I did it. I finally saw a stupid Toucan (about 7 to be exact). Mission Accomplished!

We had planned on leaving for Tikal yesterday afternoon on one of the regular shuttles (60Q return) but found out at about 1PM that the 2:30PM shuttle was being canceled because we were the only ones that wanted to go. This would have been bad! We'd either have to pay $50US (pshhh...) for a private taxi or lose another day. So we got sneaky. We went to Los Amigos Hostel (a surprisingly disappointing place) and tried to book the tickets there, hoping the company would think there were more people wanting to go. No dice; they still said no. So we trudged back to Casa Amelia, resigned to the idea of spending $50 for what should have been a $7 ticket. Miraculously though, after 2PM, the tour company called our hotel and said the ride was on. YES! So we scarfed a pizza and got our stuff ready for the hour drive to Tikal.

Have you ever seen a road sign warning Jaguar Crossing or Large Snake Crossing? Head to Peten and you will! We didn't see any snakes though :( At the park we checked in to our deluxe accomodation at the Jaguar Inn (see photo) for 70Q each and headed to the park to watch the sunset. Denied. As of three weeks ago, you can no longer use a ticket bought after 3PM the next day. So we got comfy in our tent and sweat ridiculously with Kindle and guide book in hand. It was a rough night. We had an air mattress and a pillow. No covers, no lights, no nothing. But hey, 70Q!

All through the night I heard a sound like a hurricane wind howling through the trees or some kind of cave. It was pretty spooky because there was absolutely no wind at all and I had no idea what it was. It wasn't until we got up at 5AM this morning that I figured out it was actually Howler monkeys, which I should have know since we saw them in Peru. Pretty cool! I can't imagine what explorers a hundred years ago must have thought that sound was as they sat in their grimy tents, praying to make it through the night. No thanks! We got up early enough to be the only people standing at the gate, waiting for the park to open. The idea was to beat the crowds and race to Temple IV, the tallest temple with the best views. Sure enough, we were the first people in the park, or so I thought. We finally got to Temple IV, practically jogging the whole way, only to find at least 15 people already sitting at the top. How the heck did that happen? They must have cheated or mastered some dark art with portals.. Pretty soon though, even those few people headed down to see the rest of the park and we were there with only two or three other backpackers.

The whole jungle was coming alive, and through the mist we could see and hear monkeys and many different kinds of parrots. While we waited for the fog to clear so we could get a good view of the other temples, a group of Toucans was spotted by a guide. They were jumping around in a tree. The only problem was that they were hundreds of feet away and you could just make out the bright yellow and green beaks. It was good enough for me, but a few minutes later one of them flew right up to a tree we were close to and hopped around for a good five minutes. I think he knew I was waiting for him, and he is now officially named Toucan Sam. He was awesome! It's a great experience to see these kinds of animals somewhere other than a zoo.

I had read Tikal was big, but this place was HUGE! We walked and walked, taking it all in. You can climb up most of the Temples, and it was kind of strange to know you were sitting on something built over 1000 years ago. The Mayans knew what they were doing! About four hours in the heat and crowds arrived. Up to then we had a little cloud cover with a breeze and the park almost to ourselves. But we had seen everything we wanted to see, and headed for the exit. On the way out we saw several groups of at least forty or fifty people being herded like cattle as a guide with a megaphone explained things. What a terrible way to see the park!

We didn't get to see any Coatimundis but we saw a turkey found only in Guatemala (more exciting to Brittany than Disney World), lots of Spider Monkeys, parrots, and of course, Toucans! It was a perfect day and we made it back in to Flores around 2PM. We've got our tickets ready to go for RIo Dulce, and are headed to a place called Hotelito Perdido tomorrow.

Farewell, Toucan Sam, I hardly knew thee.