Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – June 11 – 17, 2011

I left the resort in Cancun at 11 a.m. to go to the airport for a 1:10 flight.  It was delayed by about half an hour and arrived in Mexico City just slightly late.   I was worried about my connecting flight to Puerto Vallarta but it was also delayed so it all worked out.  Both flights were great except that getting into and out of Mexico City was rather bumpy as they had several storms in the area.  I arrived in Puerto Vallarta around 6 p.m. and caught a taxi to the resort.  I haven’t been here for many years and things have certainly changed as there has been a lot of development in the area. 

The actual resort looked just the same and after I checked into my room I wandered down to the nearby plaza for dinner and then to buy groceries.  It was after 8 p.m. when I was walking back and it still wasn’t dark, which was quite a change from Cancun.  It was an equal surprise when I got up the next morning and wondered why there wasn’t any light in my room waking me up before 7 a.m.  I then sat on my balcony and watched the sun rise just after 7:30 a.m.  The birds were singing and flying around and there was no one else around at the time so it was very peaceful.  I had my bowl of cereal on the balcony while I enjoyed the view.  I’m on the 8^th floor so have a great view of the Marina in front of me, the countryside and mountains to the left or east, and the beach and ocean to the right or west.

I went down to the Members Services desk and got lots of reading material on what to do this week, although I really don’t plan on doing anything.  I then went and had my picture taken for my photo ID and got my towel and eventually made it to the beach to read all the material.  It was hot and sunny but there was a bit of a breeze so that definitely helped cool things down.  Unfortunately on the beach that also means that you get a lot of sand blown at you.  I noticed it in my eyes first.  It’s so fine you don’t really feel it on your skin until you go to get up and find you are covered in a fine powder.  Regardless it is a nice beach and I plan to spend a fair amount of time on over the next few days.

I went back up to the condo for lunch, which I again ate on my patio.  It was now in the shade but certainly a lot hotter than early in the morning.  After that I went down to another meeting with Member Services to see what was new at the resort and what they wanted to sell me this time.  For a mere $49,000 I could have lots of new privileges.  Like that was going to happen!  The normal visit is about two hours with lunch and/or drinks and a tour and a talk.  I was in and out in less than 15 minutes, which was exactly how long I said I’d give them to present their spiel.  Then I went to the pool, found a bit of shade and read for another couple hours.  At 5 p.m. I went back to the room and changed into something a bit more respectable and then at 6 p.m. I went down to the welcome party for some free munchies and some entertainment. 

The welcome party is actually quite entertaining.  It’s held in a theatre that’s right outside my window.  If it weren’t for the palm trees I could have enjoyed the action from my patio.  The dancers, supposedly doing ancient Mayan dancer, were fantastic.  The audience members who went up to dance in another part of the show were not so fantastic but they were entertaining none the less.  The music was good.  The emcee was good.  The staff intros were quick and yet still entertaining.  The food was good – basically just munchies (taco chips and salsa, popcorn, etc.) and some wonderful bread with a chunk of cheese and tomato and spices that were fantastic.  The whole event only lasts about an hour and the temperature was lovely so it was very enjoyable.

I then changed again and went for a walk on the beach.  Ii thought I’d be gone for about an hour and back shortly after 8 before it got too dark.  Because I wasn’t going to be gone long I didn’t take my camera.  By the time I got back it was about 9:30 p.m. and definitely getting dark.  The sun didn’t set until about 8:40 and it wasn’t a spectacular sunset so I certainly didn’t need my camera for that.  However, the walk was really quite wonderful.  Yes, the sand was nice and easy to walk on barefoot.  And yes the breeze of the ocean was cool and refreshing.  But better than that, I saw three sea turtles.  I had gone specifically to other places and on other tours to see them but they weren’t anywhere in sight.  Now they were right in front of me and it was still daylight so I could see them perfectly.  I could also have taken some fantastic pictures of them had I had my camera with me.  I will take with me on future walks and I probably won’t see any turtles.

Anyway, the first one I spotted because I noticed the tracks from the water up on to the sand and there up by volleyball net at one of the resorts was the turtle.  She was just making her way down to the water so I just stood and watched.  The sand is pretty loose and deep so it was slow progress.  She would put her head up, raise her body and take about twenty steps and then lower herself back down again to rest.  It definitely looked like hard work.  Eventually she made it to the edge of the water and with the first wave that washed over her she was gone.  It was obviously a lot easier for her to move in the water.

The second turtle I must have walked right past on my way out.  There were people sitting and standing around at a certain spot and I just thought it was a family enjoying the beach so I walked around them.  They were still there when I came back down the beach and I finally realized why.  There was a turtle right near the water digging a nest.  That too looked like really hard work.  These are big turtles and very heavy.  In order to dig a nest they have to dig with their back feet (probably not the right word but I’m not sure what else to call them) while keeping the rest of their body stationary on the sand.  The sand was pretty wet where she was digging so it was also very heavy.  After four to six swipes with her back feet, she would let herself down and relax for a while.  This went on for some time and eventually she just relaxed and went very quiet.  Apparently they go into a trance as soon as they start laying eggs.  That’s when the naturalists move in.  The one guy got behind the turtle and started scooping out sand so there was a big hole about three feet deep when he was done.  The eggs would fall into the hole one by one and he would scoop them up and put them into a plastic bag to be transported to the safe site.  In total he collected 86 eggs.  At this stage the eggs have a soft rubbery shell and are easy to transport.  Shortly after the last egg had been laid and collected, the turtle began to start moving to fill in the hole.  The naturalist quickly slid all the sand back in that he had hauled out at the back of the nest and then let the turtle do the rest.  She seemed none the wiser about the fact that the eggs she had just laid were no longer in the nest.  Either that or she was quite happy to have the eggs taken away to safety.  She also didn’t seem to mind having all of us standing around watching her.  After several minutes of throwing sand back into the nest, including some dry sand which was really ending up about six feet away and missing the nest entirely, she finally headed toward the sea and we all cheered her on her way.

The naturalists left as soon as the eggs had been collected and the sand shoved back into the nest.  They were busy chasing down the next turtle that had come up on shore just as the last one came out of her trance and only about thirty feet away.  I didn’t stay around to watch this new turtle and neither did they.  They had an ATV and an entire beach to patrol so they had to do a run up and down the beach to see what else was happening.  They knew they had lots of time before they had to be back with this specific turtle.  The other naturalist, by the way, was busy measuring the size of the turtle while the guy was gathering the eggs.  She had a clip board where they recorded the location of the turtle, the size, the number of eggs, etc.  She said they didn’t have any of the turtles tagged.  From what I saw on the sheet this appeared to be about the fifth or sixth turtle already this evening and normally they are busiest after dark.   As the girl said when she left, obviously it was going to be a busy night for them.  

