Back                                                           March 2008 Guatemala Trip

                                              by Greg Vandiver

Day 1- The first class flight was a little bumpy going from Charlotte to Guatemala City on U.S. Airways, but I got there safe and sound. After arriving there to the airport in Guatemala City, I had to wait for three hours in the terminal for my next flight on Taca Airlines to Flores. The thirty minute flight was as scenic as it always is, especially when flying over Lake Peten-Itza. I arrived to the Flores Airport at 6:20 p.m. and immediately shared a taxi with two British men to town. Once in town, I saw one of my companions walking down the street and gave him a shout to let him know I had arrived. I was the last to get to Flores and once I walked into the lobby area of Hotel Sabana, two more of my companions were waiting there for me to arrive.

There were seven people who had been invited along on the trip for the following six days, who paid $540 U.S. each. Myself from South Carolina, Dwayne Shreve from Maryland, Scott Turner from Arkansas, Mike Reed from California, Merlina Barnes from Guatemala, Erik Christiansen from New Zealand, and Skip Caldwell from Colorado. We had bought a guided tour of the Northeastern Peten Region in Guatemala from Cafe Yaxha in Flores. Our guide would be a German architect named Dieter Richter. Accompanying us for the trip would be two drivers of the 4 wheel drive extended cab trucks and a local helper who knew the roads and area well. In all, there was eleven people for the wild adventure which awaited us. We met at Cafe Yaxha in the late evening for dinner and a few drinks, to discuss the trip itinerary and talk about our past experiences. We stayed at different hotels and got some good sleep before the adventure started the next day.

Day 2 - We all met at Cafe Yaxha at 6:30 a.m., and helped load all of the supplies into the back of the two trucks, which we would need with us for the next six days. Both truck beds were filled to capacity with food, water, and luggage. We left around 7:30 a.m. and picked up the remaining supplies we needed along the way to Melchor de Mencos, which is on the Guatemalan border with Belize. Once there, we ate a early lunch in town at a good restaurant. After lunch, we headed north down a dirt road and stopped to get a nice view of the main pyramidal structure of the Maya Ruins of Xunantunich on the Belize side. We went onward to enter the Maya Biosphere Reserve, which we would be touring for the next four days to visit various Maya ruin sites, which were very secluded.

We passed through a woodcutter's camp and went towards the Maya Ruins of Holmul. At this time, we were now riding down logging roads, which were very muddy and had a lot of deep ruts made by the "skidder" machines, which were used to drag the logs from the forest. At times, we had to use one of the trucks to pull the other one from being stuck in the deep and muddy ruts. At other times, we had to clear the roads of fallen trees with a large chainsaw. If the trees were too large, we would simply cut an alternate route around the fallen trees through the jungle with machetes. At one place which we got stuck at, Mike Reed walked off into the jungle to find another ruin site nearby, which we think was the Maya Ruins of Hamontun, and is uncharted. The site was large and there was a lot of evidence from past looter's tunnels into the structures there. I think we got both trucks stuck eight or nine times along the way. We wondered if we had made a mistake by taking an alternate road, which was recommended by the woodcutters, for being the better and more easily driven on. We hacked our way well into the night, and were all relieved to finally see a government posted sign on a tree at the entrance to the Maya Ruins of Holmul.

Once at the campsite there, we immediately setup our hammocks and mosquito nets, while the drivers and guides started the fires for preparing our meals. One of the drivers was named Raul, which was an architect and had worked twenty years at the sites of Nakum, Yaxha, and Naranjo. The other driver was named Manuel, which was a taxi driver I am pretty sure I had used in the past in Flores, on a previous trip there. The other local guide and helper was named Walfred, who was very helpful in any situation, and spoke pretty good English. Dieter of course, was an architect who I know had worked at Yaxha and Naranjo. Everyone in the group which had paid for the trip, pitched in and had brought along a wonderful assortment of liquor for drinking around the campfire afterwards. There was lots of snoring going on between a few of us, but it did not bother me, for I had brought my earplugs along. I probably snored more than anybody in the group, but could not have told you, for I slept like a baby on that night.

