Sunrise Tour without Sun.

  Poptun, Guatemala
Wednesday, May 2, 2007

So, the plan was to wake up on May 2, 2007 and meet up with the guides for the tour of Tikal. We had made every preparation to get up on time; we packed a bag, prepared snacks and bottled water for the day, laid out our clothes and even set two alarm clocks. The night was quiet at the campground and we slept soundly. At the early waking hour of 4:15am the alarm went off. Michael instinctively grabbed the alarm clock above his head and turned it off, however the sounds of a digital alarm kept going. Geraldine then grabbed the watch and turned off its alarm. The quiet peace was restored in the van and both of us rolled over to rest our eyes a little longer before we had to get up. What felt like seconds later, Geraldine sprung to her feet and announced that it was 4:45 am and we were officially late for our rendezvous with the guide for the sunset tour. Michael quickly put on some clothes and threw all the pre-prepared goods into the bag and ran to the meeting point at the main Information Booth. Thankfully, the tour group was running behind schedule and had not arrived at the meeting point yet. Michael waited while Geraldine was back at the van scrambling to get the last few things together, which included the most important item, the camera.
 
Seconds after Geraldine arrived at the Information Booth the tour group pulled up. To be honest, we were a bit optimistic in our view of the Sunrise Tour expecting a small group of 4 to 6 people and a guide. Needless to say, we were absolutely blown away that there was a full bus of 28 people and two mini buses as well. This was one rather large group and we could taste our displeasure. The guide was Luis Antonio Oliveros from Luis' Tours. As the story goes, Luis has worked at the park for 20 plus years. He started working on the grounds crew, moved into security where he learned to speak English before the finally traded in his uniform to work as a guide for tourists. Luis was well spoken with a mixed English accent. It was compilation of British and Australian with a southern Texas drawl. It was interesting to listen to. After being greeted by Luis and mounting the bus we were told that because the entire tour was behind schedule, the 20 minute morning hike was going to be skipped and the bus would take us right to the base of Temple IV. Everyone on the bus was very pleased to avoid unnecessary exercise at 5:00am. We chatted to some of the other passengers and learned that they had been up since 3:00am when the bus picked them up in Flores, a nearby town. From there, the bus made it rounds between Flores and Tikal picking up passengers at various hostels, inns and hotels. We seemed to have had the best deal of meeting them right at the park.
 

Temple III smothered in fog.

The tour started at the base of Temple IV, which is said to be the tallest Mayan building at 70m high. There was a set of wooden stairs built up the backside of the temple and all of the tour group scurried up them like ants on tree bark. We made it to the top, exhausted, and then jockeyed for seats along the rock ledges and scaffolding set up to repair the temple. The view from the top can be simply described in one word: foggy. Since we are in the rainforest, it goes to figure that there would be fog in the morning. We had expected the sun to rise, burn of the fog and bring the land of Tikal into view. After sitting atop Temple IV for an hour or so with little change in the fog cover, we began to feel that the Sunrise Tour was a bit of a farce. The coolest part of sitting on Temple IV were the sounds of the various birds and wildlife. Although our vision was impeded by the fog, the sounds of Toucans, Parrots, Macaws, and both Howler and Spider Monkeys were in stereo. It was amazing. The trees that are scattered around the grounds are very old and would likely tell wild tales if they could talk.
 
As we started to make our way to descend Temple IV, the fog lifted slightly so that we could see the outlines of other structures in the distance.

Temple IV.

Unfortunately, the fog was still too dense to make out any detail. Luis, the guide, sensed the disappointment

Michael and Geraldine atop ruin.

of his guests and offered to put together a 4 hour long walking tour to make up for it. The group was so big that only basic information was relayed on the tour such as the height of building, the time period they were built, and the location of the quarries nearby which provided the limestone. We were a bit disappointed as the tour at Palenque was so very informative on the history and traditions of the Mayan culture that we wanted to learn more or at a very minimum hear about it again to refresh our memories. Instead, we were let down with a very simple tour that offered little educational value. Next time we will stick to walking the ruins ourselves using our guide book as a reference.
 

Geraldine atop Mundo Perdido Pyramid.

Tikal is unusual from the other ruin sites we have visited as it is located deep in the middle of the rainforest jungle. The pyramids just push through the top of the jungle canopy to become in view

Acropolis del Sur.

from the tops of the other large structures. The pathways between each site are of hardened dirt and surrounded on both sides and above by thick jungle vegetation. The sounds of the birds and animals are heard everywhere in the park thus adding to the enchanted feel on this ancient place. Tikal is set on a hill above the adjacent swamp lands and offered some protection to the Maya. The area was rich in flint, a rock that was used to make spear heads, knifes and clubs. The site began like most other Mayan domains in that one area was constructed and future generations both expanded and built on top of existing structures. There is a vast mix of architectural design at Tikal not found in many other places. The massive Tikal National Park measures 530 square kilometres. The main ruin site and city is contained within 16 square kilometres and is estimated to have more than 4000 structures.
 
We were able to see a number of birds and wildlife. As in Bonampak, the Montezuma Orapendula birds have the basket style nests all over the trees in the Gran Plaza. They have

Coatis.

become a staple sight at the various ruins we have visited. The grounds of Tikal National Park are covered with the Peten Turkey also know as the Ocelated Turkey. The turkey has the feather colours and brightness of a peacock and is beautiful to look at, albeit still a turkey. The toucans we saw are not identical to the famous, Toucan Sam who can be found on the cover of every box of Fruit Loops. Instead, the toucans were shades of black, brown and tan with some yellow on the beak. A beautiful bid anyway. As we rounded a bend in the path we stumbled onto a family of Howler Monkeys high up in the trees. The young ones were playing around on the branches and hanging from the tails, while the older more mature monkeys sat contently on the thicker branches. It was quite a spectacle to be standing under 10 monkeys in their natural habitat.
 