I spent Monday at the pool reading in the morning, had lunch, did some blogging, had a quick evening stroll on the beach and then had dinner while watching the hockey game.  Now I have to stop there and say that while walking on the beach that night I did not see any turtles but it was earlier than the previous night because I had to be back to watch the hockey game.  However, I did see lots of sting rays surfing the waves right at the shoreline.  They were pretty impressive to see.  One of them wasn’t too bright though.  He obviously got a bit too close to shore and ended up on the sand upside down flapping around trying to get back into the water.  Luckily a larger wave came along and he was saved.

The other thing I saw on the shore in the wet sand was something blue and jelly like.  That did not impress me as it looked like a jelly fish.  By the time the evening was through I had seen three of them and after talking to a lifeguard down the beach, he confirmed that they did have jelly fish here but only the blue ones, but he hadn’t heard of any today.  I told him there were some on the beach and he said they would sting if they got wrapped around your leg but they wouldn’t sting if you just stepped on them.  So for the walk back I definitely watched where I was stepping and made sure I was just a bit higher than the water as it came in. 

Now the reason I’m telling you all this is because on the walk out I stepped on something and it really hurt.  It felt like a nail or pin going in as it was really sharp.  But at the same time it felt like a hard sharp rock that really hurt your whole foot.  Ii couldn’t see any puncture wound or hole or cut on my foot and I couldn’t see anything on the ground.  It really hurt but I kept walking – didn’t really have any choice about that.  The next day when I got up my foot was swollen a bit and still sore but there was still no apparent injury to the skin.  By noon my foot was so big I couldn’t even get flip-flops on and it was really red and itchy.  That’s when I decided I probably had to go to the medical centre.  That took a while. 

I had to get approval from the insurance company first and they had to fax that to me.  I ended up calling them three times to say nothing had arrived yet.  Eventually 8 hours later, they e-mailed me what I needed so I could go see the doctor.  I’m glad I wasn’t bleeding to death.  Anyway, the hotel gave me a lift to the medical centre and the doctor said I definitely had a problem but she agreed there was no point of entry or anything so she thought it must be just an allergic reaction to whatever I had stepped on.  She gave me some medication and it now, two days later, does seem much better.

What all of that means is that I had no more walks on the beach daytime or nighttime so definitely no chance to see any more sea turtles and get pictures.  I made it as far as the pool each day, as I limped along, and that was it.  However, I’d rather have this type of foot injury at this point in my travels than the kind of foot injury I had on my last year off.  This one was a whole lot easier to get through.  Now I just have to hope that the flight home doesn’t affect it in any way.

And that ends my travels for this trip.  I am off shortly to the airport to start my journey back home.  I still have many blogs to complete but they definitely won’t be done until after I get back. 

Flores, Guatemala – May 25 – 27, 2011

We left Tikal around 11:30 for the trip to Flores.  There were only two of us for the first while but then we started picking up more people once outside of the park.  Students in school uniform obviously use these shuttle vans to get back and forth to school and by the end every seat was full and some were standing at the back behind the last row of seats and there were three students in the front seat with the driver.  It was definitely a lively trip. 

As you get away from the park and closer to Flores you have the lake, Lago Peten Itza, on the right hand side of the road and it looks really nice and appears to have some lovely beaches on it.  We went to the bus station again and our friendly tour operator offered to drive us across the causeway and to the island of Flores to our hotel.  He wasn’t really being all that generous.  He just wanted to claim a commission from the hotel and he did even though he had nothing to do with us choosing to stay there.  Oh well, I guess you have to make a buck somehow.

The island town of Flores is very small.  There are only two main streets around the outside of the island and then a few streets that cut across the island and bisect the streets going around.  The streets are very narrow in places and look more like alleys in some cases but then there wasn’t a lot of traffic so it seemed to work out okay.  Most of the streets are cobblestone or brick so that definitely adds to the old-world feel.  The town square is on the highest part of the island.  There is a church and city hall around the square, an artisans’ co-op, a music conservatory and a lot of smaller vendors.  The music school was neat because it’s almost open air and there were students practicing the marimba.  The vendors were also great as it was hot and I really appreciated my orange float while enjoying the view from the hillside.

As I already noted, the lake is beautiful.  The water looks clear and calm and great at reflecting what’s on the other side of the shore when the light is right.  The lake is not very big so there are lots of shorelines to reflect.  Many of the nearby shores have homes and other buildings on them.  Farther away the shoreline looks more deserted.  Our hotel was on the inner road but it was right at a cross road so there is an open view right to the water.  At the end of the street, which is only one building wide and thus only a three-minute walk at most, there is a dock.  The dock was busy at most times of the day.  Generally it was just busy with swimmers but occasionally a few water taxis pulled up at the shore beside the dock to pick up or drop off passengers.  We went down to cool off a couple of times and the water was very refreshing.  The only complaint was that the old wooden steps that were below water level were very slippery.  However, I enjoyed the refreshing dips anyway.

The streets in town are full of hotels and restaurants and travel agents and other touristy operations.  It didn’t take twenty minutes to walk around the whole island so that will tell you how big it is.  There were also residential homes somewhere but what was really apparent as you walked around the streets were all the small businesses.  It was a very relaxing and laid-back spot to visit.  The weather was exceedingly hot and humid so having the water nearby also helped.  This was another spot where I paid for air conditioning because the rooms were small and stifling at times.  Our place had a rooftop terrace with hammocks so that also helped, and the view from there was equally stunning.

The first day we wanted some lunch so went wandering to the right along the lake shore.  Someone gave us a hand-written flyer for a French restaurant and that’s where we ended up.  Two guys worked there, including the guy who earlier gave us the flyer.  You sat outdoors in an enclosed area that luckily had some shade and some breeze.  The crepes were great and very, very inexpensive.  The two young guys running the place were hilarious.  One was in his bathing suit with no top and no shoes.  The other had a top on but was continually smoking a cigarette.   This was not your typical restaurant experience but we enjoyed it.  At night we went to a restaurant recommended by someone we met and it too was great.  It was right on the water or at least across the road from it with nothing on the other side of the road.  Two of us shared the large catch of the day and it was a huge meal.  It was also delicious but did cost a fair bit more.  The second night we went to another place for dinner, also right on the water, and it too was very enjoyable.  I don’t remember what breakfasts were but I know we frequented the little grocery store next door regularly so I think we probably just had something quick for breakfasts as we were always on the go early.

On the 26^th we were up early and off for another tour.  There were only two tourists and one guide so it was very personal service.  Because I hate the heat of the day and we were going to be gone most of the day we asked to leave an hour earlier.  That worked well except that when we got to the park it wasn’t open so we had about 45 minutes to kill.  In other words, their original timing would have gotten us there just in time.  We had just past a resort sign that included reference to a restaurant so we went back to that spot.  It appeared to be deserted but someone did appear and cooked us a wonderful breakfast which we enjoyed on the deck overlooking what looked like a lake but they called it a lagoon.

