Guatemala – temples in the jungle, a night stay in a police station and hippy meeting in the rainforest

Tikali temples

Šeima sekmadienio rytą skalbia Peten - Itza ežere. | The family is doing its laundry in Peten - Itza lake.

We got to Tikali rapidly and unexpectedly – a Spanish-Mexican couple took us directly from Palenque (Mexico) to Tikali (Guatemala). We were still happy getting out of being illegal into being totally legal. We arrived to Peten Itza lake. Whilst the sun was setting down, we had a chat with German bohemian artists telling about their experiences living in Guatemala. ‘I don’t want to come back to the prison. No way, I’m going back there’ it sounded like a nightmare for them. ‘Every night you got to find a place to sleep. You got to buy protection for yourself, too. 200$ fee is enough’. With their partner, who was in jail too, they communicated using a mirror over the fence. Such stories were an interesting introduction into Guatemala.

Tikal

We pitched a tent near Peten-Itza lake. Glow-worms had their usual light dance party, a pig decided to visit us at midnight, and the full blanket fog covered the lake at the dawn. We swam whilst the sun was rising, seeing the bottom of the lake so clearly. Even thougth El Remate is quite a touristic place, no one, apart a local family, washing their clothes, are here to meet such a beauty.

Piramidžių viršūnės, matomos nuo aukštai iškilusios šventyklos | The peaks of the pyramids, that can be seen from one of the temples.

We dedicated a day for Tikali pyramids, which turned out to be an expensive pleasure, 21$. Tikali – or the place of sounds – can easily be called the most picturesque mayan place. The pyramids shoot out from the jungle. It got lost after the Mayan civilization got exctinguished, and then was rediscovered and unearthed. Later getting out of the town, one biologist and guide showed us a hill similar to hundreds of others :’it’s a temple yet to be unearthed’. The North of Guatemala abundant of such temples. ‘But why Maya disspeared, we still puzzled until today’ the biologist-guide tells us. ‘Didn’t conquistadors put their finger to it’. ‘When they arrived, the mayan were far from being powerful, only few groups were left. Maybe, there was some sort of unknown desease’.

The steep pyramids truly amazing. When you get to one of them up high, the full picture of jungles with shooting out peaks is reaveled. Tikali is one of the places so popular for upcoming ‘End of era’ events. We have to get out quickly, before the masses arrive to see what happens at the 21st. December, 2012 waiting to be saved from nature cataclysms or end of the world.

Smagiausias pasivažinėjimas - ant pikapo, bene populiariausios transporto priemones. | The coolest way of traveling is on the pickup, it seems the most popular vehicles over here.

The moments from Guatemala roads

What are the most evident signs of globalisation? Mobile phone im masai man hands, a cocacola bottle or chicken leg in the little Guatemala kid hands, and lots of the different churches. It used to be catholic some time ago, but now all sorts of churches, assemblies, groups, missionaries pop out, and the colonial church are not as much in use as simple sheds or windowless buildings, where you can hear loud singing and praying. USA or Europe’s job, nobody can tell.

It’s easy to hitch hike in Guatemala. You often jump into a pick-up, and travel happily over the mountains, jungles, cook in the sun or shiver in the clouds. In the evening you will be picked up rarely, people are scared. Once we got stuck in one village. The policemen wanted to hitch us a bus, but when the matter went astray (the bus was full), we continued to stand on the road. The sun goes down, and we go to the same police station to ask for the safe place to pitch a tent. They offered us an old trailer, and then their police station room to stay overnight. Bunkbeds and shower, and needed electricity. Can it get any better?

Rainbow susitikimo kai kurių dalyvių autobusiukas. Iš piešinių matosi, kad šie žmonės už taiką ir meilę. | Some people reached Rainbow gathering by such a truck. You can recognize from the pictures, that these people promote peace and love.

Rainbow gathering

We finally reach Sanchicha river, known to a rare Guatemalian. We came here invited by well known traveller in Lithuania, Justas Ketlerius.

We walk along river among the mountains and rainforests. We are curious and anxious a bit, too. It seems like we are coming back to western world, otherwise always surrounded by locals. But can we really call those gathering attendees westerners, if they run from whats so common to a usual American or European: buy, consume, run from yourself and otheres. This community, or else family as they call themselves, promote peace, love, harmony and community.

