Decided to go to Flores & Tikal with a friend Michelle from the Rio Dulce and her 2 kids.; Fern & Noah.
Had an interesting bus ride there, we’ll say that. The bus company Fuente del Norte oversells tickets on the bus so yes you can end up sitting in the isles waiting till a seat comes up. On the positive we were able to practice our Spanish with the locals.
The town of Flores, where we were staying, is actually on a small island with cobblestone streets, colorful buildings and lots of small tiendas selling touristy things. There were some good restaurants on the lake front to enjoy a couple of cocktails after our busy days out and about.
Even toured the island by Tuk Tuk which was a blast all squashed into the tiny car.
We booked a guided 3hr tour starting at 4:30am(wowsa!) to see the ancient Mayan city of Tikal about an hour away from Flores. Tikal is set amongst the rainforests in an area of 120 sq kilometers and is an impressive site. The remains of temples that tower up to 230ft high, smaller pyramids, platforms and inscribed stone monuments are throughout the forest some with great views back to temples we had visited earlier in the day. Temple 11 below stands at 125ft.
We all loved spotting animals as we walked through the forest. The howler and spider monkeys were great to watch playing in the trees. These turkeys are so colorful and were very friendly.
Have returned to the Rio Dulce and guess what the World Cup rugby is on. We have transformed the Tiki Bar so we can watch in comfort. Wonder who we are supporting.
The boys all went thru the Panama Canal and then Bill & Brett continued on to Australia and are currently passing the Galapogas Islands. All well on board.