Finally ... Tikal 2003
December 15, 2003
Well, it's been awhile since my last
journal entry. It was nice to take a break and gather
my thoughts. Now I'm in Korea
teaching English but that's another story. First I have
a little catching up to do about the last leg of the
Central American journey and the greatest Mayan city
of all, Tikal.
The "Heading back to Canada Blues" stayed
with me until I got closer to Tikal, Guatemala. I found
synchronicity again and I've learned that it is only
part of the spiritual quest. Something else I've learned
is that someone else can better explain the gathering
of truth and letting go of material things and controlling
desires much better than I.
I zipped through Nicaragua and the Honduras to get
to Tikal for the full moon
on March 21st and what a spectacular moon it was. The
bus ride north from Rio Dulce was unbelievable. The
geography is like nowhere else in Guatemala. Everywhere
these small hillocks, maybe 30 to 60 meters high, made
of square and oblong rocks and covered with tropical
trees and plants, rise above the ground like ancient
temples yet to be discovered. Erosion over the centuries
has carved away the softer sediments in layers forming
these unusual shapes.
March is also the month that farmers start the annual
slash and burn of the jungle in preparation for next
year's crops. This practice leaves wafts of drifting
smoke hanging in the air. Like gathering evening mists,
the smoke settles in the low areas, encircling the hillocks
and cloaking the jungle. As we rode north in the closing
heat of late afternoon, the yellowing, hazy ember of
the sun began to bury itself in the thin, drifted veils
of smoke. I felt a deep connection to this place's past,
to the Mayans, to the land itself. I felt like I was
moving back in time.
I arrived in Santa Elena, the island city just south
of Tikal in the late afternoon. Santa Elena is typical
of most Guatemalan small cities. The central bus depot
is a rush of confusion next to the main street. Hustle
and mayhem rule the day. There's a causeway that connects
the two parts of the city; the mainland has the daily
trading, markets and the bus depot, the island part
has most of the banks, shops and restaurants. If you
like good coffee and live music this is the place to
be. I spent an afternoon touring around and then headed
out to Tikal the next day.
I got to Tikal on the afternoon of the 21st, the night
of the full moon. The campsite was very nice with all
the amenities: showers and toilets, a nearby restaurant,
thatched roof "palapas" with cement pads and
even some small, raised one-room cabins set back against
the jungle edge encircling a large, long-grass clearing.
I met Else from Denmark on the bus. We joined a group
of about ten people and made our way to the Temple of
the Lost World to watch the sunset. Climbing temples
can be grueling especially in a calm, humid heat. The
rise to run ratio of the steps is like 2 to 1 with the
rise being about 18 inches or greater… damn tall
steps. The temple rises just above the forest canopy
and is ideal for watching sunsets. Unfortunately the
smoky haze obscured the view but in a way it added to
the mystic of Tikal.
On the way back I met a large group of women from
Argentina who were traveling together. They had come
to Tikal specifically for this event on the 21st, which
has a great deal of significance in the Mayan calendar.
They were students of the Mayan culture and religion.
They talked of significant dates and recent discoveries
in the Mayan calendar. A shaman who was traveling with
the group gained permission to remain on top of the
temple and meditate all night on upcoming events in
the Mayan calendar.
The sun sets quickly in Tikal. By the time we made it
back, the campsite was enshrouded in an unnerving blackness,
partly because of the thought of snakes, scorpions and
big bad spiders in the long grass that we had to walk
through without a flashlight. Unfamiliar places are
always scary in the dark. The moon hadn't risen yet
and with all the smoke, chances were not good for a
clear night. I moved my tent closer to the light.
There were about 15 travelers camped that night. Later
we all gathered in one of the Palapas and started relating
stories and songs. At one point, each of us sang nursery
rhymes from our home countries. Simple enough but watching
each person recall their favorite childhood rhymes was
like watching them turn into the child again. Facial
expressions were transformed from adult embarrassment
to childlike understandings to mother-child reunions
to deep adult epiphanies. The translating into English
and the cultural experience and perspective were fascinating.
Believe me, childhood norms transcend cultural barriers.
We sang, we played and we talked of peace beneath the
palm tree Palapa for hours until around midnight when
the moon came out in full, silver-green splendor. All
became clear in the translucent light of the Mayan moon.
The snakes, scorpions and spiders all scurried back
into the jungle only wishing they could remain to hear
more of the strange and marvelous stories. The moon
followed its silent arc across the night sky pointing
towards tomorrow and the site of the city of Tikal.
The Tikal site has to be experienced; the closeness
of the jungle and the exquisite architecture of the
greatest Mayan city are both in contrast yet oddly in
harmony.
And so ends my belated update. I traveled on to Mexico
City and then to El Paso Texas and eventually back to
Vancouver, all by bus in about 5 days not including
the stop off in Mexico City. The pictures
tell the rest of the story.
I've already begun the new journey. I'm now in South
Korea, the land of the morning calm, teaching English.
New journals and pictures are in the making but in the
meantime check out some of the pictures
of Korea from when I first arrived. Enjoy and Merry
Christmas.
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Leaving Las Lajas: Part 3
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