We are looked after from the very beginning. Some of them hug us, welcome us. We don’t have anything to eat with us, but we are assured we will get food later on.

Atogrąžų miškai. | Rainforest.

On the information desk there are three clear no’s ‘No drugs, alcohol and meat. The latter one is observed scrupulously. Alcohol consumption went unobserved, too. But what is drugs in this community, is highly disputable. Often, this community gets into trouble by mass media for it.

At first it was a bit uncomfortable to see lots of naked people, but soon after getting used to it, it was natural to communicate with any – dressed or undressed – member. We were the only ones with the watch on the wrist. Others do not count the time, they live it. Our attire was a bit different, too. Walking boots against the bare feet, dread-heads and loose eartly colour clothing. All looked very relaxed, living here and now. There is lots of freedom, spontanous creativity, and things happening out of the attendees experience: yoga, music therapy or massage.

Šiame susitikime visi pabrėžtinai malonūs ir svetingi. Iš karto, jautiesi it savas. | In this rainbow gathering everyone is especially pleasant to each other and welcoming. You feel ok from the very beginning.

So, there are two food cycles. The breakfast should be called lunch, and you get dinner nearly at night. In the kitchen everyone helps who feels like doing it. It’s a nice experience, good way to get to know each other and savour something only available for kitchen helpers- like just freshly made chocolate. It was painful at times to wait for food. The first call ‘food circle’ didn’t mean you will get it soo. And the last call to eat now, it will only mean you will get it in an hour. People stand in a circle, and sing songs, which you want to hum all day long. The lyrics sounds very much like pagan songs about love to nature, fire etc.

The meetings take every year since Woodstock all month long, celebrating full moon in the middle. There is a huge bonfire, lots of songs and instruments, dances and fire. The atmosphere of a momentum might describe a scene: a japanese woman feeds her child, around the big soup pot an international folk circle, someone prepares coffee with cardamon, someone plays violin or didgeridoo, someone makes a massage.

Lijo keturias dienas. Kažkaip bandėm saugotis nuo visiško perlijimo. | It was raining lots four days. We tried not to get totally soaken.

Our tent was pitched among yuccas in the rainforst. The wet climate washes away paths turning them into the mud baths. If you decide to go the big waterwall, you need to overcome the muddy dough, sharp vulcanic rocks, but you will be rewarded by an emerald water and a loud waterfall maybe even solo swimming. But the river flows near the campsites too, so everyone can easily go to the river in the morning. You undress, listen to the loud birds, see the sun among the leafy jungle, and dive into the clear water.

After four day stay before leaving, we decided to try music therapy session. The vigvam all covered in rugs, and there was a variety of instruments in the midle. Everyone lied down, and soon the musicians began the symphony of the sounds, carrying them all around letting the sound to cover you fully. Someone in scented hands did a head massage. After such a two hour session, which might cost you lots in the west, you feel like a feather.

Justas Ketlerius is a well know traveler in Lithuania. He is a frequent attendee of Rainbow gatherings. There are lots of lithuanians traveling across the world. He crossed Africa, criss crossed Asia and Australia, hitched even in Afganistan or Pakistan. ‘Why don’t you write, Justas. I would read your stories.’ ‘I like them telling alive’. We glad we had this opportunity.

On the way to El Salvador

Miela moteriškė mums pasiūlė nebaigtą namą. Mums tai buvo rūmai. | One sweet lady offered us to stay in the unfinished house.

From Sanchicha to EL Salvador we made it pretty soon. One night near the gas station. The cold morning in the clouds and fog, and then a sudden heat going down. In Hutiapa we found a small path near the forest to pitch a tent, but the locals warned us ‘it’s unsafe here. Drug users will rob you’. So we go searching some safer place. We see a place full of trucks. Trying out our luck there. The lovely lady, not only allows to pitch a tent near her little shabby house. She offers to stay in unfinished house, where we accommodate ourselves like in a castle. She treats us with a tea-soup incarparina in the evening, and cofee in the morning. She prays for us and gives us a Bible in Spanish. Now we got them two – a cowboy one (a gift by Canadian family) and Spanish one.

Demetrio brings us straight to the border, treating us with egg-beans-cheese breakfast first. He is a typical Guatemala inhabitant – smiling, happy, warm and good hearted. We liked this country, full of vulcanos, temples, jungles, and lakes. We want to go back some time, but now we are heading south to El Salvador.

