I Think I'll Be a Gypsy

If I could sum up the months of January and February into one word, it would be SUITCASES.  I have packed and unpacked my family more in these two months than I believe I ever have before between our comings and, more often, goings from the valley.  And so, it was a relief to finally make it back to the valley a couple of weeks ago for the long-term.  We were instantly busy visiting communities to talk about water and to teach dental health, and we were glad to finally be home.  So naturally, three nights after we arrived at our home in the valley, we decided to take a family trip to the ancient ruins of Tikal in the Peten region of Guatemala (why not pack up the suitcases again??)!  I’m beginning to think that I’ve found my true calling in life…gypsy.

Our family trip began as most do: with a child who threw up and a Visa card that was denied at the car rental company (“We placed a stop on your card because we noticed unusual activity in the country of Guatemala.”  “For the ten-thousandth time:  WE LIVE HERE!!”).  But, we made it into the truck before noon and were off!  Here in Guatemala, the journey to your destination can be almost as exciting, if not more, than the destination itself.  We were stopped at several military check-points where scary looking guys with automatic weapons over their shoulders stuck their heads in the car and turned out to be very friendly when all was said and done.  We found out that my husband has a very hard time seeing speed bumps that are unmarked, and we are all recovering from a massive case of whiplash even now.  We also discovered that in order to get to Tikal from Coban, you need to cross a teeny river in a tiny town by ferry.  As you can see in the picture below, we even got to ride this ferry with a gas truck!  This concerned our youngest child, Ben, but we are happy to report that all parties made it across safely.  After only a couple of speed bumps more, we arrived at Tikal.

 

The ancient city of Tikal is found smack-dab in the middle of undisturbed jungle.  It is one of the most beautiful and most frightening places I’ve seen in my life.  Our hotel, appropriately called the Jungle Inn, was located right in the heart of this jungle, and the beds had mosquito nets and spiders that were uncomfortably large.  There were howler monkeys in the trees along with spider monkeys, and I also saw, for the first time in the wild, a Toucan.  As luck would have it, there are also lots of animals of the serpent variety in Tikal, and I happened to be the only one who saw these beastly things ( 2 in fact).  I think this is because I was the one looking out for them the most.  I saw more species of birds and wildlife than I ever have or probably ever will see again in the wild.

You can, Toucan!

A Spider Monkey swinging down to take a look

Our bungalow

All these things pale in comparison, however, with the main attractions in Tikal: The Pyramids!  There is a unique feeling that comes over you when you climb a pyramid that you know was built by hand 1500 years ago, and we got the opportunity to climb several of these structures before our day was done in the park.  It was also priceless to see the look on Cata’s face, a descendant of the Mayan Empire, as she climbed the pyramids that her forefathers built.  My children, because they are Star Wars aficionados, discovered shortly before we went to Tikal that the rebel base in A New Hope was filmed in Tikal.  Therefore, their favorite structure was pyramid 4 where you could look out and picture the Star Wars battleships landing at the base at the end of a long day (look for it the next time you watch A New Hope).  My favorite place was sitting just below an ancient throne and looking out at The Grand Plaza as the sun was beginning to set.  To say the least, we are counting what we learned at Tikal as a field trip of a lifetime for our boys and at least 1 week’s worth of homeschooling (we’re getting kinda liberal on what we call school).  The experience was more than what I can put into words.

Picture Star Wars ships landing here

Three good-looking kiddos in their happy place

Great shot of a temple through the jungle

The Grand Plaza

The Jaguar Temple

Cata standing where her forefathers once stood

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and it was time for us to get back to the valley and the projects that are in full swing here.  We bumped our way back through the Peten and even found a Pizza Hut on the way which tasted like a slice of our home in the States.  And when we finally made it back, we found the sight of the bodega and our home here in the valley to be a sweet and inviting one.  Perhaps I’m not destined to be a gypsy after all, but it sure is fun to pretend sometimes J.