It was time for another but journey. I thought this one was going to be much shorter than the last but the roads in Guatemala are so awful that it was the same. This meant another big old trek and not arriving in Flores till the evening.

The driver had to go back on himself as there isn’t a “good” direct route from Lanquin. We already had to get the 4×4 from Greengos which was about 45 minutes. Then from Lanquin we drove back and stopped at the McDonald’s we had been at before. I think we were the only people to get anything… typical English. The next stop was at a local Guatemalan restaurant where we got two fresca drinks because it was just so hot. These were made out of rice and spices.

On this journey we had even more familiar faces. One of them was a Swiss guy called Lucas who we’d been on the trek and the lake with. He actually had to get a multiple rabies shots as he was scratched on the hike by a dog in a scrap. Turns out this is his forth or fifth time having to get a round of rabies shots. He’s been scratched by other dogs, squirrels, and a bat. Unlucky dude.

When we arrived in Flores we were greeted by a beautiful sunset. It looked like a quaint Spanish town with the cobbled streets and architecture. The part we are staying on is a small landlocked island. Our hostel was only 5 minutes away from where we were dropped off.

We were staying at Los Amigos hostel as it was highly rated on Hostelworld. The only big criticism was that you had to go through the restaurant to use the bathrooms, which is weird. So I made sure we had a dorm with an en-suite.

The inside decorations were beautiful and it had an atrium covered with tropical looking plants. It felt like a secret garden. We were really tired and hungry so it was time to share a huge pizza with some draft beers. Lucas also joined us.

We weren’t in Flores very long as I had messed up the itinerary. This meant we had one full day and this had to be used to go visit Tikal, the most famous Mayan ruins. We were persuaded by Lucas to do the 4am early morning tour. Firstly, because it is cheaper. Secondly, it gets so hot during the day.

At 4am we were all pushed into the shuttle and one by one we purchased our tickets. We all looked like zombies. I did grunt and moan a little bit about getting up so early but it was so worth it. It was amazing as you got to hear the sounds of the rainforest waking up. We spotted monkeys, coatis, and tons of beautiful birds. As well as, tarantulas. Unfortunately, we did not see a jaguar. I’m so desperate to see one but I don’t think it is going to happen. Apparently it is incredibly rare.

The ruins were all incredible and so big. One of the ruins we climbed up was even used as a filming location in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. The shot where a Rebel oversees the Millennium Falcon landing on Yavin 4. This was pretty epic. Sadly you couldn’t climb all the ruins but obviously there were some dumb tourists that constantly tried their luck.

Our tour guide told us how Tikal was once one of the largest and most powerful cities among Mayan civilisations. Apparently there could be ruins of as many as 3,000 structures here. The population is believed to have reached around 100,000 people, which was supposedly extraordinary for that age. Everywhere I looked I felt like I was part of an Indiana Jones movie. I just needed to find the ancient treasure.

In total we saw about six different temples. Temple V was seriously big and was a photogenic moss covered temple. This one was the second tallest building at 57 meters tall (187 feet)! I found it particularly mesmerising. Looking up you could really understand what the Mayans would have felt during ceremonies. There was something quite emotional about it. It felt like you were going up a gate to heaven or something spiritual. We actually did walk through one gate but I think it was to their underworld…

Not only did we see all these incredible temples but we also saw the reminiscences of football pitches. The game was called ‘The Maya Ballgame’ and was played in big stone courts. In this ancient game the captain of the winning team would be sacrificed. This was seen as the highest reward.

After an incredible morning at the ruins we made our way back. We were back at around lunch time so we decided to get some cheap street food recommended by a friend of Lucas. We got some tacos and quesadillas for about £2.50 each. They were good!

After this we said goodbye to Lucas who went off with some other friends to go to a local swim spot. Instead we decided to meander around the town. We ended up getting some ice cream and spotted a nice bar we’d come back to for sunset.

No one backpacking ever has unique ideas. When we got to the bar everyone we had seen in Flores was also there. It was called Sky Bar and was notorious for its sunsets.

We shared a bowl of chips and washed them down with a couple of mojitos. We knew we had to be up early to cross the border to Belize so didn’t get up to anything too crazy!

Bye Guatemala, you were a wonderful surprise and completely beyond expectation!