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
Total images:
135
| Last update:
10/2/07 8:55 AM
| Generated by
JAlbum 7.2
&
Chameleon
|
Help