A group of eight of us headed into the Petén jungle to see ruins on July 17, 2002. We were accompanied by a guide, a cook and three mule skinners (arrieros).

Our main goals were Nakbé and El Mirador, which are two huge Maya sites, whose populations collapsed around 150 CE. The routes to and from are different, so we also saw a lot of other, lesser known sites as we went. The youngest among us was age 46 and the oldest, 65.

We were lucky with the weather, in that it only rained once when we were there and the trails were dry when we had to travel. The mornings usually made for good travel and there was often a slight breeze during the rest of the time, even if it was only caused by the movement of a mule when riding.
 
We had a great group of people and there was a lot of cooperation and a certain esprit de corps among us. We saw potsherds lying around and climbed a number of pyramids.  We did 88 miles in seven days based on mileages shown where we started out. It is a good thing I didn't notice them on the way in. 

Although we had arranged the trip through the more expensive Maya Expeditions, we began the trip at the offices of Ecomaya in Flores. It was that organization that did the actual arrangements with the Carmelita Cooperativa and where we left some odds and ends, including a clean set of clothes for the return. 

Our van started out well enough, but when we were approaching Carmelita, where our horses and retinue awaited, the van had two flat tires back to back. It was obvious that the driver was going to take a while to get a new tire and, by the time he stopped, probably a rim somewhere. 

Eventually we got to Carmelita in the backs of pickup trucks and had a meal that was included in the tour. Our guide was Jose Morales, whose wife, Rosa, later did the cooking. Jose's brothers moved supplies by mule and helped make sure no one got lost. 

There certainly was a learning curve involved in riding the mules, at least for me. It took a while to be able to realize just when it would be a really good idea to duck, grab my cap or just hold onto the pommel for dear life.

I soon learned that it was a good idea to alternate riding the mule with walking, especially when getting drowsy.  With too much riding, I tended to get stiff, so I did as Jose and Rosa did and alternated between the two. I think that in dry weather, sharing a horse or mule is a sensible idea. In wet weather, I would want to be able to pick and choose when to get on and avoid a mire. 

I also learned to pay more attention to where I was stepping. One time, I was ahead of the others and leading my mule, when there was a fuss behind. I came back to see what it was about and saw them looking at a very small yellowish snake, which Jose referred to as a fer-de-lance. Two of us had walked by the snake and maybe even stepped right over it without realizing it. After that, I paid a quite a bit more attention to where I was placing my feet

However, the wildlife was usually not of the threatening sort. There were a lot of other creatures everywhere we went in this trip. We saw a number of deer and turkeys, large birds and many monkeys. We seemed more likely to hear birds than see them, so it would have been really great if I had brought some of my notes along about the sounds of those we ran across. Often I would recognize a call, but not remember the name of the bird.  

There were also a number of unusual butterflies. One that I found of particular interest looked and flew like a small black bat. However, when it alit inside my netting, I could see that its top was brown, presumably for camouflaging when resting.  

In some places, especially toward Nakbé it seemed like an endless array of ruins. Along the way, we also stopped at La Florida, where group members found three pot sherds that fitted together. None of the many others we found matched so well, but they were of many different varieties. In many places we found sherds. However, I was really glad I left a particularly beautiful polychrome one I later found on the trip behind when my bags were searched twice when leaving the country. Sigh....

Campsites were usually at a ruin site with existing frames for setting up tarps over them for shelter. Each place had a basic kitchen where Rosa could cook and the youngest brother would later get stuck with the dishes. Jose and his brothers set up plastic tarps over the frames in the camp to provide shelter. They also placed mosquito nets to shelter us from those pests at night. Except in the cool of the night and morning, these cubicles were stuffy. 

The hammocks were mostly of a solid material, so that there was no air flow from the bottom. However, as the temperature dropped in the evening to the high 60s F, a blanket was a welcome bedmate and the lack of air flow did seem like a good idea.
 
 In all camps but El Mirador we were seven in a row and one fellow was off in his tent. There we were in two groups of four and a bit apart from each other.  The shelter frames are sturdy enough, but do move a bit each time someone got up or returned to bed in the night. This is something that a light sleeper should take into account in deciding whether to request a tent. 

Another problem, especially the first night, was snoring. In close proximity, it can make even the best earplug not completely effectual. However, the snoring helped me find my way back to my hammock on more than one late night occasion after relieving myself. The flashlight I had at that moment was not really strong enough to see any sort of distance, but it did seem proper to find a tree that wasn't too terribly close. One time, I had to stand waiting for a bit until the nighttime chorus resumed to find my way back.
  
The campsites at ruins had outhouses with real seats and covers. All of them also had a large resident population of mosquitoes that made me glad that I wasn't constipated at any point on the trip. 

With the use of DEET, mosquitoes were rarely a problem. During the rides, they seemed more interested in following behind the mules than in penetrating our chemical defenses. At night, we had netting that was effective and while hanging around by a fire, we could socialize without problem due to the heavy use of repellent.

We rode through the ruins of La Florida, Guido, Zacatal, La Muerta, La Naranjita, Perro, Arroyo, La Lucha and Esperanzita, none of which were marked, but our guide, Jose Morales, later listed them for me. Near the end of our journey, we stopped at El Tintal and climbed its pyramid. Jose also mentioned one called Caracol, which is not to be confused with the more famous one in Belize.  

We had a full day at each of El Mirador and Nakbé, between which we meandered on a small path on the large ancient causeway connecting them. Although the full days made other ones quite a bit harder, it was worth it. These were the major ones we wanted to see. The others were icing on the cake. 

It was eery to be riding and walking through an area where it was heavily populated and it all pretty much collapsed around 150 CE. Even now, no one lives there.

I ended up climbing El Tigre three times. The day of our arrival it beckoned. I went up late the next day and as I was heading down for supper, I saw one of the arrieros heading up to watch the sunset. I love a good sunset, so I headed up after eating, but it was too cloudy for a good one. Next time, I will be there in the dry season!

Suspecting that we might be needing some place with a place to swim when we returned, some of us had made reservations at La Casona de La Isla in Flores, which is not terribly expensive and has a delightful pool. This turned out to be a wonderful idea and it had rooms for the others as well. 

If you speak Spanish, the best way to get to El Mirador is to call the Carmelita Cooperative after looking at their web page below. Say that you need to speak with someone to arrange a trip and ask when you should call back. Then do so.

Another way to arrange a trip if you are alone is to go to the Mayan Lands agency in Flores. This company does it through Umberto Machuca and his brothers of Carmelita, who are apparently not in the cooperative.

Companies outside of Carmelita who arrange these trips are basically adding an extra cost and providing transportation. There is daily bus service that arrives too late to go the next day, so it is a good idea to plan ahead.

I am sharing this info, because this was a wonderful experience and I would like others to experience it as well. Also, there is a tug of war going on between the logging interests and the friends of the Mirador Basin as to how best to make use of the resources. Logging would provide short term gain, but tourism without motorized vehicles or roads as envisioned by archaeologist Richard Hansen would be both long term and greater.

www.miradorbasin.com/intro2.htm
www.ecomaya.com/
www.mostlymaya.com/carmelita.html
www.mostlymaya.com/miradortrip.html

"Y pasaré los fuertes y fronteras."