Exploring Tikal in Guatemala

A tuk tuk collected us from San Marcos La Laguna and took us to a larger lakeside town where a bus was waiting, it was already nearly full so Craig and I got seats at the front and enjoyed the amazing views over the landscape as we passed. We were driven back to Antigua where we waited for quite a while until another bus came to take us to Guatemala City. After a few hours waiting in an exhaust polluted bus station in a dodgy looking area we boarded a coach and made the overnight trip all the way up to Flores. Arriving in the morning with nowhere to stay we found a place listed in the Lonely Planet and settled in to our cheap private room.

Temple I in Tikal, Guatemala

Temple II and the Great Plaza in Tikal, Guatemala

With no money left as we were unable to take any out at the lake or in either cities we'd passed through we went out in search of an ATM. What an ordeal! Flores is situated on a little island accessed by a long bridge. The two ATM's on the island didn't work with our card so we walked across the bridge to the nearby shopping mall, I managed to take out an amount but Craig couldn't and we wouldn't have enough to pay for our hostel, food and entrance to Tikal the Mayan ruins the next day. I tried to take out a second amount but it was denied, what followed was a miserable walk to countless ATM's all across the town with no luck. We tried close to 10. We returned to Flores scratching our heads, what had happened? Had the banks blocked both our cards? We had a chat with the guy looking after the hostel and he had an idea. The owner of the hostel also owns a restaurant down the road, "why don't you ask if you could put your card in the payment machine and they give you the cash back?" Genius! We walked to the restaurant and had a chat with the owner who was kind enough to oblige and it worked! We took out enough to cover all our expenses and she was also kind enough to let Craig use the hostel phone for free to call the bank too. It turned out they had blocked his card 7 times. We hadn't eaten anything due to a lack of funds all day so we took ourselves to a café called Cool Beans and had a lovely brunch wth a view over the crystalline blue lake. 

Temple II In The Morning, Tikal, Guatemala

Hidden Spaces in Tikal, Guatemala

We woke early for a day at Tikal catching the 7am shuttle to (hopefully) get there before the crowds. Stopping at a gate patrolled by guards we bought our tickets and made our way to the entrance, Craig was getting anxious at how long it was taking to get to the ruins as he wanted to be able to photograph the site without too many hoards of people in the way. Tikal is a huge complex of Mayan temples hidden within the jungle, from photographs that I had seen in the guidebook I knew that the wonder would be different to any other ancient temples that we had previously seen. We walked along a path lined by jungle and found our first ruin, a stone structure with a small tunnel to an open square, presumably the structure would once have had a roof of some kind.

A Temple Visible Above the Jungle in Tikal, Guatemala

An Impressive Sky at Tikal in Guatemala

We moved on, keen to find the tall temples situated in the main plaza. As we approached Temple I also known as the Temple of the Gran Jaguar Craig looked back to me in wonder, the temple measuring 47 metres was situated up on a bank which made its height even more impressive. We climbed the steep bank and entered the Great Plaza with Temple I on our right and Temple II straight ahead. The two massive temples were next to other huge structures known as the North Acropolis and the Central Acropolis. We didn't know where to explore first. Craig clicked away on the camera as I whirled around trying to capture the whole area in my minds eye. There were a few people dotted about but not nearly as many as I feared we'd be competing for space with. Temple I couldn't be climbed for fear of damaging the stairs and presumably also because of how steep the steps were. We were able to climb to a viewing platform on Temple II via a wooden structure that had been implemented. The view over the plaza was amazing and offered a look over the jungle too. 

Monkey in a Tree in Tikal, Guatemala

Naughty Coati Ferreting for Food in Tikal, Guatemala

We descended and climbed the North Acropolis, exploring and looking out over the plaza as it started to get busier with more people. We left the plaza and wandered on hoping to see and explore the majority of the citadel knowing that the sheer size of the site meant that we may not make it to everything. A highlight of the day for me was climbing to the top of Temple IV the tallest temple, it was accessible by wooden stairs which seemed to go on forever, I was quite proud of myself as I managed to climb all the steps without stopping once. The views from the top of the temple were magnificent, all of the jungle could be seen and the tops of neighbouring temples peeked out from the multicoloured canopy. With no safety rail it was a little scary being so high especially with so many people, one accidental bump and you could end up plummeting back to the earth via hundreds of steep stone steps. After visiting several of the smaller temples we returned to the plaza to explore the Central Acropolis which had lots of pathways to walk along and led us to a quiet and hidden away area where we spotted Temple V in the distance just visible over the treetops. 

