Guatemala - The trek up north

The last stop on our Guatemalan journey was Tikal, one of around 30 existing sites of Mayan ruins, but one of the largest. Located in the far northern part of the country, an 8 hour bus ride from Guatemala City was required to arrive. There were tours offering a quick arrival via plane, but they were far out of our budget. We took the overnight bus both ways, figuring we wouldn’t waste our days and we could save two nights’ hotel stays. The poor sleep one gets on a bus was just another sacrifice of budget traveling.

We arrived at the bus station via shuttle from Panajachel. Katy and I were the last to arrive at the shuttle and claim seats. That meant we got the passenger and middle front seats. We chatted with the driver along the ride and he asked about our families and made interesting conversation. He asked our ages and if we had any kids. “No!” we both responded, saying that we were two young to have kids. We later learned that he has two children ages 15 and 16, the older is a girl who married at the age of 14 and had her first baby one year later. What a different world.

We arrived in Guatemala City at the terminal for the tourist bus line that goes to Flores, a city just outside the ruins site, around 8 p.m. We waited in the terminal for more than an hour before it was time to board the 10 p.m. bus and during that time we met two Australian guys who were traveling together. The conversation with them was quite fun and it helped to pass the time faster. We also met up with two other USAC students, Sarah and Steve (recently engaged – awww), who were on our same bus and we didn’t even know it.

After 8 hours on the overnight trek we arrived in Flores at 6 a.m. The town was asleep and the sun just coming up. We got in a taxi with the Sarah and Steve to head to a hotel halfway between the ruins and Flores in a little town of which I have forgotten its name. They had reservations and we were just hoping there would be a room available for walk-ins. We lucked out and got a room with breakfast included which we were more that ready for. Sleepy eyed and dreary, we lounged in hammocks in the eating area while waiting for the food to be prepared. We ate in a daze and later passed out in our wooden, old-fashioned cabin-style room.

 I slept better on the bus than Katy, so I didn’t snooze as long and also couldn’t take the heat as the day warmed up. Flores was quite a bit warmer than Antigua and Panajachel (thankfully). By late afternoon we were feeling outgoing again and decided to rent kayaks along with Sarah and Steve and paddle around the lake across the street from the hotel. It was quite beautiful and fun, for only a couple bucks each.

Nearby banana grove and grazing chickens

 As we turned in the kayaks it was about 4:30 and the weather was so perfect that I decided to go for a run while Katy explored the little town on foot. She said I was crazy for wanting to do more exercise and I told her runners are like that sometimes. I took off down the main road in the direction out of town to see what I could see. There were houses dotted along the road, but not very close to one another. I ran on the shoulder of the road where there was a well-worn path, most likely created by the people who walk on foot from home into town to buy food or do other errands. I was surprised by how many of the houses were in disrepair, with holes in the walls and rusty aluminum roofs. Surely they could not hold up to the rain. Some appeared to be previously abandoned houses, heavily weathered and apparently falling apart, that others had moved into and made due with the lack of comfort. The wood deteriorating, some walls missing, with no refuge from animals and bugs, these families know no different and surely are grateful to at least have a place to call home. Despite their difficult situation, many seemed quite cheerful. As I ran by and greeted those who were near the road, they smiled and enthusiastically greeted back. I ran about 20 minutes before reaching a hill I didn’t feel like charging and turned back. I arrived in time to watch the peaceful sunset over the lake with a neighborhood soccer game on a makeshift field near the shore in the foreground. 

After a shower, we set out in search of something cheap to eat since our money was running low. We were two of four people in the little restaurant which was more like the patio of a house, the kitchen of which was used for the food preparation. While waiting, family members passed in and out of the house. Seated at the next table over was a friendly couple. The woman, rotund and somewhat poorly dressed, with one of her front teeth missing, was very talkative and laughed easily. She had at her feet a live chicken with its feet bound. She said she had bought it in Belize, where she works selling souvenirs to tourists. She commutes over an hour across the border every day. She had plans to kill and cook it the following day, that is unless we had interest in buying it from her. We kindly declined, she laughed, and our food arrived. We had been in the mood for breakfast food, so I had an omelet and Katy enjoyed pancakes. A little while later, pleasantly full, we turned in to bed to get some sleep before waking up at 3 a.m. for the sunrise tour of the ruins.