Tikal, we are coming

Date: 06/12
City: Tikal, Guatemala
Kilometres ridden: 111
Cumulative kilometre: 27528

Took a couple of pictures and said goodbye to Rosa, our host. We enjoyed the time here and Rosa looked after us really well.

We jumped on our bikes and rode to the border. The border crossing from Belize was easy and on the Guatemalan side we had to change money to temporarily import our bikes. This time we had all the paper work needed, including copies of our documents πŸ˜€

During our process, we met Ron again, the Canadian motorcycle rider we meet in San Ignacio, Belize. We decided to ride together until we turn off to Tikal. On our way we had a breakfast break on one of the road side stalls.


 

After 60km we turned off to Tikal while Ron continued for another 150km to get to a very nice hostel in central Guatemala. When we arrived at the entry to Tikal – 17km from the ruins – there was a boom gate and a booth that sold tickets. The ticket purchased before 3PM were only valid for the current day, but after 3PM would be valid for the next day too. To get to the hotel tonight and to the ruins tomorrow we had to wait until 3PM, which was another two hours. Close to the boom gate there was a restaurant (a good place to have it πŸ˜‰Β ), so we had a coffee and wrote a posts for the blog.

While sitting there we noticed that a couple (Tobi and Donata from Germany) was trying to get money to enter Tikal- but there was no ATM at the entrance. We offered to lend them the entry fee and work something out later. In the end, they decided to drive back to the next town and get some money out of an ATM. When they came back, they stopped for a chat to waited with us until 3PM. During the conversation they mentioned that they had a package booked that included accommodation, a breakfast and dinner deal and guided tour in the morning for a good price. So we decided to check it out. After 3PM, they continued, so did we. On our way we found a nice sign, there must be cougars around.

The street close to the hotel was blocked, they were paving the road so we couldn’t get straight in. A nice guy suggested that we could ride on a foot path, over the lawn of the campground and then back to the road to get to the hotel, which is what we did. At the hotel, we asked for the package, got a good price, so we stayed. Easy! At dinner we met Tobi and Donata again and we found out that a special birthday for Donata was comming tomorrow. We kept it short this night since the morning walk started at 4AM.

Date: 07/12
City: Tikal, Guatemala
Kilometres ridden: 0
Cumulative kilometre: 27528

We really got up at 3.45AM, used our torches to get to the front office to get a coffee. When Donata arrived, we sang happy birthday with a candle from our camping gear.

Then we started our walk to the temple IV. On our way we could hear some howler monkeys making noise. They sound like lions or other wild cats. We went up onto the temple, sat down at the top and waited for the sunrise – listening to the voices of the jungle. When the sun started to rise, we saw some fog coming in over the top of the trees, it looked fabulous.

When the sun rose, we stood a bit aside from the centre and could see how it must look on the 21th December. The sun was rising just behind another pyramid.

After this experience we started our tour of the ruins of Tikal in earnest. Our tour guide was great explaining the sites and the animals as well

On the way Sigrid found a nice natural swing and couldn’t resist trying it out. We also saw some monkey’s, but they all ran away – even though I showered beforeΒ the tour…. πŸ˜‰


The trip ended at the grand plaza, a complex with two pyramids and the royal palace. By that time our stomaches were dictating the next stop – breakfast at the hotel.

When we arrived, the hotel had prepared a table for Donata outside in the sun and Tobi had as well organized a birthday cake. So the staff came out and sang happy birthday.

I liked the vase for the flowers, it was either freshly cut bamboo or a banana tree slice, what a brilliant idea!

After breakfast we had a power nap and had a second go at the ruins in the afternoon. We spent more time at the grand plaza. On our way we passed a huge ceiba tree, a holy tree for the Mayas- it linked the sky with the underworld. The tree was too big to get it on one picture, so I tried it with a panorama shot πŸ˜€


At the grand plaza we climbed a couple of buildings and had a look from the top at other temples, places and housing of the elite.


 

On our way back, the sun started to set which made the way back to the hotel really beautiful.

On our way to the room we found a group of strange animals roaming around. We were asking in the hotel for the name, they told us and …. we forgot :/


To top it up, there was a monkey in the trees and a deer at the back porch.

What a day. Below is the path to our room and the room itself.

We decided to stay a day longer, since our next target (San Anders) is only 60km away and we have to arrive on Sunday.

Date: 08/12
City: Tikal, Guatemala
Kilometres ridden: 0
Cumulative kilometre: 27528

We had breakfast with Tobi and Donata, took a couple of pictures, went together to the minibus and departed. They left for Flores and we went to the museum.

The museum was not as impressive as we thought. The best thing was a nice model of the ruins and a sign that warned people about a crocodile.


We saw only a small crocodile, not sure if there are others around.

The rest of the day was used for swimming and relaxing in anticipation for the next week.

Next week we try to learn Spanish; I hope the teacher is strongΒ πŸ˜€

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