Guatemala - 2011

Day 10 - July 21 - Tintal to El Mirador

A map of Tintal that is at the campsite. Click for larger view.

We joked that on the map El Mirador is only a couple of inches, but in reality it is 30 kilometers: 18 more long miles in 8 grueling hours.

Along side the map are pieces of pottery and other artifacts found here at Tintal. As we find out later, Tintal was known for its artesans. Here they even found a pot with paint still in it.

Different bones unearthed here.

Near Tintal is an "aguada" a place to keep water. There are no rivers or ground water here (no wells), so these cities were maintained by retaining rain water. It is believed that tree roots crack aguadas so that they no longer held water. That and periods of drought doomed these great cities.

A tomb.

Notice Maria's equipment: hat; machete; water.

That blouse is attached to a simple bridge. Tourists call this "the Bridge of Maria's Blouse".

I'm not sure, but I think she called this a RonRon (for the sound it makes). She said it is like a firefly, except it's light is constant. I never saw one lit up.

Rhinoceros bettle held up with Maria's machete.

Half way thru the day we stopped for lunch. While we almost collapsed on the ground, waiting for Rudy and the mules, Maria got right to work. She said that this structure is not allowed here, so she began to dismantle it. After a minute or so we got up and helped, cutting vines with the machete and stacking the wood in piles.

That, my friends, is a walking stick noticed by Rudy. It is about a foot long and virtually invisible on the ground when it is not moving. The head is on the right.

Here we are learning something the locals already know: the jungle is tedious. There are wild animals here, but you are going to see them. With the exception of a rare monkey, lizard or bird, you will only see insects and mostly mosquitos. Fortunately, I brought strong repellant from the US just for this trip.

A "bajo" (low place or swamp).

Maria trekked right thru.

But she asked Rudy to take us across on the mules.

Finally, 8 hours later, we arrive at the START of El Mirador. The first group of ruins is aptly named "The Dead".

Maria and Toby on one of the small pyramids.

Maria had us crawl into one of the ruins. Fortunately, I had my solar flashlight on my fanny pack so it could charge. Inside we found ants, which bit Kevin and Toby because it was hard to move thru the small passages, and more. That is not a trantula, by the way.

This is the guy on the wall in the other picture. Not really sure if it is a spider or related to a scorpion. Probably a spider, though.

And there were many large moths the size of a deck of cards.

Returning to the light.

20 minutes later (yes, 20 MORE minutes) and we get to the camping sites, which are occupied by two other groups. This young man is Erik, one of Maria's two sons, who are also guides.

Here the defeated travelers stumble into civilization.

Here, that chair is a throne. We spent time talking with a group of guards.

Another 50 yards or so is the main quarters for the guards. Here we put our gear and were told we could put up our hammocks (the two other guest pavillions are taken). We decided that in the open air would be more comfortable, due to the lack of air and high humidity.

Here we are setting up hammocks just in the trees above the guard barracks.

This is a shower and humble that it may seem, it provides one of the most luxurious showers I have ever had. There is a bowl inside to pour water over yourself.

Though it is easy to use a whole bucket it is good to conserve. Remember that all of this water must be captured from rain fall.

During my shower (which was right outside the kitchen area) I could hear Kevin, Maria, Toby, and Rudy discussing a possible change of plans. Kevin's feet are bad and we are beat. I can hear Kevin ask whether the other two sites (Nakbe and Wakna) are "vale la pena" (worth the pain) of three more days of walking.

Since I can hear everything, upon my return I agree that we should modify our plans and stay in El Mirador for two days. Why? 1) The other two sites are not excavated yet, so they are just pyramid/hills covered by trees. 2) Going to the other two sites means three more days of walking versus two. 3) We now know that it won't matter which trail we take back to Carmellita: the jungle is the jungle and basically looks the same. 4) We need time to recuperate, especially Kevin.

After dinner we joined Erik's group. Kevin and Toby shared some rum, which was gladly received. After a while I left to rest and noticed the stars. There is a large field, so there is plenty of space to view the brilliant night sky. I went back and brought Kevin, Toby, and a couple of others. A man from Russia thought the stars were different here, since he had never really ever seen the night sky outside of the city lights.