find a seat on the “pyramid” – which was actually Temple 1V. We were asked to sit quietly and enjoy the jungle sounds while the birds and animals wake up. So up we climbed, at the top we were lucky to be able to sit along the top row of Temple 1V as many other groups arrived and so were below us.
The sky was still dark, but we could see that there was cloud cover too. As the dawn neared, we heard the birds chirping and the light started filling the skies, however ahead was a low cover of misty cloud so we just make out the other temples – pyramids. It was lovely and peaceful even if not a colourful 
sunrise.
Temple 1V where we sat is also called the Two Headed Snake Temple. It is the tallest temple in Tikal and the whole of Mesoamerica. It was built in 740AD and stands at 70 meters. The famous Star Wars clip was filmed from the top of this temple.
At the bottom our guide took us on a tour through the park showing and explaining the Mayan ruins to us, plus telling us about the plants and animals of the area. We saw a Coati, (looks like a small ant eater with a long tail), that walked just by us not bothered at all by our presence. This is because all the animals within the park are protected and not hunted. The wild Peten turkeys were everywhere. They are beautifully feathered in wonderful patterns almost like a peacock. The highlight for me was seeing and following a Tucancillo Collarejo toucan. I was thrilled. We also had spider monkeys swinging and climbing in the treetops above us.
The ruins were spectacular. As said we climbed Temple 1V the Two Headed Snake Temple then the 1st stop was Complex N it is an example of a twin temple, was built in 710AD, by Ah Cacao to mark the 14th katun, or 20-year cycle of baktun 9. (a baktun equals about 4 centuries), is not fully restored, but had a stele and an altar. This is stele 16 and is like a news-sheet telling all that happened in that complex by hieroglyphs. The king himself is depicted on the stele. The altar – circular stone depicts the same king accompanied by a priest in the process of exhuming the skeleton of a female ruler.
We next visited a pyramid referred to as Palace windows, also as the Bat Palace, which was as its name says, a palace and had been occupied.
We stopped at Templo 111 also know as the Great Priest Temple. It stands at 60m and is under restoration.
Next was Plaza de los Siete (7) Templos – the name 
came from the 7 small temples. It was to the east of the main plaza and is also under restoration. To the south were the three larger palaces and opposite was also the Triple Ball playing field, which is unique in the whole Mayan area. As mentioned the Mayans made their own rubber balls, these were large hard rubber balls, which they used for their unique game of Triple Ball that was played at ceremonial times.
In the Gran Plaza at one end was Temple 11 – The Mascarones Temple/Temple of the Masks. It is 38m and faces the Gran plaza built by Mr. Cocoa – governor Jasaw Chan Kawil 1.
At the other end we looked up at Temple 1 – The Big Jaguar it was built in 700AD by the son of governor Jasaw Chan Kawil 1 – Mr. Cocoa, to honor his father, whose tomb was discovered inside/under the temple. His rich burial goods included stingray spins – for bloodletting, jade objects, pearls and carved bone with hieroglyphs. Again standing at 47m it is a majestic pyramid.
Passing Acropolis Central, where Tikal’s nobles lived, we made our way back for breakfast at 9ish. It had been an excellent tour.
Later after a nap, John and I went back into the Tikal ruins to return to where we had been and to see more of the ruins. As we started out we saw and heard howler monkeys high in the branches of the trees.
This time we visited Temple 1V – the Two Headed Snake Temple again to see the view in the midday light. The view was excellent even if the weather was dull. From above the treetops we could see the temples of the Gran Plaza – Temple 111 Temple V and the great pyramid of the Mundo Perdido poking through the treetops.
We then headed off towards the Main Plaza but ended up at “The Lost World” – Mundo Perdido a 
complex of 38 structures with the huge pyramid in its midst. This pyramid at 32m is 80m along the base.
