Tikal

Wow!! Just about sums it up but not quite. Got here yesterday and checked in to our AWESOME hotel in the jungle. After chilling out for a bit by the pool we walked into the park to visit the pyramids. Tikal is huge and enveloped by a dense rainforest. Some of the structures have been excavated and restored but many more remain submerged in the undergrowth. The Grand Plaza is completely cleared and restored and included two of the tallest pyramids, the Acropolis, and the Royal Palace with it's many courtyards and sleeping chambers. Wandered to the tallest pyramid IV and climbed a 234 foot staircase to reach the top. From the top the view was amazing, miles and miles of jungle spread out in all directions with the tips and mounds of pyramids protruding through the canopy. Millions of bird calls and the intense, other worldly growls of a group of howler monkeys kept us entertained until it was time to head home. Had a yummy dinner in the hotel and crawled under the covers early to be ready for the Sunrise Tour that we had scheduled for Sunday morning.