Austin hiking in a little mud
Today, we journeyed to the Mayan Ruins of Tikal National Park in Guatemala. We started the day by loading a bus at 5 am to head to Guatemala. Along the way, we stopped for breakfast at a local restaurant featuring fresh goat cheese, fresh pineapple juice, and Guatemalan coffee. After a long drive along some “rough” roads, we reached the ancient Mayan city of Tikal.
Hiking through the beautiful jungle to the temples, we had the opportunity to view amazing rain forest species – among the highlights were the howler monkey, the allspice tree, mahogany, the white nose coati, and the spider monkey. AND a bird that we upset threw fruit at us.
But the true high light of the day were the Mayan ruins. We started out hiking between amazing temples, towering towards the sky, and then we had a fantastic climb to the top of Temple 4. Our journey through mud and rain led us to the Grand Plaza, a gathering place of nobles during the Classic Period of Mayan culture. It was an amazing journey!
Tomorrow, we will head for a medicinal plant tour and a caving tour.