The second, longer, part of stories.

   So, a few short days later I went back to Flores on a friday afternoon and got some info on Tikal. I was told there would be a bus leaving at 4:30 in the morning to go to Tikal. I had read that watching the sunrise is the best part and assumed that this bus would get me there before sunrise. It was early in the afternoon and I figured I had time to get a cup of coffee befrore I needed to find a place to sleep. I went to a beautiful cafe overlooking the lake. The first thing I saw as I walked in was the box of free condoms sitting on the bar counter and I knew imediately that I was clearly at a large tourist spot. I walked down the steps to a palm frond covered patio. Music was playing over speakers encased in fishing nets and I took a seat at a second bar where I had a great view of palms, the lake, and an island behind that. It was beautiful and breezy and I couldn´t help but smile. I felt like a tourist and it was a good feeling. I ordered a coffee and sat there looking at the lake while enjoying a chapter of Purpose Driven Life. I felt very at peace and was content.
   After I finished I decided that it was time to find a place to sleep. I had read about a hostel called Los Amigos and the prices and atmosphere sounded right. I eventually found the place after asking a couple of people where it was and finally arrived at its bright yellow gates. I rang the doorbell and the gate clicked open for me an instant after the woman at the front desk pulled on a thick cord of rope hanging above her head. I entered and asked if I could have a hammock for the night. She obliged and asked if I wanted to see where I would be sleeping before I paid. We walked down 2 steps and walked into a covered courtyard filled with people of all races mostly speaking English. There was an Isreali talking on his iphone, a group of americans sitting at tables that were raised and next to the hammocks and a group of europeans smoking and talking over a firepit that was sunken and shaded. Behind them was a bar and large tables filled with travelors reading, drinking and eating. It was all very busy and very open to the hammock area. I had a bag with clothes, money, and my phones and decided that a room would be better. The hammocks were three dollars a night and the private rooms with a key and lock were twelve. I decided on the private room and was relieved when I walked in and saw a fan and a double bed. I dropped my stuff off, hid my money, cell phone, and camera under my mattress and slid my credit card behind a picture frame to ensure that I would still have money if everything else was stolen. I walked into the courtyard area ordered a glass of wine and a coffee and journaled a bit.


   I felt a pain in my stomach and realized that a lunch of two coffees and wine was insufficient and it was time for an early dinner. I got up and walked around the main streets until I found a sushi restaurant. I thought it was a gamble but decided to go in anyways. I was brought up to the balcony overlooking the water and walked past some locals and offered a "buen provecho." I sat down at a table one away from another white traveler on her ipad. When she put it down I asked if she wanted company and she said sure. I was happy because eating alone is never something I enjoy. I ordered shrimp tempura thinking that it was at least fried and would take out whatever nastiness was found in dirty lake fish. She was from France and had been studying Spanish in Mexico City. She was traveling through Flores waiting to catch a bus to Antigua to meet her parents. I asked if we could speak in Spanish and she obliged. We quickly reverted back to English, finished our meals and went to the bus stop. I wished her happy travels and went back to Los Amigos.
I had read that I needed to try Guatemala´s award winning rum, Ron Zacapo, and asked if they had it at the bar. They did not and I felt like a snob when I said never mind then and left. I walked past a restaurant across the street and was drawn in by the live spanish guitar and vocals that were diffusing into the street. I walked in and ordered a glass of Ron Zacapo and took a seat on the couch. Carlos had a very soothing voice and guitar skills that comes with 45 years of practice and a ponytail. I sat there and thoroughly enjoyed my glass of Ron while listening to Carlos. I asked Carlos if he wanted anything to drink and he said that he was fine. He played a beautiful version of "Something" by the Beatles and I felt like I could have died with happiness right there. When he finished we chatted for a bit and I went back into Los Amigos where I sat down to journal a bit more. After I put my things in the room I went to the Los Amigos mingling area and was asked by Sarah, a medical student from San Francisco, if I was coming to the bar. I was confused for a bit since it was obvious that I was standing not 10 feet from a bar and said yes with a confused tone.
   We left Los Amigos with her three other doctor friends and two hippies from the states. We were led to a small bar filled with Americans who were boisterous already and I offered that we should go to Las Puertas, the bar I had been to. We stayed and talked for a while and I got to know them fairly well. They were volunteering in Antigua doing medical work and learning Spanish. We talked about everything from politics to religion and they were genuinly interesting and comfortable people. Sarah has started a non profit in Cuba and asked if I wanted to teach English there. I said I would think about it and we all left to go to Las Puertas. I talked to Carlos for a bit and saw some pictures of him on the wall playing from years back. I asked him how long he had been playing here and he told me that I didn´t want to know. He was a tri-athlete and there were pictures of him competing in that as well. I left the bar early to get to bed so I could get an early start the next morning.

