At 2am on the 17th of January we (being Tamsin and I, Eduardo from my lab and his girlfriend Bea and Joanna from my lab and her boyfriend Saurabh) left the safety of San Diego to head up to LAX to catch an aeroplane ride to Mexico City and from there onto Guatemala. We had a stopover of about 9 hours in Mexico City but this was more than enough time to completely absorb the culture. The main thing I noticed in Mexico City was that they use different sounds to convey the same information. This was obviously a shock to me and despite talking as slow and loud as I felt comfortable with, these people could not understand a word I was saying. Later I found out this is what is a called a language, and the language they was speaking was called Mexican. Fortunately Eduardo and Bea, who we were also travelling with seemed to be able to not only understand this gibberish but speak it in return. After this initial shock, we took the subway into Zocalo Square in the middle of the town. The subway can be quite cramped. Tamsin was a victim of either an attempted mugging or molestation while on the train but she took it in good spirits. People constantly get on and off the train selling the latest in Ranchero music that they have blasting out of a stereo. As I understand it, ranchero music is Mexican country and western and is possibly the worst on Earth. It sounds like a mash up of a mariachi band with a Bavarian polka band, as the music is driven by the beautiful tones of the accordion. We spent some time wandering around the square and visited the Metropolitan Cathedral and the National Palace.
After our trip into Zocalo Square and some lunch we headed back to the airport for the flight to Guatemala City. Going through customs in Guatemala City was quite easy, as there actually wasn’t any. Stamp on the passport and off you go. We arrived at the compound/guest house about midnight I think and headed off to sleep. The next day we caught the bus into the central plaza. All the buses had a kid hanging out the door who would assure you that this was the bus you wanted to take. The driver would stop just long enough for the last person to get on to come within arm’s reach of the bus before taking off again and as far as I saw we were the only people who actually paid. After an hour appreciating the luxury that is suspension we arrived in the middle of town. Guatemala City (or Guate as it is known to the locals for reasons that have long since been lost in the mists of time) is not really a tourist city. Sunday afternoons are busy in the main square with people enjoying their time off after church. It all felt very festive and safe, although there was a lot of barbed wire and security guards. After lunch at what appeared to be the Central American version of Denny’s we headed to the airport for our flight to Flores in the north of the country. Guatemala airport is quite big, but there seemed to be a lot less demand for terminals there than the planners had expected. Also, you need to show your passport or ticket at the door of the airport to get in so its very quiet inside. Flores was much warmer and muggier than Guatemala City. The trip into Flores was a bit of an eye-opener, as the place had a bit of a Wild West feel to it. The bars, casino and burger king all had bouncers/guards with pump-action shotguns. Once we got onto the island of Flores it was a bit tamer. There was a bit of a boy racer culture with the locals cruising around the cobbled streets in their Japanese import cars or motorbikes. In Guatemala a motorbike is quite a suitable family vehicle as I saw a few cases of Dad, Mum holding baby and kid on a bike. The first night we were there we went for dinner at an interesting place, where Tamsin and I both ordered nachos that came with sour cream and cheddar flavoured potato chips and cheese from a can, possibly because the owner was far too busy pounding tequila to be bothered with such trivial details as ingredients for the kitchen.
The next day we were up early to catch a shuttle to visit the Mayan ruins at Tikal, which aside from the opportunity to taste the famous Guatemala Eta Ripples nachos, was the main reason for our visit. As eloquent as I am, my words won’t provide a sufficient account of how amazing Tikal was, so I suggest you scroll down to see a few of the pics. We got a guide around the park, called Ruben, and this turned out to be an inspired idea as it cost us about $10 each for a 5 hours and we didn’t have to spend most of the day fumbling about looking at our map and saying “I think that’s a sacrificial altar” when it was really the gift shop. We also wouldn’t have learnt as much about the culture and history of the Mayans and the park such as:
Despite being short people, the Mayans liked their pyramids steep, allegedly so that you would clear your mind by the time you got to the top and could better commune with the gods.
The Mayans were predominantly vegetarians because they viewed animals as sacred. They loved their corn.
The Mayans had a lot of sacred sacred numbers. I can’t remember what they were, but it seemed that if you picked a random number between 1 and 100 it was more likely than not that it would be sacred.
The Mayans knew of the wheel but refused to use it as the circle was a sacred shape.
The pyramids were not built by slaves like those Egyptian ones
The Mayans were around for a good couple of thousand years and upon the decline of their civilisation they dispersed throughout Central and South America taking their pyramid building ways with them to the Incas and Aztecs.
The ruins at Tikal are constantly being repaired as the limestone they are built of is eroded by the elements. Only 20% of the ruins have been excavated and the rest will be left as big mounds covered in jungle.
We saw a bit of wildlife floating around the place, but unfortunately nothing ferocious like a jaguar. The jungle itself didn’t seem much different from the bush in New Zealand. All in all, Tikal is easily the most interesting place I’ve ever been (after Greymouth of course). After our day at the pyramids, I decided to give Guatemalan nachos a chance to redeem themselves. This was a grave error as I was up most of the night, um, expelling them. The next day we flew back to Guatemala City and caught a taxi to Antigua Guatemala, which is where we shall pick up in the next instalment.
The Metropolitan Cathedral in Zocalo Square, Mexico City. All of Mexico’s cleaners are in America so it looks a little grubby. Zocalo Square is the third largest public square in the world, after Tiananmen Square and Red Square.
Murals depicting the history of Mexico in the National Palace by Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez, husband of Frida Kahlo and noted communist.
Courtyard in the National Palace
The slightly smaller central square in Guatemala City with the brilliant Guatemala flag and another National Palace on the right.
The Mayans’ mastery of the art of scaffolding enabled them to rule Central America for hundreds of years.
Joanna, Saurabh, Me, Tamsin and Bea take a well deserved rest after excavating the ruin we are sitting on.
Me, Tamsin, Bea, Eduardo, Joanna and Saurabh stand in front of the Temple we had just finished excavating.
Me and the Temple of the Grand Jaguar, which was coincidentally my rank in the Klan before I left.
Some wildlife shots
A coati or snookum bear
In the absence of cats, Tamsin befriends a snookum bear.
Finally, something for the entomologists. Just like on the Discovery Channel. There are 3 different types of ants in the trail – the carriers, the traffic controllers and some little ones that ride on the leaves and keep them balanced. Another example of the wonder that is God’s creation.
3 comments:
Wow your travels sound amazing! Love catching up with what you've been up to! (Though maybe a few more paragraph spaces up there would have made it easier to read!)How long will you be back in NZ for in june? Will write an email soon Tamsin! Take care.
Looks like you had an awesome trip! Photos were great. My favourite was the snookum bear. Where do I get one of those from? Agreed that you need some paragraph spacing in there. If you would like me to give you some pointers, I can easily do so. Remember I did get 5th form typing prize after all.
Happy now? If not, I'll be sure to refund your money.
The snookum bear lives on a diet of stolen sandwiches and juice boxes.
Post a Comment