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January 2012 Jungle Kingdoms of the Maya ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Melanie and I had never taken a guided tour prior to taking the Jungle Kingdoms of the Maya with the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA).
All of our previous trips had been self planned and done on our own. I was curious to see what it would be like to take a trip where a professional
made all the arrangements for us.
Our tour had 24 participants, and over the course of our journey I was able to have at least one conversation with
all of them, and I was delighted to find such interesting people! Everyone was interested in exploring the Mayan ruins, listening to the lectures by
Bruce Love, our leader/archaeologist. Most everyone else had traveled extensively throughout the world (Bob had visited 62 countries, Gene had been to 59).
I really enjoyed talking to them about all the places they had seen - Lake Bikal! Jordan! Machu Picchu! Cambodia! Tanzania! Pretty much any where on earth.
It really inspired me to continue traveling. It has occurred to me recently that this really is a golden era for global travel - other than conflict in the
Middle East and some spots in Africa, most of the world is at peace and eager to welcome tourists. I hope to spend the next 25 years or so taking advantage of
this era of tourism and see as much of the world as I can. After this trip, I definitely want to return to Central America and see more Mayan sites. I also
would be happy to take another trip led by AIA.
When we were exploring the Lost World section of Tikal, I asked Carlos (our guide in Guatemala and Honduras) if he would take a group photograph
of all of us standing in front of the Great Pyramid. This turned out to be a popular suggestion, and soon Carlos had been handed 20 cameras! He was a
great sport about it, and willing took a picture on each camera. The above photo is how mine turned out.
Here is a map of our route - three new countries for me to visit!
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Click on the three icons below to open up the first three pages of the original flyer that AIA sent out for our Jungle Kingdoms of the Maya tour.![]() ![]() ![]() Click on the AIA logo to visit their website. I would definitely do another trip with them.![]() I found Maya Ruins and Authentic Maya to be a useful website.
I also used the Moon Handbook on the Yucatan, and the following reference books:
![]() All the graphic images are my own design, but the textured background is taken from a site, EOS development, that offers non-profit users free use of their graphics. Click below to visit their site. |