   My room was terribly hot as the fan had four settings, off, half-off, half-on, and low. I was sweating bullets and stressed out because I wanted a good sleep so that I could enjoy the next day. I got about two hours of sleep after three hours of worrying and woke up promptly at 4:00 I was ready at 4:15 and waited eagerly with the other half-awake travelers. I walked outside when I heard the other travelers and got on my bus leaving the other travelers behind. I forgot that the company would be running on Guatemala time and it arrived at 5:10. I was worried that I wouldn´t get to see the sunset and after my bus made 5 more stops around Flores I knew I would not see it. We arrived at around 7:30 and were offered a breakfast of coffee and peanuts. I enjoyed them as best as I could and then got up to meet the tour guide.
   As we started our journey through the vine-ridden jungle the group was enchanted by the voice of Luis Oliveros, a native to the Tikal area. His English was a mixture of South-African, British, American, and Australian dialects mixed into a wonderfully entertaining man. He was amazingly knowledgeable about the area and went as far as refrencing National Geographics from the 70s and 80s. He is a wild life photographer and studied biology at the local University. He is finishing a book on the wildlife of the Peten and was excited this morning because his motion covered cameras "covered in jaguar piss" had gotten about thirty pictures of a female "shaking her ass all around." He outlined the wildlife, architecture, and history of the Mayan people beautifully and painted a wonderful picture of life in the Mayan period. We learned all about all of the trees, and spices that grew in the area. He bent down and plucked a small leaf from the ground and handed it to us to smell. It was natural cilantro and was absolutely wonderful smelling. After looking left Luis noticed a trail of ants and stomped the ground four times. We walked over to the ant hill where the warrior ants were coming out. He picked one up and it proceeded to bite him as we looked in awe at the size of the insect. After a few apologies for coarse language he let the ants down and sucked the blood off of his finger. He took us to all of the pyramids and said that they were all aligned with the solstices and equinoxes and faced away from the rising sun. We were allowed to walk to the top of nearly all of them which was tiring after a bit because of the forty five degree angle of the steep steps. He showed us how the servants would carry the king to the top of the pyramids in a zig zag pattern that resembled a snake crawling up. Luis told about the feathers that the king would wear so that when he was at the top and the sun was rising his shadow would reach out to the people. He told us to picture the completely cleared out forest (by fire) and the colors of the temples and pyramids bouncing off of each other to create an ancient Las Vegas.

   As we walked farther into the Jungle we would see the tops of other temples that we would soon visit. Temple IV was the largest at 230 feet and towered above the jungle. From here, three other temples were visible peaking over the trees. The last stop on our tour was the major acropolis of Tikal. The area where the rich and famous of the ancient world would dine, play games, and be entertained. It was absolutely huge and as I walked through the buildings I felt like I was seven years old again exploring Tonto Creek with Patrick. That is the one thing that I miss the most while eating, drinking, and exploring this country. All of the interesting stories from travelers and strangers can´t amount to the love and fun that I would have with Pat. Whoo! Had to get that out. I ran out of space on my memory card and bout a spare from a man in the park. I paid a little too much in hindsight but am glad I bought it. I was tired and decided to head back to the Jaguar Inn where I would spend the night. It was just one oclock in the afternoon but needed to rest. I paid for a tent for the night as the rooms ran at something like 100 dollars and that was much to pricey. I enjoyed a pasta carbonera dinner and a gatorade and inquired about the sunrise tours. Luis had told me to just wait outside at 4:30 in the morning and a tour guide would meet me. I wanted to be safe though and asked at the front desk. They said it would cost me 45 dollars for the tour guide plus the cost of an extra ticket. I asked if there was any other way and they said in lowered voices that I could pay the guards 100 quetzales (12 bucks) and they would let me through. I decided that I wanted to do this until I thought about it for a while. I remembered reading in proverbs or psalms how God hates bribery and it was apparent that it was indeed bribery. I remembered reading it a while back and thinking who from the upper middle class bribes? Does that even happen today? I figured it wouldn´t apply to me and laughed to myself while recollecting these thoughts. I wanted to justify it but figured it wasn´t worth it.
   I was just waking up from an outside seated nap charging my camera battery when a girl walked up and asked me if I wanted to accompany her into the park later. I said of course but was weary of the details because it was in Spanish. I told her I was going to go for a swim and that I would be ready when I came back. I walked to the Inn next door and paid the front desk lady for a towel and entrance to the pool. Remember that every place I go there are jungle trees surrounding the area and every building is covered in palm fronds. The pool was beautiful and I quickly bathed and went back to the Jaguar. Sonia had been working on the east coast of Guatemala for the past month at an orphanage. She was from Spain and her accent was fun to listen to. We walked throught the Jungle and chatted about what we were doing and sat down in the middle of the acropolis to rest. The shadows were beautiful at this time and there were very few tourists. The atmosphere was wonderful and I was again very happy to be there seeing the impossible seeming architecture and forest, smelling the dirt mixed with perfume, feeling the grass underneath me and hearing the sounds of a hundred different birds and mammals. I closed my eyes to focus on my other senses in hopes of remembering them all. We stood and walked to temple IV to watch to sun be devoured my the lush forest. There was nobody else at the top of Temple IV and we sat there in silence staring at the beauty.


