Flores & Tikal

Flores Panorama 1 v3 with boat reduced 2.jpg

Guatemala

In Flores, I paused obediently to photograph a proud red STOP sign as it confidently resisted the sharp incline and clashed assertively with a vivid cobalt door.

Surrounded by colour

In the ultimate act of irony, that night the traffic calming sign was struck by passing traffic.

The next morning it rested at a jaunty 45 degree angle, its One Way sign pointing knowingly down at the cobbles. It now warned against the higgledy-piggledy surface, each facet worn slippery smooth. Traction being an issue I myself had encountered earlier in my flip flops!

The scene now demanded more stoppage time, to commit its skew-whiff narrative to paint. Several locals joined in curiosity, to watch me and to remonstrate at the unwarranted road rage.

In a small place like Flores, little events like these have real traction.

La Isla de Flores is a tiny island in Lake Petén in Guatemala’s steamy northern lowlands. With such intensity of colour squashed into just a handful of streets, the island is starting to submerge into the surrounding lagoon. Its outer ring sits under a few feet of water. Street lamps, pergolas and the odd building poke up, marking the island’s perimeter. Some lakeside watering holes require you to ditch your flip flops and wade out to them, adding to the refreshment.

My favourite restaurant there - Maracuyá - invites you to traverse a romantic pontoon of used packing crates to reach its lakeside entrance. Once inside, a magical world of tropical plants, hammocks, driftwood furniture and Thai food opens up. Despite the obscure entrance, those without reservations the evening I went were invited to wait for a table.

Mind you, I can think of far worse places in the world to wait.

In yet more overnight drama, the makeshift pontoon later collapsed into the lagoon, presumably adding theatre to someone’s evening and requiring the restaurant to open a somewhat more conventional entrance off the main street. Just squeeze past the clapped-out Land Rover, through the garage and you arrive in the secret garden. Not so romantic, but drier.

Categorically not Blend and Tone

Sleepy by day, Flores wakes up as the sun goes down. Jazzy calypso vibes drift out of impromptu jam sessions, punctuated by a vigorous whistle. No need to negotiate your way inside, the windows are jacked open, and a small appreciative gaggle is perched on the kerb opposite. The shrill accompaniment comes courtesy of an even more vigorous basketball match in full flow in the public gardens at the top of the hill. The pace is impressive, given the balmy evening, even if the shooting is somewhat sub-Kobe Bryant.

Traffic calming

Meanwhile in the funky rooftop bar of Hotel Isla de Flores, a DJ spins foot-tapping grooves. Any funkier and it’d be impossible to remain in your seat. They serve up good food, mean cocktails and the craftiest craft ale west of Hoxton. Handy that my room was just downstairs.

But however colourful the night, it’s in the daylight that Flores shines. I frequently laughed out loud at its sheer chromatic cheek. Many years ago, I'd worked on the launch of Dulux’s ‘Blend and Tone’ range, beloved by colour-shy Home Counties suburbanites. Suffice it to say the concept didn’t quite make it to Flores. ‘Clash and Contrast’ is their version and the only colour scheme in town. My photographs don’t lie, and my paint palette struggled to do it justice.

Sadly, most people don’t visit Flores to hang out in Flores. They’re all heading deeper into the jungle, to the Mayan ruins at Tikal. And in truth, without the draw of those ancient temples, you’d be very unlikely to pay a visit. But Flores is so much more than a convenient one-night stopover and I urge you to linger.

At my hotel they furnished me with a comically small map of town and advised me I’d ‘do’ the island in an hour, tops. Three days later I was still exploring.

It’s not that Flores is big, or has any particular sights of note. In fact, if ever a map were redundant, it’s here. You end up doing a kind of colour clash circumnavigation. No two chromatic combinations are the same, and if they are, it’s because you’ve looped back to where you began.

By Day Four, I’d processed every charming nook and cranny, but hadn’t yet explored any of the lake-based entertainment, of which there are plenty of options, including Jorge’s famous rope swing, famous for being, well, a rope swing over the lake. I’m told it’s one of the best places to watch the sunset, along with the equally famous Sky Bar.

Beauty in every detail

Both may be a little over-sold, but the sunset certainly isn't. No match for Phousi Hill, or Lake Atitlan perhaps, but with the island sinking into the lake almost as rapidly as the setting sun, definitely worth a paddle to get the most dramatic shot. Maybe visit soon, while the remainder of the island remains above water?

