Tikal Ruins, Guatemala

Nestled in an expansive jungle wilderness, the Mayan city of Tikal contains enormous pyramids of rock which reach high into the surrounding jungle canopy. Visiting ruins is pretty common in Central America - so we aren't to amped about the rocks. I used to try to get into the culture; to learn about the civilization and all that jazziness. Now I kind of hang out in the temples because they feel different and its cool to imagine what it was all like. Its really a fantasy world. But here in Tikal, it's the jungle that captures us.

Tourists are forbidden to climb Temple II but we're pretty bad ass. Here we are sitting on Temple II looking out at Temple I because nobody is around at noon when it's super hot. To help your imagination, the temple we are sitting on looks very similar to the one across the plaza.

Light fades and we end up stumbling around in the dark jungle to find the exit. When we do exit the park, the ranger approaches and asks "do you want to sleep on the temple tonight?" It's a good suggestion. We ask some questions and quickly learn that he only knows one sentence of English. Thank goodness we have been practising our Spanish because our tent is in Antigua. I ask "Tienes uno tenta?" Tenta is not a real word in Spanish. Instead of tenta, he hears Do you have a tienda (store)? and since this makes no sense whatsoever - he simply responds with "Si! No problemo." We ask for a blanket and for a mattress (frezada and colchón) in a similar fashion, and receive a look of recognition and a simple "Si! No problemo"

Okay, let's go for it.

We negotiate a price and then walk 25 minutes through the jungle in the dark using a cellphone to light the path. We cross into the large Mayan plaza and ascend Temple II. At the top, we are level with the jungle canopy and pleased with the setting. But to our surprise, our guide has no tent, no blanket, no mat. He lied! I call him out: "Hables una tenta!" (Makes no sense at all - You say a store!) He responds by pulling three industrial black garbage bags from his satchel. He calmly points to a slab of concrete for us to lie on and asks for his money. We are not pleased. We try to get him to bring a blanket, give up and try to get a better price, then give up and just complain. In the end,  we just say "Probamos" (we try)

There are stars and a half moon overhead and the lightning storm on the horizon looks like it will miss us. At least he gives us a good price - the required park entrance free for the next day plus $2 per person. It is actually the cheapest place to stay in town. Things are a bit creepy when he leaves, then just uncomfortable as our bones argue with concrete through a bed of socks and sandals. The endless grunts of the howler monkeys sound like a depressed jungle cat and sometimes like the T-Rex from Jurassic Park. Toucans win the prize for best bird call ever. We embrace, and listen to the jungle as the moon crosses the sky.

Eventually the sun peaks over the canopy and we descend. In no time, we are just two more tourists in the crowd.

View of Temple II (where we slept) from Temple IV - a partially excavated temple deeper in the jungle.

Julia styles it out on the garbage bags wrapped in her nicest of silk liners.