Mayan Ruins of Tikal

I pressed the light switch on my watch: The green glow illuminated 5 a.m. I listened, but could not hear the overhead fan spinning, which meant the hotel's electricity was still out. I'd have to skip the shave and shower, and dress by flashlight instead.

A few minutes before I was to meet Andy, I opened the door upon a wall of blackness. The jungle outside was dark, my flashlight's beam cutting a cone through the moist air. It was quiet with only an occasional bird call breaking the heavy silence. Andy's door opened and we chuckled nervously about the darkness. No streetlights here, no reflected glow of city light -- the predawn hours were indeed black in the Guatemalan jungle.

We'd met yesterday on our guided tour of the Mayan ruins of Tikal. We'd heard sunrise from the top of Temple IV, the tallest pyramid in Tikal, was supposed to be impressive. As we walked towards the park entrance, I imagined what this would be like alone. It was a more than a bit spooky with a companion. Nevertheless, we turned down a park ranger, who offered to guide us along the jungle paths to Temple IV. Andy and I knew the way, we were sure, we'd climbed it yesterday afternoon. We took a few wrong turns and backtracked once, but eventually made it to the stairs. It was noticeably lighter, and we could see it would be a foggy morning.

Sunrise never happened that morning in Tikal, just a gradual lightening of shades of gray. The fog was a disappointment, but on our return through the park, it gave Tikal a new dimension. The towering Mayan ruins had looked impressive yesterday with the sun beating down upon them. The pyramid temples often were arranged in pairs, facing each other across a plaza of green grass. In front of each were a row of stellae -- columns carved with images of rulers or gods. Along the plaza's sides, steep steps lead up to more temples and palaces. Surrounded by dense jungle, Tikal casts you as Indiana Jones, exploring a hidden city. If a dinosaur stalked out from beneath the trees, you wouldn't be much more amazed than you were looking at the sprawling ruined city. Now, cloaked in the mist, its pyramids looming like vague gray shapes, Tikal exuded an aura of mystery.

The aura was still with me when I boarded my plane. I could still feel the steep climb to the top of the pyramids. I could still see the panorama spread out beneath me -- the sea of green tree tops, with just the peaks of the temples poking through the canopy. Memories of a ruined city, that sprawled hidden in the jungle for centuries, would remain deep in my heart, for years to come.