Chicken Bus

Saturday 9 November 2013

Nothing much to report except went on a chicken bus to get to Flores to see Tikal.  Going over the river border there’s really no choice but to hop on a local bus.  It’s unseemly and undignified and they played really uncool Guatemalan music, very loudly.  For the first two hours after getting into Guatemala we drove down a pot holed river of mud.  But it was an experience.  Locals getting on with their sacks of corn and other knick knacks.  Interesting, if not exactly enjoyable. Got to Flores and picked up the hire-car Trevor had organised.  Ah, luxury. 

Tikal, Sunrise and the Howler Monkeys

Saturday 9 November 2013

Got up at the crazy hour of 3:30 am to see the sunrise at Tikal.  Walked into the park with a guide and everything was dark so could hardly see anything.  Weird walking around and seeing the silhouettes of these huge, really vertical pyramids.  Then climbed these steps up to the top of one of the tallest pyramids and sat on the steps to wait for the sunrise.  Too misty for a pink sunrise but it was still really cool.  The howler monkeys get up just before the dawn and make their racket.  I’ve seen them on documentaries but nothing prepares you for how they actually sound.  If you didn’t know they were monkeys and that they are harmless you’d think it was something really dangerous, evil even.  Trevor recorded them on his phone; it’s not very loud but I think it gives you a sense.

Howler Monkey Tikal November 2013 from Trevor Angst on Vimeo.

And here I am in Flores.  Lovely little old town. Didn't spend too much time here as we wanted to enjoy our hotel. 

Went to our hotel in Flores.  Las Lagunas.  We splurged and spent a bit of money on this hotel and boy was it worth it!  Security guard at the front gate with an automatic shotgun freaked us out a little bit, but hey, its Guatemala.  This was a very high end lodge with all the trimmings, set in the jungle on a beautiful lagoon – just wow!

They had two activities to do at the resort.  One: go feed the monkeys in their luxury lagoon boat.  Two: Go on their fancy quad bikes to see the ocelots.  We did both.  

Look at us here - looking like Lord and Lady Muck!

The fancy quad bike tour was through the jungle along very muddy trails to see their collection of animals that they were looking after – it’s a refuge for animals rescued from different places in Guatemala.  We wanted to see the ocelots, and oh boy it was amazing.  One of them came right up to the side of the cage and kept sticking his arm through trying to get to us; he was that close.  Totally cool.  Absolutely gorgeous animal – never been so close to a big cat like that.

They also had a lot of wild boars, which were very ugly, but kind of cute at the same time, fascinating.  They opened their mouths and you could see their razor sharp teeth; the kind of animal that could easily kill you.

A Tuk-Tuk with Wings

Sunday 10 November 2013

Nothing much to report today. Only travelling from Flores Guatemala to Cancun to start our next leg of our holiday – seeing all the Yucatan Peninsula pyramids (well at least a lot of them).  Get to the airport; small airplane.  Makes me a bit scared.  Trevor says, “that’s not our airplane,” and points to a much smaller plane, “that’s our airplane.  And they have the hood up and are checking the engine.”  I thought he was joking at first.  But he wasn't, it was the small plane alright.  Then Trevor said he saw the mechanic bang the engine with a spanner, shrug his shoulders, and shut the hood.  It was a bit scary.  The weather wasn’t good and we were going up in a tiny plane that looked like a tuk-tuk with wings.  Whenever you hear the words ‘light plane’ it’s usually followed by the word ‘crash’.

So we get in.  The plane is booked to capacity – eleven passengers!  We sit at the back.  I was a little trepidatious.  Actually quite a bit.  Trevor loved it.  The view from the plane was excellent, much better than a normal plane.  Land safely and easily in Belize.  Good.  Feel better now.  Next leg, Belize to Cancun.  Same kind of plane.  This time only four passengers.  WTF?

We sat right up the front, just behind the pilot and co-pilot.  Fascinating.  Scary.  Well, the pilots looked totally relaxed.  Made me feel relaxed too.  Then we flew into a massive tropical storm; we could see the pilots instruments – the rain radar shows the maximum setting on the scale; it’s pissing down.  

Me in front of the 'plane'.

Full plane.

Second plane.

Rain radar in the cockpit. (Actually the whole plane is the cockpit).

I was a little freaked.  So we go through the rain; pelting down on the windows.  Imagine a big storm and you’re driving on the freeway and you can’t see anything because the rain is coming down so fast and hard – then multiple that by one thousand.  Scary.  Got through that and the rest of the flight was smooth sailing.  Get to Cancun and we can see the runway from the window.  Just like a simulator – only not.  Perfectly smooth landing.  Yay.

Land in the ‘private jet’ area of the Cancun airport, get to the ‘private immigration’ office – never gotten through all that rubbish so quickly.  For once a good day at the airport.