Tikal to Caye Caulker
Flores, Guatemala is a tiny island in Lago Petén Itza. The island is accessible by a causeway that stretches the short distance from the mainland. I was struck immediately by the charm and quiet of the place upon arrival. The island is filled with colourful colonial buildings, narrow cobblestone streets, and an historic church that sits atop a hill in the center of the island. Although we arrived here as a stopover on the way to Caye Caulker, Belize from Livingston, it is a worthwhile destination on its own for a day or two. It is also the place from which to visit the Tikal ruins, something we had decided to do while here.
We spent our first evening in Flores sampling the street food sold at the edge of the water off the road that rings the island. Vendors were selling tostadas with an assortment of delicious toppings and delicious enchiladas to name but a couple of things on offer. The chocolate and pineapple cakes were amazing! Afterwards we took a walk to try and find a cheap way to get to the Tikal ruins the following morning. We ended up going with a tour offered from Los Amigos Youth Hostel http://amigoshostel.com. They offer a sunrise, early bird and sunset tour depending on the time of day you wish to go. It takes a little over an hour to reach the site from Flores and a shuttle would pick us up the next morning.
Tikal is the largest archaeological site in the Americas, located in central Guatemala just outside of Flores. It occupies 575 square kilometers of jungle and amidst which are scattered thousands of ruins. The central part of the city alone covers 16 square kilometers and seats close to 3000 structures. It is estimated that Mayans settled in the area around 900 B.C and abandoned it around 900 A.D.
There were a couple of cool little tidbits of information gleaned while touring the ruins. One thing learned is that the Mayans didn’t do human sacrifices on top of the pyramids in front of huge throngs of people. In fact, they did them in a closed ceremony involving just a handful of priests. It was also often a privilege to be sacrificed to the gods.
We also learned about the Ceiba tree; a very tall tree that the Mayan people view as sacred. The Ceiba tree is connected to the cosmos, Earth and the underworld. Even today the Mayans involve the tree in ceremonies and traditions.
The temples rising out of the jungle and the plaza where the palace and temple of the Jaguar are located show the vast size of the ruins. One day was enough to see the main sites and temples, but it would take days to truly cover the extent of Tikal.
Our next destination after Flores and Tikal was Caye Caulker in Belize. We arranged transport with Marlin Travel http://marlinespadas.net/ on a bus that would take us across the border and directly to the ferry terminal. The ferry to Caye Caulker takes about 45 minutes from Belize City to the island.
We soon discovered that Belize is one of the more expensive destinations in Central America. Eating out, drinking, excursions and transportation are all priced similar to what you might pay in Canada or the U.S for the same. We did manage to find a nice and friendly hostel https://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Travellers-Palm-Backpackers-Hostel/Caye-Caulker/276243 where a bed in a shared dorm cost $9 and there was a little makeshift kitchen on the roof for cooking simple meals.
The owner of the hostel is friendly man named Pops who runs a fantastic snorkel tour for guests. The day included swimming with nurse sharks, seeing a manatee, spotted eagle rays, an underwater cave, and finally fishing barracuda and gathering lobster for an evening meal cooked at the hostel.
The snorkel tour is well worth the money and time if you are on Caye Caulker. There is also a nice little beach you can access via a short and free ferry ride called Coco Beach that is a good place to spend an afternoon or two while on Caye Caulker. Spending time at the Lazy Lizard where beach volleyball, splash contests, and loads of drinking in the sun is another good way to pass the time.
A few days on Caye Caulker and we would be continuing our trip north to Mexico and eventually to Cancun. A note to travellers leaving Belize: convert your Belizean currency to U.S dollars before leaving the country. It is not easy to get rid of it outside of Belize.
