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| Pepes Cabanas is the place to stay when one is visiting Barra de la Cruz, Oaxaca Mexico. Pepe treated me like a member of his family. To reach Pepe email c_pepecastillo@hotmail.com or cell phone 045 9581078296. |
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| The hammocks are perfect for the midday siesta. |
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| The small store up the road sells mangos for 2 pesos each...YUM! |
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| The dining area |
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| Pepe offers cold beer and plenty of homemaid food. |
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| This is the mojarra with garlic. |
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| I was just visiting the amazing Mayan ruins at Tikal in Guatemala. |
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| Some of the earilest Mayan ruins here date back to the 4th century BC. The peak for the Mayans was 100 to 1000 AD when most of the temples were built. |
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| These Guatemalan "racoons' live around the ruins. |
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| The tallest tower reaches 230'. The Temple of the Jaguar. |
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| One is allowed to climb up most ruins here. The view from the top is worth the steep, scary climb up! |
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| I will now go back to Barra de la Cruz for more surfing, I miss the waves! |
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| Here I am on the boat heading down river between Mexico and Guatemala. The day started with a 5 am wake up in Mexico and a 4 hour van ride to the river. This 20 minute boat ride took me to the primitive boarder crossing into Guatemala. Then I boarded the Guatemalan van from hell which bounced for a few hours over a rough gravel road. On the van were 3 other travelers, 2 Philipinos and a German guy. When we stopped in Flores to change some money the van stalled. Then we were forced to push the van down the road as the driver attempted to to jump start the deathtrap. After much pushing and sweating the van was declared dead. After a few calls a car appeared and took us to our hotel. The locals looked at it as a typical day here in Guatemala. |
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| My fish dinner the other nite. Gallo beer is one of the better beers I have had in my travels. |
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| Compared to Mexico, Guatemala is a simple and slow life. The natural beauty is everywhere. |
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| Check back soon as I will add a post from my visit to Tikal. This Mayan site is considered one of the best. Adios! |
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Palenque was a Mayan city state in Chiapas, Mexico that flourished in the 7th century. The ruins date back to 100 BC to its fall around 800 AD. After the decline the community was absorbed into the jungle, which is made up of cedar, mahogany and sapodilla trees. The discovered area covers 2.5 square km. It is thought that less than 10% of the city has been explored leaving more than a thousand structures still covered by jungle. |
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| Temple of the Cross |
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| I arrived here very early to enjoy the ruins without the crowds of tourists. Also it gets very hot and humid later in the day. |
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