When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze;
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee; How great Thou art!
How great Thou art! Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee;
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
-How Great Thou art, second stanza
   The sun was setting on the other side of the Temple, but it was blocked by scaffolding and do not cross signs. We decided to ignore all of that and went to the other side where we saw two Americans watching howler monkeys have a verbal territorial battle from a top the trees. One guard was next to them so we figured it was okay. This species is deafeningly loud. When I first heard them I thought it was Jaguars until Luis told us the truth and informed us that they can be heard clearly for up to 3 miles. The sun was just turning colors when a different guard told my and the Spaniard that we had to go to the other side. He happily informed us that the others had paid Q20 and unless we wanted to pay we had to go. We had talked earlier about the blatant corruption and we knew that the other wasn´t going to pay. We went back and got kicked out 2 more times until the guard said if we went back he would kick us out of the park. We got to see the sun lay itself down and it was a very stunning sight. We left and I was thankful I was with her because I had no idea how to get back. We both had flashlights which was helpful as the only other light was reflecting off of Orions belt and the occasional glow of a firefly. We got back to the Jaguar Inn and I saw my doctor friends eating and watched the Spaniard go back to her room.
   I sat down with the doctors and wanted to tell them all about Tikal but they were going on the sunrise tour. I decided that I would talk to the concierge and ask if there was a legitimate but cheaper way to do it. I asked if I could take the tour but only go to the top of the Temple to watch it. They said that I would have to leave the park after the sunrise at 6:30 and I said that was fine. I knew that it was fishy sounding since I ended up only paying Q200. I later found out from my host Dad that the whole sunrise tour is one big bribe and the park doesen´t even open until 7. I feigned suprise but knew that night there was something telling that night not to do it and that it wasn´t right. I told the doctors that I would be joining them and they were happy. They had an extra bed in their room so I spent the night there. We got up early and walked to the top of Temple IV. It was very misty and the fog permitted no visibility of the sunrise.
Okay, I need to go on a little tangent right now. After I wrote that last paragraph I was told that the internet café was closing in 10 minutes. I left and walked around for a bit to get change for a tuk tuk because I only had a 100 quetzal bill. I got some change at Los Amigos and went to where the tuk tuks usually hang out. I didn´t see any and figured that since it was night I might as well just pay 20q extra and take a taxi. I walked up to two men standing in front of a taxi figuring that one of them was the taxi driver and I was right. When I got close I saw that the other man was the old guy from the travel agency who told me all about Tikal and El Mirador. He greeted me with a big smile and we chatted for a bit. I told him I was going home to Colonia Tikal and he said that he would share the taxi with me because he was going to a house on the way. He asked me how Tikal was and I told him that it was marvelous and that I loved every second of it. He told me that he had gotten back from one of the mirador trips today and that he had guided two Australians. He was really excited and opened up his little bag and showed me a letter that one of the girls wrote about him. She wrote it to the agency saying that he was the most knowledgeable tour guide and that they would absolutely recommend him to everyone. He showed me his favorite part which said that he was a great cook. I told him about Luis Oliveras and he smiled big and said ¨Not that I want to sound like I am the guy, but he was one of my students, I taught him English.¨ He told me about how Luis used to serve cold drinks as a boy at one of the inns. When we were almost at where Raul was staying he told me that he actually lives in Santa Ana and is giving a talk at a house for a sort of alcoholics anonymous. He told me about how he used to be a drunk but eventually got out of it. I commended him on his work and thanked him. I plan on going back to the travel agency soon to talk more with him as he is very interesting. He told me that if I wanted to ever go to el mirador to tell him and he would give me an excellent deal. I will pray about it.
Back to Tikal: I was a little upset about the mist, but not really because I sort of knew that it was still illegal no matter how many people were there and I felt like I should not have done it. I am still week when it comes to obeying God, but I am working at it and strive to pass each test he allows. I spent some time with a kid named Kevin from New York who was studying Spanish in Antigua. I walked around the acropolis or metropolis, whatever I called it before and found so many more buildings. I just kept walking more and more and it was almost overwhelming how much there was to look at. I loved every bit of it and would love to return with family and friends some day. As long as our guide is Luis.

