Today, I visited the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal after ten years of waiting. When my family lived in Guatemala in 2004-2005, we took a trip north to visit Tikal. We were about to board the bus out of Flores, the most convenient town to stay in while visiting the ruins, when a bout of food poisoning made its presence known via projectile vomit. My family went to Tikal without me and I slept in the hotel that day.
Six volunteers from Parque Hawaii joined me on my long awaited journey to Tikal. Getting to Flores was a tad bit stressful because the bus company lost our reservation, the bus broke down, and then a crazy guy tried to scam us. Though exhausted, we decided to bypass naptime in order to visit ARCAS Peten, Parque Hawaii's sister animal conservation center. The highlights of ARCAS Peten included befriending a spider monkey and seeing a gorgeous ocelot. Later that afternoon we jumped from a rope swing into the refreshing lake and ate comida tipica on the docks.
This morning, my friends and I decided to beat the crowds and pay a little extra to get a sunrise tour at Tikal. We were picked up from our hostel at 3am, arrived at Tikal National Park an hour later, then trekked through the jungle to make it to Temple IV before the first light. Temple IV is the tallest structure at Tikal and it made an appearance in one of the Star Wars movies. Walking through the dark jungle was spooky but as soon as I heard a howler monkey scream from the jungle canopy above, I knew waking up early was worth it. We made it to the top of the temple moments before the sun was "born", as the Mayans of Tikal believed happens every morning. I sat 70 meters above ground on a structure built more than 2,000 years ago and watched as the sky turned an array of oranges and pinks. Just as the whole sky began to fill with light a blanket of mist lifted from the canopy below me. The scene was narrated by the sounds of birds singing and howler monkeys screeching. If you are wondering what a howler monkey sounds like, the sound the T-Rex in Jurassic Park makes is actually a howler monkey's call. Basically, they sound the way most people feel on Monday mornings.
After the truly glorious sunrise, we toured the rest of Tikal. I got pooped on by a bird while we were walking between ruins but I was having so much fun I wasn't even mad. Our tour guide knew that the guards switched shifts at 8am and that no one would be guarding a certain temple with an incredible panoramic view at the top. Apparently, someone slipped down the stairs and died a few years back so it's now off limits. We climbed it anyways and although I admit it was a bit sketchy at times, it was completely worth it. Sorry mom and dad, I promise I was careful.
The tour ended at 10am and as we were walking through the jungle back to the entrance of the park, mobs of tourists were entering. Visiting Tikal for the sunrise is one of the most worthwhile things I've spent time and money on in a long time and I'd recommend it to anyone.
After two nights of minimum sleep I am exhausted. Tomorrow morning I'm going to Belize for a couple of days. I can't wait to cross another country off my list of places to go! Sweet dreams.
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