But, if it's real drama you seek, take the shuttle-bus to primal and primitive Tikal.

I’ve visited more than my fair share of historical ruins, but it’s hard to get your head around just how ancient and surprisingly well-preserved Tikal is.

9th Century Mayan god.
Click play for sonic drama!

The Mayans established Yax Mutal in the 4th century BC, and some traces from this period remain to this day.

Mayan civilisation flourished for over 1500 years, reaching a peak around the 9th century, when it rapidly diminished. In the 10th century, Tikal was abandoned entirely and subsumed into the jungle, where it lay in silence until about 1955.

I say silence. Usually, I paint to the accompaniment of relaxing music on my noise-cancelling headphones, something like Miles Davis, Elvis Costello or (tragically) The Human League’s Greatest Hits (so many great hits!). But no technology could cancel out performances by The Howler Monkeys.

The attached clip gives a sample of my ambient jungle playlist at Tikal. Those reverberating, guttural sounds felt strangely apt, as passing guides rattled on about human sacrifices.

Reassuringly, howler monkeys are herbivores. Although I’m told their jaws are significantly developed and their bite is a lot worse than their growl. Hmmmm.

It all adds to Tikal’s atmosphere. Choked by jungle and cloaked from the reach of 4G, it's sprawling, daunting, thrusting, primitive and utterly spine tingling.

Having navigated Guatemalan bureaucracy at the gate, you walk through the dense jungle for about 20 minutes. Eventually (hopefully), the trees clear and you find yourself in the auditorium of the Grand Plaza.

Perfectly manicured lawn is surrounded on four sides by impressive and intimidating structures, the tallest of which is the brilliantly named Temple of the Great Jaguar (Temple I). It takes quite an ego to portray yourself with the potency of a jaguar, but it seems modesty was not in King Jasaw Chan K'awiil I’s repertoire. Having commissioned Temple I as his final resting place, he built the equally imposing Temple of the Mask (Temple II) directly opposite, as a monument to and tomb for his wife. Certainly some high-flying couple.

The Great Jaguar

A hundred metres up, Temple II finds you face to face with faces of Mayan gods, possibly including old Jasaw himself, or his missus. They’re not exactly flattering carvings, but definitely imposing. Particularly with those howler monkeys on backing vocals. You can still see traces of the red plaster they would originally have been finished in. The symbolism of that colour is kind of obvious.

Is this the way?

Be in no doubt, the purpose of these structures was control and authority.

The temples were sacred spaces, accessed only by priests and those fortunate enough to be destined for sacrifice (indeed an honour).

The steps up are scary steep; twice the pitch building regulations would permit today. But either way, you weren’t coming down alive.

Climbing their heights was considered to be making a connection to the heavens above, oh and the underworld below. It's the Mayan equivalent of dial up internet; slow going, but rewarding when you finally get there.

The steepness allowed the Mayans to ascent higher and pierce the tree canopy. The ruler’s power of course, manifested in the dizzying heights they were seen to occupy. Temple IV being the tallest pre-Columbian structure in the Americas.

Public gatherings, pronouncements and festivals were all centred on these vantage points, so no-one was in doubt who ranked highest of all.

So, it’s notable that when Tikal civilisation eventually fell, it first slowly crumbled due to infrastructural issues; overpopulation, deforestation and water pollution, then tumbled rapidly, as authority was suddenly and irrevocably lost.

But forgive my cynicism, the Mayans were truly expert engineers, architects and astronomers. Their structures defy gravity. They align with major celestial events. And they’re still standing a millennium or two later. (My own engineering project at university survived less than 2 minutes under loading.)

Plus, the Mayans invented the concept of zero. Which when you think about it is fairly abstract. Just try counting to zero on your fingers. Meanwhile, Roman civilisation muddled by with zero idea that zero existed. This partly explains how the Mayans were able to be so sophisticated with calendars and celestial events.

The Mayans depicted zero with an eye hieroglyph. Possibly because when you looked deep into their soul, there was precisely no humanity there.

Temple II at dusk

When it came to keeping score, the Mayans’ played a game that seems like a cross between volleyball, basketball and the Eton Wall Game. There are several courts at Tikal including an atmospheric triple court at the Plaza of The Seven Temples. The rules are a little unclear, but seemed to involve keeping a heavy rubber ball up in the air without using hands or feet, but with the aid of a sloping wall, and with a bonus score for getting the ball through a stone hoop.