It has 4 eroded staircases with huge masks flanking each one. It is believed they were for observing the sun’s trajectory against the trio of structures to its east. Tunnels dug under this pyramid have found 4 similar pyramids beneath the outer surface. This dates back AS FAR AS 700BC!!
On we went through drizzle to Templo V. It is the second highest temple at 57m and was built between 550 and 650 AD.
From there we did make our way to the Gran Plaza, but then what had been showers turned into out right rain. The pathways that have been worn to bare rock with time and use became very slick, soil turned into mud and we decided it was time to head out. We were starving as we had long before missed lunch so stopped off at the park’s tienda and restaurante facilities where we had a delicious sandwich, especially made as we had missed lunch.
We planned to return to revisit the Gran Plaza early the next morning before the buses arrived, but unfortunately we were not permitted to as our 24-hour park pass was expired and it was not worth purchasing for 150Q each 2 tickets for just a few hours.
Flores & Santa Elena
Transportation:
When we left we walked out the hotel entrance and were met by some fellows who said they were the 11:00am collective to Santa Elena. Following them, we boarded a touristo autobus and feeling very lucky to have it to ourselves, we relaxed. The bus headed towards the entrance where the driver and helper got off to gather more customers. However they only came back with 5 others and then announced to us all they were not leaving until 12:30 now, as they did not have enough of us. Of course everyone was royally pissed off. It felt like we had been kidnapped.
Everyone, except myself, got off to argue with the men. Next thing I knew the driver gets back in the bus and takes off with our bags and me! Then I really was feeling kidnapped. He zoomed down the road and around the car park pulling up between other busses. It was just crazy! He had gotten fed up with the others telling him he was not being honest and so he had a Trump melt down, took off with the bags and me. Anyway everyone followed the bus and the result was we agreed to go for a cup of tea and to return when the driver felt he might leave. Off to the cafe we go, barely getting served when our driver appears, he has a bus for us. So back we go get on a smaller collective and head to St Elena and Flores. What a crazy early morning.
Arriving in St Elena our driver continued on over the causeway and drove up the tiny Flores lanes right to our hostel – Los Amigos, it was a very pleasant surprise to get door-to-door service.
Flores and Santa Elena
Our hostel – Los Amigos – was a unique place to stay. The building where our little private room with shower was located was around the corner from the main building where the lounge, bar, and hostel real was located. Our building was a converted home that had been very colorfully decorated.
It was small but very comfortable, plus you could go to the roof to lounge if you wanted. The main building was a place that was quite unique. The lounge area was really like a big doss area or chill out place for backpackers. There were couches, cushions, swings, all kinds of seating and tables for eating at too. Then there was the bar area that was really uniquely decorated, very reminiscent of the hippy generation time when we had both grown up. John’s opinion was that it was like an enormous playpen for young folk. Well we had 2 dinners and a breakfast there and the food was great and the drinks a good price, so it was an excellent playpen.
We enjoyed walking the lanes and alleyways of Flores in the afternoon, but wished for sunshine. It is a quaint island, just jammed with homes many of which are hotels, tiny stores and restaurants of all types. Flores has a colourful history. It had been the last independent Mayan kingdom, but the Spanish annihilated all trace of the pyramids, and Mayan structures so now all you see is built on the ruins of Itazaes of Tayasal.
The next day dawned with rain and cloud again, but as we had breakfast in a restaurant by the lakeside the cloud cover started to break. We spent the morning walking across the causeway and into St Elena where we stumbled upon the local market.
There we had an excellent time wandering around looking at just everything that was displayed for sale. The locals were so friendly even cooperating with my picture taking of all that I found interesting. I even found loquats for sale.
The day had brightened significantly by then as we made our way back across the causeway it was a completely different landscape we saw looking out across the lake.
After a lovely but too large lunch we again walked all the lanes and alleys of Flores, this time in the blazing sun. It is a very, peaceful, picturesque island town.
Eat healthily, sleep well, breathe deeply, move harmoniously. – Jean-Pierre Barral
Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses. – Alphonse Karr
