Tikal National Park, Guatemala
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Tikal was the largest city in the Mayan empire: the centerpiece of their civilization. Many believe that the population here was at one point nearly 100,000 people. Tikal is located in the far Northeast of Guatemala's Petan region. The ruins are located in the middle of Tikal National Park, and is about a 45 minute drive from El Remate (if I remember correctly). It is a really cool place as it is basically completely surrounded by jungle. We went to Tikal at about 4 in the morning in order to catch the sunrise from the top of the tallest pyramid there. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate and it was far too foggy to see a damn thing until about 11am. So no sunrise, but still a great experience. The tallest of the pyramids is Temple IV which stands about 70 meters high, or 230 meters. From the top you can see above the canopy of the jungle, and far off into the distance. You can also see many of the other temples poking out from the trees. An amazing view. The temples are numerous here, ranging from massive pyramid type structures, to smaller, more detailed monuments. In addition, there are a multitude of ever wailing Howler Monkeys, Tarantulas, scorpions, Coatis, and plenty of crazy looking birds. Bring your walking shoes because there is plenty of walking to do here: many of the temples and sights are a long ways apart! Enjoy.
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