Category: Guatemala

A little over a year ago, I was looking through a book I have called the Top
100 Manmade Wonders of the World. I was flipping through it, noting the
places I had been to, but was also trying to get ideas as to where I was
going to travel to next. Looking through the book, the pictures of Tikal,
Guatemala instantly caught my eye. I’m not really a “historical monument”
kind of girl. I tend to gravitate towards the beaches and tropical places
more so than I ever do places with a lot of history…but for some reason
Tikal just really struck a chord with me. It was that book and those
pictures that made me decide to travel to Central America in the first place
and today, I was fortunate enough to see the Maya ruins of Tikal.

I traveled yesterday from Caye Caulker to San Ignacio, which is the
adventure capital of Belize. The town itself is nothing glamorous, but the
area, called Cayo, has numerous waterfalls, caves, rivers, Maya ruins, etc.
and just 20 minutes from the Belize-Guatemala border. I knew I didn’t have a
lot of time to really spend in Guatemala, so I decided to take a day trip
from San Ignacio to Tikal, which is about two and a half hours away.

The site itself was gorgeous and was surrounded by a huge Guatemalan
rainforest. Unfortunately, our guide talked way too much and seemed a little
crazy as he spoke in numerous metaphors and half the time, I really couldnt
understand the point he was making, but still, I’m so glad I went to the
site.

I took some amazing photos, many that I had seen in guidebooks and on
posters and postcards, but didn’t think I would actually be able to
get…however, that wasn’t the case at all. We climbed up a number of the
temples, and the last temple, Temple 4, gave us this insane view. We were
above the treetops and could see the jungle for miles. Off in the distance,
you could see three of the temples sticking out of the treetops, a view I
had seen numerous times, but imagined it was only visable by plane or
helicopter. It’s hard to describe, but I promise I will send pics soon so
you can get the full effect. It truly was a beautiful place.

Anyway, looks like my time in Belize has come to a close. 😦 I’m off to
Honduras tomorrow…which will again bring more relaxation and beach time
for me.