Tikal National Park Adventures —-July 30–August 2, 2022

After touring Antigua, I booked a night bus to Flores about one hour from the biggest tourist attraction in Guatemala—Tikal Mayan Ruins.  This is the view of Templo Gran Jaguar from Templo II.  

When the Ojala Hotel receptionist announced my bus to Flores at 6:30 pm, I ended up being the only passenger to Guatemala City in a BMW XI.  Tomas drove there through commuter traffic like he was a Le Manns driver who always found the faster opening in the traffic.  We got to this seedy bus station with 2 hours to spare. 

There were two buses that showed up and I mistakenly thought that the Maya del Oro bus was the one I was to take at 9:30 PM since my ticket showed that name.  Instead, I learned that the one next to it titled ADN was the 9:30 bus and fortunately, it left after 9:45.  I was the last passenger aboard.  The driver of the Mayo del Oro mistakenly told me that he was on the 9:30 bus. 

The bus was full and I found my #15 seat.  Fortunately, halfway there my seatmate got off so I had two seats to myself.  With my eye mask, I am sure I got some sleep because I had some wild dreams of some awkward events in my previous life.  

Around 2:30 AM our bus stopped for a police check and they escorted about 5 guys off the bus.  We went another mile and another  3 guys were escorted off the bus.  I guess they did not have proper papers.  I think this bus running from Guatemala City to Flores is one of those that carry people who are trying to get to the US travel on.  I think they figured that if they rode a 1st class VIP bus, they could sneak past the police.

At one of the gas stops, I saw a bunch of “chicken” buses filled with standing room only with mainly guys who were heading north—-to the US perhaps.  When I was in the bathroom, one guy found out I was from the US and he asked if I would sponsor him—Los Siento.

I got into the Flores bus station amid a cacophony of taxi drivers pitching me for a ride.  Based on the map, it was just a bit over a mile to the hostel I planned to stay at, so I walked along and found a restaurant for a breakfast of huevos rancheros, coffee, and OJ along with wifi.

I walked across the bridge to Flores and found my Hotel Mirador del Lago which was a real letdown after the Ojala Hostel in Antigua.  

The hostel was kind of scruffy, and the shower water was one temperature—-cold, but it had an amazing deck overlooking the lake.  

The receptionist, Mimi, efficiently booked me for a shuttle bus to Tikal for 80 Q the following day as well as a night bus to my next destination, Atitlan Lago, for 400 Q after my three-day tour here.

I was so glad I did not proceed to go to Tikal after I arrived because we had a tremendous rain and lightning storm in the afternoon.  

I enjoyed visiting all of the waterfront restaurants and bars before my Tikal adventure.

For dinner on my first night, I ordered tilapia al plancha and discovered they grilled the entire fish so I spent most of my time peeling off the skin and picking out the bones.  It was moist and tasty though.

My bunk mates are from Holland and Germany and the Germans had spent two nights hiking around Tikal with a guide that provided tents and mattresses.  His shoes looked like they had been filled with gumbo mud.  I don’t think I am up for this kind of tour this time.

The 6AM shuttle bus to Tikal was full for the hour ride to the Tikal National Park.  Along the way, a German fellow started yelling “diarrhea “ and the bus pulled over for a bush stop.  The guide gave him some Imodium to plug up the guy’s problem. 

We then stopped at a bank with two machine gun-toting guards and paid our park fee of 150Q. I suppose this eliminates problems with park employees tapping the till. 

From where the bus parked, it was a short walk to the ticket control where they gave us wristbands.  It was then about a 20-minute walk uphill to the first pyramid in the Complejo Q Complex plus a lower building that had nine entries.

From there I passed the Complejo R which was mostly covered up with trees and vegetation.

It was another 15 minutes and then I came around the corner and suddenly I was in the Gran Plaza where I first saw the stunning temple of the Gran Jaguar.  This plaza was ringed by other monuments on the left was the Acropolis Central and across from the Gran Jaguar was Templo II and then on the right was Acropolis Norte.

We were able to climb both Acropolis and they had a stairway in the back of Templo II where you could climb up and get a view of the entire Gran Plaza.

As I passed Templo III, the Palacio de las Ventanas, and the Complejo N, it began to pour. Although I had my rain jacket, my pants were totally soaked as were my shoes. Unfortunately, my keypad for my iPad got some water damage and some of the keys do not work so I am using voice and occasionally the membrane keyboard for correction.

I finally found shelter in the rest area near Templo IV. When the rain stopped I climbed the stairs to the viewpoint of Temple IV.  While climbing the stairs, I met up with a couple from Michigan who are over for the day in Belize.

Once we got it the viewpoint and saw the tops of some of the other temples, we saw lightning and heard thunder in the distance along with another big rain squall so we all quickly headed down to safety.

I then headed back toward the Mundo Perdido temples along with the Plaza de los Siete Templos.

The path took me along the backside of Acropolis Sur to the temple V.

From there it was another 40 minutes back to the entrance, the bus, and a very cold Cerveza. My walk in the Tikal National Park was about 10 miles.

Near the end of my one-hour shuttle ride back to Flores my pants had dried and I was ready for a great meal at a nearby restaurant, however, I first had to wait for another big rain storm before venturing out for dinner.

The following two days I enjoyed walking around the small Island of Flores while dodging the occasional downpours.

I booked a night bus from here to Atitlan for just 400 Q which ended up requiring four different rides.  Fortunately, the night bus from Flores to Guatemala City was very comfortable with lots of leg room with an ample recliner. 

When we arrived in Guatemala City we were met by the driver of the shuttle bus that would take us to Antigua.  We stopped at a restaurant in Antigua and I had over an hour to have breakfast of Huevos Florentino at the Cafe Once before boarding my final shuttle bus to Atitlan which was another three-hour windy bus ride.

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