Guat a country!

The third installment in my Central American trilogy snuck up on me in the guise of Guatemala. I'd been a tad relaxed on researching this leg of the journey. This meant that I arrived not knowing an awful lot of what to expect. We had a brief briefing from our superb CEO Susi, and she had been hinting about places and experiences yet to come throughout our journey.

We rolled across the border as it opened (late, as the officials on the Belize side were operating on Belizean time), and half asleep we drove on to Tikal. I was on constant lookout as we drove through the jungle looking for elusive jaguars. Apparently the 'rare' label isn't just a marketing ploy. That, or they don't just walk along the side if the road.

Arriving at the ancient Mayan temple site was exciting. We were led through the jungle by a local guide, stopping at various points across the vast site of ruins. We climbed a temple where the astronomers made sense of the planets, walked amongst the walls they called home and took in the harrowing wonder of the ball court. This is where they played a team death match. The 'winning' captain had the honour of being sacrificed to the Gods.

After a great struggle in the heat of the day, we climbed the tallest accessible temple. But the effort was worth it.

What a view. Jungle. As far as the eye could see. Punctuated only by the two peaks of the other taller temples.

After making our descent we managed to spot some native wildlife. Saw some monkeys high in the canopy, a few iguanas and a whole array of birds including turkeys (not the same as the Christmas kind).

Still no jaguar though.