Photo-Blog

 This is the view on top of Temple IV in Tikal. The central square can be seen, with temples I and II. This scene was also used in Episode 4 of Star Wars. 

The Mayan temples were a magnificent sight to see and climb. The site had only been discovered in the 90s, and many temples remain buried. Many of the steps, as the ones below, are in an unrestored condition and unsafe to climb.

And this, of course, is the scene from the movie (which I will be watching as soon as I get home).

Here in Lanquin will be our last stop before we head home. This small mountain town is full of local energy and beautiful mountains. The main attractions are caves and brightly colored pools. Tomorrow we will be doing some caving and some diving in the pools. Then, we´re off to Guate and finally back home.

Travel Fever

In the fifth week of my travels, i have begun feeling the inexplicable
emotion of an unfounded connection between myself and the countries
that I am in, and the people who I have met. An article I recently
read puts it succinctly: traveling is a drug, a fever, and an
addiction that consumes ones real life. Read the article at
http://www.travelettes.net/lonely-planet-destroyed-my-life/ .

As the prospect of returning to the states and beginning my new career
draws nearer, the anxiety and the fear of settling grows stronger. At
a young age of 21, who am I to commit myself to a lifetime of work and
goal-oriented aspirations? As a person who is goal oriented and
ambitions, it's weird to hear myself say that I'm dreading it. That at
this moment in time I would much rather move to Nicaragua or join the
peace corps or work for the foreign service. As the German traveler
writes, lonely planet destroyed his life. By creating an addiction, a
compulsion to see and experience everything. A compulsion to learn,
but learn uniquely, of things so foreign in the homeland. Concepts of
language, culture, religion, and poverty that are so far buried in the
daily life of an average american. Despite the 5 weeks I will be
spending here, I feel I could have spent a year and still feel
unsatisfied, like I haven't learned enough, like I haven't seen
everything.

The biggest realization that I have come to, and I'm sure most other
independent or frequent travelers would agree, is that it takes very
little to make a vacation truly count. In terms of planning, plane
tickets, money and hotel bookings, I could arm mysel with a lonely
planet book and a debit card and see myself around the entire earth
without any trouble. Once this conclusion had hit me, I immediately
started wondering, why should I ever stay home then? Why not take
every moment I have, every penny of my worth and spend it experiencing
more in one day abroad than I could in a month at home?

Shake me before I go crazy. I surely hope i don't become that dirty
hippy that quits their job and spends their life washing dishes for a
few pesos or yen or kronas to make it to the next place. But I won't
be the last to admit how appealing it sounds, and how dangerously easy
it is to start.

Now I must write about our most recent sightseeing, and no doubt one
of the most incredible places I have ever been to. Yesterday we
visited the ruins of Tikal, a partially uncovered limestone city
belonging to the ancient Mayan kingdom. The earliest construction of
Tikal is known as 750BC, nearly three thousand years ago. Today many
temples remain uncovered, overgrown with jungle plants and canopy, but
the temples can be seen bulging out from the earth in the traditional
4-sided pyramid shape.

By now we have made it to the small mountain town of Lanquin, and will
be staying here until returning to Guatemala City to fly home. Photos
of Tikal to come!

Enter: Guatemala

As of a few days ago, we have traveled persistently through two
countries to arrive here, in Guatemala.

The trip started and ended with a bus, like always; first a chicken
bus to the dodgy city of Managua, then an 18-hour coach ride and a
night in Guatemala City before finally another chicken bus to Antigua.
We spent two days in Antigua before another long bus trip to where we
are now. The Isla de Flores, in the Peten region of Guatemala.

To put the country in perspective, it ranks third in the line of
places we have visited in terms of poverty, with the fourth most
impoverished being Nicaragua, the second poorest nation in the
Americas. Yet from our passing through Guatemala City and the
well-maintained colonial town of Antigua, the difference in poverty is
both apparent and striking compared to the tumultuous conditions in
Nicaragua. The tourism industry booms here, with a slight immersion
into indigenous Mayan culture. The markets here, of which there are
several in every town, seem to flourish with tourism money. Unlike in
Nicaragua, the goods here seem to focus only on our foreign pockets.

Either way, it is impossible to ignore the obvious beauty in this
country's history and culture. Indigenous tribes remain true to their
customs, language, and dress. Weaving clothing, hammocks, and other
textiles, tribal women attract attention with their uniquely bright
garments. They often sell their handiwork in artisan markets, and try
to charge the tourists a fortune. Thank goodness for successful
haggling.

Tomorrow supposedly the culmination of all sights in Central America
leads to this one: the Mayan ruins of Tikal. Nestled deep in the
jungle, this well-preserved limestone city has buildings that date
back to 3000BC. In order to get there, we are taking a 90 minute
shuttle leaving at 4:30 in the morning.

With just a few days of sightseeing left before heading home to the
states, I've gain appreciation for so many crucial things. One is a
good book. Another is a mosquito-free environment. Lastly, there's hot
water. I already know what I'm going to do the moments following my
arrival back home: drink a hefeweizen, take a 20 minute hot water
shower, and cuddle with my cat.

Volcano-boarding in Leon

Spending way more time in Nicaragua than we had planned, we decided to
make an impromptu trip to Leon, in the North-pacific coast. The
colonial city of Leon had much to offer but we focused on the unique
attraction: the active volcano, Cerro Negro. This unique type of
volcano is only one of a few in the world. It remains extremely
active, with two active craters, and is made up of fine volcanic rock,
or black sand. It is also one of the few places in the world where one
can board down on a waxed board at over 50mph. The hike was a bit over
an hours climb over volcanic rock and ash, and arrival at the top
revealed two billowing craters spewing sulfur and minerals. The
descent was very steep, and we slid down sitting on waxed wooden
boards.

The included photo shows part of our hike. The landscape is incredible
as it shows the history of the volcanic eruptions in the past, as lava
has hardened over and blackened on the bottom of the volcano.

The Masaya Region

After departing from San Juan del Sur, we made for a few small towns
out of the way. The Masaya region is rich with Nica culture,
practicing artisans, and natural beauty. We spent two days
experiencing the areas around Laguna de Apoyo, which is an extinct
volcano crater filled with fresh water. The lake is a few hundred
meters above sea level and filled with crystal clear, blue water.
Having the chance to swim and kayak through the lagoon was a
refreshing experience, and I got to practice my Spanish with some
like-minded Nicas at the lake lodge.

San Juan del Sur - Surfer's Paradise

If youre ever in the mood for cheap surf lessons and killer waves,
this is the place to be. This gringo-run beach town on the
South-Pacific coast of Nicaragua is full of sandy beaches and coastal
bars, not unlike the previously-visited Bocas del Toro. We only spent
one night in this paradise, however. While the beach is nice, I didn't
intend on doing much more in this town than dunk myself in the Pacific
for the first time. I was quite eager to visit the less touristy
places in Nicaragua, where we've spent our last nearly two weeks.