Guatemala - Tikal and Flores

Tikal was my fourth Mayan ruin to visit - this one was the most tourist driven site with nice accommodations, restaurants, and an array of handcrafted stalls. At one of the stalls, a Mayan woman weaved beautiful cloths to sell, sitting along side of her were her children.  I've concluded that the best way to see the ruins is with a guide who gives interesting historical, cultural, and physical descriptions of the Mayan times - otherwise walking through the grounds with not much information didn't immerse the visitor into the rich civilization.  At Luminai and Caracol, the guides gave us an in depth sight into the people and its times.  The Jungle Lodge had clean and bug-free rooms with a dining room - very resort-like.

Crossing the border was interesting - with our Belize Ministry of Foreign Affairs special ID, we didn't have to pay any border fees.  As soon as we got to the border, we were bombarded with money changers.  I was in an unfortunate situation in that I didn't have the chance to get to the bank for money - I exchanged $100 Belizean dollars for $50 U.S. from Larry and I carried with me my special stash of a $100 bill from the States (I've carried it for a number of years - I had given it as a Christmas present to my son - wrapped in a small xmas pouch - he sneakily left it for me to find later).  Ever since then, I've carried the pouch with me as a lucky charm (and emergency).  Once we crossed the border, taxi hawkers bombarded us, one who convinced us to take his taxi to Tikal - the unfortunate miscommunication of the price of the ride resulted in the typical American response of outrage and almost got us stranded in the middle of the long trek to Tikal.  Fortunately, the lodge and the Flores hotel took bank cards, and I was able to get money from an ATM in Flores.  It was terribly confusing to track currency rate in Belizean dollars, US dollars, and Guatemalan Quetzals - of course, I was not prepared in advance for this trip so I was going blind trying to figure out where, what, when and how the journey.  As a typical American, I usually read and made notes to assure a successful trip, but, I guess, living here, I felt lazy about planning in advance.  It's amazing what a slower pace lifestyle did to me - so un-American (LOL).

Flores located on an island in the middle of a lake was lovely - a tourist destination but not commercialized like other tropical resorts.  We walked to the mainland over a bridge to the local market - this for me was the highlight of the trip.  The bustle, noise, and crowd of Guatemalans shopping for Christmas was a wonderful glimpse of life there.  No traditional handcraft here but goods and food for daily living:  fruit, vegetables, corn grinding for tortillas, live chickens, clothing, household ware, etc.  I would have loved to try the local food fare for lunch but we opted instead on a fast food chain selling Kentucky-like fried chicken - again, a typical American way of enjoying a foreign country.  I was glad that I bought my souvenirs at Tikal since the market had no fare.  

Well, I admit and confess that I have failed in Spanish - I got a few words here and there and remembered some words, but, in general, communication was more hand and facial expressions.  Except for the problem with the taxi driver, we got along fine and the people were gracious.

The most striking moment was the sunset on the lake - beautiful.  We enjoyed our dinners over looking the lake.  The island resort was quaint and not very crowded, more subdued and relaxed than the bustle of places like Cancun.

It'll be interesting to see what San Pedro on the Cayes will be like.  I hope to take the kids there when they come.  It's tourist destination in Belize, and I know that Kimberly will need the comforts of a resort rather than a jungle bungalow.

I was surprised to feel a coming-home comfort of returning to Belize - on the bus, I noticed the difference between the two countries.  We rode with a diverse people of Mestizos, Creole, and Mayans speaking Kriol, English, and Spanish.  I now understood the reason the Belizeans consider themselves a Caribbean country.  It felt good to be home again.