   I saw the Spaniard come back and we chatted for a bit. She was spending the afternoon in Flores then flying back to Spain. I said I would call her when I got back to show her around and she was happy about that. I ate lunch with Kevin and a couple from the states. The guy used to be a chef in Las Vegas and told us some neat stories about that. He was a soft spoken white haired man in his 40s and reminded me a lot of Jim Gaffigan. I didn´t tell him that tho. He told us how the high rollers in Vegas were usually just members of the Japanese mafia and other groups that wanted to launder money through a legit and easy operation. Vegas was the perfect place because the organizations would lose millions to the casinos and the mobsters would get clean money out in the process. Me and Kevin were going to go bathe when we saw Luis in the bar area. It was a Sunday morning and he was excited because he wasn´t giving tours that day. I went up and talked to him a little bit more and he asked for my email address so that he could send me a copy of his book when he finishes it and publishes it in May. I said of course and hope that he does indeed send it. It would be a nice birthday gift. He told us that there was a big soccer match between the two rival teams of the area and that we should come and watch it. We said we absolutely would and watched him fill his water bottle with Ron Zacapo and headed towards the match.

   After talking for a bit, Kevin and I decided to go to the game. We walked past a no authorized personnel sign and into a small neighborhood of local homes. We walked past a basketball court and onto a small road walled by large trees and vines. When we got halfway down the road we were relieved when we heard the Fox 40 Classic. He smiled at my reference towards the type of whistle and asked if I was a lifeguard as well. We got to the match and sat on a cliff of about 3 meters overlooking the game. There were trees all around the field and the ball kept getting lost in the forest. When the players would kick the ball into the trees, the spectators would sneer, “Los monos no juegan hoy!” We watched the first half and went back to the inn to take a dip in the pool and rest for a bit.

   Our bus was coming at 2 o´clock and I had remembered that I lost my ticket to get back on the bus. I told the driver my situation and he hesitantly let me on the bus. He said that we would have to go back to the agency where I bought my ticket and make sure that I had actually done so. On the bus we talked to two Australians. They were really nice and I learned a lot about kangaroos. There used to be a show in Australia that was pretty much Lassie but with a kangaroo. I also learned about Australian Football and they say it is boring. They had traveled Europe for the past 6 months and were now touring all of the Americas. They started in Argentina and were working their way up. They said that by the time they finish it will end up being a year long trip. They were talking about how there are groups of different travelers in different places. For example, they told us about how Columbia is a huge tourist spot for Israelis and that a lot of the signs are in Hebrew or Arabic and a lot of the people there speak the same. I asked what their favorite part of Europe was and they said hands down it was a week expedition called Sail Croatia. You can speculate about the details and will probably be correct.

   After dropping everyone off, the bus driver drove with me around Flores looking for the agency I used. I saw the Spaniard and told her I would call her in a bit. We found the agency and it was closed. I remember Raul telling me that the agency is closed on the weekends because he and his partner go to a University to sit in on classes of biology to learn as much as they can. The bus driver took me to the main travel agency and I talked to the receptionist about the situation. They thought I was lying at first because I told them I had spent the night and they asked where all of my luggage was. I just had a backpack with a swimsuit, an extra shirt and some books and explained that I was living in colonial Tikal. I eventually convinced them and took a tuk tuk back to Flores. When I got there I had promised Kevin that we would go swimming so I found him lounging at Los Amigos.

   I remembered that I had left my credit card behind a picture frame and asked the lady at the front desk if I could get into the room. She told me no at first because it had been rented out to someone else. I asked what the kids name was and proceeded to ask around if anyone knew where he was. I was told he had left not 30 minutes ago. I was bummed and said that I would return. The second time I came back he still wasn´t there and I described to the receptionist that I lived in Colonia Tikal and needed my credit card. She was surprised and said that she lives not two blocks away from me. We made plans for me to teach her English on Wednesday and she then let me into the room and let me get my credit card. It feels good living here and having privileges for living in the country and speaking Spanish. I catch myself being proud at times and it is work to stay humble. I´m praying that I stay humble and that I don´t feel better than other travelers, but it is one of many things that I struggle with.

