Hotel Peten Flores

... lunch, which – however – turned out to be quite disappointing with a very dry piece of meat. On the other hand, the place had the advantage of having a pool. I spend the afternoon doing nothing but relaxing by the pool and reading. I decided to go to the Jaguar Inn hotel next door for dinner, because they served "chicken mole", which is chicken with a spicy chocolate sauce. But this was – as with my previous meal – very disappointing. Did not have ...

... ruins that I had seen with some of the towers reaching over 70 metres in height. On our way into the ruins we saw many local birds including Toucans and other local animals such as ant eaters and small rodent like creatures. We also saw some spider moneys and heard the quite horrifying roar of howler monkeys. It was hot and humid work though and by midday when the sun had finally burnt off the last of the mists it became unbearably hot. So ...

... and pausing for attached picture. We set off<br>in search of "perdido mundo" (the forgotten world), infact stumbling across the temple 5 <br>on route. Temple 5 towers some 65 metres, they have closed the original steps to the <br>sumit that the mayans use as stupid tourists keep tumbling to their death from the top step.<br>They have instaed erected a wooden staircase on one side, so steep that they are almost ladder like.<br>I lead the way, slowly ascending in my usual head down ...

... twelve more, big ones and baby ones. Then another twelve and then, periodically, a few stragglers. A huge fan of wildlife, I was very happy to see this. A little later the howler monkeys started up, I couldn&#8217;t see them, but I could definitely hear them. They roared like lions, the jungle was alive with their sound. <br><br> Still alone, I climbed the biggest pyramid in Tikal and on my way up is where I ...

... full of spider monkeys, howler monkeys, tarantulas, and many birds. When climbing to the top of the tallest pyramids, you can see nothing but green in every direction, with a few other pyramids poking above the tree tops. <br><br>That evening, we briefly explored the city of Flores, and the corresponding mainland town of Santa Elena, before taking an overnight bus to Guatemala City. There, we transfered to a second bus to reach our next destination -- Xela. <br>

... site of Tikal&#8230;<br><br>Tikal was one of the largest Mayan cities in its heyday. It was a rival superpower with Chichen Itza. Tikal was settled 700 BCE but really rose to power between 700-900 CE. Many of the Temples that you see in our photos were built by a powerful king named Moon Double Comb and Ahcacau (aka Lord Chocolate). As we walked through the Grand Plaza and climbed many of the impressive structures, we were astounded by the magnificence of these buildings ...

... bright idea, she had an underwater camera, so switched it on and by that light we were able to move forward and into an open cavern with a step ladder going up.<br><br>Light at the end of the Tunnel<br><br>Cat and I both assumed we had to climb up the ladder to get out. We had now been joined by another two and a lit candle. I managed after several attempts to relight my candle (difficult procedure, when you are shivering and the wick is wet) and we all surveyed our ...

... hours and we stopped by the Los Amigos Hostel for some dinner. The vibe there is really neat and welcoming with a dark courtyard stuffed with tons of tropical foliage. Dinner is served at big wooden communal tables under all this lushness. As a sidenote, homes in Central America in these tiny towns have a nondescript exterior but open up to these pretty courtyards where life takes place. What a great way to meet people from around the world when ...

... det helt fint med. - En taxa havde nok gjort turen en anelse hurtigere, (og mig fattigere ) men jeg havde mit eget sæde i minibussen, - at der på et tidspunkt var 25 personer i transitten generede mig ikke stort. Det er ikke usædvanligt på disse breddegrader. De to damer på min venstre side kaglede løs på hele turen. Hønsene, de havde med i to sække under sædet, havde til gengæld ikke så meget at sige, men det var vel heller ikke så mærkeligt - og slet ikke nødvendigt !<br>