Now I should say that getting this far was a miracle.  The road was pretty rough and by the time we got to the park he had broken the air valve on one of the tires.  While we had breakfast he changed the tire but the spare was low on air.  He got that pumped up but we weren’t really sure how we were going to get back out this rough road with a little spare tire that was obviously losing gas.  We did make it though and it turned out that the tire wasn’t our problem on the way back.  Instead the car kept missing and sputtering because he said he had some bad gas.  I thought it was going to die anytime and there wasn’t a lot of traffic on some of these roads.  A couple of times he just shut it off for a minute and then started again and it seemed to be better.  Eventually he got to a gas station and put in some more gas and that seemed to help.  Eventually we did get back to Flores but it was certainly an interesting trip.

So back to Yaxha.  As far as we could tell we were the only two tourists in the park.  There were a few guards and guides and workers around the area but basically we were all alone.  It was another hot, humid day but there was just enough shade and enough of a breeze off of the lake to make it bearable.  The setting by the lake is beautiful and there is one place with a series of steps and platforms going down to the lake and these steps date back to Mayan days.  There are three other Mayan cities (Topoxte, Nakum and Naranjo) on the other side of the lake so it seemed to be several communities connected to each other by water.   These cities were active from 400 BC to 1450 AD.  Some parts of Yaxha are not yet uncovered.  Some parts are partially uncovered and restored, and a couple of the areas are totally uncovered and restored.

 We wondered around for several hours and thoroughly enjoyed the peace and quiet and the spectacular sites before us.  There were some stones of different shapes that were carved, but it was hard to make out exactly what they depicted and we didn’t have guide with us.  Some of them definitely looked like men well adorned with headdresses and necklaces and other heavy jewelry.  Some of the carvings were parts of the Mayan calendar that we had seen before.  Others were very ornate and curved and large and incredibly detailed so the stone carvers were obviously very talented.

One of the largest structures in the complex was the Temple of the Red Hands, so named because of the red hand imprints that were found here.  We didn’t see any red hands but we did climb to the top and had a great view of the lake and the surrounding jungle as we were well above the tree tops.  In this particular case they had stairs up the side of the pyramid instead of allowing us to climb the pyramid itself.  From here we could also see the tops of several of the other structures in the park.

The most beautiful spot in the complex was the Acropolis North I think. I say I think because I’m guessing which area it was by matching my pictures to the tiny Spanish map I have.  Regardless, it was an area with several pyramids on it.  We climbed the tallest one by walking up the Mayan steps and some of them were quite crumbly so you had to pick your path carefully.  When you got to the top you had another incredible view of the countryside and other parts of the complex.  You also had a good view of the immediate area which included smaller pyramids to the left and to the right.  All of the pyramids seemed to be what I would call step pyramids and most had seven or nine steps or levels before they reached the top.  With the sun shining on them they were absolutely beautiful and detailed.  Every stone seems to show up on the pictures. 

Some of the paths between the different structures were very open and sunny while others were just through the jungle.  The fact that we were the only two in the place and it was so remote and quiet only added to its charm.  There were obviously palaces and plazas and residential areas and markets in the complex but a lot of it was left to the imagination.  The last pyramid we climbed was the Complejo Astronomico Mayor which I assume had something to do with astronomy.  It was another high structure and afforded more great views.  Again there were wooden steps up to the top and we didn’t have to use the old steps. 

Yaxha was a much less popular site than Tikal and yet the walkways and signage were much better.  Unfortunately they were only in Spanish so we had to guess a bit about what we were reading.  Someone told us they only have about 200 visitors a year to this site but I think it was definitely worth it and it would have been nice to have caught the boat to some of the other nearby communities as well but there was just no time to do so.  We had one more night in Flores before heading off early in the morning by bus, which turned out to be more like a big van, to Belize.  I’ll pick up that part of the story in a later blog.

Tikal, Guatemala – May 23-24, 2011

We took the shuttle from Poptun to Flores or rather the city just the other side of the causeway from Flores.  Our intention was to get a cab or tuk-tuk to Flores from the shuttle stop but instead we decided to go directly to Tikal.  Several other travelers had told us to stay at the Jungle Lodge because it was right in Tikal National Park, which allowed for more actual touring around the ruins, and because it had a swimming pool, which would be needed after all the touring around the ruins.   So two hours later we arrived at the Jungle Lodge and checked in. 

It was just 3 p.m. and we decided to spend the rest of the day relaxing at the pool instead of heading off to the park on the 3:30 tour going from the hotel.  We hadn’t had lunch yet so really needed to eat.  We went to our room, changed into our bathing suits, went to the restaurant and ordered lunch to be delivered to the pool, then went to the pool and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.  It was wonderful.  The water in the pool is almost too warm but it’s still refreshing.  The monkeys were playing up in the trees for part of the time so they were fun to watch but impossible to get a picture of.  The birds were making beautiful music for our enjoyment.  There are only about a dozen people in the whole resort so it is very quiet.  Some of those people left the next day so by the time we left I think there were only four or five of us left.  We were the only ones in the dining room the final night.

Bedtime came early the first night as we had to be up at 4 a.m. to take the 4:30 a.m. tour through the ruins to Temple IV where we were to watch the sun rise.  There were five of us on the tour – one American and four Canadians.  We all had our flashlights so we could see the way.  I really had no idea where we were walking but I knew there were lots of trees around most of the time.  Occasionally we came to more open places but you couldn’t see what was there.  Only a couple of times did I glimpse a high structure nearby and then it was still too dark to photograph it.  It was slightly foggy as we moved along the trail and eventually after almost an hour of walking we came to Temple IV.  

The temple rose high above us and had trees right around it so that only the top part was really visible to us.  To get to the top to watch the sunrise we had to climb the wooden stairs beside the temple.  As these were nice even steps it was a much easier climb than if we had to use the Mayan steps that are often quite steep, of varying and often great height and very narrow.  Apparently these types of stairs were used on pyramids so people had to keep their heads down to watch where they were going and because their heads should be bowed as the approached the gods at the top. 

Once at the top we joined about 30 other people sitting quietly on the steps down on a very thick green jungle.  Because the fog or mist was so thick, we could just see the tree tops and nothing more.   The sounds were amazing as the various birds awoke and called out their morning greetings.  There was not much action although a couple of birds did fly past at one point.  Instead it was just very relaxing sitting and listening to the sounds of the jungle come alive.  The world gradually got lighter but there really was no sunrise because there was just too much fog.  Two of the folks with us had also been up the day before and they said it was totally different and when the sun rose you could see the rest of the temples in the park and it was really amazing.  Oh well, I guess the rest of us will have to catch that on our next visit.

