In the Jungle...

The Mayan civilisation is of greatest importance in planet Earth.The most known  place to encounter this civilisation is the ruins of Tikal. However is not the biggest and is extremely touristic.

One of the first things that people proposed us to do in Guatemala is to visit the biggest site of the Mayans located in the jungle of Peten (the northern region of Guatemala). There -we heard- is located, among many ancient Mayan towns, the biggest pyramid of the world in volume, in the site of El Mirador. Moreover, the jungle it was one of the reasons that we visited this country, and it definitely has a specific attractiveness to all the nature lovers! And that´s what we decided to do...

As Nere described before, our friend Lencho, introduced us to a lot of wonderful people. Among them was Laura and Andres! Two beautiful guys, with a lot of fun and who love travelling! It was the perfect company that we were searching in order to take the long trip to El Mirador!

So, everything else was easy after we found such a nice company! We bought our food and water took a lot of (uncomfortable) buses and we arrive at the closest point to the jungle, a beautiful tranquil village named Carmelita. There, we arranged with the cooperative of the village a guide, we hired 3 mules and after we spend a night there we departed for our wild hiking. The whole trip to El Mirador and back, included totally five days of hiking in the pristine jungle of Peten, more than 120km of walking. We knew that this trip will remain unforgettable...

Before we start our trip, with our guide, Don Ambrosio. 

Already from the first hour of our walk, we started encountering flora and fauna that was new to us. Medicinal plants, beautiful trees, looong vines, love trees, blue birds, serpents and much more, synthesised a primitive and new experience to us. There you can feel, one with everything that surrounds you, you encounter reality and all of your senses are devoted to the nature. When the loud voice of the guide was stopping, you were entering in a state of meditation with the nature in order to understand how everything works there. Away from the "civilised society", machines, noises, pollution and humankind everything still works perfect!

In the end of our first day and after of 7 hours of (slow) walking, we arrived at Tintal. It is the first (comparatively small) Maya town on our way and is the place of a beautiful camp, organised by the cooperative, including our tents, a nice kitchen and friendly people. There on the top of the highest pyramid of the city we encounter for the first time the magic of watching a spectacular sunset with monkeys howling around the trees and while having the whole jungle on your feet. Magic...

Sunset on the top of the Tintal pyramid.

At the same time the moon is making his first appearance!

All the jungle on our feet, and the howler monkeys  dancing on the trees!!

The second day the walking time was more hours, but we were moving deeper in the jungle. After a while, everybody was walking with his pace and you were also able to  "get lost" some hundreds of meters away from the rest, and this made the experience unique and more personal. I was feeling that the more you were meditating in the jungle alone, you were able to transmit in the same wavelength as the nature. And the more you were becoming one with it, you were able to spot, new animals, birds, movement and animal voices. It completely made sense by that time to me the techniques that our ancestors used for hunting. I´ve reached my Zen!

That day, after we reached the camping site of El Mirador, nobody was able to move anymore. The hammock which I occupied looked the best place to spend the rest of the day, with the spider monkeys  howling literally 2 meters from our head! Amazing!

For a little rest on the mule!!!

Finally we arrived!!

One of the first pyramids!

Andres and Nere inside a tomb...!

Our camping site at El Mirador!

Above our heads!

The third day was supposedly the less tiring day! We only had to walk around the city of El Mirador.. But when you think sooo many different pyramids, going up and down in some of them only relaxing it wasn´t. But we were so motivated to reach the biggest one that we didn´t really care!

The map of the site.

And after wandering some time around the Mayan town, we did it! We manage to arrive on the biggest pyramid the appropriate time, when the sun was fading away and the Full Moon was making its appearance. And we were so lucky, that we had the appropriate company for that. We reached the most sacred site of the Mayans, and we had to ask the permission of the holy spirits for this reason. So, Sanya, a girl from a nearby jungle of Palenque, Mexico, burnt the Copal in order to push away the Evil Spirits and sang some folk songs in order the Good Spirits to accept us in their site.. Under the Full Moon. It was the most Sacred time of my whole life. It was Magic, Miraculous. A feeling that no matter how many photos we show, or how many things we write, we will not be able to describe to even in a 10% of what we felt.. 

Sunset on the roof of the world!

La luna...