Nature and Stone in Tikal, Guatemala

Craig and I in Tikal, Guatemala

On and on we explored until we couldn't explore anymore. We'd climbed to the top of so many temples, along walls and through jungle. We saw monkeys snoozing in trees and naughty little coati, a furry red mammal notorious for rummaging through bins walking around in gangs. We were lucky enough to visit the majority of the site over the course of a day but our legs weren't happy, they were knackered. Just before leaving we stopped for one last time at the Great Plaza which had become overwhelmingly crowded with tour groups and families with children picnicking. Craig took a few last photographs and then we walked back along the path to the entrance where our shuttle took us back to Flores. As a treat for a long day of walking we went back to Cool Beans café and had veggie burgers topped with refried beans which were delicious. On our walk back to the hostel we inadvertently joined the Semana Santa parade, women dressed in super high heels were holding up platforms which had models of nuns on them. Music blared from a stereo like at a carnival and children were dressed in their finest running around trying to catch a good view of the parade, 

The next day we would be up early for another long day of travel; this time from Flores in Guatemala all the way to Mexico via Belize. 

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Guatemala

The minibus arrived to pick us up from Copán Ruinas in Honduras and take us all the way to Antigua in Guatemala, thankfully the journey wasn't as long or complicated as the one we had been on to get to Honduras in the first place. We arrived in Antigua, an historic city in the south of Guatemala in the evening and were dropped off in the main square which was bustling with people and lit up with fairy lights and flood lit Spanish colonial buildings. We walked down a street to our hostel, inside the hostel was an open air square where a fire pit was burning and swings were suspended from the ceiling. The atmosphere was lively and I remember thinking, 'I hope it quietens down when I want to go to bed!' I'm not the young backpacker I once was. After dropping our bags we left the hostel to stretch our legs after the long journey and walked back to the square to get some fresh carnival style popcorn to munch on.

My Favourite Shade of Yellow With Plants For A Roof, Antigua in Guatemala 

My Favourite Shade of Blue in Antigua, Guatemala

Craig had found a nice sounding café called The Rainbow Café online so we headed straight there the next morning for breakfast. The streets were calm and quiet, we wandered along the old cobblestones admiring the colourful buildings and bright flowers until we found the café which was inside a quirky little bookstore. We each ordered the 'earlybird special' which consisted of rice and refried beans with eggs and grilled tomatoes served on a leaf, it was delicious and was topped off with a cup of English Breakfast tea, how I have missed thee!

My Favourite Shade of Pink in Antigua, Guatemala

Beautiful Pink Roses in Antigua, Guatemala  

As we explored the city the streets became busier and busier, we had known that it would be Semana Santa while we were in Guatemala and that was why the place was even more bustling than usual. Semana Santa is a week long celebration for Easter where men dress in purple robes and march through the streets with floats and statues of Jesus, locals also create beautifully patterned 'carpets' of coloured sawdust and flowers in the streets. The crowds were overwhelming in some parts of the city but many of the extensive network of cobblestone streets were quiet enough to enjoy, the slightly dilapidated buildings and pastel colours were an Instagrammers dream. 

Colourful Carpets in Honour of Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala  

In the afternoon after a morning of sightseeing we drove to Pacaya volcano with a small group and with a guide set about walking to the top, or as close to the top as we were allowed to go. As soon as we left the minibus we were hounded by children leading horses around for tourists to hire. They were extremely persistent. A family in our group decided to hire two horses as they had two young children but we resisted, a ride to the top did sound very tempting but the horses didn't look in good shape and I didn't like the idea of condoning the situation of children being sent to do this job rather than be in school.

The Start of Our Walk to Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala  

A Horse at Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala  

We began to walk steeply uphill, the sandy and dusty terrain made for difficult conditions and it was a hot day, I was sweating and as I was slightly behind everyone else I was being constantly harassed by the kids too. Eventually we got to a point where the horses that had been hired couldn't go any further and the green and sandy landscape changed to a misty, rocky and black landscape. We waked along a steep slope and through a lava field which looked very alien, we continued on to a spot where the heat from the lava beneath the rock is powerful enough to toast marshmallows. After stopping to listen to the hissing sounds of the volcano we walked back down which was a much easier task and we jumped back on the minibus for the hours journey back to Antigua.

Perfecting 'No Gracias' at Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala 

We stopped for taco's before heading back feeling a little grubby from the dusty and sweaty walk. While Craig stopped at reception to speak to the -useless- manager about booking onward travel I walked into our dorm room to see a random bloke climbing into Craig's bed. I asked if he'd been assigned the bed to which he said yes, I explained that it had already been taken and he didn't seem bothered in the slightest. I went to reception and the managers response was 'oh, tell him to move'. Annoyed we tried to explain that he should be the one to ask him to move as there had obviously been a mistake somewhere and plus, if we did tell him to move we didn't know where he could go and would Craig really want to sleep in that bed now that some random backpacker had been in the covers?! It turned out that some drunk bloke had passed out in his bed and so he just chose another one even though it was taken so Craig and I slept in my bottom bunk. In these moments I wish that more backpackers were considerate as so many seem to travel just to have an excuse to get drunk, you can do that in a bar at home you know! 

