Tikal

We took the dirt road around Lago Petén to get to El Remate for a burger overlooking the water. That fuel cost us about Q25 each, but tasted great.





From there, Tikal National Park is only about a half hour away.

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(not quite the jaguar the road sign promised, but coati's count for something. Even though they're like the raccoons of Latin America)

Planning on camping at the ruins, we got there mid afternoon to give us plenty of time to check it out. One camping area had concrete pads with roofs over them, perfect for camping in rainy season. But no one was around to watch/protect the camping area. So we asked at the Jaguar Inn if they had camping. For Q25 (around US$3) a person, we set up our tent in a nice grassy spot in their parking lot, and had access to a decent toilet and shower house, as well as their lobby. Being cheapskates, we didn’t splurge on any of their expensive food options, but I’m sure they served fine food, if you’re into that sort of thing.



While we had some interest in getting into the ruins for sunrise, we opted not to do that, mostly for cost. It turned out to be a good decision after all, because the morning was socked in with clouds and would not have provided any sort of view of sunrise. The park opens to the general public at 6am. Entry costs Q150 each. To enter the park at 4am to catch sunrise requires an extra Q100 per person for the entry. Additionally, you must pay the guide for a few hour tour of the park, an extra fee of Q200 each. There was of course some flexibility in the guide pricing, but nonetheless, that would have been around US$50 per person for the day. No, thanks.

We set the alarm early, entering the park around 6:15am and had much of the ruins to ourselves, or at the most, shared areas with a couple of other small groups. Major tours didn’t seem to arrive until closer to 10am.

Temples I and II are on the way back to Temple IV, where the sunrise tours usually head to immediately. Tikal is amazing for the height and immensity of the ruins.


(Temple II sticking out above it all)


(Temple I, but just barely...)


(...a little better view. Also known as the Jaguar Temple)


(I think this guy´s name is Larry. He´s a quiet one.)

There are also many low-lying ruins found throughout the jungle, some with more of the structure visible than others. The jungle has an incredible capacity to take over these massive stone structures in just a few hundred years.




(not the best example of an overrun temple, but you can see that the sloped backside of this one has been taken over too)

We made it to Temple IV and climbed the stairs in a light mist to catch a glimpse over the entire site of Tikal. And sure enough, a glimpse is all we were able to get. The view was socked in with clouds.


(tops of Temples I (left) and II (right) in the haze)



We hung out for almost an hour, waiting for a break in the clouds, but eventually decided to go check out some other areas of the site.


(7 Temples)


(Palace, we think...)


(characteristic steps in the temple construction)

Aside from major temples, there were interesting trees, constructed caves, muddy jungle paths, weird jungle growths, and, yes, more huge temples.













After touring for a couple of hours, the day was brighter and the clouds had lifted some. Back up to the top of Temple IV we went. And it was worth the climb. The expansive view of jungle, with towering stone pyramids was impressive.





We hadn’t seen many scorpions since our time in Mexico, but this bad boy set a record for size.



This little guy seemed friendlier (and faster), but we still didn't touch him.



We also heard the screams of howler monkeys from the top of Temple IV, which is a startling sound. Jill was familiar with it from her time in Suriname, but Mike had never heard anything like it before. It’s crazy that these little funny creatures can make such a threatening sound with such volume. Before climbing back down, we were able to catch sight of a few of the monkeys in a tree in the distance.


(black dots at center of image)

So we went on a monkey-hunt. One thing that a sign at the entrance to the park warned us about, in-line with any slapstick movie containing a scene at a zoo, is that monkeys enjoy targeting people with their feces.

(evidence of monkey bombs on the pathway)

Following their screams, we found a vantage point where we watched around 10 howler monkeys move about in the trees above us. It was a highlight for both of us!


(I know, I know. Impossible to see still. Wait for it.. Wait for it....)

(and a king vulture in the neighboring tree)

We also saw a couple of big groups of spider monkeys, which we watched for awhile too. As far as we knew, no monkey bombs were lobbed at us, so that’s cool.


(The best monkey shot we got)

On our way back to camp, we realized how many more groups had entered the park in large tour groups. We were happy to be heading out. We got showered, packed up by noon and headed on to Rio Dulce.

Sustainable living in San Jose

Leaving Lanquín in the late afternoon, we pulled into Cobán fairly late, but found a fairly good hostel (Luna, or de Luna, or something like that) just a few blocks from the parque principal, thanks in part to our friend we met while Jill was on the phone. So many people we run into like to practice English, and love motorcycles. However, as it turned dark while we were at the parque, we were more than ready to get ourselves and the bike to a hotel.



