Tikal

Tikal. Once one of the most important Maya cities, built between 700BC and 900AD. It is still unclear why exactly it was abandoned well before the Spanish arrived. Climate change, deforestation or possibly Mercury poisoning from the paints they used. It is a vast complex at 16km2 and unlike famous Chichen Itza or Palenque located in the middle of the jungle, which adds nature and wildlife to the experience of exploration.
We went with the first shuttle at 4:30 to arrive when the gate opens at 6. Since the group we went with was large, we set off on our own, which was a blessing as we had most places to ourselves or only shared them with 1-2 people. The temples are impressive, with many still not or not fully excavated. We managed to see most main temples, a number if different animals and even the weather played along with neither too much heat nor too much rain. Having said this, the long sleeved clothing I wore in order to prevent mosquito bites and the humidity led to me sweating more than anywhere outside of a sauna ever before, as can be evidenced by the pictures (yes, they were all taken before the rain started^^) After 6h, our shuttle went back, and we were quite happy to escape the midday heat.
Back in town, a jump into the lake at sunset was all I managed.Read more