Day 1 - Travel and hotel.
Day 2 - We departed the hotel early with two vans, and traveled to Tikal. It was interesting to see the grass huts along the road to Tikal. Many farm animals wandered the roadside as we drove--horses, cattle, pigs, dogs. We set up camp in a field. A ranger had cut the high grass around a big shade tree for our 19 tents. We took an all-day hike to the temples. It was an impressive sight as we climbed to the top of several temples. We saw many spider monkeys in the high tree tops along with toucan birds. We ate MRE meals for lunch which were very good. The weather was hot and humid, and felt like a bad summer day in Virginia. We got back to camp and took showers to cool down and get ready for dinner. Wild turkeys roamed our camp, eating bugs. As Debbie Rogers got her bag from the camp locker, she found a scorpion protecting her gear. The boys also found a dead tarantula spider at the showers. We headed out to a nice outdoor candlelight dinner at one of the few local restaurants. Off to bed we returned. It was hard to sleep with the weather so hot and humid.
Day 3 - About half of us were up at 5 a.m. for a nature hike. Many of us were awakened at 4 a.m. by the howler monkeys. We were on the trail about 5:30 a.m. for a 2-hour hike to the temple square. Much different today as we are the only ones there. Nicer weather early in the morning; actually, rather cool before we got out of our tentsw. It was a nice hike as we saw some monkeys and other small ground animals. We got back to camp at 7:30 a.m. and joined the other Scouts for breakfast. We hit the trail again at 9 a.m. to hike to more of the temples until 4 p.m., with another great MRE for lunch. We had a good look at the howler monkeys--much larger than the spider monkeys. Then another good dinner at the restaurant near camp. Before the clouds rolled in, we had a great view of the stars, as there are no lights for many miles around.
Day 4 - I decide to get up with the howler monkeys at 4:30 a.m. Our small group meets our guide at 5 a.m. to hike to the mahogany tree. The spider monkeys are much more active along this less traveled trail so early in the morning. They keep a close eye on us, shake the trees, and drop branches osn us. They settle down as we continue our hike. Our guide shows us edible plants and we take a sample bite and decide to stick with our packed snacks at our next stop. A snake crosses our trail and we spot the largest toad we have ever seen - about the size of an adult hand. We make it to the tree we have been looking for and it takes all of us holding hands to completely circle the base. We head back to camp. We join the rest of the Scouts for breakfast and then break down camp. The drivers arrive at 10 a.m. to pick us up and they are on time. As we take our drive and head to Flores, we see the local people along the road awaiting the water truck. They have containers of all sizes and the children are there to help carry the water back to their homes. We stop near a lake where it looks like a couple of families are selling their crafts. Behind the shop, we see adults and children working on their wood figures to sell. We check into our island hotel in Flores - air conditioning and showers! We tour, take a boat ride, see the zoo, swim, and meet Guatemalan Scouts for dinner. For many of these Scouts, this meal is likely the most expensive meal they have ever had and I notice how they enjoy the evening. We present them our 19 tents. These are the first "real" tents for their troop.
Day 5 - FORTHCOMING
Day 6 -
Day 7 -