Touring Tuesday - Mayan City of Tikal

An Ominous Warning Sign

Ernest Markwood is an adventurous guy. You can read about his travels on his Africa and Beyond - by Bicycle blog. He visited the ruins of the Mayan city of Tikal, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Some of Tikal's buildings date back to the fourth century B.C. The ruins are in the middle of Guatemala's Tikal National Park. Ernest reported that after entering the park, it was another ten miles to the visitor center. He also mentioned that the area is rainy, but fortunately the camp sites had thatched roofs and concrete floors. The buildings were scattered over a sizable area & Ernest said it takes at least four hours to see everything.

Ernest's web page on this trip shows several interesting photos of Tikal's monuments and local wildlife, including a troop of coatimundis. The photo with the snake sign really caught my attention. I don't know if the sign is warning about any particular type of snake, or just snakes in general. They have an exceptionally deadly snake known as the fer-de-lance in the region. It can grow up to six feet in length. With its inch long fangs, it delivers a large dose of venom when it bites. Whatever the meaning of this sign, I think I would be turning around, no matter how fantastic the ruins of Tikal are.

Ernest Markwood's last reported position was in Laos on September 2.