God is like a Canopy Tour... Tikal, Day 2, Part 2... June 8th

After our "Sunrise Hike", we returned to the hotel, and ate a great breakfast served by a friendly waiter, Joel. Then we had just enough time to prepare for our Canopy Tour!! For those who don’t know, (which included me until that day), a canopy tour, at least in Tikal, involves ziplines, eight of them in our case, over the jungle treetops.

Our guide, Alberto, was wonderful. A young whippersnapper, the oldest of 9 kids who seemed to know the jungle well. Turns out he lives in the jungle. Not sure what his house is like, but he lives about 2 miles from the Canopy Tour office, which is located at the entrance to Tikal Park. Alberto gave us the option of two canopy tours… a slower, lower one.. 9 ziplines.. and a faster, higher tour, 8 ziplines.. Of course we chose fast and high! Alberto was hysterical. His friend, the other guide, Hector, (though Alberto told us his name was “The Puma”!), wasn’t quite as talkative, but friendly and comfortable enough with the ziplines, that both made me feel safe and comfortable.
At one point, Alberto took my camera, and hung from the zipline several feet away from us so he could take our picture. Another time he was going down the zipline and turned upside down.. fun.

Viewing the jungle from the treetops provides a unique and fantastic experience. As our tour’s website quotes, “The two canopys extends among trees of more than 300 years, in a millennial forest that is part of the Mayan Biosphere. Here you will forget the fatigue, the depression, the hardships or any other feeling when flying among the branches, like Tarzan's style.”
(broken English is exact, as on website) It’s true.. you forget the fact that you’re dripping with sweat, smelling as though you didn’t shower in two weeks, and you forget that life has loads of problems.. you zip through the forest among ancient trees, listening to tropical birds and seeing the occasional monkey.. it’s pretty easy to forget about your worries… it’s pretty easy to slip into vacation mentality and think that you could zip through the treetops forever. Ok, not forever, but at least for another two hours.

Maybe there should be a t-shirt made that says, “God is like a canopy tour… you forget about your worries.” At least that’s the idea… when we’re trusting in God, it should be pretty easy to forget about our worries, to give them all to God, to go with the flow and zip through life taking it as it comes. Again, that’s the idea.

After our hour of fun in the jungle treetops, with Alberto and Hector, Alberto drove us back to our lodge. Tikal Park is strict with all drivers about speed limits in the park. So strict that they stamp one’s ticket at the entrance, then again after 20 minutes of driving, when one actually arrives at the point where the lodges and restaurants are… They expect it to take at least 20 minutes of driving to get from Point A to Point B. If it’s shorter, the driver is fined. I appreciate this care and concern for the jungle, the wildlife, and the desire to preserve the park as it is.

We loved Tikal. I would go back in a heartbeat, of course.. this time with more clothes to change into three times a day, with a better flashlight, and more time. When we returned to the Jungle Lodge, we went swimming in the pool.. watched a few monkeys in the trees, returned to the room to shower and check out, and eat lunch.

That evening, after arriving back in Guatemala City, we stayed with Jo Ann’s friends Libby and Dan, Covenanters who had lived in Guate for three years. Libby and Dan were gracious to let us stay with them when they were about to move back to the States within weeks! It was interesting to hear the perspectives of Americans who had lived down there for awhile, (especially their perspectives on Guatemalan adoptions) meet new friends, and enjoy their two kids.

I was sad, leaving Guatemala. I miss it.. It’s still in my mind daily, and I find myself still scheming for how to return. I’ve loved everyplace I’ve ever been to and lived in.. I seem to fall in love with places quickly.. and yet, there’s something about Guatemala.. But for now, I am back in reality.. back in the daily mode of life in Madison, which I also deeply love. I am back in the daily struggle to trust God, like being on a Canopy Tour… giving my issues and concerns to God, and going with the flow, enjoying everyday as it comes. At least that's the idea.

p.s. one note about the photos... it appears, from the pictures, that we are only about 5 feet above the ground. Appearances are sometimes deceiving, and this is one of those times!! I promise! We were much much higher.. and, the pictures of Jim and Cathy are Jo Ann's photography.. thanks, Jo Ann!