Illegals in Mexico – crossing the ‘hell border’, free bus organised by policemen, flea and mayan pyramids

As fast as possible through the border inferno

Meksikos-Jav siena itin pavojinga, nes čia nereti gaujų susišaudymai, pagrobimai, didelis narkotikų gabenimas, o ir patys policininkai ne angelai. Kirtome sieną ir negavome štampų pasuose, tad keliaujam toliau - kaip nelegalai. | Mexico-USA boarder is very dangerous as here are common gang fights, kidnappings, big drug traffic, while the police is not without a spot. We have crossed the boarder, but without getting an entry stamp on the passports so going now as illigals.

If you have read our last USA adventures, you have probably felt our anxiety before entering Mexico. In our imagination and the people stories ‘There’ sound like a hell, where you would not like to get in. It seemed like narco mafia gangsters and corrupted police like aligators awaiting for you to fill their empty stomacks. ‘Maybe you are not that interesting for big mafia bosses, but there young ones who have relatives belonging to gangs, so they want to show off and might play with the guns. Kidnapping is popular, too’. So we haven’t heard anything nice about the part ‘behind the border’, but we have no choice but cross it. According to travellers advice, we will take a bus to make first 50 kilometres to get out of this inferno part. Maybe the truck would have been an ideal part, but because of the insurance problems they do not take anyone to the cabin. We were not successful crossing commercial border, too.

In the early morning we arrive to Laredo on the USA part. The hitched mexican woman warns us to take care. As if we didn’t worry enough. The bridge over the river, the latter one being a popular place to cross illegally, hence the once to succeed are called wetbacks. So on the one side of the river is ‘Hell’ and on the other ‘The Dream Land’. Few people crossing to Mexico, and long qeues to enter USA. To get to Mexico – no passport checking or stamping, and this part gets us into a trouble. After all, without stamps we become illegals in the country. Only some officers try to check our things, but being a bit unsuccessful to repack our backpacks, they let us out quickly.

Maži gyventojų namai | Little houses people have

One officer after crossing the border was so amazed seing us, he couldn’t stop admiring ‘I have never seen a person hiking here’. So our first steps into ‘a hell’.

It’s early morning. The town is at its usual bussiness – food stores, busy plaza, people chat on the streets. Of course, they are surprised to see us. The last we have experienced such glances was in Indonesia, after that for the 5 months (Australia and USA) were were usuals with bizarre backpacks. It’s not common for gringos (whites) walk here. Normally they take the bus (even that is a rare thing to do) on the USA side and go deep into Mexico. But even then, its not as safe as it might seem. One German guy, whom we met later at our travels, told how he got a bus from the same town Nuevo Laredo, how their bus got stopped by policemen, they pushed their gun to his neck, and all the bus got robbed of their money.

One old guy explains us how to get by public transport to the bus station. The crooked bus with lots of religious swinging and glued elements goes to the busy streets. All seems so usual and normal. But we do not try to paint it in pink colours. The evening scenes might look very different, and we reccomend other travelers to take precautions and walk here only in the morning. It’s not without a reason, that USA trucks do not enter Mexican part – too many robberies and deaths happened.

Policemen provide us with free tickets

We successfully get to Monterey, the city among mountains. The inferno belt is crossed, but the locals will constantly warn us of the same: Mexico is not a safe place to be.

We approach the policemen within the station. We are hoping they will explain how to get out of the city so we can start hitchhiking. After hearing our story, they all cheerfully promise us to get us free tickets. Meanwhile they share their lunch with us.

Later we get to know, that the tickets were from Caritas organisation. Rich people in Mexico donate money, and the Caritas provides free tickets for those unable to travel. In theory, we got an opportunity to travel even further by bus, using Caritas contact, but hitchhiking is so much closer to our hearts. At last we want to use our rusty Spanish and get to know some locals.

Tampico – tequilla and crocodiles in the city pool

Plazos - miesto aikštės kuriose verda miesto gyvenimas; čia vyksta koncertai, žmonės rytais mankštinasi, dieną kartu geria kavą, o vakarais susitinka porelės. | Plazas - little parks where the city is living to its full. Concerts, couple meetings, morning excersising and so much more life in these little places.

