January 2012

Jungle Kingdoms of the Maya

Melanie and I had never taken a guided tour prior to taking the Jungle Kingdoms of the Maya with the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA). All of our previous trips had been self planned and done on our own. I was curious to see what it would be like to take a trip where a professional made all the arrangements for us. Our tour had 24 participants, and over the course of our journey I was able to have at least one conversation with all of them, and I was delighted to find such interesting people! Everyone was interested in exploring the Mayan ruins, listening to the lectures by Bruce Love, our leader/archaeologist. Most everyone else had traveled extensively throughout the world (Bob had visited 62 countries, Gene had been to 59). I really enjoyed talking to them about all the places they had seen - Lake Bikal! Jordan! Machu Picchu! Cambodia! Tanzania! Pretty much any where on earth. It really inspired me to continue traveling. It has occurred to me recently that this really is a golden era for global travel - other than conflict in the Middle East and some spots in Africa, most of the world is at peace and eager to welcome tourists. I hope to spend the next 25 years or so taking advantage of this era of tourism and see as much of the world as I can. After this trip, I definitely want to return to Central America and see more Mayan sites. I also would be happy to take another trip led by AIA.

When we were exploring the Lost World section of Tikal, I asked Carlos (our guide in Guatemala and Honduras) if he would take a group photograph of all of us standing in front of the Great Pyramid. This turned out to be a popular suggestion, and soon Carlos had been handed 20 cameras! He was a great sport about it, and willing took a picture on each camera. The above photo is how mine turned out.

Here is a map of our route - three new countries for me to visit!

Saturday: January 21 Fly from Seattle to Houston Fly from Houston to Villahermosa Stay at Hyatt Villahermosa	Sunday: January 22 Visit Olmec site of La Venta Guided tour of La Venta Museum Stay at Hyatt Villahermosa	Monday: January 23 Visit La Venta Park Afternoon introductory visit to Palenque Stay at Chan Kah Resort Village	Tuesday: January 24 Guided tour of Palenque (UNESCO World Heritage Site) Palenque Museum Stay at Chan Kah Resort Village	Wednesday: January 25 Morning bird watching Afternoon visit to Bonampak Stay at Escudo Jaguar Lodge	Thursday: January 26 1 Hour boat ride down Usumacinta River Guided tour of Yaxchilan Stay at Escudo Jaguar Lodge	Friday: January 27 1 Hour boat ride up Usumacinta River Enter into Guatemala Afternoon introductory visit to Tikal Stay at Jungle Lodge
Saturday: January 28 Guided tour of Tikal (UNESCO World Heritage Site) Stay at Jungle Lodge	Sunday: January 29 Climb to Temple IV for sunrise view Tour Tikal Museum Lunch at Isle of Flores Boat ride to Catamaran Island Hotel	Monday: January 30 Tour of Quirigua Enter into Honduras Stay at Hotel Marina Copan	Tuesday: January 31 Guided tour of Copan Visit to Sepulturas area of Copan Farewell talk and souvenir display Stay at Hotel Marina Copan	Wednesday: February 1 Fly from San Pedro Sula to Houston Fly from Houston to Seattle	Thursday: February 2	Friday: February 3

Click on the three icons below to open up the first three pages of the original flyer that AIA sent out for our Jungle Kingdoms of the Maya tour.

Click on the AIA logo to visit their website. I would definitely do another trip with them.

I found Maya Ruins and Authentic Maya to be a useful website. I also used the Moon Handbook on the Yucatan, and the following reference books:

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All the graphic images are my own design, but the textured background is taken from a site, EOS development, that offers non-profit users free use of their graphics. Click below to visit their site.