I bought for about 60 bucks food and water, with the plan to get to El Mirador and/or stay at least 4 days out camping in the jungle. Getting up early in the morning, I expected to be at El Mirador at noon. The first part to Tikal is all asphalted and easy to ride.. there I got quickly the needed registration to enter the place with a bike (free) and paid a small fee to pass through (without seeing Tikal). The road was still pretty good, even if not asphalted and I arrived at the last village, called Uaxactun, where I bought some more gas in bottles and asked for the way.. another 50km to Dos Lagunas, where nearby are some ruins and supposed to be the backroad to El Mirador.
Well, on the way there I figured out that there is NO WAY to drive to El Mirador (because the road I was on was more than challenging and the people said it's still 1-2 days walk from where you have to stop your bike (and the trail rather complicated if you don't know it.. :-/
so I changed the plan to go to El Mirador (postponed to do it from Carmelita) and just wanted to see these other sites.. but on the way there I encountered so many problems, that it kinda broke my mind doing this stuff.. first of all, the overheat lamp of my bike.. AAARGHHH!! why 30km out in the jungle on a road where I can't drive fast enough to have a strong airflow (radiator might be dusty as well). So on the way there and on the way back I got stuck in the hardened mud tracks of the 4WD cars.. glad to have a engine protector but hit the ground with the panniers and my breaking pedal got bent over, so I had to drive 3/4 of the way without rear brake :P So I decided to drive 30km back instead of making another 30km there and then 60km back and it was the right thing! but heading out I fell at a speed of 20km/h (slipped off a small slope.. no idea how this happened) and it ripped completely off a pannier and I got a scratch on my arm.. first time my jacket helped me :) just a little scratch, but would have been really nasty if I would have decided to ride in a T-Shirt.. also my brand new 6 dollar viser got badly, but badly scratched by branches in the way.. but well, better than loosing an eye ,)
I made it to Uaxactun, where I camped in the middle of a temple (really cool you can do that :D and met a local guy, that knows a lot about the jungle, getting Kautchuk and robbing graves (kinda Tomb Raider.. haha ;) yeah.. was really fun to talk to that guy! it's a hard job to go to some sunken ruins and dig for treasures.. staying in the jungle for months, having no convenience getting out as animals, without having guaranteed, that there efforts will bring fruits. Well.. of course, old knowledge gets lost like this (things getting sold on the black market, ending up in private hands), but whatever.. these people are so poor, it's just fair to get back something of their ancestors. And the stuff wouldn't be found for many, many years.. might never be found if not somebody goes there on his own. there are more than 10 000 sites here (some of course very small).
so was very interesting to hear about such a life and I even had 1000 year old plate in my hands :D fascinating this Maya stuff.. their rules, wars, traditions, ballgames... they were about 60 different kings and cities and they were fighting quite often, as I heard.. surprisingly, because it was all so close together..
well.. I drove out of Tikal that morning and stopped in El Remate, where I run into a German couple that lived here for 5 years.. because of some nasty neighbour fight they could even tell something about the Guatemalan prison.. you don't want to be there, but it's survivable (advice: call your Embassy :P ) was chilling out the whole day with these guys, talked about starting an adventure rider motorbike business in Guatemala and what it would take (I like the idea! :) and had some beers and cooked together in the evening.. spent the night in a hammock at their place and had a good day of rest (after being frustrated by not getting to where I wanted).
So I drove over to Yaxha, where you pay half the entry of Tikal and get 3 sites.. Yaxha, Nakum and El Naranjo.. just passed Yaxha and went to Nakum.. also pretty rough road, but nothing compared to what I experienced a day ago.. the site is really cool (see pictures) and I was tripping out the whole day, enjoying the dance of the fireflies in the night and cooking (yes, me ;) at the kitchen of the workers there.. they are digging out that stuff and restoring it for about 2.5USD/hour, being out there for 22 days and then going back to their family for 8 days. It's quite a vibe.. 30 male beings for three weeks away from everything.. hehe ;)
they have cool campsites.. small hutts on piles with a bana-leave-roof.. keeps off the bugs from the ground.
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on the way back I encountered a big branch fallen on the road, but could pass it by taking off a pannier (bikes just rule!! ;) haha :D
and for having a lot of time I bailed out to El Naranjo, where there is not much too see, except for hills in the jungle.. this is how ruins look like after 1000 years.. plants grew over and decomposed and you barely see any walls.. dirt hills with trees on it, whose roots rip out the stones of the structure.. so the people are working for 1 year now in Naranjo and they have just a few rooms restaured.. an endless work. They told me in 10 years, the first pyramid will be restored :P ;) hehe :) I might be back ;) ..climbed on a scary looking lookout to see over the tree tops.. ah yes.. and on the way there I fell of course and broke off a blinker, another latch of my pannier (deshaped the good one as well :(( and a little bit nastier.. my clunch lever broke in the middle.. ah.. I was quite frustrated.. but at least could move on. Not much left to break.. but well.. the panniers get fixed both for 13USD, the lever can be solded, pedal bent back and the rest is more or less adjusted.. found some people here.. actually.. every workshop can do it for you.. it's Guatemala.. they fix everything for cheap. I just have to learn to let things be for a moment, if it's out of my power to change it in the very moment. So all these things added up and tore down a bit my happiness.. then I lost also my didgeridoo (after 9 years having it and traveled all over the world) and I haven't even used it in these 4 days.. well.. it's just matter and I'll head out to a store to buy some plastic tubes.. if I'm lucky I find good materials to make another one :)
so having not much found in Naranjo, I headed back to Yaxha to spend a night in this place.. because I hit my foot on something while driving, I had pain to walk and didn't see the whole place.. first I was worried that something could be broken, but it's already a lot better today.. just having worn tennis, this would have been much worse!! (glad to have good leather boots ;)
Yaxha is also nice, but a bit stretched out and I didn't appreciate the ruins that much any more (probably have seen too many of them in a short time ;) there were almost no tourists (well, Nakum where NO tourists whatsoever) but guards were hanging out at the sites (makes it a bit less chilly ;) but enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the highest pyramid..
I understand the Maya.. if you have jungle all around you, you want a stone place with no plants, you want to build high, to have at least a bit of a view.. so I'd have had a tall pyramid myself ;) haha ;))
I met two other travelers that night and we cooked together.. so I could at least use some more of the food that I bought.
yes.. and know.. know I'm back in Flores.. have to eat something and then I will take care of my bike and my stuff.. all planned out as I learned it from my Mom ;) haha :) all really easy stuff.. some tasks to do, keeps you busy traveling ;) and I think, I got a lot more experience.. know the limits of the bike, the trails, some more places to go, met awesome people and was inspired, lived advernturous things, learned more how to ride my bike, lerning about fixing it as well ;) and how to deal with certain moments.. when I ripped off my pannier and got that scratch, it took me a good while to put it on it's wheels again, but there was nobody to help me and I'm glad I achieved this (small moments of success, as making a fire to cook ;) hehe :)
I might head out a day to Tikal, but maybe not.. depending of the people that I meet here. Maybe I just head on to do a lot of diving! :)
after having peed in the Grand Canyon and in a hot crack on the volcano (makes a lot of steam ;) I now can also claim to have peed off a Mayan pyramid ;) hehe :) ..ah.. life's fun!!
so I'm still alive and continueing my trip.. will be busy the next days, but you'll hear from me :)
Carpe Diem!
P.S. the jungle doesn't seem to like me.. after a few days I'm full of stiches, scratches and bugbites.. itching as hell. Looking forward to take a shower and shave ;) it's good to be back in good ol' civilization ;) haha ;)
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