We want to know more this little lovely town, so couchsurfing is always an option. To get the night stay at the same day is always risky, as people might need few days in advance, but brothers Ivan and Gerardo were very fast to reply. Already in the evening we taste tequillas and fish in their parents house and we can observe the lovely cosy atmosphere amont the colleagues who gather weekly to have social time together. They laugh at each other innocently, but it seems they are the happiest people on earth.

Tampico is a small town, and rarely people would come to visit it, as they would have plenty of other options: Mexico, Oaxaca and others. But we like small towns. The atmosphere so lovely. In the main plaza kids mess around with pigeons, the old observe young couples, while the young ones enjoy the sweet stuff they just bought from the street vendors. In the middle of the plaza there is a place for local bands to perform, so despite it’s a daytime or evening, the life boils there.
In the town there is a pond, where the crocodilles flourish. The pond is fenced, so the animals would not curioiusly go walking in the city.

Actekų palikimas | Actec relics

Aztec culture – human body is made from corn

Aztecs is one of the civilizations in Mexico. It covers 6 current regions from Mexico golf to Sierra Madre mountains. Their religions was based on fertility and three main principles: birth, death and rebirth. Cosmos, according to them, is made of three horizontal plates, communicating among themselves via five trees and one in the middle, which is popular in a sacral life. The sacral dance around it was a common habit. Lots of handcrafts were of religious theme, too. They used lots of make-up and dye their hair. Only the nobles had a right to tattoo or dye their body, sharp their teeth or paint them black.

Aztecs unlike Mayans did not have glyphs, but they had a rich oral tradition, and that’s how they communicated their culture and traditions. For example, god Dhipaak, the Corn god, was so popular in myths, because actecs believed that human body is made from corn.

Persikėlimas per tiltą yra mokamas toliau esančioje būdelėje, bet kam mokėt, kada gali apvažiuoti? | You have to pay for the bridge crossing, but why paying when you can avoid it?

At last on the Road

Ivan brings us to the Tampico – Veracruz bridge, which is a paid option, so not many cars passing it. We soon witness a very economic crossing strategy. When people going with motorbike come to the end of the bridge, in certain place (far enough from the collecting boot), they take their motorbikes by hand and roll/carry it over to save some pesos. Later we also witness another way of saving up – one car took a really bad countryside bumpy full of potholes road in order to avoid the high taxes. At the beginning it was a bit awkward when he got into the neglected road in the fields, but soon we enjoyed it better than a highway – at least we can see the countryside life closer.

It rains heavily. One driver becomes suprised to realise we are planning to camp somewhere in the fields, but when he saw some neglected building in the fields, he gets curious in the process. ‘Maybe there?’ Yeah, soon we get over the fence, which obviously means we are getting into some private area. It rains and getting dark soon, so no other choice. Its a cowshed, after all we realised. But the cement floor and a roof will serve us well as a shed tonight. We inspect the area. In one hole we find five snake skins. Glow-worms are all around us. We don’t even suspect that tomorrow we are going to spend a night near the Gulf of Mexico. The paradox in the traveling still amazes us.

The next morning doesn’t promise anything dry. No wish to get out of the dry place, but the cows are approaching, so probably we need to move. The orange tree fields all around. Later an old guy brings us pockets of fruits probably from those fields.

Jūros gėrybių kokteiliai | Seafood cocktails

It pours heavily. Two genetics professors, who try to improve the corn quality, stop for us as they feel sorry. Normally they wouldn’t take anyone in – such a university policy.
With them we start our seafood era. They bring us to one place, where they normally stop to get some shrimp cocktail – amazing thing. They also suggest Chakchalaka beach to stay over, so the next few days we enjoy the emerald water of the golf. Wild dogs look after our tent, but those lovely creatures leave us some gifts – fleas. We get into panick as the traveler forums suggest it will be very hard to get rid of them. We change our plans and go to Veracruz. We don’t want to infect any couchsufers, so we choose cheap hotel instead to make a total wash-up.

We do it in a standart tourist way: a hotel (cheap 5 dollar one, but there are beds, even a tv and coffee in the morning), then a walk in the town and museum, and the dinner. But how do the tourist get to know the locals? Where does the adventure lie? We started to long our Road and meeting the local people.

We began searching for some things against the flea. Even though we had an exact Spanish word for that, everyone tried to offer us something against louses. You can only imagine what they thought of such ‘tourists’.