The next morning, we headed north towards Flores, a few hours away. We even got to ride a ferry!







We pulled into Santa Elena, just south of the island of Flores, and gave Federico a call, a contact from couchsurfing.org. Federico is Salvadorian, had lived in the States for over 15 years (leaving El Salvador in the 80s due to the war), and has been on Lago de Petén Itza for 8 years now. He his full of positive energy and has a wealth of knowledge of sustainable living that he’s more than happy to share. We had a blast getting to know him while camping in his backyard.



He prides himself on reusing all sorts of discarded goods. One of the most noticeable features is his use of old fridges as worm bins. Those little critters turn already good compost into absolute gold! The soil after earthworms work it is incredibly rich.




On our full day with Federico, we helped create a huge compost pile from horse manure, grass clippings, soil, and some nasty sludge that he was pulling out of a failed biodigester. It actually felt really good to be off the bike for a day and help out with some work around Federico’s place.





There was also a couple from Vancouver staying with Federico for a week. In their disgustingly topical new-age way, they were also looking to learn about sustainable living. But I tell you what, they were bad luck. With no experience ever riding a scooter or motorcycle, they rented a scooter in Mexico, crashing it on the 2^nd day of their trip – they had some nasty road rash they were still working on healing up. (I am sorry that they went down, and am glad that all of their injuries were already healing nicely.) Jill and I ended up laying the TA down on a ride into town, because some random dog had a serious vendetta against our front tire. We were cruising on the mellow 2 lane highway when a dog came running out of his front yard, which is a normal occurrence on any road in Central America. This dog was different though. He locked onto our motorcycle like a missile and wanted desperately to head butt it for some reason (new-age, bad luck witch spell is the only reason we can think of). Instead of continuing to cross the road, or doubling back to the shoulder, he seriously ran straight at our front tire, stopping in its path, maintaining eye contact with Mike, letting him know that he meant it. Mike got the bike slowed down to 5-10 mph from 40 or so, when he tried to release the brakes and control a swerve around the kamikaze attacker, avoiding oncoming traffic and a huge shoulder drop off just a meter behind the dog. The front tire caught the be-spelled mutt with enough force to push the front of the TA to the side, quickly putting Jill and Mike on the pavement. We slid a couple of meters (visible in road photo below), but fared ok overall. Thankfully a fairly soft put-down. The oncoming truck (our other, less-forgiving option to crash into besides the canine) happened to be 2 firemen in their pick-up, who pulled over to help divert traffic and to check on us to make sure we were good. They were nice, asked a lot of questions, and repeated one of Jill’s comments in the best Guatemalan accent ever: Fucking DOG!





We bent a couple of brackets (passenger foot peg and chain guard bracket), so got the bike in riding condition and met up with Federico and the not-so-deep, yet-for-some-reason-dark, space cadets at a restaurant. We washed our wounds and drowned the experience with a couple of Gallos. It was also our chance to meet Federico’s daughters who are super smart and cute, and managed to brighten Federico up even more than his usual self, which I would’ve thought impossible before witnessing it.



In the next 24 hours, Federico, who has a ton of experience on bikes and currently has a little 100cc around town machine, had 2 run-ins with dogs, clipping one with his footpeg. That was his first and only instances since living there over the past 8 years. Bad luck, they were. Bad luck, I tell you.

(Note:  Mike does take full responsibility for the accident.  But potential sorcery makes such a better story.)

Aside from that bit of fun, our time in San Jose was absolutely enjoyable. Swimming at the dock in the clear, warm waters of Lago Petén was a perfect way to recover from our work day. In fact, we both jumped in with all of our clothes on, shoes an all, doing our best to keep some of the horse manure out of our saddlebag. The jury is still out on the success of that effort…

Semuc say what?

On the way out of Xela, we went straight up towards Chichicastenango, a place known for its market.  It definitely had a market.  The whole town was a market.  Which was good for us, since Mike needed some tall socks to ride in... soccer socks.  Only 1 pair of socks in those tall leather boots just doesn't cut it.  Jill decided to get some too, which turned out to be great, because the ones that Mike picked out were somehow only big enough for a 6 year old.  So Mike stole the ones that Jill picked out, justifying it by the grand benefit that she will receive of not having to smell his single pair of riding socks over and over again.




