Cycling The Globe

A Cycle Touring Expedition Around The World

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Day 1719: Tikal Ruins

Posted by Thomas Andersen Posted on Jul - 06 - 2015

I don’t do this very often, going to a tourist attraction with entrance fees, guides, and everything. My philosophy is that the best things in life are for free. On my trip that means cycling through typical villages, chatting with locals in a restaurant, and sometimes even staying with friends (or friends of friends) like I’m doing these days with Willy and his family in Santa Elena. This for me is the true highlight of the trip.

Now, to all rules there are exceptions, and the Tikal ruins located right there in the middle of the jungle somewhere north of Santa Elena turned out to be more than worth a visit.

In the morning Willy drove me to the airport where I waited for a bus to arrive. After a few more people arrived by plane from Guatemala City, among them a German engineer, a Canadian girl on a 1 year trip, and a Peruvian woman living in Florida, we set off towards Tikal.

Back in Peru I visited the Inka ruins of Machu Picchu. I left the Inka world behind a couple of countries ago, and now I’m in the heart of the Maya culture of Guatemala and Mexico. Tikal is one of the largest urban centers of this pre-Columbian civilization.

Without further ado, Tikal!

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4 Responses so far.

  1. Juan Carlos TG9AJR says:

    Amazing !

  2. The Tikal ruins are certainly on my list. Absolutely amazing!

  3. Scott KA9FOX says:

    When I visited TG9AJR in the mid-90s, I also took the trip to see the Tikal ruins. As soon as I got there, I found that my camera was broken, thus my memory of the ruins had to be stored in my brain only. Your pictures brought back a lot of those memories. Thank you for sharing!

  4. Hi Scotty! What a nice time visiting TG9AJR down in Guatemala. World class hospitality, and so many interesting things to see as well. Tikal was impressive, very nice that you have been there as well. I was following your Europe trip – looked like you very busy tourists! I’m in the States again!! Landed on the 4th of July in Florida and now I’m cycling up the Atlantic coast. My sim card works great. Give me a call to say hi if you get the chance one day: 331 425 9185. Tom