Week 117: restday Flores: Tikal - Racpat RTW 2015-2017 - CycleBlaze

June 28, 2017

Week 117: restday Flores: Tikal

Yesterday we arranged a tour to Tikal, deciding against a sunrise tour, our pickup time from the hotel is 4:30am. We sit outside the hotel in the curb, and finally picked up at 5am. The ride to Tikal takes an hour to reach the park entrance where we give our passport numbers and pay a fee.

The Tikal area became a UNESCO site in 1979 because of both the natural and cultural criteria. The Mayan was a pre-Columbian civilization from 600BC to 10th century developing a science of astronomy, calendar systems,and hieroglyphics. The civilization was not a unified empire but a collection of city States ruled by a divine King.

Our guide is excellent. He weaves Mayan history with similarities of other cultures and patterns especially in numerology. The Mayans believed the underground was of 9 layers then earth and the heavens of 13 layers. Blood letting and human sacrifice was used to please the Gods. The pyramids are constructed of limestone, and large underground reservoirs were built to store water.

After tramping around and climbing the pyramid, we decide to take the first shuttle bus back to Flores. We lucked out with Maya Lands, the return bus is not the cramped 12 plus person van, but a nice air conditioned bus. We get back to town around noon.

Tomorrow we move on and with good information from Curtis and Jenny Shaw, the days to the Mexican border is easier knowing where there is accommodation.

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