We went back down about 6:30 to continue our journey through the ruins.  At the bottom our guide gave us a talk about the Mayans and Tikal but I didn’t understand much of it.   He seemed to be jumping all over the place so it was very hard to follow.  Luckily he didn’t stop many times for lengthy explanations but just named sites as we went past for the rest of the trip.  Two of the people left us after we came down Temple IV, the two people who had done the tour the previous day, so that only left three of us and I think the guide lost a bit of his interest.  Sometime before 8 a.m. he left us on our own and assumed we would wander back to the resort for breakfast.  We decided to keep wandering since it was only going to get hotter, and we didn’t get back until almost noon so it was more lunch than breakfast and we had it at the pool once again while we cooled off.  About 4 p.m. we headed off to the ruins again and wandered around until about 7 p.m. when it was getting dark.  I don’t remember seeing a single other person during that time so that should tell you how uncrowded the place was.

Tikal National Park was declared a Natural and Cultural Heritage of Humanity site by UNESCO in 1979.  It is just one of many historic Mayan sites in the northern part of Guatemala sandwiched between Mexico and Belize in the Peten province.  It is a heavily forested area and many of the archeological sites did not get discovered for years because they were buried in the growth of the forest.   Mirador is a new site even farther north right on the Mexican border that was discovered just in the last decade or two.  It is a huge site and has the largest Mayan pyramid ever found.  We talked to several people who had been to Mirador and said it was really amazing.   However, it involves a four or five-day hike to get there so I was quite willing to skip that site and just enjoy Tikal instead.

Tikal was discovered in 1848.  Much archeological work went on early in the 20^th century and it was finally opened to the public in 1955.  The Mayan civilization dates from 800 BC to 900 AD and Tikal around 750 AD covered about 55 square kilometers.  Ti’-ak-al in Mayan means in the lagoon but it was commonly referred to as the place of the spirit voices.  The reference to the lagoon may refer to the fact that this entire city was built nowhere near a river or lake or other water supply.  They had to collect rain water and save it for use in the dry periods.  In several places we did see drainage ditches that would carry the water to and from the buildings.

Tikal has six main temples and they are imaginatively named Temple I through Temple VI.  However, each does have another name as well.  Temple IV for instance, where we climbed to watch the sun rise, is also called the two-headed snake temple although at this stage I don’t remember why.  It is at the extreme west edge of the complex and is the highest structure in the park at 65 metres.  It was built in 740 AD and apparently if the sun does rise and the mists clear you can see all of the other main structures right in front of you.  Temples I, II and IV are virtually in a straight line from the east to the west of the complex.  Temple III is just off that line and temples V and VI are further to the south.

 Temples I and Ii are at either end of Grand Plaza, which was the main gathering place for the Mayans.  Temple I is also known as the Big Jaguar, is 47 metres high and was built in 700 AD by the then governor whose tomb was found inside the temple.   Temple II or the Mascarones Temple is 38 metres high and was also built in 700 AD by the governor.  Supposedly there is a wooden carving in this temple that looks like the governor’s wife.  Between these two temples is an open grassy area and to the north is the North Acropolis which holds eight funerary temples built over a period of 300 years.  You can climb all over this area and it really is quite large.  Much of it though is still in runs and not complete buildings.  You could climb part way up Temple II but could not climb Temple I at all.

You also could not climb Temple III, the Great Priest Temple.  It is the second highest at 60 metres and has two inner chambers instead of three like temples I and II – not that we ever got to see the inside of any of them.  Temple V is 51 metres high and was built between 550 and 650 AD.  Temple VI or the Inscriptions Temple is the shortest at only 25 metres but the crest carved on the top of the pyramid is over 12 metres high so very impressive.    You could not climb Temple VI but you could climb Temple V.  Well, you didn’t actually climb them temple but rather the very narrow and steep steps built up the side of it.  They were more like a ladder in places but I did make it up and down safely always facing the steps.  I couldn’t turn around and come down them as if they were steps.  They were just too steep for me.  Aside from great views of the ruins in front of you and the jungle around you there really wasn’t anything to see as you couldn’t go into the temples themselves.

I mentioned Acropolis North off the Grand Plaza but there was also Acropolis Central and Acropolis South.  Acropolis Central was just to the south of the Grand Plaza and consisted of many buildings and patios that we assumed were probably part of a residential area.  Acropolis South is farther to the south obviously and it has not yet been fully excavated but there are apparently several palaces surrounding an even larger building that was not identified.  There were also west and east plazas but they have not been excavated fully and the general thought is that these were the market areas.  A couple of palaces have been excavated such as the Palacio de Las Ventanas or windows and the Palacio de Los Cinco Pisos or five somethings.  Don’t you just love the accuracy of this blog?

I’m sure there are other areas I am forgetting as well.  Oh yes, there was the Plaza of the Seven Temples so named because of the seven small temples in the area.  There was also a triple ball playing field, something unique in the whole Mayan area as most are only double playing fields.  There was also a Plaza of the Lost Worlds, so named because the pyramid here was of a totally different design from the rest of Tikal.  The rest of the areas were simply labeled alphabetically and some had been excavated and some hadn’t. 

We didn’t visit everything but we certainly hit all the highlights in our eight-hour morning walk and our three-hour evening walk.  It would be nice to do it at a more leisurely pace but it was so hot that I couldn’t have handled another day anyway.  The ground was so dry that the leaves just cracked under your feet while you walked.  They definitely needed some rain but having it so dry meant we didn’t have to worry about mosquitoes and that was definitely a nice bonus.  Having the pool was also a bonus as was being right in the park.  This was certainly a better arrangement than staying in Flores and then having to bus in and out for 1.5 hours each way each day. 

Staying in the park also got us more of a jungle feel.  The birds sounded lovely although I have to admit that I didn’t see many of them.  The flowers were fantastic and the monkeys were very entertaining.  There were also some coati and deer around the area and lots of lizards.  I can’t remember whether this was also where we saw the wild pigs and the wild turkeys but I know we saw them somewhere on our travels so this is a likely spot.

I really enjoyed Tikal and Yaxha and Flores and Poptun, all of which are in Peten state or province or territory, whatever they call it.  We actually had to debate whether we were going to go to these places.  They were on the original destination list but then some trouble happened and the entire state was placed in a state of emergency just before we were to go.  I believe it was 27 people who were murdered and decapitated in what was thought to be part of a drug war.  The Canadian government website definitely advised against going but we decided to go anyway.  I’m glad we did.  If anything the state of emergency made it even safer than before as there was a very strong police presence.  I felt very safe at all times and heard of no further problems.  I just wonder how many people were scared away from the area and if there might have been larger crowds at some of the sites if this had not happened.  I’m glad we and at least some others decided to continue on with our Peten adventure because it was definitely worth it.

Rio Dulce, Guatemala – May 19 – 21, 2011

On the 19^th we were up early for breakfast before our 7:15 departure.  We had a transfer by pickup truck to the nearest town and then switched to a van for the trip to Rio Dulce.  We were taking the back road, instead of the main highway which was much smoother but many miles longer, so we were on narrow, winding dirt/gravel/rock roads that were very bumpy.  We went through the highlands and there were some incredible views of rolling hills nearby and in the distance.  There were also some incredible drops down into the valley but I tried not to think about those.   The road was so narrow that at one point we had to wait while two large trucks tried to pass each other on the road.  It took a lot of finagling but they did make it.  After watching the two of them pass, our vehicle seemed tiny and it looked like we had lots of room!

