my last photo post

Grrrrrrrr. I hate how my episodes of spacey-ness come and bite me in the ass. Yesterday, after uploading all of my pictures of Tikal to the internet (which, thank god I was able to), I forgot my camera at the internet cafe. I realized this mistake about an hour later, but when I went hurrying back, the camera was gone. DAMMIT. I mean, if fate deemed that my camera had to be stolen on this trip, I'd certainly rather it be the fault of my stupidity than my person being accosted, and I'd rather have all my photos uploaded than lose any, and I'd rather have it happen towards the end of my trip. So, all things considered, it's not the worst thing that could have happened, but I'm going to miss that awesome digital camera...and I'm worry I wont be able to share photos of Semuc Champey with all of you.

I'm currently in Coban. It took about six hours to get here, and this time I went the local route (which actually wasn't chicken buses, but rather minibuses...much more comfortable than a chicken bus) and payed less than half the amount that it took me to get up to Tikal (although, I still have another three hours or so to travel for the trips to be equal in length). I'm not a fan of Coban and I'll be looking forward to leaving tomorrow. It might be that I'm just grumpy from a long days travel, but thought the town is big, it doesn't seem to offer much outside of dreariness. However, I do have my own private hotel room for $4.50, so that's pretty fantastic.

Tomorrow I'm heading up to Lanquin, a place near a bunch of caves and right along a river, and the following day I'm going to check out Semuc Champey. Even though money is getting tight for me right about now, I feel like it would be a waste to skip these places, so I'd rather see them and then find a way to make it work. The cheap hotels certainly help. :) I'm hoping to stay through the weekend around Lanquin (assuming I like the area well enough), and then I'll probably finish my last few days in Antigua. I'm certainly loving this trip, but I'm really getting ready for some America, haha.

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SO! The important story! Tikal!

I left Antigua last Saturday morning on a mini shuttle to Guatemala City at 7am. I was nervous that it would be difficult to transfer from the little bus to my big Pullman Bus (I decided to ride up there in style so that the trip would be faster and more comfortable), but it was incredibly easy to switch - perhaps because I've become braver with my Spanish or because I've stopped being so shy, I'm recognizing and taking advantage of how nice and helpful everyone is.

The Pullman Bus was mellow enough...I chose to ride it during the day rather than overnight so that I would get the chance to see the scenery of Guatemala - and I'm glad I did. It was interesting to see the way the countryside changed from big farmlands to mountains to jungle.


Not a bad view, eh?

Oh yah, I also figured out how to finally make movies with my camera...too bad I can't practice that new skill. :(

I was suprised with the amount of stops we made...a mandatory lunch (where we weren't allowed to sit on the bus), a government check point, a coke for the driver, and the best, bananas for the driver and some passengers.


Because we all know what it's like when you're craving roadside bananas.

I finally arrived in Flores about 6pm and didn't do more than get a bed in a hostel and take a shower. I finished up my Sue Miller book (a writer I do not recommend) and went to bed early.

I left my big backpack at the hostel and packed some clothes into the smaller one and left for Tikal. Everything was more expensive than I thought, and I considered not staying the night and going for an extra day like I'd originally planned...but I changed my mind the second I stepped into the actual park.


Absolutely striking.

I was on such a natural high from the forest, looking at strange plants and new animals.


It was hard to straight and stare at cool trees like this at the same time.


Pizotes at feeding time - they look like cats gone wrong.

I didn't think it could get better, but then there were the ruins.


The front of an ancient ball court - the inside is a big grassy field.

I climbed everything that I was allowed to, whether going up the modern steep wooden stairs or the original temple steps.


Would you know that I HATE heights?


I did not climb this one.


But I did climb this!


Spectacular views of the jungle and the ruins.


I was exhuasted after climbing and trying not to look down!

My favorite experience though was, suprise suprise, the monkeys!


Sorry for the shakey hand, but you still can see him jump from tree to tree!


These howler monkeys know how to yell!

It was an incredible experience to see the way nature and an ancient civilization combined.


Most of the pyramids are still being uncovered.

That night during dinner, a guy who was also traveling alone joined me and we ended up hiking together the next day. It was nice to have the chance to experience Tikal alone and also with someone else. It helped that the guy is a history professor in Mexico, so he knew a great deal about the Mayan ruins and shared a ton of information with me.

Tikal is a special place that I will never forget, and really, I hope you all get the chance to see it at some point in your lives.

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I'm now off to go back to my room and read the Charles Dickens book I picked up yesterday...nothing like a thick hard read to help me fall to sleep early.