2003 Guatemala and Tikal

Up the Usumacinta River from Chiapas to Guatemala -
to see the Three Wattled Bell Bird

At 6 am January 2, 2003 we are sitting in the dark on the steps at the reception/coffee shop Restaurant at Mayabel. It is the last Campground/Hammock/Palapa facility before the Palenque Ruins in the rain forest. It rained a lot here since we arrived here about 12 days ago.

The van to pick us up arrived at 6:20 am. Three passengers were already on board - 2 French tourists and one German. All back-packers. It is still dark and there are fog patches on the road. We make one more stop to pick up a Dutch family of five with college age children. I find out that they are going to the Yaxchilan Ruins about 150 km south of Palenque. Same route we are travelling.

As daylight breaks we see low clouds and grey sky threatening rain.

We pass small villages and houses along this exceptionally good paved windy road through fields and dark high forest. Names appear along the road - Chancala Zapote, Ejido Cascada, Cascada Asuncion. Angelalbino Corso, Nova Canan, Nuevo Francisco, El Paraiso, Nuevo Palestina. All indigenous population that speak their own language and have at times been hostile.

We stop at a parking lot for a prearranged excellent breakfast under thatched roofs in the trees. Several tables are set out buffet style food - eggs, beans, fruit juices, coffee etc. Several other vans with tourists from China, Europe, Australasia and Mexico are already there lining up for food or eating.

I meet a very interesting man at my table. He is from Mexico, had lived in various places in Europe. We talk about Bohemia, Bayreuth and music. He knew that Beethoven and Goethe had met in the famous Spa of Teplitz in Bohemia. We converse in English and excellent German.

Three days earlier we had arranged for this 3 Day package from Palenque to Tikal, Guatemala through a small agency in Palenque. We wanted to see the Ruins and hopefully a few new birds. Birding being one of our hobbies.

After breakfast we continue on to about 10 am, drop off the Dutch Family at a Lacondon Indian Village that provides Spartan accommodation for tourists. We pick up a few more tourists of various nationalities and are off to Frontera Corazal. Immigration takes our tourist cards. We find out that our visas are no longer multiple entry and we have to pay 180 pesos each (about $60 Canadian). Back on the van for about another 500 meters. We can now see the Usumacinta River through the trees as we drive down a gravel road to the Military check point. Machine guns fortifications smart looking Mexican soldiers, very business like go through our luggage. About 10 boats are beached on the steep river bank. We climbed down the bank and carefully step onto our tippy boats. They are all about 10 meters long and 1 ½ meters wide, very streamlined with a thatched roof to keep out the sun or rain. We actually have neither. The river is about 150 meters wide, swollen from a lot of recent rain and moves about 15 km per hour. We have a 40 hp outboard motor and are going up the river with our trusty pilot navigator. About 20 people with 10 on each side, backpacks in the middle. Two big parrot like birds flying along get our attention. Very long tail slow wing beat. Almost immediately identified as Scarlet Macaws.

About 45 minutes later we land on the Guatemala side. While waiting for our bus that never comes I have an interesting conversion about Steinway Pianos with an young Austrian from St. Poelten. He is a piano design engineer and worked for Steinway for several years. He had interesting stories to tell about pianos.

Our group sits on logs and benches for about 25 minutes. Suddenly a man on a bicycle rushes down the hill and motions us to come with him. He urges us to hurry. We drag our luggage up the steep hill between ramshackled houses and pigs, chicken and children to a building 500 meters away. Guatemala Immigration. We get passports stamped, pay $5 US each and find out that we don’t have our arranged bus and can either wait for 2 hours or get on the local milk run/chicken bus for the 3 ½ hour ride to Flores. This bus appears to be owned by the same company as our tour transportation. A 45 passenger, 25 year old wreck, loaded with about 60-70 adults and children. I sit on a little triangle of bench next to a man and a women with a 5 year old girl on their lap. Two young boys are pressing towards me on the other side. I offer them some Juicy Fruit gum to make sure that I am on their good side. One is sucking on a can of Pepsi which comes close to blessing me with this popular 3rd world country product.

