Belize Day 6: Road Trip to Tikal

Bordering crossing between Belize and Guatemala

Today we head to Tikal, a Maya ruins in the jungles of Guatemala. The hotel arranged for transportation and Anna was our escort. She would make sure we get safely through customs. We decided to book a guided tour because I speak almost no useful Spanish. I can only say things like "hola, bueno, and dos cervesa por favor." Diane had a year of Spanish in college. While she doesn't remember much, it would come in handy later in our trip. We realized booking the tour was a wise decision the moment we arrived at the border.

The border is extremely hectic with a cast of nefarious looking characters. Money vendors. Beggars. Cab drivers. Pickpockets. I watched as one little boy tried to reach out and grab Diane's purse. He looked at me and I simply wagged my finger at him. He turned and vanished into the crowd. We were greeted by our tour guide, Elias, a friendly man in his mid 40's. All of us piled in the van for the ride to Tikal.


The first part of the highway is unpaved and hazardous. The rains the night before had only made things worse. We started up a steep hill covered in mud and standing water. We realized how dangerous the road was when an 18-wheeler semi-truck was slipping and sliding directly toward our van. Thank goodness Elias distracted us with a conversation about his country.

This region of Guatemala is poor. Villages and homes are shacks with tin roofs. Horses, pigs, chickens and dogs roam freely along the roadside. Sometimes they're even on the road. Elias informed us that until recently the government was giving out free land in this area. They wanted to more people to settle in the eastern part of the country. The settlers were mostly farmers and ranchers.

Local Woodcarver

The van pulled over to a roadside shop. We all stretched our legs and grabbed a cup of coffee. The open-air shop was filled with handmade textiles. Diane found a lovely placemat that she purchased. I wandered into the back of the store. There I found a woodcarver and his sons working at a bench. He was meticulously carving a wood figurine. There were no power tools. All the work was being done with hand tools. 

We are back on the road and this time it's paved. In less than an hour, we're at the gates of Tikal. An armed guard walks up to the van. Anna takes care of the details. Then we're whisked off to start or tour.

Next: Tikal

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