Feb 21, 2019
After only a couple hours of not very good sleep we got up at 2:30am and were outside by 3am to catch the shuttle to Tikal.
It was about a 1.5 hour long ride to the site. We hiked in the dark to reach the tallest pyramid there (and the 2nd largest Mayan pyramid anywhere). We then climbed the stairs in the dark to reach the top. At the top it was “quiet time” so we could peacefully watch the sunrise and hear the jungle wake up. It was misty so we did not get the dramatic sunrise that is seen in pictures but we did get to experience the magic of the jungle coming alive for the day. It started as only hearing crickets in the dark. Then as it got lighter you would hear a bird call or a monkey howl. By the time it was light all the animals were making sounds and the jungle was full of life. For me personally it was an experience that made me feel more connected and grounded to nature. Most often in our daily lives we wake up and immediately start running with all of our responsibilities and obligations. For me, I know it is easy to get caught up in all the things I have to do and forget about taking time to be thankful for the day, the sun, the trees, the breeze and the circle of life that happens everyday without us even thinking about it. The jungle coming to life with the rise of the sun was magical, especially when sitting high above most of the trees on an almost 2000 year old pyramid. It was very cool. We spent the next 5 hours touring the site with our guide and group. We climbed a few more pyramids and saw a bunch of wildlife. Spider monkeys, howler monkeys, parrots, many types of birds, and a raccoon-type thing that was very interested in our burritos.
We were pretty exhausted so took the first shuttle bus back to Flores, and it was still a 10 hour day by the time we got back. We stayed a second night at the hostel, and after napping and dinner we went to the Skydeck bar where they had games like beer pong, corn hole, and big jenga. Brendan got badly dehydrated and stayed in bed trying to recover. I turned in around midnight and Taylor stayed and went to a nightclub and ended up jumping in the lake with Brendan #2 and the group of our new friends from the hostel.