Tikal

We finally made it to Tikal. What a beautiful place! And so rich with history. It's amazing to walk through the ruins and try to envision the Mayan people living there. Scenes from "Apocalypto" were racing through my head. We arrived at about 9am and were ready to trek through the jungle at about 9:30, after getting the kids covered in sunscreen (and me too!), and making sure we all had socks and tennis on. Then, we had to buy a sling for Solomon, because there was NO WAY either Emilio or I could carry him all throughout the park. He is over 20 lbs now, and though neither of us are wimps, that is backbreaking! :) We bought a colorful sling (not the traditional large cloth the native indigenous women use, but an altered version), tucked Sol in it, and went on our way. It was steaming hot already, and I was covered in sweat after the first few steps - of course, I got to carry Sol the whole time, while daddy had Nefty on his shoulders for the tricky spots. We were only able to climb to the top of two temples, but I think we chose the two tallest! And we thoroughly enjoyed the Grand Plaza, where most of the other visiting tourists could catch a breath and enjoy a shaded snack or lunch. The immensity of the ruins was overwhelming. It was also wonderful to see so many visitors from all around the world, everyone speaking in his own language. A truly awesome experience.

After four or so hours of hiking around with the kiddos, it was time to head out. We hiked out of the park and hit the nearby restaurant for some refueling. Though we had previously planned to stay and explore the park for two days, we decided that one was sufficient, even if we didn't get to see everything. We are already planning a return trip when the boys are older and can hike around alongside us - rather than on our hips or shoulders!

On a side note: Unfortunately, we didn't see a single wild animal. Not even a monkey. Nor did we hear any. Just many birds. Neftali was pretty bummed. But oh well. We made a trip to the Guatemala City Zoo the next week so he could get his monkey fix.