My name is Thomas Thayer, I am a sophomore on the Guatemala Trip. Today our plan was to fly from Guatemala City to Flores, Guatemala and then to take a bus to Tikal. Tikal is the destination for the next three days of the trip. The goal is to learn about Mayan culture while touring the lost city of Tikal.
We woke up early on Thursday to try and see the sunrise but it was too cloudy. We had our first traditional Guatemalan breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, beans, plantains, and tortillas. This is known as “Desayuno tipico”. Guatemalan food will definitely take some getting used to, but one of my goals for this trip is to try new things such as the food. The hosts at the Quetzalroo Hostel were a Guatemalan family who were extremely welcoming.
After breakfast we walked to the Fontebella shopping mall to hit the ATM’s to get Guatemalan currency, which is called Quetzales. The mall was beautiful and full of high-end restaurants and shops, which surprised all of us. While there Professor Lennon explained that Guatemala City is a very popular destination for well-to-do people from neighboring countries to shop for items they are unable to get in their own countries, because the economy in Guatemala is more stable. We all took turns drawing money from the ATMs, which was a bit more challenging to do in Spanish. Most of us withdrew 500 Quetzales, which is about $75.00 US.
Our flight to Flores, Guatemala involved a mid-sized propeller plane that held about 70 passengers. We took off on a clear day and you could see several volcanoes as we gained altitude. It was a short 45 minute flight to Flores. Professor Lennon told us the drive would have taken 14 hours because there are no real highways in Guatemala. Marcos, one of the hosts at the Quetzalroo Hostel had told us that in Guatemala there are more than 300 different microclimates, and that was experienced once we stepped off the plane in Flores. While the flight from Guatemala City was short, the change in scenery was dramatic. Guatemala City is located at approximately 5000 feet and surrounded by huge mountains and volcanoes while Flores is located at 300 feet, and the land is mostly flat and the weather is hot and humid. Guatemala is truly the land of micro climates as we went from chilly and dry Guatemala City in the low 60’s, to high 80’s and high humidity in just a short flight.
After a quick walk and lunch in the town of Flores, we jumped on our bus and had a one hour ride into the jungle around Tikal. Tikal is one of several ancient homes of the Mayan culture. The Jungle Lodge( https://junglelodgetikal.com/en/home-english/ ) is a beautiful hotel located in the middle of the jungle. We had a great dinner and then watched the college football playoff game of Miami vs. Ole Miss. That was something I hadn’t expected to do. Here I was sitting in the middle of the jungle in Guatemala in a really nice hotel watching American college football, while howler monkeys screamed terrifying cries in the jungle. It was pretty cool. We meet tomorrow morning at 0430 to try to catch the sunrise over the pyramids of Tikal! A great second day.
View of Flores from the air.