Day 3 -  We awoke early and enjoyed a nice breakfast at the campsite before we entered the Maya Ruins of Holmul. It was a very nice site, although it was originally not part of our main itinerary. I was glad though that we visited the site there, for there was a lot to see and it was a rather large site, yet unexcavated. Also, the looter's tunnels were present in every structure there, as expected. After visiting the site of Holmul, we headed north and stopped at a woodcutter's camp along the way to buy a large bottle of fermented pineapple juice. The locals called it "chicha". At dark, we finally arrived to the woodcutter's camp of La Lagunita, where we would stay the night. We setup our hammocks while our meals were being prepared. As we waited for the food the be prepared, we had a few drinks and noticed there were two large scorpions on the side of the tables in the eating area. Thankfully, they did not bother us as we ate. We got some much needed rest.

Day 4 - I awoke to the screeches of parrots, which were high up in the trees overhead. Dwayne and I got our telescopic fishing rod/reel combos, and enjoyed a bit of fishing in the lagoon there, while breakfast was being prepared. I got a lot of bites, but did not catch any of the fish there, for they were very small and the water was badly stained. After breakfast and getting everything packed into the trucks once again, we headed onward and stopped to visit the unexcavated Maya Ruins of Kinal. This site was very large also and we stayed there for about one hour, before heading onward. The next stop was the archaeological campsite of Rio Azul. We had a nice lunch there and left our luggage and such in the late afternoon, to visit one more site before dark. This site was the Maya Ruins of Rio Azul. The site there was very nice, to my amazement. We saw some beautiful hieroglyphs on the side of one of the temples there. Also, there was a group of black howler monkeys there, which were not happy about us being there. They let us all know it too by howling and staring at us. 

Once back at the camp, we setup our hammocks once again as dinner was being prepared. I could hear a wild turkey drumming as it got dark. We were camped near the border of Mexico and Belize, inside of Guatemala. I figured the area to be used heavily by illegal drug traffickers, but thankfully we did not run into any while there.

Day 5 - After a good breakfast, we went onward down the logging roads toward another site. We stopped at the campsite of Dos Lagunas to eat a nice lunch. In one of the lagoons there, lived a crocodile about eight feet long. We took some photos of it, as it floated on the surface beside the pier there. We left there towards the next site we would see. The site was 32 kilometers away, and we were to visit the Maya Ruins of Naachtun. It turned out to be a rough road to the site, where we had to cut up many large trees which had fallen across the road. Also, the bajos were really bad too and we got our trucks stuck in the mud a lot. After only making it half way there in five hours, we took a vote among the group, which was unanimous to turn back. Three hours later, we made it to the campsite of Dos Lagunas once again. It was well past dark when we arrived there and we setup our equipment for sleeping and cooking again. The workers there at the camp advised us not to put our hammocks close to the woods, for they said it could be dangerous due to the extremely poisonous fer-de-lance snakes which were in the area. We got some much needed rest for the next day. 

Day 6 - After breakfast, we decided to head back towards civilization, and I must say, I was ready for it too. It was a long ride to the town where we were to come out of the jungle at. We were headed to the town of Uaxactun. Once there, we stopped at a couple of tiendas for some cold beer. It tasted great! While there, we had decided to eat a late lunch at the entrance to the Maya Ruins of Uaxactun. I had been there before, but some of the group had not. After being there for around an hour, we headed onward to the next campsite, which was the archaeological camp of the Maya Ruins of Yaxha. Since Dieter and Raul had worked there for so many years previously, we were allowed to stay in the cabanas there for free. Also, they had two showers too. Erik and I were the first ones to shower and it felt wonderful, even if it was only cold water. It was the first shower we had available to us in five days. Up until then, I had only been able to keep a little clean by using baby wipes to hit the high spots. Once everyone had taken showers, we enjoyed a nice dinner and a few drinks as we talked. It was nice to sleep in a bed for a change, instead of a hammock under a mosquito net. 

