On Monday, November 22nd, we traveled from Panajachel to Guatemala City, a reasonably uncomfortable ride of roughly three and one half hours, on a typical Guatemalan school bus.  In Guatemala City, following a brief taxi ride with our singing driver (he was quite good, singing classic tunes in English, Spanish and Italian), we boarded a night bus for the long ride to Flores in Northern Guatemala.  The bus left at 8:00 p.m. and we arrived in Flores at 5:00 a.m.  

From Flores, a short collectivo ride brought us to what we came to consider a bit of Paradise, otherwise known as La Casa de Don David in El Remate.  The Don David is on the shores of the Lago de Petén Itzá where it enjoys splendid views of the lake and the palms and other vegetation on the lake shore.  It also had a beautiful open terraced dining room elevated amidst the palm trees.  From the dining room, while eating our breakfast, we saw brightly colored parrots fly below us.

After breakfast and a shower, and a bit of relaxation in our very clean and comfortable room, it was on to Tikal, perhaps the most impressive of the Mayan archeological sights.  Set deep in the jungle, beneath a dense canopy of trees and other vegetation, and together with a variety of wildlife, Tikal was immediately awe-inspiring;  definitely a highlight of the trip so far.  

The view from the front porch of our $16 a night room at La Casa de Don David, which, to date, was one of our favorite rooms.  While it was expensive relative to most of our hotels/hostals, it was worth every penny.  All of our meals were taken in the open air dining room, making us feel as though we were staying in an expensive, all-inclusive, tropical resort

Large Ceibu trees, the national tree of Guatemala, abound in the jungles surrounding Tikal.  Tall and imposing with massive trunks and towering to lofty heights, their gnarled limbs reach outward and upward.

One of the things that makes Tikal so special is its setting, deep in the jungle.  Given the enormous size of the Tikal National Park, and the vastness of the ruins, at times it seemed as though we had the park to ourselves as we followed paths through thick vegetation moving from complex to complex, structure to structure.

Tikal is an ancient city of the Mayans, where structures were begun roughly 1200 years ago in 700 BC!  At one time consisting of roughly 4000 separate structures, the most notable feature of Tikal is its many step -sided temples, one of which is almost 200 feet tall.  This is a view of Complex Q.  In the front of this temple, you can see the large disc shaped altars (often used for sacrifices and other rituals) together with the standing stelae, each of which were intricately carved.

Part of the beautiful jungle canopy at Tikal.

What added to the amazement of Tikal was the diversity of wildlife that inhabited the jungle.  Monkeys were particularly evident, and swung from the branches or howled noisily.  Here a pair of spider monkeys swing from the trees in search of fruit.  As you walk through the jungle, you spot them by carefully listening for the rustling of branches above, and then looking to try to spot them in the dense canopy above.  The first time we saw a monkey it was quite a thrill, as we were all alone on a small jungle trail.

Yet another monkey swinging amidst the jungle canopy.

The view from atop Temple IV, which is the tallest Temple in Tikal at almost 200 feet in height.  This view looks eastward toward Temples I, II and III, each of which peers out from the jungle vegitation.

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