A Portrait of Craig in a Lava Field in Guatemala 

An Atmospheric Landscape on Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala  

We woke up and returned to The Rainbow Café for breakfast as it was so delicious the day before. Thankfully we would be leaving the crappy hostel today as our transport to Lake Atitlán was booked to leave in the afternoon. We had a relaxed day wandering and eating and then boarded the extremely full minibus to the lake. We arrived at a lake side town and were ushered into an already paid for tuk tuk which whizzed us up the road to the town we were staying in, San Marcos La Laguna. The place we had booked was the only thing we could really afford, it turned out to be quite lovely. We had a little basic room on its own in the garden with a view to the beautiful lake, down some steps was a shared kitchen and bathroom and it was run by a very friendly local family and a lovely dog bounding around the premises. We got a bite to eat at a restaurant opposite that served mainly vegetarian fare and it was delicious. 

Our Breakfast View on Lake Atitlán in Guatemala  

Calming Blue and Green at Lake Atitlán in Guatemala  

The next morning we walked down towards the lake to find a place for breakfast. There seemed to be a lot of cute looking cafés and restaurants dotted along the narrow pathway leading to the waters edge, as well as jewellery sellers and tourists in rainbow coloured attire. We decided to have breakfast at the café of a hotel which had a decked terrace with the most incredible view of the lake and volcano. Eating our traditional Central American breakfast of eggs, refried beans and plantain with tea with such an exceptional view was wonderful and so calming. We watched speedboats whizz by and tourists jump on and off the little 'ferry' boats all under a beautiful blue sky. After spending a couple of hours soaking it all in at the lake we returned to our room for a relaxed afternoon and then had a delicious curry at a nearby restaurant. We wandered to the lake again in the evening to see the moon rise above the water. 

Street Art in San Marcos La Laguna in Guatemala  

Street Art in San Marcos La Laguna in Guatemala   

We managed to book transport to take us from the lake all the way up to the north of the country near the border with Belize. Before crossing we'd be visiting Flores a town on a lake close to the amazing Mayan site of Tikal, a wonder that I'd been really looking forward to seeing. I was a little worried about how we were going to get there, it seemed so far away but the man in the tour office booked the whole journey for us with no problems and we were set to go later in the afternoon. We had breakfast and took a little walk around the lakeshore walking to a small beach to take photographs. A woman was giving a man a haircut right on the sand and Craig was tempted to ask if she could sort out his mop of hair too! The little paths trailed all around, to lovely gardens and different hotels. Many places offered yoga classes and meditation sessions, the whole town had a distinctly spiritual feel to it. I was drawn to San Marcos originally because it sounded from the guidebook like a quieter and cosier town, a little more off the beaten track than other towns on the lake. I'm happy to say that I wasn't disappointed; our short stay was extremely peaceful and full of relaxed wandering and lovely food. I only wish that we had a little more time to explore the lake further. 

Onwards; all the way up to Flores to explore the mighty Mayan ruin of Tikal. 

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Honduras

We woke up after a restless few hours sleep, pulled on our already laid out clothes and dragged our backpacks to the front gate. It was just before 2am and our shuttle had already arrived to take us all the way to Copán in Honduras. With bleary eyes we boarded the minibus and after picking up two more travellers we began our journey. The shuttle crossed from Nicaragua into Honduras and rather than drive north towards the capital city we took a road headed straight toward El Salvador. We crossed into El Salvador and stopped at a petrol station for breakfast as we'd already been driving for hours and the sun had risen. A petrol station breakfast sounds like it would naturally be a horrible thing but actually it was quite delicious, the set up reminded me of breakfast at Woolworths as a child, little trays and dishes behind glass to choose from. Putting our Spanish to the test we pointed out the items we wanted; 'heuvo por favour', 'arroz con frijoles', 'plantain y queso'. We drove on further, eventually reaching a beach town where we had to change vans and were able to take a break by going for a walk. It was hot and the town was full of cafes and tourists, mostly American. We walked to the beach which we found to be a popular surfing destination and we had just enough time for a fruity milkshake with a view over the river before we had to return to the office to be led by our new driver to the new shuttle bus. The two guys that we had been travelling with had said goodbye, El Salvador was the end destination for them. We had a new group of people to travel all the way to Copán with. 

