Jonathan Kaplan
Images by Paul Otteson
 On the plane to Flores, I met an American traveler named Mark. Before the plane landed, we decided to share a bungalow at the Jaguar Inn, one of the two hotels in the Tikal Park. Mark was a mid-thirty year old guy from California who was researching a safari trip to Tikal. He had all the appropriate books on the park, bird life in Central America, as well as several telescopes and binoculars.
Each morning, we'd get up at 4:30 a.m. to look for jaguars and experience the waking noises of hundreds of species of tropical birds that make their home in the jungle that surrounds Tikal. On our first morning entrance into the park, I groggily followed Mark as he led the way through the darkness with his headlamp. In my pre-caffeinated state, I was startled by the roar of a lion. As my heart raced, I asked Mark whether lions existed in Central America. He informed me that the roar was that of howler monkeys staking out their territory.
Despite our early morning jaunts, which was supposed to be the ideal time, we never spotted a jaguar. However, the early morning got us first dibs on permits to remain in the park between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., the only way to view the sunset from Tikal's pyramids. We'd siesta from about 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. while the flocks of tourists who flew up for the day from Guatemala City beat back the midday sun to climb Temple I and Temple II in Tikal's main square. Each afternoon, we'd return to the park to explore the temples and pyramids, and listen to the jungle noises before nightfall.
Before every sunset, Mark and I would climb Temple IV, described by one of the guidebooks as the "tallest standing new world aboriginal structure." Temple IV is the most awesome of Tikal's numerous pyramids. It is in the far north of the park. Once one climbs the 212 feet to the top, you get a majestic view of the seemingly endless jungle that borders the north side of the park. It is certainly the best place in the park to view a sunset.
 And Mark and I thought it would be the best place to spend a night as well. Of course, spending the night was not allowed, but rules seemed relative in this remote location. I mean, would anyone really care if two dumb Americans tried to sleep on top of Temple IV? While we didn't want to tempt the answer to this question, we did want to see what it would be like to hear the sounds of the jungle at night. And so we stayed on top of Temple IV after the other sunset watchers descended.
As luck would have it, a lightning storm appeared on the horizon soon after nightfall. Mark and I assured one another it was far enough away and headed in the wrong direction so as not to pose any threat to us. But as the storm approached, we remembered the words of the guidebooks -- "the tallest standing new world aboriginal structure" -- and we became concerned.
Then, suddenly, we saw flashlights pointing towards us. Two park rangers started to climb the steps at the very bottom of the temple. Mark and I yelled down to assure them we were OK and the guards responded by asking us to come down. We reluctantly obliged. By the time we reached the rangers, Mark and I were feeling extremely embarrassed to have caused them so much trouble. After accepting our apologies, the rangers asked us many questions about the United States. Did everyone own cars? Televisions? What were the women like?
 We explained that, despite many creature comforts, the U.S. had numerous problems, including too many cars and televisions. Then one of the rangers asked us a very difficult question. "Why do Americans build such high buildings and always want to climb to the top of everything? Like we want to be close to the heavens." The answer that came to mind seemed too plain and rational to begin to answer the underlying meaning of the question. So I responded by saying that many U.S. citizens wanted more than they needed and left it at that.
When we reached the entrance to the park, we bought the rangers a couple of beers. By the end of the night, they invited us back the next day for a tour of some of the unseen parts of the park. The tour was great. I don't know what ever happened with Mark. We fell out of touch. But I'm sure those rangers are still in Tikal. |
