Day 95 - Tikal

(Ursula) We were on time at the airport. The plane was a two-engine TurboProp of the Aéreos Guatemalteca. Passing over a range of volcanoes, the plane descended to a reasonably low altitude above the jungle.

Flying in a smaller aircraft is much different from a jet. Air turbulence shook us quite a bit. I was glad when we landed less than an hour later. The runway was a strip of dirt cut out from the jungle. The terminal building consisted of a small yellow-painted wooden shack.

A bus took us to the archeological site. We all agreed that the temples were the most unusual of everything we had seen up to now in Central America. The stone structures were impressive and quite tall and steep. Climbing the steps was a challenge and put us quickly out of breath.

The temples served religious purposes. Each had a small platform where the ceremonies and rituals took place. Tikal dates back to between 200BC - 900AD and was perhaps the largest city of the Mayas, with approximately seven square miles. Water was non-existent. It had been collected during the rainy season and was kept in large underground wells.

Most of Tikal is still mostly overgrown with primeval jungle. Only the highest-elevation temples have been unearthed so far.

My brain worked overtime with hundreds of questions. We were thrilled to be given the chance to see this magical place. Thank you, Mr. Senn!

We were back at the La Red Trailer Park for dinner. In the evening, we had an interesting conversation with a group of American expats. Some had money and were traveling around. Others wanted to stay because living was inexpensive, but there weren’t enough jobs to sustain a decent living.Read more