Guatemala is instantly beautiful.  Much like inland Belize, you are surrounded by lush tropical greenery, though I find the topography in Guatemala to be a bit more pronounce.  About an hour after crossing the Belize/Guatemala border, I found myself in the tiny island town of Flores. With red tiled roofs and cobble stone streets, it’s almost impossible not to compare it to a seaside mediterranean village. The entire isand can be covered on foot in about 20 minutes, but its location makes it a great jump off point for the main attraction in this part of Guatemala; the ruins of Tikal.

A shuttle picked me up outside my hostel at 4:30 in the morning to make it to Tikal shortly after sunrise. While the ruins are no doubt impressive, the story of Tikal is far more interesting. At one point, Tikal rivaled Rome in both size and population. The layout of Tikal is such that it funtions as both a sundial and a calendar, as if you are at a certain point, the sun would rise over a certain temple on each solstice and equinox, which I suppose shouldn’t be surprising given that the Mayans pretty much created the modern calendar. Only 7% of the ancient city has been excavated, while the remaining 93% is still claimed by millennia of foliage. However, the mere 7% that is visible is quite a sight to behold. It is certainly no Angkor Wat, but it is impressive. I think Angkor Wat ruined me for ruins. After exploring/climbing the temples for a few hours and seeing some wildlife, such as spider monkeys and tarantulas, it was time to head back to Flores where I would take a 9 hour overnight bus to Antigua, a town I would quickly fall in love with.