Day 16 ( January 26, 2010) - Rig #16
Crossed from Belize to Guatemala. Very busy border. Lots of trucks, money changers, confusion etc.! Took 4 hours 50 minutes (Ron #14 won the pool!) Started out on ruff dirt road but they are making improvements as lots of sections with new pavement. Country side has rolling hills; cattle; and lush trees. Thru the small villages all the children came out to wave and were very happy to see the convoy roll by. We stopped for a short while at a small village on the lake with shops and restaurant; some of the group ate there. Camping at Tikal National Park. Grassy, clean, beautiful and peaceful. Looking forward to our ruin tour tomorrow.
Pete and Wendy, Rig # 16
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 (Day 17) Tikal, Guatemala
Tikal Ruins
At 7:00 AM during breakfast a bunch of colourful wild turkeys were seen roaming around the campsite and howling monkeys could be heard nearby, apparently marking their territory. It was drizzling outside and the temperature was 19 degrees Celsius or 66 degrees Fahrenheit.
At 8:30 we split into two groups and headed out to visit the Tikal Ruins with our two tour guides Francesco and Ruben.
As we headed out on this path, Francesco advised that we were walking on a concrete causeway that was built to collect water, as Tikal has no natural sources of water. The population of Tikal was estimated to be around 250,000 but that is probably underestimated. Silt was gathered from the natural swamps close to the man made reservoirs and piled up to grow enough food to feed 997,000 people.
During our tour of the ruins, we saw a small crocodile, howling monkeys, praying mantis, spider monkeys and an assortment of birds. Francesco also pointed out various species of trees and provided information as to what the leaves and roots were used for and still used in this day.
Walked up to Temple 4 that consisted climbing 212 feet. The climb was worth the effort in order to see the vast jungle and the high temple rising above it that was built in 810 AD.
Stopped to see a Mayan kiln used to make cement and shortly afterward Francesco took a moment to show us how sound echoed off the pyramids. Apparently pyramids are built to carry sounds.
Finally found out the name of the ball game that was played by the Mayans, it was called Poka Tok and the rubber ball weighted 16 pounds or 7.25 kilograms.
Arrived back at the campsite after 5 hours of walking/climbing up and down hills and steps. Tired but happy to have made the trek.
Took advantage of the Tikal Inn swimming pool. Good clear water, slightly warmer than the last swimming pool we were in.
Duncan and Rita, Rig #17
Day 18 (January 28, 2010) – Tikal, Guatemala
We woke up to rain pounding on the roof. Rather nice to lay there all warm and cozy,, listening but eventually had to haul ourselves out. We watched the sight of 20 beautiful turkeys do their stroll in the rain. A lot of us went on the zip line while I just took a few pictures and people watched. On arriving back at the rigs some got ready to go horseback riding. Quite a few went to the Jaguar Cafe to use internet and/or eat. There was one rather exciting moment when Pat let out a piercing scream, Wend;y chair went flying and everyone jumped. The poor little mouse just about had a heart attack and went scurrying. It is currently 3 pm and the temperature is 78 degrees with the sun trying to peak through. It was 72 degrees this am (that is inside our camper). The sun made a very short appearance, then rain, stop, sprinkle, etc. We went for a very nice dinner at the hotel with 3 men playing a xylophone and 2 man on a drum. Almost felt like we were in Rio. Great food, great company and home at 8i:45, a truly late night!!
Gail and Tim, Rig #18
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