Pics » 029. Guatemala. El Mirador trek

First who thought of El Mirador	were Vonnick (France)	and Stine Mari (Norway)	but they needed a braveheart prepared for anything	and I was it	We also wanted some romance in our team	Nur (Turkey)
and Dan (USA)	added that twist quite nicely	And Hans (Germany) made sure	that everyone is happy and taken care of	The team was ready	We even made our way to Carmelita	the jump off for El Mirador
We enjoyed more comfort than locals	and our fearless driver had a cool gun and a friendly smile	But we didn't know where to go	So Angel (Guatemala) became our guide	and Yovanni (Guatemala) - our logistics manager	We also had 3 mules	and 3 horses
to carry our foodstuffs	and some disabled team members	Why would people get disabled	Man! Hiking in rainseason selva	for 99km in rubber boots	is not a joke !	And we only had 3 bridges over 5 hiking days
Sticky mud	and swamps	were only a part of the adventure	Meeting local fauna	and befriending it	was another challenge	Spider monkeys
would get extremely excited	when seeing us	and would even throw tree brunches	at the civilized intruders	And birds would try to avoid us	But once you get a nice zoom	birdwatching becomes an addiction
though very pleasant one	Alligators were even more elusive	Out of all creatures	Butterflies	and spiders were my favorite	Look, how beautiful their nets are	or how carefully and gracefully
they wrap their victims	Some nocturnal spiders	are true monsters	look at this guy's mouth	Cave milpieds	and bats were just babies	compared to cave spiders
Immense grasshoppers	Just loved the warmth of our bodies	Snakes visited us too. This poor guy was killed by a car	This incredible purple dragonfly greeted us	at her marvellous property - lily pond	Amazing flora of El Mirador basin	also left us at awe
We were not lost in the ocean of adrenaline	and the adventure didn't make us forget	Our higher spiritual goal	of exploring the ruins lost in time	and claimed by selva	millenia ago	Arnoldo has spent 6 yrs exploring El Mirador
We were lucky to have him as a lecturer	He even let us into a tunnel	inside the only restored temple	in the whole city of El Mirador	Climbing the steep walls	of immense El Mirador structures	with La Danta
rising to 80m above the selva	let us see some of the 26 Mayan cities	still hidden in selva	Less restored sites like Nak Be	offered the most picturesque views	In Nak Be we explored an ancient underground storage	which was full of fearsome insects
Every temple we climbed	invited us to share	the eternal silence	so dear for everyone of us	and so rarely enjoyed in our daily lives	That silence brought us closer together	and even crossed our path with that of other wondering souls
It let us fully enjoy	the breathtaking beauty	of selva sunsets	so different every night	and so generously presented to us	by our mother Earth	Those moments
were filled with some very simple truth	and I was silently shouting into the falling night	I LOVE THIS LIFE !!!	There also was the one and only sunrise	on the top of El Tigre temple in El Mirador	French, Russian and German eyes	were watching the sun conducting
the prelude of a new day	in the long gone world of Maya	And after that we would be back	to the tough reality of living in selva	thanking God for sending us Angel and Yovanni	Rare breaks	were as precious as drinking water
And camps	set up by Angel and Yovanni	were the only chance to let the steam out	to get dry	and ready	for the challenge	of the next day
Tired as hell	and hungry like dogs	we fried our wet and penicillin covered bread	to have a fiest of Gods	During breaks	I called Russia from Yucatan selva	and even learnt a new trade
of a tree climber	Guess how that works !	One must be a Simpleton not to get it	Any path only makes sense	if it has Heart	Ours did have huge HEART	I am soooo positve of it !
Salut !	guestbook

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