 We crossed several rivers but there was not much water in any of them.  They did have large riverbeds though so I’m assuming that they do get lots of water at some point.  There were other rivers that had lots of water in them now.  Some of the areas were thick with vegetation and other areas were very dry and barren looking.  It was a very diverse section of the country we were driving through and again there were lots of burn areas and lots smoke throughout the journey.   

We went through a number of small villages.  There were lots of children around but they didn’t seem to be in school even though it was a week day.  Then in one town our driver stopped to deliver a package and there at the school were a group of adults in the school yard obviously doing an organized group exercise.  Obviously it was a professional development activity or PD Day for the teachers and a free day for the kids. 

Despite the various towns we went through, there were no bathroom breaks on this trip except in the great outdoors.  The guys certainly made use of that opportunity but fewer of the females did.  We were on the road for a good five hours, if not six from door of resort to door of resort, so banos were greatly appreciated upon arrival in Rio Dulce just after 1 p.m...   It also helped that we had paved roads for the last part of the journey, maybe the last hour, so we weren’t being jostled around too much. 

Our stop In Rio Dulce was the river itself and specifically the ferry terminal.  Some of the people immediately boarded a ferry for Livingston.  Others caught taxis to local hotels and still others caught water shuttles to local hotels that are only accessible by water.   Our shuttle was as the dock to meet us and we went off to the Hacienda Tijax, our home away from home for the next two nights.  The boat ride was only about ten minutes and it was very relaxing.    At the resort I decided to pay the extra charge to get an air conditioned room.  It was incredibly hot and humid and I didn’t think I’d survive without the A/C.  Even the locals were complaining about how hot it was.

The resort is in a jungle area so there are just paths to the individual bungalows.  The bungalows are raised on stilts because of all the rain that they receive at certain times and to help cool the units.  Each one is up 6-8 steps.  There are mosquito nets over the beds and well screened windows.  The resort also has a small marina so there were several sailboats enjoying the facilities as well.  To cool down we went to the pool.  The water was hardly even cool but at least it was wet so that helped.  We had lunch at poolside and did some internet (first time we’d had access in days!).  The mosquitoes came out around 4 p.m. and we lasted until 5 but then had to retreat indoors for more clothes and bug spray.  And that’s clothes against the bugs, not because it was cold.  We had dinner at the resort right on the riverfront.  There were no more bugs in sight and he temperature a bit more bearable.  I went to bed early since we had such an early start to the day but couldn’t get to sleep so it was definitely after 2 a.m. before I finally conked out.  I really hate nights like that!

On the 20^th I got to sleep in a bit and didn’t get up until after 7 a.m.  What a treat!  After breakfast at the resort we caught the ferry to Livingston.  The ferry was to come between 9 and 9:30 so not very precise.  It arrived closer to 9:30.  From the resort it went back to the main ferry terminal in the town of Rio Dulce so I guess the first ride was just the pickup service.  We bought our return tickets and got back on the same ferry for the trip to Livingston.  The morning trip is more of a tourist route and takes longer.  In fact we didn’t get to Livingston until 1 p.m.  The ferry back was at 2:30 p.m. so we didn’t have a lot of time to look around the town.  And the ride back was almost direct and we arrived at the hotel before 4 p.m.  I guess that means Livingston is an hour away by boat, not the 3-4 hours it took in the morning. 

I should clarify what a ferry means in this case.  There were 14 passengers and there could have been 15 but no more, plus the driver.  The boat had some extra room at the front and at the back for baggage and we had a fair bit of that on our way to Livingston.  The boat has a canvas top which is nice as you get a bit of shade at least.  It was wooden and probably only six feet wide (3 people per wooden seat) and maybe twenty-five feet long.  It was a smooth trip most of the way.  When the waves got a bit bigger closer to the Caribbean or when other boats went by we did bounce around a bit and get some splash from the water, but basically it was a very comfortable and dry ride.  There were many other similar boats going in both directions so I assume this is the typical boat for transportation on the river and that not everyone uses the public ferry.

The river was quite large in places and narrower in others.  At one point the wide part was referred to as a lake but I don’t know if it had a different name.  Manatees live in the river but we didn’t see any of them on our journey.  We did see lots of water lilies in some of the bays and they were very beautiful and picturesque.  There were also areas with lots of reeds.  There were birds on the water and in the trees.  Some of the birds were thin white ones and thin black ones like egrets and herons but I don’t know what they really were.  The driver did not speak English so we didn’t get a lot of details on the journey.  The vegetation along the river was thick and in many vibrant shades of green.  This was often reflected in the calm water for an overall green look.  The vegetation was often hanging over the water and leaving lovely shaded pathways.  When there was vegetation, it was generally very thick.  But in places there were sheer rock walls with only hanging vines to provide the green.  There were also areas with trees with incredible root systems sticking out of the water so I assumed those were mangroves.   

At one point there was a church right at the edge of the river.  It was very simple in a green/blue colour and with a dock right at the front door.  There were literally six steps between the dock and the door so it was obvious most of the parishioners came to church by water.   The locals use dug-out canoes and there were many of them on the lake.  There were fishermen using both nets and lines.  There were also kids selling things from dugout canoes and the best seller was huge starfish.  They had lots of them and also shells and jewelry made form shells and wooden carved items.  At one point we had three canoes on one side of the ferry and two others on the other side.  They were doing a brisk business.

There were many resorts along the bank of the river, especially close to the towns of Rio Dulce and Livingston.  The homes along the river ran from little shacks that hardly looked livable to large beautiful homes that also didn’t look lived in.  Perhaps the owners of some of these only come down for a month or two for their holidays.  There were also many boats in the water – all big and expensive looking.  Some were anchored in bays and some were at resorts or public docks.  This would certainly be a great place for sailing or motoring and we saw several boats flying a Canadian flag.  The area is also an excellent harbour during hurricanes and very popular for that reason.

On both the way up and the way back we stopped at the hot springs, which just happens to have a snack bar and banos.  On the way to Livingston I didn’t even see the hot springs as I thought they were back up in the hills somewhere.  However, on the way back a couple of people wanted to go in for a quick soak in the hot springs and it turned out that the hot springs are right at the side of the river just beside the dock.  The temperature was really hot and you could smell a bit of sulfuric acid but not much.  In the ten to fifteen minutes we had I don’t think I could have even gotten into the water it was so hot.  Besides, I didn’t have my bathing suit with me so it wouldn’t have worked anyway.