The next days we started our way back. By that time, we were acclimated in the jungle so we were walking with the automatic pilot on! We felt so full, and so tired from the walking as well..

Natural consequence we found a silent place next to the biggest lake of the region and relaxed for couple of days, literally, sunbathing and swimming all day long! 

:D

Yuuuuuuuuuuhuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!

San Marcos, Lake Atitlan!

15.04

After spending some time at Lencho´s place in order to pass the data (Actually it took us longer than we thought) we had to move in order to see new places and live new experiences! When we were asking other travellers about places that worth to see, there was a place that everybody mentioned. And this was the Lake Atitlan, Around the lake, there were located a lot of communities, with different characteristics each. Our choice, was San Marcos which was a more relaxed place, deep into spirituality and known to possess a trapping energy!!

And indeed, this place was kind of.. Magic! The landscape was pretty strong, and the energy surrounding it quite intense, also due to the nice people around it. We camped in our hostel Kaivalya in which we found amazing people that helped us a lot when we needed it. In general you could find in the place a lot of spirituality: yoga courses, mediation meetings, reiki sessions, reflexology, medicinal plant excursions etc etc etc, all in considerable (European) prices.. And this made us a bit frustrated. However we learned to cope with it, abstaining from consuming for spiritual purposes, and try to find our way in the place! And this is when we first heard for the cacao ceremony!

In a small yard with a biiiig huge garden all around, we first met Keith (the cacao shaman, as people refer to him), Barbara, as well as plenty of happy beautiful beings (some of them with substantial features, others with ethereal etc.). The ceremony included the drinking of a powerful dose of cacao while calling the cacao spirits, and a deep meditation guided by Keith afterwards.

As they are inviting the cacao spirits! 

The ceremony was quite intense. In the beginning is difficult to shut your logical mind and only feel with your soul. But once you achieve it, everything comes on its own! You learn to smile passionately (go to glow as he was referring to it) and to transmit all the good energy that you have inside you, to your beloved ones.. We hope that all of you felt, the excessive amounts of love that we send you during those days! :D
Something special about this place, is that Keith was asking more for a donation and not a strict payment, which could also be a voluntary work for a morning in his beautiful garden! And that´s what we did. If you want to know more about Keith and the cacao ceremony you can take a look here: http://ceremonialcacao.blogspot.com/. Keith is planning an excessive tour in Europe, where is going to curry out the ceremony, with fellow cacao mystics of the world!

As you can see this time, the photos are not ours, as we forgot to take (care of) our camera! But no hard feelings at all. After all we learned that there are not mistakes, only lessons to be learned! And this is the best thing that we got out of that place. Lessons that make you improve, and be a better person.
Lessons and beautiful, helpful people. And with these powers, we go on..

Calimax at Lencho's

30.03.2013, Chimaltenango

This is the story of one man, that without almost knowing us, opened the doors of his amazing house to us, and led to the best friendship ever. WE LOVE YOU LENCHO!!

Second storey of Lencho's house

Lencho, a good friend of our beloved Kumiko, felt to the magic potion of Panoramix (Asterix and Obelix) when he was a child, giving him a non-stop source of energy and vitality.

Lenchito has introduced us to beautiful Guatemalan people, who has becomed like a family.

Juanito, Diego, Lena, Lencho, Dimitris, me and the tekila bottle  from Mexicooo

Lencho, Kumi, Lena, me, Dimitris, David, Isabel, Juanito and Diego

Lencho is the most genuine man, happy, positive, generous, with so big heart that cannot fit in his chest! so he shares it with other people.

Together wirth Lencho live Juan, a never ending source of sarcastic jokes, and Lena, from whom we have larnt so much. Specially about all those weird veggies we see in the market and we didn't know how to cook, she also gave us worms to eat! She is all made of love and we have shared very nice moments with her. 

And we cannot forget the king of the house, Skokie! the most smart dog in Guatemala, who doesn't like the motorbikes because police also rides them :p

We have had a lot of fun at Lencho house, we have feel it as our house and it has been very hard to to leave from there! Actually we have been there for three weeks :p

But we will meet again, in America or in Europe, for sure!! Our house will always be open for you

Mixco viejo, a maya city, and the small stairs

With Lena

Picnic at Mixco viejo

Baking pizza and banana cake for Valentina's 7th birthday!

Dinner at El Tejar, followed by wild animal party...!