Day 7 - After breakfast, Raul took the group into the Maya Ruins of Yaxha, for visiting the main temple there; Temple 216. I had been there on two other occasions, and for the first time climbed to the top of the temple with the group. I must say, the view from there was stunning! We left there and headed onward towards another site nearby. As we entered the road to the site, we saw a keel-billed toucan high up in a tree, of which we all took photos of. We then visited the Maya Ruins of Poza Maya. I never knew the site even existed before this trip. It was a small site, which was not excavated as well as many more we had seen along the way. However, it was nice to visit. We only stayed there for forty five minutes or so, before heading to the next site, which I had heard a lot about, but had never visited before. Once there though, the Maya Ruins of Nakum was breathtaking to see. In my opinion, it was equal to Tikal in amount of structures and beauty. It was as nicely renovated as any I had ever seen. Raul said he had worked there for fourteen years as an architect and I could tell he was proud to have the opportunity to show the group around the site too. He showed all of us some places, which I am sure most tourists do not get the chance to see. We visited the site for at least two hours and went onward to one more site.

The site was the little known Maya Ruins of Naranjito. Raul told the group it was small, but was one of his favorite sites. When we arrived, we had to clear a tree laying across the road. Once inside, we encountered a seven foot long boa constrictor slithering along the pathway. It was the first I had seen in the jungle and did not bother us at all. It only wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground, to get away from everybody. The main temple there at the site was partially restored, but was very nice to see. Opposite of the temple was a dirt mound, which was climbed by everyone in the group. The view from there was very nice and in the distance, we could all see the tops of Temples 1- 5 at Tikal, towering over the jungle canopy. I knew then why this place was so special to Raul. Afterwards, we all went back to the city of Flores and checked into our hotels. I was to buy dinner for the entire group later that night at Restaurant Capitan Tortuga. We all met there at 8 p.m. and Dieter had invited his girlfriend Annabelle to come along as well. The food was great as usual and the beer was cold. We all went back to our hotels and called it a night.  

Day 8 - After waking up and saying goodbye to Scott, I caught a 9 a.m. boat at the pier behind Hotel Sabana, which would take me across the lake to the village of San Miguel. The owner of the boat was Oscar Tun. Oscar had worked for many years alongside Richard Hansen, at the Maya Ruins of El Mirador. He was to take me to the very important site on the San Miguel Peninsula, which was the last Maya kingdom to be conquered by the Spanish in 1697. He would give me a tour of the Maya Ruins of Tayazal. We crossed the lake and docked the boat in front of his hotel and restaurant there. Afterwards, we walked up to the top of the hill to enter the site. The site was not very impressive to see, but it was a site which was very important to me, as they all are. It was extremely hot on this day, and I was sweating profusely. Oscar asked me if I wanted to climb the Mirador to see the view from the top there. I declined and told him I was ready for the next part of the guided tour, which in all, I had paid $30 U.S.. 

I was going fishing in Lake Peten-Itza for whatever kind of fish I could catch. We were trolling, and did get a lot of bites, but the fish were way too small to take my lure into their mouth enough for me to be able to catch them. Oscar told me the fish were not biting and we went back to his restaurant, where I had a nice fried chicken lunch waiting for me. I enjoyed the food and took a nap on the front porch of his hotel in a lounge chair. Later that afternoon, Oscar took me back to the other side of the lake and I told him goodbye. I had wanted to go to the circus, which was in the nearby town of Santa Elena, but fell asleep once again back at the hotel room. It came a big rain and I walked to a restaurant to have a few beers and some ice cream. I bought a book on birds of Central America and Mexico at a souvenir shop and watched a movie back at the hotel room. At 7:00 p.m., I walked to Cafe Yaxha to have dinner with Dieter, Raul, and Skip. The food was great and the beer was too. I told everyone goodbye and Dieter gave me a big hug. I told him I would see him again sometime, maybe even in six months, if I could work it out with my schedule and all. I watched a movie back at the hotel and called it a night.     

Day 9 - I paid for a tuk-tuk to take me to the Flores Airport and caught the early morning Taca Airlines flight to Guatemala City. Once there, I hired a taxi to take me to the Mercado Centro, for buying gifts for a friend and also for some copal incense for myself, to burn on special occasions back home during times of much needed rain. I call them "Ch'a-Chaak" ceremonies, and do so to invoke the Maya Rain God Chaak to bring forth rain during times of drought. I left the mercado and ate lunch at a Wendy's restaurant near the city square. I had another taxi take me back to the airport for catching my early afternoon U.S. Airways first class flight back to Charlotte. It was a great trip with some nice people. I made a lot more Mayanist friends, and am sure I will see them again on another trip someday.