The tour with the guide was finished at the Gran Plaza and after we explored on our own for awhile, we headed back to camp. The exhaustion of a 4 hour walking tour coupled with the raging heat of the day had taken its tool on us. The group was heading to a nearby restaurant for food and soft drinks, however that did not coincide with our budget and we opted to return to the van to make our own food and rest in the comforts of 'Nilla. Luis the guide was kind enough to stop by to wish us well on our travels and thank us for taking his tour. We were impressed with that.
 

Lago de Peten Itza.

It was still before midday and we decided to take off from Tikal National Park and head south toward the Rio Dulce. We needed to go back to Santa Elena to fill up on gas and on the way, we decided to stop over at the island of Flores to check out what all the rage was about. Flores is a beautifully small place with restaurants all on stilts over the water. The water around the island is calm and the locals from around the lake dock their boats at Flores to stop in and do shopping. It was very quaint, however navigating 'Nilla around the tiny one way streets was a bit of a challenge. There was nothing that stood out and grabbed us with enough force to make us want to stay in Flores.
 

Flores.

We rumbled back across the bridge from Flores to Santa Elena and cruised around. The gas stations in town were more expensive than the ones we passed on the highway driving in so we decided to head back out of town and fill up at the Puma gas station. Maybe the gas would give 'Nilla a little extra bounce in her step. At the station, Michael got out and instructed the guy to fill the tank. Michael was not really paying attention so when the attendant asked what type of fuel we wanted, the question went unanswered. Geraldine all of a sudden yelled from inside the van.... "I think he just asked you if we want diesel". Michael jumped back and franticly waved his hands with the universal sign meaning STOP, STOP, STOP. Wide-eyed and perhaps a tad frightened, the gas jockey quickly removed the nozzle. As Michael approached, he could see that 'Nilla had consumed a little over 2 gallons in diesel and there was nothing that could be done about it. We switched pumps and filled the tank with super unleaded. Michael has made a promise to 'Nilla that, from here on out, he will pay more attention to pay more attention to what the gas attendants are saying. We drove away with our fingers crossed that no harm has been done.
 
As we rolled down the highway out of Santa Elena toward the crossroads, we happened upon a truck filled with refuse and an adolescent child sitting in the back. We followed the truck for nearly a kilometre before the young child started to through the trash from the back of the truck out on the road and into the ditch. We were appalled and Geraldine even yelled out the window in Spanish to the kid to stop throwing trash. We are not sure if that had any affect on the child or his trash throwing, but we can hope.
 
We cruised along Central American Highway 13 (CA-13) southbound with no real destination in mind. It was nearing mid-afternoon, when our early morning wake up time started to catch up with us. We were near Poptun, Guatemala and decided to look for a spot. Nearby was a place called Finca Ixobel. It was listed in our guide book and indicated available camping with water and electricity. We decided that this was the place before we even set foot on the ground. The drive into the Finca was slow going along yet another potholed dirt road. We took our time and when we reached the main gates we were pleasantly surprised. The grounds of Finca Ixobel were immaculate, with flowering bushes and trees and cute little cabanas scattered around the land. We rolled up and were immediately greeted by the friendly staff. The main reception felt more like a cozy chalet dining room than an office and the place just emanated a relaxed atmosphere. We were introduced to Pichi, who would be our host for the time we stayed at the Finca. Pichi toured us around the main reception area, kitchen and lounge and explained all the resources and activities available. We were both so pleased to see that Finca Ixobel still worked on the honour system. The kitchen, the camping, the internet, etc. all had posted rates and it was the responsibility of the guest to enter everything they used or consumed into the ledger book. At the end of the stay, you simply pay off the items you have marked in the ledger. It was amazing that a system of trust was still employed here. We have found that campers and travelers in general are an honest bunch, but this was over the top. We loved it. Not to mention that the staff at Finca Ixobel are all loving and caring.
 
Pichi then took us to see the camping area which is in a large open field of grass with a small stream running through the middle. There are two rather large palapa covered structures that act as the hammock camping dormitories.

Our campsite at Finca Ixobel.

Around the perimeter of the camping area were houses set up in the trees or on stilts. The structures all resembled tree houses, but only one was actually built in a tree. These houses were available to the traveler for rent and were equipped with a bed, mosquito netting, sheets and blankets. The houses were very cool. We decided to save cash and sleep in 'Nilla, which is about the same size as the tree house we were considering. We parked near the bathroom and showers so that we could get electricity to save our gas for more remote camping.
 
Once we were done our tour we sat and relaxed at one of the picnic tables near the restaurant. Within minutes, Pichi joined us to see how everything was going and to chat with us about

Michael walking the plank?

our travels and recommend places to see and stay along the way. Finca Ixobel certainly lives up to their motto: "Feel like you are at home". After flipping the pages on some tour books at the main lodge, we headed back toward the camping area and decided to walk the path to the bar and swimming hole. There is a fresh water spring that has been channelled into the swimming hole. The water was warm and there was even a diving board and slide set up. It was a bit late in the day and the heat was not that bad, so we opted to grab a little hammock time and sway back and forth while we chatted the afternoon away. It had been a long and tiring day, so after a quick bite to eat, we were settled in for an early night of much needed rest.

Photos:  http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=16xvaj2z.81uuykv3&Uy=-ycryyf&Ux=0