Scary steep

Reports vary, but many claim the captain of the winning team was rewarded by, yes, you’ve guessed it, being ritually sacrificed. You might imagine this might prohibit Premier League performance, but the honour was indeed great. The Mayans offered ritual sacrifice to only the most deserving of candidates.

Speaking of performance, The Pavillion of Grooves, really got me into my groove, artistically. You enter through a tunnel and emerge into an enveloping courtyard. Arranged around it are bedrooms with raised stone beds, such luxury! The balance between invading jungle and imposing structure is just right here, the site being part subsumed by undergrowth, and part standing proud.

Meanwhile, the Lost World (Mundo Perdido) was surprisingly well signposted. Despite that irony, the place maintains a slight Indiana Jones discovery feeling. It also has the best views of the Tikal site, from the top of the Great Pyramid, supposedly the oldest structure in Tikal. Particularly great at sunset, when the crowds are crammed onto Temple IV.

Scaling one of Tikal’s grand structures, cresting the treeline and looking across to the other temple tops, with Belize in the distance is one of those life-in-perspective experiences. You feel at once powerful and supreme, yet insignificant and remote. Up there, 4G kicked in for the first time in four days, and promptly notified me I was late for a Teams meeting.

Certainly, returning to tiny Flores after a few days in the remote jungle felt like hitting the town big. Plus, there was huge news. The stop sign was back in its upright position and Maracuyá's packing case pontoon was reinstated.

While Flores has dramatic colour, but virtually no drama, Tikal has drama galore, but is almost entirely green and brown. Together, the combination gave me a week’s worth of thoroughly worthwhile dallying.

A Few Links and Practicalities

(Just sharing the love. I absolutely don’t get paid for these.)

Flores

An hour’s prop plane hop from Guatemala City. Choose Avianca if you’ve got luggage or TAG for the schedule. Or you can overnight it on the bus, if your funds are limited and your tolerance unbounded.

Hotel Isla de Flores www.hotelisladeflores.com/en/

This is the smart hotel and it’s charming enough. Great roof bar/restaurant and a pool. The bigger rooms aren’t really worth double the price though.

Los Amigos www.amigoshostel.com

I really liked the atmosphere at this hostel. Wonderful internal courtyard garden vibe, great for breakfasts, hanging out, swapping adventures over drinks. Has private rooms too, though I can’t vouch for them.

Maracuyá www.maracuyaflores.com

Delicious secret garden vibe and even more delicious food, verging on veggie. On the sunrise side of the island, so epic for brekkie, but divine for dinner too.

Sky Bar.

Great sundowner spot, if a tad obvious. Go here if you’re on your gap year or it’s your first night in town.

Restaurante Al Comal. Can’t go wrong here, (if it’s open).

Isla de Flores hotel runs several shuttle busses a day to its sister hotel in Tikal, about 90 minutes away. Otherwise, there’s no shortage of tourist offices in town who'll sort you out with transport.

Tikal

I do recommend staying in the park at Tikal. Others will try to sell you day drips from Flores (or even from Guatemala City), but you know my allergy to day tripping. Besides, the temples warrant at least two days' exploration.

If you do stay, be aware that Guatemalan bureaucracy kicks in. This particular variety uses multiple officials to check you have a ticket, but no working means of buying one once within the wider park area. Your only option is to buy online, but there’s no signal and, in any case, the website doesn’t take foreign credit cards. So basically, buy your tickets (in cash) for every day you’ll need as you enter the first park checkpoint, about 15km away from the park village itself.

Jungle Lodge www.junglelodgetikal.com/en

Sister hotel of Isla de Flores. A little pricey, but utterly priceless to be there amongst it all. They’ll help you out with guides, shuttles etc. and, having initially advised me incorrectly, did help me out of my ticketing blunder. Huge thanks.

A guide will give you a lot of chat and context, but you don’t strictly need one. I found my way around easily in daylight, even without a working Google Maps, while picking up all the chat I needed from passing guides. The exception is if you’re doing dawn. Technically, you also need one for sunset, but you can easily linger unaccompanied on one of the temple tops, until the sun sinks, then leg it straight to the exit before full darkness kicks in. As dusk falls and you’re seemingly the only soul there, and it does get a little spooky, but that just makes your G&T taste all the better when (if?) you do make it to civilisation.