Trip to the Jungle

Since I first came to Guatemala in 2008, I've wanted to visit Tikal in the northern part of the country. Because it's about an 8 hour drive from the city, the opportunity hasn't presented itself...until this week. Sis. Lynne and the Thompsons surprised me with a trip to Tikal for Christmas (and my birthday, Easter, Valentine's Day, etc). Wow....what an adventure!

First, our tickets were handwritten. That should have been a sign of the confusion that was to come. Tuesday, my alarm went off at 3:45 (definitely not my peak). We were in the taxi on the way to the airport by 5. Because we were flying on a local airline, we didn't go to the main airport but rather "hanger 15." Yet another sign.

Handwritten with my name misspelled. Not good.

We arrive only to find out that they won't recognize our tickets. The airline blamed the travel agency...and it's a little difficult to get in touch with anyone at the agency at 5:15 am. Alas, we watched everyone else board while we waited for yet another cab to take us back home.

The day ended up being rather profitable...we were able to buy everything needed for the group this weekend so it was a blessing in disguise. The agency got our tickets worked out and we were back at the airport that afternoon. This time, the tickets were fine. See this yellow plastic circle? That'd be our boarding pass...

The plane was pretty small...18 seats though there were only 5 of us on board. Each seat had a cute little snack box...with a set of earplugs. Another sign of things to come. There was a bit of difficulty getting the door to shut but then we were off.  It only took 5 or so before we broke out the earplugs. The loudness level was crazy! Felt like I was flying with Dad or Dustin in a tiny plane.

The flight was pretty non-eventful ...I entertained myself by watching the pilot's instruments. =) We were pretty surprised to see how green Peten was from the air. Definitely different from the dry Guatemala City. Guatemala has two seasons....wet and dry. Right now, we are in dry season. Hardly any rain between Nov. and May. The greenness of Peten should have been a sign of things not being as we thought.

How awesome is this baggage claim? Cracked me up!

We spent the night in Flores, a small island about an hour from Tikal. I instantly fell in love with it! It felt like I was in Puerto Rico...totally different than the city. People were walking, skating, running with their dogs...all after dark! The crime rate there is no where near what it is in the city. The air is humid/balmy...and everyone has air conditioning! Amazing!

Our tour of Tikal started nice and early the next morning. Our group included 2 ladies from Spain and 3 people from Argentina. (Side note: understanding their accents put my Spanish abilities to the test...whew). Our trip to the ruins took about an hour. It wasn't very far distance wise but we had to keep slowing for pigs running in the road...no lie.

One of many pigs
 eating on the side of the road.

The ruins were nothing like what I had in my head. For one thing, I thought we'd park close to the monument...get out, walk around, take photos and get back in the car. Little did we know that it was a 5K hike through the jungle. I guess the trekking wear of our fellow group members should have given me a hint. But alas, there I was in my maxi skirt and flip flops..ready to take on the jungle. =)

Look to the right of the sign...see that head?

 This was the first thing we saw.... no, there isn't a fence. This is the real deal. They haven't tweaked the jungle for us at all. There were also jaguar and snake warning signs. This jungle is no joke.

Baby crocodile waiting for lunch to walk by.

Gum Tree! So neat to see what I read about in my science books  in school!

Ruins!

We were in the for real jungle. Felt like I was in the amazon....in flip flops. Not sure that jungle and open-toed shoes are a good combo. (Bro. Jerry, I know you aren't surprised a bit that I had only packed flip flops!). Thankfully, I made it out with all of my digits.

 It's easy to imagine a whole village (population somewhere between 10K and 90K) of tiny little Mayans running up and down these stairs. To think that this was estimated to be 200-900 AD! Super cool!

Some kind of wild jungle turkey. 

We came across a few wild animals. This turkey is one of them....it's prettier than any turkey I've ever seen! We also saw some gorgeous birds and spider monkeys. We heard howler monkeys and wow...what an eery sound!

I made it to the top!

Our tour included a hike to the top of one of the tallest temples (Templo 4). Beautiful view of the jungle and 2 other temples!

We some how missed the memo that northern Guatemala doesn't have a dry season like Guatemala City. It rains EVERY DAY. No wonder things are so nice and green!

I think the poncho is a good look for me.  =)

Thankfully, there was a guy in the park selling ponchos. He came to our rescue! Now, I'm trekking with a poncho, long skirt, and flip flops in the pouring rain. Like a boss.

We survived! All in all, it was an awesome experience. I would definitely do it again (and recommend it to others). It was super neat experiencing the jungle side of Guatemala - something totally new for me. 

The Barriento family picked us up for a night at there house in Sayache. This was my first time meeting this sweet family but you wouldn't have known it. They made me feel so welcome! We all chatted like old friends....til 1 am!  We even had an absolutely amazing spontaneous prayer meeting....God's presence was overwhelming!

Before heading home, the Barrientos introduced us to a new rodent meat....tepezcuintle!
I think in English this rodent is called a Lowland Paca. Either way, it was quite tasty! Almost like a tender steak.  Loved spending time with this family!

Our flight home was rather uneventful. We spent the entire time reflecting on how awesome the trip was. We left feeling revived, refreshed, and ready to take on the chaos of the next few weeks. An absolutely amazing trip (and fabulous Christmas present)!