Tikal
Door: Joanne and Geert
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Joanne
17 Juni 2013 | Guatemala, Tikal
We have seen quite a few Mayan ruins over the last few weeks but felt like we couldn't leave Guatemala without seeing the ruins in Tikal, a Unesco heritage site which is known for its size. We soon discovered that size doesn't matter.
On the way from Semuc Champey, before the bus got on a ferry to cross the river, we were stopped by police so that they could search our bags for anything illegal we may be transporting including certain fruits or coffee. Without many more delays we arrived at our hotel in El Remate, next to Tikal. It was a small hotel with only a few rooms and thanks to the low season we could negotiate a cheap price. In the days to follow we would spend enough time at the hotel's beautiful restaurant and swimming pool overlooking the lake.
From the hotel to the Tikal National Park it was 30 min drive with a tourist bus which had picked us up at 5:30 in the morning. We arrived as the park opened and the bus would pick us up 7 hours later, the amount of time they allow the tourists to look around - this hopefully helps to give an idea of the size of the site. Along with the fauna and flora we admired the ruins in what was one of the largest urban centres of the Mayan times. We left, however, feeling that the ruins in Copan, Honduras had something we preferred - it seemed more compact and, although smaller, the ruins seemed better restored. A person with more knowledge of the Mayan empire or a historian may disagree.
On the way from Semuc Champey, before the bus got on a ferry to cross the river, we were stopped by police so that they could search our bags for anything illegal we may be transporting including certain fruits or coffee. Without many more delays we arrived at our hotel in El Remate, next to Tikal. It was a small hotel with only a few rooms and thanks to the low season we could negotiate a cheap price. In the days to follow we would spend enough time at the hotel's beautiful restaurant and swimming pool overlooking the lake.
From the hotel to the Tikal National Park it was 30 min drive with a tourist bus which had picked us up at 5:30 in the morning. We arrived as the park opened and the bus would pick us up 7 hours later, the amount of time they allow the tourists to look around - this hopefully helps to give an idea of the size of the site. Along with the fauna and flora we admired the ruins in what was one of the largest urban centres of the Mayan times. We left, however, feeling that the ruins in Copan, Honduras had something we preferred - it seemed more compact and, although smaller, the ruins seemed better restored. A person with more knowledge of the Mayan empire or a historian may disagree.
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19 Juli 2013 - 12:17
Natalie Van Den Blink:
Wow that tree you are standing beside is so huge - it must be hundreds of years old. After 7hours of walking around ruins you must have been exhaused, and just couldnt take it anymore. That is how Pierre and I felt after 9 hours of the Ajante Buddhist caves - you just cant take it all in. Love Auntie N
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