Tikal

We visited Tikal last Monday with the most remarkable guide. Set up by the hotel, we were with a guide that actually grew up in a village that used to be in the Park. About 30 years ago they relocated the residents to an area nearby. We asked if he thought that was a good thing and he said yes, because it was necessary to preserve the site. He has been a guide for 15 years, and he considers it mandatory that he read all available information about Mayan culture. There is way too much to go into here, but if anyone is interested, please feel free to ask us about it when we get home. I´ll post a few photos here.


Arriving with Jesus Antonio


Into the jungle


Our guide kept taking us through thick jungle so we would come out to set eyes on the most amazing framed shots of the ruins. He knows the land like the back of his hand.


These guys are a cross between a racoon and a marmot...not literally, but that's what they look like. They were everywhere.



Temples in the distance


Jon wanted SO much to see the monkeys, we could hear them from our room at night, the sound was amazing. This one is a spider monkey. Unfortunately we didn't get a very good shot.




FYI, Wikipedia is a good site for basic info on Tikal if you're interested at all.

Love,
Sam and Jon