(average height of tarps in the market: 5'6")


(where we parked for lunch, not where we ate it)

Our next stop was Uspantan, making it there just as the rains unleashed that evening. There are a few hotels in town, we ended up staying in one for Q60, and pretty much laying low.  A pizza dinner and some soccer watching pulled us through the evening.

One of the highlights for many traveling through Guatemala is Semuc Champuey, a natural area that is a perfect place to go relax, swim, and play outside.  We happen to agree with them.  Semuc Champuey is amazing!  The trip towards Lanquín is smooth sailing, save a few minor detours for the Sunday markets going on in all the towns along the way...


(clearest path through San Pedro Carcha)


(overview of San Pedro Carcha)

...also there were a few other minor detours around landslides, starting small...



...and turning into multiple kilometer stretches.





(the community in the area had set up a fence before and after this section, asking for a few quetzales from all vehicles passing. Which if they did all the work to make this stretch look like a road again, they certainly deserve the toll. They seemed to like us, though. They just gave us huge smiles, thumbs up, and let us right on through.)

The last stretch into Lanquin takes about 10 km of big bike friendly dual sporting, and about 10 km on the way past town to Semuc Champuey itself.




(random road-side band)


(relatively steep, rocky downhill section, turning out to be our nemesis on the way back up...)


(around the corner from our hostel and park entrance)



Thankfully, we didn’t have to pass any vehicles on the narrowest stretches (at least on the way there…), and the trail adjustment made to the forks during the service in Xela seemed to make the dirt riding an easier task than before.

We passed a few really nice hotels on the way (like El Recreo), there are lodging options in Lanquin itself, but we kept on to El Portal – a hotel/hostel/camping set up right at the entrance to the park.  Clean bathrooms, good food at reasonable prices, and super easy access to the park made this place a hit.  Camping was Q15 a person (less than US$2).  There were no dorm beds available the night we were there, private room with private bath was available for Q200.


(riverside camping)



We met a couple from Guatemala City who were leaving that evening, but super friendly, and he happens to own a motorcycle shop in Guatemala.  Juan Olyslager is his name - he offered any assistance needed, and was a really nice guy. But we stuck with our plan of avoiding Guatemala City. If you need something on your way through, you can reach him at jpolyslager - AT - gmail - DOT - com, or check out his website at ogrismoto.com

That night we signed up for a tour of Semuc Champuey through the lodge.  The all day tour included the park, then tubing down the river, then a cave walk.  Since we were leaving the next day, we just signed up for the tour through the park, not the afternoon activities.  Man, we kind of wished we didn’t.  The guide was nice, but we were with a group of around 15 people, which is not how Jill or I would normally choose to visit a natural area.  First stop was a good vantage point of the waters of Semuc Champuey.



There are actually 2 distinct rivers – the one flowing from above has nothing to do with the pools, which are formed by groundwater runoff from the surrounding mountains.  The upper river goes rushing into an underground tunnel, exiting a few hundred meters downstream, and joining the 2^nd river.






A benefit of the guide was that he showed us good places to jump into the pools, which are beautiful shades (or "hues" if you prefer the Lonely Planet description) of blue-green water.



He also showed us some natural rock slides, which were fun for us, but much less so for some members of our traveling circus.  Apparently bikini bottoms and rock slides are not very compatible.  But some of the faces and reactions we saw where absolutely hysterical.  That may have made the tour worth it.









We had a blast playing in the water!  The tour lasted from 10am to 2pm, so we did not join the masses for the tubing expedition (even though Mike absolutely loves tubing), but rather had a snack and hit the road.

We also passed a delivery truck on a steep section of road, one where concrete had been poured on the 2 tracks to maintain traction even during wet times.  Thankfully, the truck didn’t mind jumping off the concrete to pass us, cause it would have been a real hassle on the fully loaded TA.


(2 track with no drop off on each side, sometimes it looked much hairier)


(Mike starting over again on the uphill stretch. Coming to a stop on this stretch was not smart. With 2 feet down, the front brake was not enough to hold us on the hill. Sliding backwards we set the bike down sideways. Picking it up again, the right mirror took a hit. Once again. We eventually got the bike back down to a good point for traction and made it up no problem. I've still gotta learn. More throttle. Less brake.)



Back in Lanquin we passed another rider from Canada on a BMW F800GS, looking for lodging there, but we were only able to shake hands in passing.  Maybe a beer down the road...