Leaving Semuc Champey was a bit sad. It is always hard to leave a place we really love while traveling even with the understanding that the next place we find might not be as great or it could be even better!
The long bus ride to Tikal actually flew by quite quickly. We were on a decent size minibus for 11.5 hours but it wasn't as crowded as the last one we had survived! We arrived into Tikal at the worst possible time to look for hostel (dark) and so we went to the one that everyone suggested: Los Amigos. This appeared to be a typical travelers' paradise. There was a restaurant, rooms spread about and plenty of room for people to sit outdoors and chat. There are times in our traveling lives when this would have been absolutely perfect! However, maybe I'm a bit more judgemental/mature/clean/aware but we immediately started noticing things like huge puddles of water, a frog jumping around, and just generalized dirtiness. Angela reminded me that we had for sure slept in worst places while traveling and so we settled in for the night after booking a 2:30 am bus to Tikal (Mayan Ruins) to watch the sunrise.
Promptly at 2:15 am our alarms went off and I jumped out of bed. Flipped on the light only to see a cockroach sitting on my toothbrush. Now I can understand that this is probably considered his daytime... But regardless, I'm just not cool enough to be fine with a cockroach sitting on my toothbrush. Since we would be staying in Tikal one more night I all but demanded that we pack our bags right then so that we could find a new place for the next night! Some people would say "you're in Central America, it's a cockroach, big deal." I say.... "I've got nothing to prove and don't need to share my toothbrush with a cockroach."
Even with the cockroach and all of the travel it took to make our way to Tikal, it was made worth it by the amazing sunrise we saw! We hiked for about 30 minutes in the pitch black and eventually climbed up onto one of the ruins. The entire jungle was waking up and the howler monkeys were not quiet about it! We observed as they howled at the top of their lungs and the mist and sun rose over all of the ruins. It was breathtaking!
The sunrise was definitely the high point of Tikal. After that we proceeded to have a five hour tour around the other ruins of Tikal. It is in these moments that we feel like we should be more appreciative of these huge rock structures made so many years ago by Mayans. But for some reason we just can't get our heads around it. It was getting hotter and hotter and there was no sign of the tour ending. At certain points both Ang and I were trying to keep the other person awake as the guy translated from Spanish to English about Mayan history. Finally the guide gave us some free time to roam the ruins on our own. Ang and I then did the only logical thing and found a shady spot to sit for an hour. This isn't meant to sound unappreciative, we were just reminded about what we love and love-less about traveling. Apparently ruins don't fall on our "love" list.
We returned to Flores (home of the cockroach) and found another great hotel to stay in....sans cockroach and with swimming pool! As you can see, I would not stop talking about the cockroach and wondered aloud whose personal belongings he was kayaking on when the evening's downpour rolled in. Ang eventually told me I had to stop.
We spent the day enjoying Flores and planning the rest of our trip. We knew we had one more long day of traveling that would eventually lead us back to Lake Atitlan where we have been for a few days.
The long bus ride to Tikal actually flew by quite quickly. We were on a decent size minibus for 11.5 hours but it wasn't as crowded as the last one we had survived! We arrived into Tikal at the worst possible time to look for hostel (dark) and so we went to the one that everyone suggested: Los Amigos. This appeared to be a typical travelers' paradise. There was a restaurant, rooms spread about and plenty of room for people to sit outdoors and chat. There are times in our traveling lives when this would have been absolutely perfect! However, maybe I'm a bit more judgemental/mature/clean/aware but we immediately started noticing things like huge puddles of water, a frog jumping around, and just generalized dirtiness. Angela reminded me that we had for sure slept in worst places while traveling and so we settled in for the night after booking a 2:30 am bus to Tikal (Mayan Ruins) to watch the sunrise.
Promptly at 2:15 am our alarms went off and I jumped out of bed. Flipped on the light only to see a cockroach sitting on my toothbrush. Now I can understand that this is probably considered his daytime... But regardless, I'm just not cool enough to be fine with a cockroach sitting on my toothbrush. Since we would be staying in Tikal one more night I all but demanded that we pack our bags right then so that we could find a new place for the next night! Some people would say "you're in Central America, it's a cockroach, big deal." I say.... "I've got nothing to prove and don't need to share my toothbrush with a cockroach."
Even with the cockroach and all of the travel it took to make our way to Tikal, it was made worth it by the amazing sunrise we saw! We hiked for about 30 minutes in the pitch black and eventually climbed up onto one of the ruins. The entire jungle was waking up and the howler monkeys were not quiet about it! We observed as they howled at the top of their lungs and the mist and sun rose over all of the ruins. It was breathtaking!
The sunrise was definitely the high point of Tikal. After that we proceeded to have a five hour tour around the other ruins of Tikal. It is in these moments that we feel like we should be more appreciative of these huge rock structures made so many years ago by Mayans. But for some reason we just can't get our heads around it. It was getting hotter and hotter and there was no sign of the tour ending. At certain points both Ang and I were trying to keep the other person awake as the guy translated from Spanish to English about Mayan history. Finally the guide gave us some free time to roam the ruins on our own. Ang and I then did the only logical thing and found a shady spot to sit for an hour. This isn't meant to sound unappreciative, we were just reminded about what we love and love-less about traveling. Apparently ruins don't fall on our "love" list.
We returned to Flores (home of the cockroach) and found another great hotel to stay in....sans cockroach and with swimming pool! As you can see, I would not stop talking about the cockroach and wondered aloud whose personal belongings he was kayaking on when the evening's downpour rolled in. Ang eventually told me I had to stop.
We spent the day enjoying Flores and planning the rest of our trip. We knew we had one more long day of traveling that would eventually lead us back to Lake Atitlan where we have been for a few days.
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