Chapter 19 17 Temple of Tikal

After visiting the Monument Valley, I thought that, in a way, I had accomplished the purpose of my trip.But the world is much wider than we imagined, and I found another "unbelievable" place?????? After three weeks of riding with Kiyota-kun, we broke up again because of different routes.I entered Guatemala alone, and the roads began to turn into potholed trails, and the jungle grew thicker along the way. After riding for two days, I arrived at a small town called Flores, which is also the sightseeing base of the Mayan ruins "Tikal". In the evening, I came to the lake near the town and saw a woman who looked like a Japanese standing there.After I went around in a circle, I approached her, and she happened to turn her head to look this way, oh oh oh, she is a beautiful woman.

After introducing herself briefly, she asked me: "Have you been to Tikal?" "No, not yet." "That's it. Tikal is really great, it's worth seeing!" She seemed to have just returned from sightseeing in Tikal, and the excitement had not yet fully subsided, and she kept telling how amazing the ruins were.I pretended to be listening, but I was actually intoxicated by her regular facial features and passionate eyes that were dyed red by the afterglow of the setting sun. After the topic of Tikal came to an end, we chatted about each other's itinerary. "Where are you going next?" I asked.

"Go to South America first, and then fly to Spain. I want to learn flamenco there." "Yeah? Did you learn it in Japan?" "Well, I only learned a little bit. I want to start studying seriously, but the scheduled plan has changed a bit." "why?" "After my trip to South America, I decided to go back to Tikal before flying to Spain." Her big eyes are getting brighter and brighter. "Yeah? Is Tikal really that big?" Although I feel touched, I still have some doubts whether she will really come back.No matter in terms of distance or effort, it is a bit unrealistic to think about returning here from South America.

Early the next morning, I headed to Tikal alone.Passing through the entrance gate, there is a lush and dense jungle. The trail extends deep into the jungle. The thick morning fog is pervasive, and it is impossible to see clearly even ten meters ahead. After walking for more than 20 minutes, the forest unfolded, and a huge white object floated faintly in the milky white air, which was faintly visible. It was a slender pyramid like a rocket - Temple No. 1. See what is written in the travel book. It's fifty-one meters. Looking up at the top of the shrine, I remembered what the woman I met yesterday said.

"Yes, it's really amazing??????" It is said that this relic standing quietly in the jungle of Guatemala is the oldest and most beautiful of all existing Mayan relics.Thousands of years ago, people here suddenly disappeared out of thin air after building many pyramids. Where did they go?Why were the pyramids built?It is still a mystery.I also traveled 2,500 kilometers across the Yucatan Peninsula to appreciate this monument. Walking through the No. 1 temple and continuing to go deep into the ruins, it is like opening doors one after another, and new worlds appear one after another. From the other end of the white morning fog, huge pyramids emerge one after another.It was still early, and there were almost no people. I wandered quietly in this fantasy world alone.

Climb up the 70-meter-high pyramid, the tallest pyramid in the ruins of Tikal - Temple No. 4.As I expected, the top of the temple was surrounded by thick fog, and I couldn't see anything, as if floating in the clouds.A few tourists have already arrived above, waiting for the thick fog to disperse while reading a book, I also lie here and take a nap. The commotion around me woke me up from my dream. I propped up my upper body and looked down, and goose bumps all over my body. The morning fog just cleared away completely, and in front of my eyes was a sea-like jungle, extending to the other side of the horizon, with greenery covering the sky and covering the sky.The endless jungle is surprising, but one of the corners in the green sea attracts everyone's attention the most—as if skyscrapers rise from the bottom of the sea, and the white spires of the pyramids are scattered in the jungle, pointing to the sky. I stared blankly in front of me scene.

The chirping of birds and beasts can be heard continuously from the depths of the jungle, and flocks of brightly colored long-tailed birds circle the treetops and glide over the green sea.Looking down at this piece of land at a glance, I also become more elegant. More than a thousand years ago, the king who came to the top of this pyramid should feel the same way, right? Thinking about it this way, a thought popped up in my mind: Why build such a huge pyramid?In addition to boasting of power or religious connotations, it may be due to a simpler reason: hoping to fly through the dark jungle and fly to a brighter and wider place.It is this natural and simple desire that created these pyramids??????

I spent about three hours here gazing at the scenery in front of me, sketching with colored pencils, and then walked down to the temple to look around.It was almost time to go back in the evening.When I got near the exit, I suddenly felt that there seemed to be a force holding me, making it impossible for me to walk away. When I came back to my senses, I ran back to Temple No. 4 along the road just now.When I got to the temple, I rushed up the steps, climbed the stairs, and came back to the top of the temple, gasping for breath.Looking at the unobstructed field of vision again, I was at a loss.

"After returning from South America, I decided to go back to Tikal." I finally understand her mood. It's not so much "beautiful" or "magnificent" as it is that there's something powerful about this place, that it feels as if the old days are calling me here, and that I, too, want to return to it someday. So far, I have seen many ruins in Mexico, but Tikal overwhelmingly won.If the Monument Grand Valley is listed as the world's number one natural landscape, the number one relic may be Tikal.Can I really find a spectacle beyond that next? The journey is still going on, let me look forward to the Inca ruins in South America - Machu Picchu!