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DIA TRECE
You know what they say, “Up with the chickens?” Well, I was up earlier than that. My alarm was set for 2:00 am but I actually awakened before it went off. That’s the beauty of going to bed at eight!
My bags were all packed and downstairs just in case I didn’t make it back due to a delayed or cancelled flight (I have to be out of my apartment by 10:00 am tomorrow, so if there was a problem, my bags could be stored). The flight attendant in me always worries about weather!
My itinerary for today is:
3:30 am Pickup. Antigua to Guatemala City
6:30 am Flight from Guatemala City to Flores
7:20 am Arrive Flores. Meet driver/guide.
8:00 am Depart Airport for Peten to gather other travelers.
10:00 am Arrive Tikal
10:00 am – 3:00 pm ENJOY THE BEAUTY!
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm Tikal to Flores
6:20 pm – 7:20 pm Flight from Flores to Guatemala City
7:30 pm – 8:30 Meet driver. Guatemala City to Antigua
9:00 pm – 9:00 am REST AND RECOVER to head back to Guatemala City in the morning for my flight back to Atlanta.
It was rather interesting arriving at the airport for a domestic flight. I was nervous to be a regular paying passenger and at first, couldn’t figure out where the domestic departures were located. With the help of one of the shopkeepers, I finally found the entrance, only to realize how early I actually was. When the doors were finally opened, I discovered that the person checking the tickets, was also operating the X-ray machine and keeping an eye on people as they walked thru the scanner. Talk about multi-tasking! We are used to so much scrutiny that it was almost unsettling and I felt like I should ask, “Don’t you want to pat me down?”
As I sat in the gatehouse, I noticed the flight crew arriving. Omg, yes, I know I am getting to be a “senior mama” (flight attendant speak for “old flight attendant”) but the co-pilot looked like he was in grade school!
Finally, the boarding process began and as I gasped in horror (not really), at Tag Airlines small prop plane, I waved to my company’s plane parked at the next gate. We were soon on our way and the lake, adjacent to the airport and Isla de Flores made for a spectacular view as we touched down forty-five minutes later.
Quickly, I spotted the person waiting for me and after a short wait, we were on our way to gather the other guests on Isla de Flores. After everyone was loaded, we were finally on our way to Tikal!
Split into two groups, Spanish and English, we headed into the jungles of the UNESCO World Heritage site. Dating back to as far as the 4th century BC, this ancient city was the epicenter of Mayan culture. Between 11,000 and 98,000 people lived here at various times and the city was laid out in with plazas surrounded by temples and palaces. Today only a fraction of the hundreds of structures have been unearthed and restored, but those that are visible are spectacular and the views from the top of many are worth the strenuous climb. The park strictly controls the number of visitors and it is advisable to have a tour guide lead the way. They are extremely knowledgeable and will make the most of your time in the park. That being said, however, in the four hours allotted to us, our group enjoyed our tour guide’s intellect, however, he seemed a bit put off by our wanting to capture the monuments photographically. I understood him to say that we were wasting time, however, when you are paying for a tour, you should be in control of the outcome. I do wish that in addition to our time with our guide, we would have had more time to spend on our own afterward.
All in all, my visit was amazing…but extremely hot and humid…a far cry from the past two weeks in the cooler climate of Antigua. Back at the airport and waiting for our flight to Guatemala City, we noticed the sky growing darker and the wind picking up. Exactly what I said was going to happen, did.
A thunderstorm!
And it was a doozy!
Being that it was such a small airplane, we were convinced that there was no way we were going to takeoff as we watched the lightning strikes getting closer. In the United States, the airport would have been shut down, however, we were led out of the terminal, onto the aircraft and we took off! I can’t say that I wasn’t a bit nervous, however, I’m guessing these pilots knew exactly which route to fly, around that storm and we were touching down in Guatemala City a short time later.
My last night in my cute little Antigua Airbnb was a short one but I even found time to relax and enjoy a pizza from the bar next-door…gosh, I’m going to miss that pizza!
What I learned today: A LOT about Tikal!
Photograph of the day: Tikal Temple
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Tikal National Park
- http://tikalnationalpark.org/
- Hours: National Park, 0600-1700, daily. Museums, 0800-1800, daily.
- Admission: Adults (foreigners), 150 GTQ (about $20 USD). Children under 12, free. Sign up for sunrise tour to enter park before 0600, ticket fee is 250 GTQ. Tickets purchased after 1500 are valid for next day. Guatemalan citizens enter park for free on Sundays. From Flores, you can take tour companies. A return ticket with a guide will usually cost 100 GTQ or around 70 GTQ without a guided tour.
- Getting There: Various bus companies run between Guatemala City and Flores, taking approximately 8-10 hours. Tag Airlines has flights from Guatemala City to Flores about three times daily. Additionally, you can arrive from Belize City by bus, taking approximately three hours. From Belize City to the border is approximately 1 hour and at the border, you can take a collectivo which takes about two hours (100 GTQ) to Tikal. Alternatively, there are buses from the border to Flores and from Flores you have plenty of options to arrive at Tikal.