This post is originally from February 22, 2023

From Rio Dulce we were back on the road. This next journey was about 4 hours long and took us to the colourful town of Flores. We had to leave later than expected due to protests on the roads but once our driver picked us up, it was smooth sailing. Flores is a town in Guatemala’s northern Petén region. It’s on an island on Lake Petén Itzá  which is Guatemala’s 3 largest lake. After years and years of heavy rainfall (hello global warming) Flores has remained partially flooded in areas. It is interesting because right outside our hotel window you could see the water creeping closer to the busy streets. Locals go about their day like there is nothing abnormal at all. We saw them park their car near the flood and jump in the lake for a swim.  

Flores itself is incredibly picturesque. It has vibranly coloured archicture and cute little shops full of amazing Guatemalan treasures. I had a ‘moment’ in Flores when Liza and I decided to walk around the town so we could take photos of the buildings. We ran into this cute older gentleman. He had the kindest eyes and genuine smile. He tried to speak to us in Spanish, but of course my limited vocabulary got us nowhere. In my mind I desparately wanted to take a photo of him as I felt like I could capture his beautiful soul with the amazing backdrop. As we stood there exchanging smiles I toyed with the idea of asking him, but in the end I didn’t want to ruin the moment by doing something so touristy and chose to walk away with just this memory. I know that I did the right thing, but photos do capture memories and with my aging brain I can only vaguely paint this picture now that I am home.

Another reason travelers come to Flores from far and wide is because it’s also the gateway to the nearby Mayan ruins of Tikal. Tikal is situated in the jungle and with that comes plenty of wildlife. As we entered the UNESCO site, there were actually ‘jaguar crossing’ signs! Walking around the dense forest we saw spider monkeys, howler monkeys, toucans, coatis and the most beautiful wild turkeys. We were taken through Tikal by a local guide who gave us insight to what life was like around 672 AD. Another fun fact about the Mayan culture … remember when I told you that they would place a board on a baby’s head to make it elongated like a corn husk? Well what they also did was place a jade gemstone between the baby’s eyes. This would train the eyes so that they would become cross-eyed. This was another sign of beauty and wealth in the Mayan culture. Tikal itself became the greatest city in the Mayan world and is said to have had a population of over one million people in its prime. With that said, there are more than 3000 structures on site! Once again, it is incredible what the Mayans accomplished during their time! 

Here are a few fun facts about Tikal:

• It is an archaeological site with more than 2500 years of history
• Tikal National Park was created in 1955
• Its the first site worldwide to be acreddited the title of Mix World Heritage (Cultural & Natural categories) obtained in 1979
• It is within the Mayan Biosphere Reserve

With this being our last stop in Guatemala, I can say without a doubt that this country has not disappointed us in the least. It’s beautiful culture, kind and smiling people and gorgeous nature truly captured our hearts. We are both sad to be saying goodbye tomorrow, but look forward to seeing all that Belize has to offer.