Castillo de San Felipe is a small fort at the point where the lake ends and the river starts.  It was built as a defense against pirates to keep them out of the river.  There are cannons along the ground and on top of the walls.  The building itself has stone/brick walls and square towers.  It has recently been restored and looks great but compared to other huge forts or castles it almost looks like a toy because it is so small – of course I am saying that when I’ve only seen it from a boat and never actually set foot in it so heavy emphasis on “looks like”.  It is in a lovely setting with a park behind and lots of green grass, large shade trees and stately palms all around it so it does still look impressive.

Livingston is the town at the mouth of the Rio Grande where it empties into the Caribbean Sea.  It is distinctly different from other parts of Guatemala as it has a mainly Black Caribbean population and food, customs and music to match.   I believe it was referred to as Garifuna but I’m not sure what that means exactly.  As soon as you get off the boat it is a totally different feel.  You can only reach Livingston by water.  There is no road access.  Despite that the main dock is just a regular size dock with two small buildings on it.   When we got off the ferry, and when we got back on, there were eggs sitting on the dock.  There were about twenty stacks all taller than me of the flat three-dozen egg containers.  There were other groceries and dry goods as well just waiting to be moved off the dock.   And in the heat of the day no one was working very hard to get them off of the dock.

As soon as we docked there were people right at the dock trying to get us to their restaurant or hotel or store of whatever kind.  Once they realized we were only there for a couple hours they soon left us alone and started working on the others.  There is a park right across from the dock and it was being used by a number of men who were relaxing, or should I say sleeping, in the shade.  About a 15 minute walk gets you from the dock up to the main part of town and back down to the beach on the Caribbean Sea.  It was not a great beach as it looked and smelled polluted but at least I can say I saw it.   Just off the shore there is a statue on a tiny island.  It looked Roman like a man with a sheet wrapped around him with his right hand raised and his left hand holding a straight stick.  I couldn’t tell exactly what it was but probably either something to do with the sea or with the fact that the people here came from slavery.  The area is much more British in nature and people seem to speak a British English as much as Spanish. 

We had lunch in a small place on the main street and I had fried rice which was great.  Livingston is a small town with fewer than 20,000 people but there are lots of restaurants and discos and hotels and it’s obvious that tourism is really important to the economy but I really don’t know what other industry there is.  Reggae and steel drums are common here.  There were lots of Rastafarian hairdos and 90% of the people had very black skin.  It is definitely different than the rest of Guatemala and at times in the rest of Guatemala you hear the area and the people referred to quite negatively.  It’s almost as if the area should have been part of Belize in that boundary settlement as the people here are more Belizean than Guatemalan.  The town of Rio Dulce, just up the river, should still be Guatemalan.  I’m not sure how close the border is but I may just have to check that sometime.

So what else can I say about Rio Dulce and this area?  Well, there is a beautiful bridge that is long and arched over the river at the town of Rio Dulce where Lake Izabal, the largest lake in the country, ends and the river Dulce begins its trip to the Caribbean Sea.  Rio Dulce was once called Frontier town as it was seen as the last frontier before entering the last frontier or wild west of northern Guatemala.  The bridge and highway that crosses it now joins Guatemala City with Flores and all of the Petén state and the most northerly parts of Guatemala and the whole northern frontier are open to everyone.  That of course changed the entire northern part of the country. 

We went under the bridge several times in our travels and it was interesting to see that the area along the shore was always busy.  This was obviously a favourite spot for the locals for laundry, bathing, swimming and just plain relaxing.   With the laundry all spread out to dry it was also a very colourful area.

The people do not wear traditional costumes in Rio Dulce or Livingston.  Of course I’ve already noted that Livingston just doesn’t seem to fit into the picture at all but I would have thought you would see some traditional dress in Rio Dulce.  Instead it seems to be more western in dress and I mean that as in country and western.  It is definitely cattle country and we often saw fields of cattle and truckloads of cattle. 

Okay, I just remembered we did something on our last day in Rio Dulce.  On the 21^st we had breakfast and then went for a hike through the supposed rainforest.  I say that because it’s just really hard to picture parts of this place as a rain forest when they are so dry that the leaves just crunch under your feet.  They definitely need rain.  Our guide was a very nice guy who was more interested in telling us about how to save the planet than anything.  He was interesting but kept repeating himself, which got really annoying since we were in a bit of a hurry because we had to get back to check out.  Anyway we wandered out the back of the resort and up some hills sometimes through open areas and sometimes with more trees.  I don’t remember seeing any birds or animals.  Well, that’s not correct.  I do remember lots of mosquitoes and had to use an extra shot or two of repellent in places. 

The guide did point out some interesting things with regards to the plants in the area (orchids, strangler trees, parasites, ferns, etc.) and talked a lot about the medicinal value of some of the plants.  There was a really small museum at one point and right now all I remember of it was different kinds of wood including petrified wood from the area.  At the end of the walk was a three storey tower at the top of a hill.  The views from the top were quite impressive.  Of course it was still a bit hazy or smoky so the distant views were a bit obscured.  Some of the walk at the beginning was on small swinging bridges very close to the ground so we could get across some of the swampy areas.  Near the end there was a high hanging bridge about 15 metres above the ground and it provided a neat look down at the plants, especially at the palm tree which has the longest leaves in the world some of which are 15 metres long.  My pictures just don’t do it justice.

Okay, eventually we made it back to the resort, had time for a shower and change because I was really sweaty, and headed off on our journey to Poptun.  We took the hotel shuttle to the dock closest to the bus station, walked to the bus station to get our tickets, and then went to a nearby restaurant to wait for two hours to get the nice, non-stop, air-conditioned bus to Poptun.  The restaurant was right on the water and the breeze was absolutely wonderful.  It was probably only thirty or forty steps from the street but the temperature difference was amazing.  We stayed at the restaurant as long as possible and then caught our bus leaving Rio Dulce behind.

Semuc Champey, Guatemala – May 17-18, 2011

The journey from La Antigua to Semuc Champey was a long 9-hour trip in a crowded van.  The roads were quite good so that was not a problem, until the end when we hit some small dirt road.  The last part of our journey was actually by truck to the resort itself.  The resort is right on the river and we arrived a couple of hours before dinner so we went down to the river for a quick dip in the nice cool water.  It was very refreshing and definitely cooled me off – at least for a few minutes.

I wasn’t feeling all that well after the journey despite the fact that I sat in the front seat near the window.   However, I joined everyone for dinner.  I think there were eight of us in total at the resort.  I didn’t eat a lot.  Actually I probably ate a fair bit but the plates were huge so it just didn’t look like I ate a lot.  I think we had two choices for dinner and that was it.   The resort is very much out on its own so there weren’t a lot of alternatives for food.  That didn’t matter though as the food was good, the price was reasonable and the people were very nice.

