B.J. Murrey - World Orphans, Central America

Tikal is one of the most amazing places I have been. Mysterious. Foreign. Ancient. Wild. It's a large, mostly-excavated site of Mayan ruins in Guatemala that people come from around the world to see and enjoy. I would let the photos "do the talking," but my digital camera's 16 GB card bit the proverbial dust before I got my pictures transferred off of it. I am still laying hands on it and performing surgery so maybe the pictures will resurrect themselves, but it's an unlikely diagnosis. Till then, I will share the pictures from my 2004 trip to Guatemala & Tikal, sans Jenna. Bummer.

We made the 700 mile round-trip journey in 2 days driving more than 6 hours each day. The roads were about half good, so it takes much longer to cover the same distance here than in the states. Jenna seemed to really enjoy Tikal. I am so glad, especially since it's one of my favorite parts of Guatemala as well. How many other countries of the world have a living history like this? The people that built these ruins between AD 70 - AD 600 still have relatives living here today! In fact, 50% of Guatemala is Mayan. Knowing where people came from plays a huge part in understanding who they are, how they think and why they do what they do.

Of course, there is most certainly an educational aspect to this trip. And since Tikal is so far away from Guatemala City, we passed through probably 5 different kinds of climates / zones on our way to Tikal. It was very interesting to see (in one day) how people adapt their style of living & construction to these different climates. If only my pictures would have survived the journey...