The clock ticked 4 am and I could barely contain my excitement. The electricity was out as it typically was between 9pm and 8am but we had set aside our headlamps so we were ready. We were going to see the sunrise on top of Temple IV in Tikal. (Tikal is the largest of the ancient ruined cities of Mayan civilization). Although we had been through the archaeological site the day prior we had been looking forward to the sunrise tour since we started planning our round the world adventure.

"Run" James whispered to me as he held my hand guided by the light of my headlamp (you should realize by now that these come in very handy. I have also been known to read at night with it when James has fallen asleep only for him to awake to his wife reading beside him wearing a headlamp. He opens an eye and I see a sleepy grin. "what" I say suddenly aware that it must be a very funny sight... but back to Tikal, I digress.)

We run through the path in the jungle, our tour guide behind with the rest of the group except for Mark and Sam who managed to break away even sooner than we could. Morgan, a new 12 year old friend of ours joins us and calls back to his dad to try to catch up. I think maybe I should stay back with them but my excitement propels me forward. We wanted to be on top of the temple before the sun started to rise and the jungle woke up.

We sat in silence (at least after one of the guides with a shaved head and camo pants gave a couple stern words to those around that were being a little noisy. Morgan has ADHD, he can't help it. But I was happy for this guide because my gentle reminders were falling on deaf ears).

The air was thick and I could feel the sweat start to trickle down my hairline the resulting affect of swiftly climbing the steep wooden staircase up the side of the temple. I was happy to be breathing air from the fourth largest oxygen producing region in the world.

It felt so peaceful up here above the jungle canopy in the middle of this ancient world about which we know so little. The howler monkeys (named for the very loud guttural call they make to the other monkeys to let them know where they are feeding) started to wake up. We first heard one or two and then as more and more woke up the air around us seemed to fill with the noises of not only the howler and spider monkeys but all the different birds in the jungle including the Toucans that we got a glimpse of flying through the air as the dark turned to light and Temple I and II became visible as the sun started to illuminate the tops of the tallest structures in Tikal.

Lost there in my own thoughts, my hand in James' I was thinking about the history of the ancient Mayas while trying to appreciate the Mayan culture of today. Many call the ancient Mayan civilization in Tikal the "Lost World". I am careful because I know that there are still many Mayans alive today. We lived amongst them in Antigua, we visited their villages and watched them create beautiful handwoven crafts. The Mayan civilization is still very much alive although they struggle each day to maintain their languages and culture and their identity due to exploitation and prejudice and with little of the reverence when we speak of their ancient ancestors. I use this experience to help understand the importance of respecting and preserving cultures that are still alive in the world today.

Morgan looked over to me it seemed with pleading eyes. His mouth started to open and I put my finger to my lips to signify that he should be quite just a little longer. He nodded and turned back towards the jungle in front of us. I wanted just a couple more moments to imagine what life must have been like here for the 60,000 + Mayas that inhabited this area for about 1000 years.

As my mind drifted off so did the image of Temple I and II as the sounds of the jungle and the thick jungle mist enveloped us.