On Tuesday afternoon I hiked up one of the active volcanoes in the area called Pacaya. The first hour or so was fairly easy going through farmland and woods. The last 45mins or so were another matter! As you get near the top, the terrain is just barren. The final ascent up to the top is quite treacherous over loose shale, with things not made any easier by an absolutely howling gale.
As we stood at the edge of the crater, we were actually in cloud, which kept clearing momentarily to give a most spectacular view of the other volcanoes in the area. Nobody dared stand too near the edge of the crater for fear of getting blown in. It's not really possible to walk down from the top - instead you have to slide/"ski" your way down over the scree slope. Excellent fun until you fall over! (Click HERE for photos.)
On Thursday and Friday I went on a trip to Tikal, up in the north of Guatemala, where some of the most spectacular Mayan ruins in Central America can be found. This involved another early morning on Thursday - I had to get up at 3:30am in order to catch a flight from Guatemala City!
The ruins at Tikal truly are amazing. They are set deep in the jungle which, unlike other sites, has been left largely uncleared. As you walk from temple to temple you do so under the rainforest canopy, and you can hear and see all manner of exotic birds and monkeys. Many of the buildings have been left unrestored - it makes it very easy to imagine what it would have been like to discover the ruins.
The temples here are huge and incredibly steep (much steeper than at Chichen Itza). It is possible to climb up a couple of them and the view across the jungle from the top is breathtaking. The largest one, Temple IV, is over 60m high. The base of it has been left unrestored, so when you stand at the top of it, it is like being on a stone island high above the jungle. Looking back across the site you can see other temples jutting up from the jungle. (Click HERE for photos.)
Sunset and sunrise on the top of Temple IV were quite an experience. At these times of day the jungle comes alive with all manner of calls and noises. The roar of howler monkeys has to be heard to be believed!
On the flight back to Guatemala we were treated to an excellent aerial view of Pacaya and the other volcanoes sticking out of the clouds.
Today is my last day in Central America. Tomorrow I have a 7am flight back to LA and from there on to Auckland. The last four months have been amazing, if a little unplanned - I'm only 6 weeks behind my original itinerary!