Turguje | In a bazaar

Next to our and neighbouring hotels you could see some different shape and sized woman in their prolonged eyelashes waiting to ‘offer their services’. We will see such women often on the highway, too. We hitch, and they wait for their clients. Normally truck drivers wouldn’t take us into their trucks due to insurance policies etc., but they would they them for a shorter or longer distance, or just on the spot to implement ‘the thing of great importance’. Of course, our backpacks were not filled of make-up, and the only service we could offer is the our chats in a broken spanish.

Sleep in the gas stations

In Mexico people are afraid. There are lots of vanished people, even more are missing unofficially. Hitchhiking is relatively easy, but it’s hard to hitch a car just before the dusk. So when the sun sets we start searching for a safe place to sleep. If not couchsurfing or guests, we need to find a good spot for pitching a tent. Jungles and some agressive snakes (nauyaca) are not the best option, and some people might be dangerous, too. So we start asking around gas stations, and it worked out very well.

When we say that we search for a safe place, both parties understand what we have in mind. It doesn’t cost them anything to provide a two meter spot for us, and for us it is a lot. They have clean toilets, and sometimes showers, too. Maybe, some louder vehicles will disturb your sleep, but after all, it’s a safe place.

So you can have assistance in unsafe countries too. As we don’t travel often to touristic places, so not many people would expect to see a gringo in their environment. Gringo (‘green go’ derives from Mexican – USA war times, when USA army wore green uniform).

Palenque pyramids and the end of the world

Palenkė | Palenque

A young family that brought us close to Palenque, pointed some mountains saying the inscription about the remarkable 21 12 2012 date was found there. ‘People think it means the end of the world, but it only tells about the end of era’. After all, everyone who is scared of the end of the world should read more what scientists tell about that. This date only signifies b’a’ktun five millenia era end, but its says nothing of catastrophies, encounter of other planets or new spirituality uprise. There are lots of upcoming events both in Palenque and other mayan sites to celebrate this date, and there are lots of chats about the ‘end of the world’ around the ruins during this time.

Palenque is truly a wonder in a jungle. The temple of Inscriptions and other pyramids stand out among cedar, mahogany and sepodilla trees. There was found a sarcophagus of one of the great leaders Pacal. There are lots of glyphs, which is a well developed and interpreted mayan script, where only nobles were able to use.

About the food in Mexico

Tamal - palmės lape įvyniota vištiena su kukurūzų koše. | Tamal - chicken with korns wrapped in a palm leaf.

To prepare food on our tiny stove is a waste of time and money when you can find so much cheaper food from street vendors, observe how they prepare it, sit down on white or red plastic chairs and eat the food with the locals. Tacos with some vegetables, which some of them can be so painfully spicy, that you want to cry. Eventually, the pain becomes a pleasure, and the next time you nearly seek that pain again. It’s easy to get used to such flavour. We soon start to use everywhere Ivan’s gift – green chile habanera to spice up all our food.

Tamales – corn and chicken meal the cheapest options fill you well. And the diversity of fruits is amazing. One driver treat us with some pineapples and its juice, the softness and sweatness of the fruit gives you shivers. One paradise on earth.

Illegal in Mexico

No stamping at the USA Mexico border meant trouble to us. We after all, are illegals in the country. After having read lots of forums, we arrive to the immigration office in Veracruz and explain the problem. ‘You are illegals here’. We know it, and we came to solve the problem. The young official hearing we use our broken Spanish didn’t think to slow his tempo or simplify the vocabulary. No chance of getting stamp here, you need to come back to USA (no chance of that, too) or go to Guatemala. The only left option.

You can only imagine, how uncomfortable we felt each time being stopped by policemen. Luckily, they never asked our passports. We wanted to sort our dirty things at the border.

The smiling officer at the border after getting to know our story repeats the same old stuff we know by heart: ‘You know, you are illegals here’. Really. We give our passports, which are new fresh (we just received them in Lithuanian consulate in Chicago). No stamps. Nothing. We show our old ones to prove we REALLY traveling around the world. He smiles. ‘You will need to pay a…’ he tries to find a right word… ‘fine’ we finish it off. ‘It’s not so fine’ he still smiling plays with the words. We pay 25 dollars each and happy leave the office. ‘Welcome in Guatemala’. Here we go we coming all very legal.