The bus bravely fights this bumpy gravel road that probably has never seen a grader. People get on and off at about 25 stops. We have a 10 minute rest in La Cruce. A few run to the local bano (bathroom). Irene and I don’t. It would take too long to get off the bus and we do not know how long it stops and we would loose our precious seats. I later find out that you needed 2 Quetzals. So far none of us tourists had a chance to get any local currency. Our next stop is at St. Elena on the shore of the lake on which Flores is located. Our destination for the next two nights. Elbowing our way to the front of the San Juan Travel Agency our tour vouchers have to be rewritten. They own a hotel, car rental, most of the buses and what else. We transfer to a mini van. Be careful, don’t put your luggage on the top as it is already piled high. Keep it between your legs. We are taken across the bridge to Flores. The small picturesque (from the distance) island town. Dust, pollution and slight hint of sewer prevails. Several women wash laundry in the lake just off the bridge. There is some fiesta starting. Someone tells us it is the Peten Festival. Beer flags for decoration are strung across the narrow streets, balloons and half tennis court size Tecate signs are strapped on buildings. American style music is blaring from giant loud speakers. Narrow streets are blocked off by beer tents. We get to our hotel in a round about way. Drag our packs up the steps to the reception. After a few minutes wait a girl shows up. We show her our voucher. She tells us to wait “un momentito”. After what seems like 10 minutes an English speaking man comes and tell us that unfortunately our hotel is fully booked but luckily they (whoever they are) found us another hotel just around the corner. By now it is 4:30 p.m.. We carry our stuff to the other hotel. Climb the stairs to the room accompanied by the man. He says that we will like this room. “It is very clean and just as good as the one in the other hotel”. He unlocks the door. “Oh!” The room has not been made up and cleaned. “Very sorry” he says, “Only another 20 minutes”. Instead of a shower we drag our luggage back down the street (we are reluctant to leave them in the unmade room) and have two beers and tacos with friends we had met on the boat. We did take our room keys.
The next morning we get up at 4:15 am. We had actually set the alarm for 5 am to get the bus at 6 am to go to Tikal 65 km away. We did not need to have set the alarm, fire crackers at 4 am will do it just the same or better. It had rained hard about 7:30 p.m. and rained again with low clouds on the way to the Ruins.

We stop at the gate of the Park about 16 km from the actual site. It is pouring. “Everybody off the bus to buy the entrance tickets” the driver announces. Fifty Quetzals ($20) each. We protest several times saying that we had already paid in our Package. To no avail we pay again under protest. We will take it up with the agent in Palenque.

Several other people who had also prepaid are not coming back to Palenque but continuing on to other destinations. No chance for them to get their money back. Another tourist scam?

Tikal is huge! The buildings are spread out over a large area. The ground is covered by tall tropical trees. I am told that the Star War II movie has some fantastic scenes shot at Tikal at Temple IV. There is much written about Tikal so I won’t elaborate. Several interesting birds some lifers for Irene and me.

We return to Flores too tired to go to the San Juan agent in the neighboring town to complain about the Tikal entrance fee.

We leave the next morning at 5 am (5:30 Guatemala time). Quite a sight seeing two to three dozen tourists of at least 10 different nationalities, sitting on the bags in the dark, on the sidewalk, in the narrow streets. Smelly, smoky taxis rumbling by, buses and vans stopping and calling out names of destinations like Tikal, San Ignacio, Belize, Chetumal. Picking up one or more tired passengers. By the time we were picked up we had got to know a number of other travellers in the street from England, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and South America. Even met a couple who used to live in Winnipeg and now Saskatoon. This time the bus to the river is much better, takes an hour less. The Guatemala Immigration wants another $5 US We protest several times. We had been told that this is a one time fee. The Official finally apologizes and lets us go. Several people on the bus did pay twice and had no chance to go back to retrieve their money.

The river trip downstream only takes 15 minutes. Lots of scary whirlpools.

Friendly luggage search by the Mexican Army. Ten minutes later new Tourist Cards and 3 hours later back in Palenque. A short Colectivo ride brings us back to Mayabel our home away from home. We are ready for a drink and a good nights sleep.

Oh yes, we did not see the Three-wattled Bell Bird as it does not come to this area, but we saw the White Hawk, Ocellated Turkey and the King Vulture and many other exotic birds. Well, what do you expect when it rains a lot and the sun does not shine.

Advice to other tourists. Do not buy inclusive packages, just get a one way Colectivo package Palenque to the river and on to Flores. Get your own hotel and buy another one way back to Palenque or any other destination you have in mind. Example Flores to Palenque one way, bus, boat, van is only $30 US The agency we used in Palenque is Touristica Maya Chiapas. SA de CV. Av. Juarez #123C, Tel 01916 345 0798, fax - same number, E-mail “turismaya@redmaya.com”

Monday, January 6 we returned to our agent in Palenque who gladly refunded us the Tikal admission price. He was pleased to get a report from us and intends to take up the problems with tour operator in Guatemala.

Santayana, a famous travel writer wrote, “There is wisdom in turning as often as possible from the familiar to the unfamiliar; it keeps the mind nimble; it kills prejudice, and it fosters humor”.

Report by Chris Weigl, January 6, 2003


P.S.
January 25, 2003
Thinking back we really had a great trip. The hardships are fading into the background and the great memories remain. This is a trip we would recommend to anyone.