Belize Day 6: Tikal
We read a great deal about Tikal. None of it captures the amazing feeling you get standing in the Grand Plaza. The plaza has four structures with the distinct ones being the Mascarones Temple (Temple 2) and the Temple of the Big Jaguar (Temple 1). In the later was buried the ruler, Al Cacao, around 700 AD. He was discovered wearing over 200 pounds of jade!
We were allowed to climb to the top of Temple 2. The park built a staircase to get to the top. Those Mayans love to build short, steep steps. We climbed up almost 124 feet to the top. There you had a sweeping view of the Grand Plaza below. Our guide told us that the plaza alone took over 1000 years to build.
I should mention that Tikal is surrounded by jungle. We needed to hike through dense foliage to see the different areas. On our hike, we spotted a red deer, spider monkeys, a black buzzard, and a long line of army ants. Oh and by the way, don't stop in the middle of the ants or they will bite the crap out your leg. I learned that the hard way.
There are too many temples and structures to write about in this blog. I do want to mention Temple 4, the Temple of the Twin Headed Serpent. This is the tallest temple standing at over 200 feet. A couple of years ago it was struck by lighting. (Back in the day, I bet that would have freaked out the Mayan priests.) The temple is currently under emergency repair and engulfed with scaffolding. We still were allowed to climb to the top. So up we went.
The best photo opportunity was on the scaffolding hanging over the edge. There were a couple of boards loosely wired to it. So I inched myself out to the edge. The movement of my body caused the whole structure to sway. I looked down to see nothing under me except the ground way, way down below. But what a view of Temples 1 and 2 surrounded by jungle. Sometimes you have to work a little harder to get a good photo. (It is at the top of this page.) Now how do I get myself back safely?
Back at the bottom, we came across some workers who were digging under the temple. There we met an elderly man named Mr. Julius. We learned that he had worked at Tikal for 50 years. In his youth, he was a tunneler. He was the one who discovered the ruler's burial chamber in Temple 1. Mr. Julius was called out of retirement to supervise the tunneling on Temple 4.
Elias spent a lot of time with us and was a terrific guide. At the end, he took us over to a family run restaurant and made sure we got our lunch. Then we said our goodbyes and he left to catch a ride back to San Ignacio. Now we were on our own and the language barrier would became more evident.
Next: Night Falls on Tikal
We were allowed to climb to the top of Temple 2. The park built a staircase to get to the top. Those Mayans love to build short, steep steps. We climbed up almost 124 feet to the top. There you had a sweeping view of the Grand Plaza below. Our guide told us that the plaza alone took over 1000 years to build.I should mention that Tikal is surrounded by jungle. We needed to hike through dense foliage to see the different areas. On our hike, we spotted a red deer, spider monkeys, a black buzzard, and a long line of army ants. Oh and by the way, don't stop in the middle of the ants or they will bite the crap out your leg. I learned that the hard way.
There are too many temples and structures to write about in this blog. I do want to mention Temple 4, the Temple of the Twin Headed Serpent. This is the tallest temple standing at over 200 feet. A couple of years ago it was struck by lighting. (Back in the day, I bet that would have freaked out the Mayan priests.) The temple is currently under emergency repair and engulfed with scaffolding. We still were allowed to climb to the top. So up we went.
The best photo opportunity was on the scaffolding hanging over the edge. There were a couple of boards loosely wired to it. So I inched myself out to the edge. The movement of my body caused the whole structure to sway. I looked down to see nothing under me except the ground way, way down below. But what a view of Temples 1 and 2 surrounded by jungle. Sometimes you have to work a little harder to get a good photo. (It is at the top of this page.) Now how do I get myself back safely?Back at the bottom, we came across some workers who were digging under the temple. There we met an elderly man named Mr. Julius. We learned that he had worked at Tikal for 50 years. In his youth, he was a tunneler. He was the one who discovered the ruler's burial chamber in Temple 1. Mr. Julius was called out of retirement to supervise the tunneling on Temple 4.
Elias spent a lot of time with us and was a terrific guide. At the end, he took us over to a family run restaurant and made sure we got our lunch. Then we said our goodbyes and he left to catch a ride back to San Ignacio. Now we were on our own and the language barrier would became more evident.
Next: Night Falls on Tikal
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