   Kevin and I went for a swim off of a pier and it was good to cool off. I ate some Mexican tacos, without lettuce, and we went back to Los Amigos. He disappeared for a bit and I knew that he was going to be eating there so I went off and called the Sonia. She never ended up answering so I decided to use the internet in a café for a bit. I went back to Los Amigos and saw Kevin chatting up some Germans. I said that I was going to head back and wished him happy travels.

Fútbol:
   I went back to the Colonia and since it was dark I knew that my family would be in church. I waited outside because I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts and was told that I shouldn´t enter a church like that down here. I think it is ridiculous but I need to respect the social laws that exist. I remember Romans 14 and it opened my eyes a lot to how to treat different customs. I was sitting there enjoying the singing when one of the elders of the church came out and told me to come inside. I asked him if he was sure and he insisted. I was really blessed by this and appreciated it a lot. I looked around and realized how there was nobody between the ages of 15 and probably 25 and my heart broke. Not because they weren´t attending church, but because it seemed like there was no mission for them. I love Young Life and thought how much good something like that would do down here. I felt really pushed to start hanging out with the youth down here and wanted to start doing a sort of “contact work” with them. I was really convinced that I should start doing this and was excited to start.
  
   The next day I went to the center and ran some errands with Ovi and some of the guys. In the back of the pick-up truck I was talking with Nelson. He is twenty and very mature. He is a genuinely nice guy and I can tell the other kids at the center respect him. He asked me I if played soccer and I told him that I had played for a while. I told him that I wanted to start playing down here and he invited me to play with them that day. I thought back to last night and was so happy to see God putting pieces together like this. I met Nelson at the field at around 5:15 and we went back to his house. He lives in the poorer neighborhood south of Colonia Tikal and it was apparent through his living conditions. There were a lot of chickens and hens running around and much of the yard was made into a tortilla making factory. His mother talked a lot about how there is little opportunity to make money down here without an education. She has four or five kids from 7 years old to about 26 years old and Nelson is in the middle at age 20. The 7 year old is wheel chair bound from some physical deformity but was all smiles. They were playing a betting card game that the mom said the evangelicals thought was bad. They tried to explain the rules but I didn´t understand. It was time for me and Nelson to go and with a series of Whistles Nelson had the neighborhood running to the field from all directions. It was neat to see and it is apparent that he is a leader. I want to talk to him next week about being a good Christian leader to the younger kids here. So please pray for that.

   We started playing and God gave me awesome ability in the game. I am really not that good in reality but I would say I was the best one out there that day. I had to tone it down after scoring a couple of goals because I did not want to be a jerk about being good, but I think God gave me that ability to win respect from the kids, as I am a gringo and we are supposed to be laughed at, not admired. I had a good time and had fun being out with the guys. I have played since then, but want to play more. It was a good time and I felt like it was really blessed by God. I look forward to the talk with Nelson and will let you know how it goes.

There is more to write, but I am now tired and want to get to bed.

   Jesus Christ, I want to love You to the best of my ability. I want to respect our Father and make Him happy. Thank you for coming to this Earth to show how to live a Godly and righteous life. I pray that I can fully understand what is written about You in order to please our creator. Holy spirit, fill me with the Love of Christ and the humbleness of a beggar. Remind me that this life I have is burrowed time meant to lead people to God and the truth in Christ Jesus. My heavenly Father, thank You for Your beautiful handiwork that is visible to all. The beauty of this Universe is unbeatable and the creativity You employ is unfathomable. I pray for the kids in the neighborhoods where I live. I pray that they can find You and that they actively search for the truth. I pray for men like Raul who want to make a difference and help people through their struggles and teach people from their own mistakes. I pray for Nelson and ask that he can recognize the gift of leadership You have given him and use it for Your Glory. Thank You for the time You have given me in Guatemala and I pray that You open my eyes to the gifts You have given me and the parts of my life I need to work on. I want to have knowledge in my faith, self-control in my knowledge, perseverance in my self-control, godliness in my perseverance, brotherly kindness in my godliness, and love in my brotherly kindness. Help me to understand how I can die to self so that I may live in You and for You alone.


I need you Jesus more than I need anything else on this Earth. Allow me, please Father, to never forget this one absolute truth.


Amen