After dinner I went right to bed and the next day I didn’t get up until noon.  It was definitely a rough night and I made many trips to the tiny bathroom.  The whole place was pretty small but at least it was quiet so I did get some sleep in the morning.  I don’t know whether I had the 24 hour flu or what but all night I was either hot and sweaty or chilled to the bone and shivering.  The trips to the bathroom stopped in the morning so that allowed me to get some more sleep.

Okay, enough of that.  I skipped the morning activity which was a trip to some caves.  Listening to the adventures later on, I’m very glad I skipped the trip.  Apparently some of the tunnels were very small and in one of the caves you had to swim while holding a candle in one hand to get to the other side of one and solid ground.  I would not have done very well on that part.   I went down for lunch and had some toast, which tasted fantastic, and then decided to venture out to the whole purpose of this visit.

Semuc Champey is one of the country’s main tourist attractions.  The area is a lush forest area so people come to see the flora and fauna including over 800 species of orchids and 100 species of birds.  They also come to see the waterfalls and the natural pools along the river.  The river flows quickly and it cut a path through the limestone and left a natural bridge above.  On this bridge are a series of pools of varying depth that slowly cascade down the river.  The pools and the park surrounding them are one of the main attractions and that’s where we headed.

 

We walked for 10-15 minutes down the road until we came to the park gates.  We then paid our fee, which was some minimal amount, and walked another 10-15 minutes along the narrow park paths to get to the pools.  There was also a lookout you could climb up to but I definitely wasn’t up to that.  I just slowly meandered along the path to the pools and stopped at several to have a relaxing and cooling dip.  The water in the pools was cool and refreshing.  The water does come from the larger river below so it is very clear and fresh.  There were small fish in the pools and they liked to nibble at your toes – a free foot massage that you didn’t have to pay extra for.  You could slide down the small waterfalls from one pool to the next but I didn’t try that.  I was quite content just to sit and soak and relax.

I did make it to the upper end of the pools and went as far out on the river bank as was allowed by the guide to see the waterfall and the river going beneath the pools.  That was quite impressive...  The rapids / waterfalls right at the entrance to the limestone bridge were very strong.   The pools are also quite impressive but they are very placid and the water is shallow on the limestone and the overall colour of the pools is a pale blue green or almost turquoise colour.  There were a few people around but not many.  Those that were there were a mix of locals and tourists.  The latter seemed to want to try out every pool while the locals had their favourite and just stayed there for their visit.  I was still pretty worn out so just walked far enough to see all the pools and the start of the underground river and then just went for a dip in a couple of the pools before heading back to the hotel.  It was a nice visit and the pools were definitely refreshing.  My only gripe was with the fire ants I obviously ran into in the one area.  I got bitten on my little toe and it was very painful and swelled up for quite some time.  I could have done without that.

Once back at the hotel I rested before dinner, which I still didn’t eat much of, and then went to bed as we had to be up early again to start our trip to Rio Dulce at 7::15.

I have a feeling that this blog is likely the shortest I’m going to have on Guatemala so I think I’ll add some general comments here about the country.  Guatemala is known as the land of eternal springs as it is supposedly green and beautiful all year round.  I would agree that everywhere we saw was beautiful but it wasn’t always green.  Some places were very dry and very much in need of rain.  The mountains and volcanoes and rivers are quite spectacular though.  There are 33 volcanoes within the country, five of which are still active.    The name Guatemala is an Indian name meaning the place of many trees.  It certainly has a lot of forests but they are certainly clearing (burning) a lot of the forests as well.

The colour of the country is enhanced by the people themselves.  Their colourful costumes are amazing and their markets are a million different colours.  The people are also very happy and friendly and always have a smile to greet you even if they can’t speak your language.  Everywhere we went we commented on how friendly everyone was. 

It is easy to get around the country by bus or van.  The roads are typical of anywhere with good highways, smaller paved roads and many dirt roads and they all seemed quite safe.  The country has a lot of historical sites and the Mayan sites we visited were very clean and well looked after and we felt very safe even when we were the only tourists for miles around.  The population of Guatemala is over 13 million and the country covers almost 109,000 square kilometers.  That certainly makes the population density much higher than Canada’s but Guatemala doesn’t really seem crowded. 

Overall, I enjoyed Guatemala and would certainly consider it for another visit.  The problem would be deciding what part of the country to see next time because I enjoyed it all.

Poptun, Guatemala – May 21 – 23, 2011

The two-hour bus ride from Rio Dulce to Poptun was very comfortable and quick on a smooth paved highway that now runs from at least Guatemala City in the south all the way to Flores in the north.  We only had two-hours on board but most of the passengers were on a longer trip of about seven hours.   Technically it was a direct bus so I’m not sure how we got on it at all but we weren’t going to argue.  The only stop we made was at an agricultural inspection area where we all had to get out and they had to check the bus to make sure no fruit was going through.  We’ve hit these kind of stops a couple of times and apparently they are just trying to keep a certain insect from moving from one area to another.

We got off in Poptun and so did a few other passengers so we weren’t alone.  There was a tuk-tuk there so we piled our luggage in and headed off to the resort which is 5 km out of town.  It was a pretty quick ride because he took a short cut which involved going over a short narrow bridge with just a few inches to spare on each side, crossing the dirt airstrip and then another similar narrow bridge.  It seemed to be a busy route used by many locals on bikes and motorcycles and on foot.  Cars were too big for the bridge so had to take the long route around the highway.  I’m not sure the airstrip is ever used but they have a control tower in place as well as the airstrip so it could be used if needed.  Obviously the airstrip was there before the highway because the highway goes way up one side of the runway, around the end and then back down the other side. 

The resort, Finca Ixobel, is an eco lodge and it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere just outside of town.  It has lots of green space around.  I’m typing this as I sit on the patio and all I can see is nature around me and a few other bungalows.  The birds are singing and there are certainly some different sounds in that regard.  I wish I could locate the birds that are making the sounds but I can’t seem to find them.  The wind is blowing and the thunder is rolling.  It rained a bit this afternoon but not much and it just might rain again tonight by the sounds of it.  The thunder seems to rumble a long time here.  At time it goes for many minutes before taking a break.  I’m quite used to the rolling thunder in Ontario but this goes on much longer. 

The porch has two lovely large hammocks on it.  I’m not in one at the moment because I’m just not coordinated enough to use my laptop in a swinging hammock.  Either my laptop or I (or both) would probably end up on the ground.  The rooms are large and airy with screened windows on three sides.   There is a main dining room and lots of seating outside of it.  Our meals all come from the dining room and so far they have been great.  They have an in-house bakery and the bread is delicious.  Last night we had spaghetti (chow mein as they called it) with a choice of three different sauces plus two hot vegetables and two salads with garlic toast and regular bread of course.  You order your own breakfasts and lunches.  The eggs and bacon and toast I had this morning were the best I’ve had in a long time.  We had a tour today so we got a bag lunch.  My cheese sandwich was huge so I gave half of it away to a guide.  It’s almost dinner time now and I’m still not hungry.   However, I can hardly wait to see what’s on the menu.  Snacks are available all day and you just have to sign the book to record what you’ve taken so it’s definitely on the honour system.  The banana bread was very good.  The cinnamon buns look delicious but I haven’t been hungry enough to try them!