An Armed Guard Patrols the Ruins of Copán in Honduras

Stepped Pyramid in Copán, Honduras

On we went to the El Salvador/Guatemala border, by this point we'd travelled the entire length of El Salvador. Our original plan before we really realised how the Central American geography and road network worked was to travel in Honduras and then pop into El Salvador for a couple of nights before travelling onto Guatemala. Because of our actual route we decided not to return to El Salvador again as it would be too expensive to drive all the way back and would cost us too much time. With hindsight we probably could have jumped off in El Salvador for a night or two and then carried on to Copán but we hadn't really thought of that when booking. Knowing that we weren't coming back I made an effort to really look outside at the towns we passed through and the landscape which did look beautiful, perhaps we will return one day in the future for a proper look. 

Colourful Ornately Decorated Stone Carvings in Copán, Honduras

We arrived in Guatemala, drove north and re-entered Honduras just as the sun was starting to set. We'd been awake since before 2am and had travelled via four countries in one day, a new record. We'd incurred exit and entry fees along the way, the fact that we had to pay just to travel through did niggle a bit at the time. After a quick pose in front of the Honduras sign we drove on to Copán arriving after nightfall. Our shuttle ticket included a night in a dorm room which we were shown to. Craig was feeling annoyed because the room quality was pretty poor but as we had just two nights in Copán and we were so exhausted from travel we didn't argue. We popped out for a bite to eat and found a restaurant serving local food, at first glance the menu looked very meat heavy and we thought we may struggle with the local cuisine. We found a 'fast food' section on the menu with prices that were incredibly cheap. Baleadas caught our eye due to the ingredients listed, we hadn't heard of them before but it turned out that they were a toasted flour tortilla filled with a choice of things including cheese, beans, egg and avocado. We ordered a couple each with a side of fries and were pleasantly surprised. The setting in a courtyard with a barbecue blazing and local families tucking in made for a lovely experience. 

Craig Exploring the Nooks and Crannies of Copán, Honduras

Walking Along Walls and Admiring Views in Copán, Honduras

We awoke and went for breakfast which was meant to be included in our shuttle ticket. The hostel owner was oblivious to this and wasn't really willing to oblige. Luckily I had taken a photograph of the shuttle advertisement hanging on the wall of our hostel in León which blatantly said dorm bed and breakfast included. He sent us up the road to a sister establishment which was much nicer and we were served free pancakes at a rustic wooden table. Something we've learned in all our travels is that if you think you're entitled to something for free then definitely insist on it as it saves valuable pennies. Also, do as I do and take reference photos of everything for proof if needed. In the daylight we were able to see the town properly and it was rather lovely. With Honduras having such a tumultuous history and a pretty terrifying reputation I wasn't sure what to expect but Copán Ruinas to give it its complete name was quaint and pretty. The main square was surrounded by preserved buildings and restaurants and the streets were clean and full of friendly locals sat on benches chatting. 

A Sinister Skull Carved from Stone in Copán, Honduras

The Carvings in Copán are Second To None, Honduras

With just a day to explore the ruins of Copán that we came all this way to see we hot footed it along the winding road to the Mayan site. We passed a few small ruined statues on the route and eventually turned off to the ticket office. We walked down a long tree lined path behind an armed guard who was patrolling the area and found an area with perches for wild scarlet macaws that are being reintroduced into the area. Every now and again out of the corner of my eye I'd spot a bright red flash of feathers, never before have I seen such a colourful bird in the wild. We passed intricately carved stone bricks and sculptures before reaching an open area with stepped pyramids which were free to climb. What sets Copán apart from other Mayan sites in Central America is the detailed decoration on the temples and the preserved carvings. Copán pyramids and temples aren't the biggest or the most impressive by size but they are the most artistic. A huge staircase with ornately carved statues had been covered with a large piece of tarpaulin suspended above to keep the rain at bay to avoid any further erosion. The steps were not able to be climbed which was understandable given the quality that needed preservation. As we walked around groups of school children started to pop up which obviously meant that the site was no longer completely peaceful. There was so much to see that we spent a good few hours wandering, we found skulls carved from stone, rock that had colourful pigment smeared on and fallen leaf covered areas with not a soul in sight. 

Perfectly Preserved Temples in Copán, Honduras

Faces Everywhere in Copán, Honduras

After climbing steps and walking along stone walls we found a trail leading through the forest. There we saw some hidden away sights and also lots of little lizards dashing around, the trail was deserted. With our day exploring at an end we returned to the town and went back to the cheap local eatery for more baleadas, this time I had fresh avocado with mine. With another travel day arranged for tomorrow our time in Honduras was already up. All the worry had been for nothing as we found Copán to be a safe and welcoming town and the wonderful Mayan ruins had been well worth the long and tiring journey. 

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