Today, Tikal!! I got up early to catch my flight from Caye Caulker to Belize City - in typical island fashion there was a lot of mumbling and calling of folks on a radio before my (already purchased) reservation was "confirmed." No worries though, I got on the plane and said goodbye to Caye Caulker - I had both sadness and excitement in my heart as a I transitioned from one part of my journey to the next.
I arrived in Belize City and when I made my way to the ticketing counter for my connecting flight to Flores, Guatemala (gateway to Tikal) I must say I sensed something amiss. There was no one there. After a few moments, an airport security guy went in the back to let the agent know there was a customer. The agent came out and asked where I was going - I said "Flores" and the stunned look which then took over his face was less than heartening let me tell you. It turns out that all flights between Belize and Guatemala had been suspended indefinitely due to some sort of issue between the transportation authorities of the respective governments. Apparently they had "tried" to notify me, though I never received anything. Ah, the joy of travel in (often) unstable Central America!
I felt the frustration rise...and then I realized - hey I'm not gonna get anywhere displaying a typical American "entitlement" attitude (you'll see further rants on this soon), so I took a deep breath, and simply asked what could be done. The agent went in the back and got what I assume to be the manager, Joe. I love Joe. Joe displayed all the aspects of customer service that many US companies claim to promote. For one thing, he didn't blame me for something that was clearly out of my hands. He then asked what he could do for me (novel!). When I told him I cared about two things: getting reimbursed, and getting to Flores, wait for it...he listened! Joe called the different buses that run from Belize City and Flores, gave me the schedule, contacted the airline administration to process my reimbursement and helped me get a taxi to central Belize City to catch the bus. And the whole time he was doing it, he kept me updated with each step. Joe deserves a freakin' medal, as far as I'm concerned.
So a 45 minute flight turned into a 7 hour bus trip to Guatemala. I had no idea what to expect but was thankful I got an early start so I'd at least get to Tikal before dark. I was also thankful that I (with the help of some sage advice) decided to stay the night in Tikal so would have the next day as well to explore the park.
The first part of the bus ride (to Flores) actually turned out great. It was on a HUGE tour bus with only 5 other people - 4 of which were Germans who were either asleep or chatting to each other in German. And all along the way I got to observe the passing villages and jungle of Belize - much of which I would revisit in my upcoming "adventure week".
The 2 hour minivan ride from Flores to Tikal proved to be a little more interesting :-). As I got on the "collectivo" - a shared minivan - there was a comment made by an American woman wondering how many more stops there were going to have to make. This was my clue for what was to come. As we made our way through the countryside, she began to complain about how long it was taking, wondering when the park would close, yada yada. All this time I was squished next to an Australian backpacking couple keeping my mouth shut in hopes that she'd think I was German or something and didn't understand English. No such luck. The next time we stopped (collectivos stop all the time, that's how it works) she pretty much went ballistic on the guy who owned the van. Once she had made her huge fuss and the van was covered in an uncomfortable silence I decided to "come out" as American and try to calm her, mostly in an effort to remove the horrified looks on the faces of the other passengers.
Because I do so much research before a trip, I kinda knew what was at Tikal, the layout, the "must sees" etc. - so I politely tried to console the woman, pointing out that she would still have 2 hours in the park, more than enough time to take her family straight to the top of Temple 4 and watch the sunset, a guaranteed mind-blowing Tikal experience. Once I started talking to her, she calmed down and honestly almost started crying - it was really that she didn't plan enough time and felt like she failed her family - and then promptly took it out on the people around her. By the time she and her family got to Tikal and left the van, they were in good spirits - and I actually saw them as they were coming out, beaming, excited, and the woman thanked me profusely for my recommendation, they had had their moment in Tikal. Ah, a good deed done for the day.
Just a note about this, cause I encounter it so much when I travel - in my experience, the more I expect things to happen the way they do in the US - the more I'm disappointed, frustrated and irritated by the travel experience itself. The more I "let go" of my expectations, the more fun I have and the greater the opportunity is for more genuine experiences in the local culture. This is something I remind myself of often - breathe, relax, smile...it's amazing how much it helps, and how many people smile back.
After my arrival in Tikal, the owner of the van - Luis - apologized for the unpleasant American, to which I replied - "hey man, no worries, I live there!" Luis then commenced in reeling me in to his various tours of Tikal - one of which I purchased right away - the dawn tour, the other I was more hesitant. Luis suggested I go on a very special tour, just myself and a guard, after the park closes as it was nearly a full moon and the park would be beautiful and full of life. After some negotiating on price, I decided to do it knowing full well this wasn't above board, no matter what I told myself.
I have had various feelings around this - sometimes feeling guilty for supporting "black market" tourism, but the more I think about it, the more I realize it was fairly harmless (to the park anyway). It's not as though we went anywhere the public couldn't go - we just went after hours. And let me tell you, it was spectacular. In terms of wildlife, I saw grey foxes, a tarantula, an army (literally) of leaf-cutter ants, about 15 crododiles, and a spider monkey (who threw rocks at me - seriously!). And more than that, I got to meet an incredibly friendly man named Victor, who has a wife, four kids and knows everything about Tikal - and no English! It's actually amazing how much my Spanish came back to me after all these years, I actually think I managed to understand most of what was said.
I did have times where I was asking myself - "what am I doing here? in the middle of Guatemala, with an armed (yes, he had a rifle) guard, in pitch darkness, with no one else around?" And the adrenaline rush I got when we had to jump into the jungle as a jeep passed us (and my final confirmation that this was indeed illegal), was worth every penny. A great adventure to say the least! And I will never forget sitting on top of Temple 5, watching the moon break through the clouds, with the whole jungle before me. Pure magic. The Mayans knew what they were doing here - more than the architectural achievement (which is huge), they created an incredibly spiritual place - a place of magic and wonder, a place where humans could touch the heavens.
After my tour I took a long swim in a gorgeous rock swimming pool, and slept more soundly than I have in a long time.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
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