In the beginning...
Arriving after a boat taxi and a tedious 12-hour day on the bus, this pretty little lake side town looked most inviting. However, there was a much more important matter on my mind, RICHMOND ARE IN THE GRAND FINAL TOMORROW, we must find a venue to televise it!

On further examination...
After dumping our packs, we set off straight away to locate a sports bar (priorities!). Following a broken conversation with a crowd of travel agents who were collectively attempting to decipher our questions, we found a bar. With the assistance of the off line google translate app and some awesome body language, we thought we had arranged a GF viewing for the following evening! YEH! However, on our return to the bar the following night, we were met by an extremely unhappy and suitably huge Spanish speaking security guard, who was asserting his extra-large physique across the entrance to the bar. After what we think was pretty close to a fisty cuff incident on the door step (still unsure why), we were rescued inside by the lovely man we had spoken with the day before. After yet another google translate conversation and some investigating online into what his subscription would allow, we were notified with only an hour to kick off, ‘no es posible’... ARGH. Backup plan activated, we purchased some Guatemalan beers at the service station and headed back to the lobby of our hotel. We set up the iPad and at 10:30pm we began watching the most important GF of my life, on the smallest screen imaginable, dressed in every piece of ‘good luck’ clothing I had and my WhatsApp in hand for all the family banter. At 1:30 am when the final siren sounded, I was alone! My partner in crime asleep and my Richmond family off in the world of TIGER LAND! I was so overwhelmed with happiness for my family and their beloved Tiges, admittedly there may have been a little tear and I celebrated by going to bed!

An altercation with our tour guide Caesar, who demanded a fee to bribe the park security for sunset views, meant the tour to Tikal ruins didn’t get off to the best start. It improved almost immediately as we walked through the jungle to the roaring sounds of howler monkeys. During the heyday of the Maya Empire, Tikal was a very important and influential city, controlling vast stretches of territory and dominating smaller city-states. Like the rest of the great Maya cities, Tikal fell into decline around 900 A.D. and was eventually abandoned. The ruins remaining were quite spectacular and offered beautiful views across the jungle canopy. We were able to climb and explore and get a real feel for what it would have been like to live life way back when. We even came face to face with some resident monkeys on our canopy climb up one of the pyramids.

In the end...
With a grand final WIN, a beautiful ruin tour and a $1 local lake side market meal behind us (Adams highlight!), Flores definitely ticked the box!