Niki and I woke up about 7 am, grabbed a smoothie and a muffin for breakfast and headed down the footpath for the ruins. It was nice that it was so close and that we didn't have to pay for a taxi for a change. The walk was right back down the road that our bus had traveled, and only took about fifteen minutes to get there. We purposely planned an earlier visit to the ruins to take advantage of the cool temperatures and we were told that the wildlife does the same thing, so we were hoping to cross paths with the beautiful birds and other local animals known to be in that area.
As we entered the park, and the ticket area of the ruins area, I was reminded of my school day field trips for some reason. Admission into the ruins wasn't that expensive and we opted to pass on the guide. Our travel books have a pretty informational section about the ruins, which was enough to get us by.
After getting our ticket punched, we headed down the wooded path that was surrounded by scarlet macaws. Wild ones flying to the feeders the park provides for them. They were BRIGHT red with flecks of blue and yellow on their wings and absolutely gorgeous.
The beginning part of the ruins started in a big mowed lawn area with sporadic statues on display. We winded through the park admiring the grand stone structures and snapping photos all the while. I loved using my imagination and putting myself in the shoes of the people who utilized these structures all the way back as 250 AD. Pottery found in the area we were staying leads historians and archaeologists to believe there was life all the way back to 1200 BC!!!! Crazy!
We headed back to town after our amazing ruins experience, and set out for some lunch. Right next to our hostel was a polebarn like restaurant with cheap baleadas and French fries. We chowed on food, bought some postcards, and headed to our hammocks.
Stopping at the local post office was a cool experience. The lady sold us the old fashioned lick stamps, we stamped our postcards and then handed them to the lady. It was so cool knowing that those post cards were about to go from my hand, all the way down here, to the hands of my loved ones back home.
Walking back from the post office, we stopped at a veggie stand for some fresh fruits and vegetables and then to a baleada stand for dollar baleadas. Back at the hostel, we doctored up our dollar baleadas with our purchased veggies and my trusty knife. The girls laughed when they saw the size of the knife I brought compared to Niki's little Swiss Army knife, but mine has come in handy a lot for food.
After a baleada dinner, a fresh mango and some time on the wifi, we hit the hay for another day of travel in the morning. Our cool room and sheets welcomed us and my tired head fell fast asleep as soon as it hit those sheets! Guatemala bound in the morning and I couldn't wait.
Photos:
Pics I snapped around the ruins with my phone. :)
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