Mr. Chocolate and the Luck of the Irish

On Thursday I returned to Xela after time with my parents in Antigua and a trip to the Mayan ruins at Tikal. Tikal National Park is located in the Peten, the hotter and more tropical area of Guatemala. It indeed was hot and humid, much to my mother`s dismay. Our "posh" Hotel Tikal inn had it`s own swimming pool and cold drinks...but no ice.
We flew in at 7 a.m. and went on the 9 a.m. tour of the park. The temples are incredibly huge, looming structures that have withstood the elements (including many earthquakes) for years and years. Some temples date back to hundreds of years BCE. The Mayan cities at Tikal were only recovered/uncovered in 1996 after the signing of the Peace Accords. The tourist industry is mostly directed at Europeans though an increasing number of North Americans are joining the crowds. Our tour guides were interesting...limited English but they had learned enough to please tourists and thereby feed and clothe their families. The great Mayan god Cacao was translated as Mr. Chocolate by both guides that led us through the park. Not quite an exact translation. Felt very Willie Wonka...I kept expecting a chocolate fountain to spring forth from a temple.
The most impressive time in the park was the early (4:30 a.m.!) tour. We left in the semi-dark and entered the woods amidst the cries of the howler monkeys. Very loud creatures and appropriately named. The "sunrise" we were guaranteed at the top of Temple V was more like a gradual brightening of the cloudy sky. Still it was a stunning moment, high above the tree line with a view of ancient temples that have watched over the forest for hundreds of years. The rest of the morning was spent wandering through the old cities. We were the first to arrive and all the sites were more impressive without the throngs of tourists that show up later in the day. As always occurs when traveling with my parents we met several interesting people and learned many personal details of their lives. Highlights: Karen from Colombia who works for a socially conscious oil company. It`s true...they exist. On the shuttle from the airport to our hotel in Guate we met Paul and Dee, two Irishmen who are working on building a church outside of Xela. I was privileged to get a ride back to Xela the next day with Ivan, a seminarian from Belfast. We had four hours to commiserate about the Presbyterians seminaries and their many rules and regulations. I hope to visit their work site later this week and work off my free ride home with some sweat equity.
Off to lunch...avocado!! Pictures are forthcoming. No cable here to connect my camera.