There is a natural pool nearby that serves as the swimming pool for the resort.  I didn’t try it out but I’m sure it would be refreshing.  It’s actually a bit cooler here than in some previous places but it was still humid today.  Some more rain would have been nice.  The thunder has stopped so I guess the storm has passed yet again.  They definitely need rain.  It’s amazing how dry the countryside is in places.

This morning we went on a tour of some Mayan caves.  The first part involved an hour long drive in a 4X4 vehicle through the rolling hillside to the east.  The road was very stony and dusty and narrow and really bumpy.   There wasn’t much traffic to contend with so that was good.  We only had to pull over a couple times to let a vehicle go by.  We probably had more trouble getting the horses, cows and chickens off the road so we could go by.  The scenery was beautiful, especially when we reached high points where we could see well into the distance.  Of course it was smoky in places so visibility was limited at times.  I’m not sure why they are burning so much of the land but it really is quite alarming.  Wherever you go there are fields on fire or that have just finished burning and are still smoking.  The air is quite full of smoke most of the time so the air quality and visibility are often both limited. 

Sometimes the burned fields seem to have been cleared of all trees before burning.   Other times there are trees still standing in the burned areas.  In some cases nothing seems to be done with the fields after the burning and they just sit in their burned out state.  Some of the areas look like they could be used for farming while other areas appear to just be rock and pretty useless.  As a result, I really have no idea why they do all the burning.  I’m hoping someone will clear up the mystery for me soon but I will say you don’t find may reforested areas so I’m not sure they replace the trees they cut and/or burn.  Rejuvenation is quick though.  In one of the fields today there were still hot spots like tree trunks smoking away and yet there was new grass already up a couple of inches. 

The people in this area seem quite poor.  They dress in western wear and do not seem to have a traditional costume.  The homes are made of vertical wood planks that often have lots of space between them.   I don’t know whether this is just poor craftsmanship or whether the spaces are left to allow the breeze into the interior.  The roof materials were sometimes thatched and sometimes tin or other light material.  As small and poor as the homes seemed it was interesting to see how many of them had beautiful flower beds planted out front.  There were some cows, horses, chickens and even some pigs around.  This is the first location where we’ve seen people consistently riding horses or using them to pull carts.  It’s also one of the few places where we’ve seen pigs.  The first pig I saw reminded me of Babe from the movies.  There was a cow laying on the ground minding its own business and just staring off into space and there was the pig just inches from the cows face and the pig’s mouth was going nonstop.  It looked just like Babe telling one of her non-stop stories and the cow totally ignoring her.  It was hilarious to see.  The next little pig I saw was trotting down the road with its little tail curled and twirling in the air just like a puppy dog’s tail.  He was so cute.  How can anyone not like pigs? 

Okay, back to the tour.  We arrived at a small community and our driver introduced us to our guide for the cave tour.  He was of Mayan ancestry and on the way down to the caves, perhaps a 45-minute walk if you did it directly, he stopped at all of the information boards and explained what each said.  Unfortunately he only spoke Spanish so we couldn’t really understand much of what he was saying.  Having the information on boards as well made it a bit easier because sometimes I can understand written Spanish more easily than spoken Spanish.

The Naj Tunich caves were discovered in the 20^th century and the entire system is three kilometers of connected underground caves from 300-900 AD.  Tourists were originally allowed into all three kilometers but too many things were being damaged so now tourists only get into the entrance and up to what is assumed to be the main gate area.  The caves are important because they were Mayan ceremonial and burial grounds and because they included hieroglyphs and paintings.  Many of these paintings are explained on the information boards and they are also reproduced in another near-by cave for tourists to see.  So we toured the entrance area of the original cave system and the other cave with the replicas.

The original cave has a huge opening.  Despite its size it’s really easy to see why it wasn’t found for so long.  The rock face above it has a lot of hanging vines and the vegetation in front of it, although now thinned for tourist purposes, would have blocked most of the view.  We thought we were only going to see the entrance meaning “there, you can see the entrance, now let’s go to the other cave” but in fact we got to go down into the entrance of the cave and look around.  There were incredible stalactites and stalagmites and columns that were huge.  I guess that’s what happens in a cave over thousands of years.  This section of the cave is currently dry so there is no more growth in stalactites and stalagmites.  Tiny green plants, which the guide called chlorophyll, are already growing on the cave floor at the entrance.  I’m not sure what the rest of the cave is like. 

We crawled around several areas within the entrance.  The footing wasn’t always easy and we often had to duck but it was worth it.  We saw several of the tombs, basically just sections identified by rough brick work.  Some appeared to be horizontal tombs where the body would be laid horizontal and the stone work covered them.  Others appeared to be vertical and the body would have been in a standing position.  Most of the tombs were for one body only but I think there were some for several people or a family.  I tried to ask but I’m still not sure how many tombs in total have been found.  We also saw a ceremonial area and some seats carved out of the rocks.  There was only one small cave painting in this area and it was of an owl or some sort of animal. 

From there we walked to the other cave, which is also a very impressive cave on its own.  It appears to just be a single cave and not part of any chain of caves.  They have built a wooden walkway around the edges of the cave and as you follow the walkway there are reproductions of the original paintings found in the caves.  Some of the symbols are for animals, birds or people.  Others are the symbols from the Mayan calendar and some are the Mayan gods.  And of course a bit of sex also had to be included as well.   I assume the reproduced paintings are just representative of what is in the original cave and not everything within the original cave system.  The drawings were more intricate than I expected them to be and involved quite a bit of detail.  They looked like drawings from a Peanuts comic strip in style and complexity of purpose.  I guess it was quite amazing to find the caves with all of these paintings and that’s why they want to protect them from the tourists, which is understandable.

I probably should know more about these caves than I’ve written above but I can’t remember anything else.  There was no English material available and I didn’t catch much of what the guide was saying so there isn’t much else to write.  About the only other detail I remember is that the caves are about 8 km from the border with Belize.

So what else can I say about the resort.  It is owned by Americans who decided there should be a decent ecological place to stay between Rio Dulce and Flores so they built the resort.  It is in the Lonely Planet guide so it’s quiet popular with back packers and young people – often the same group.  The discussion over dinner tonight was quite interesting as there were two girls from Israel, two guys from the USA, one girl from the USA and one guy from Switzerland at our table.  They were swapping travel stories left and right and they were all quite entertaining.  It was quite a different crowd than last night that seemed to be more couples and families, perhaps out for a weekend away.   Some of the employees at the resort speak excellent English while some speak very little.  We laughed at our orientation as the person checking us in told us where the table toys were.  It took us a moment but we finally sorted out that table toys were board games and it did make perfect sense.