EL REMATE
We arrived in the village after a long 200 km, 6 hour drive, heading north from the Rio.

Guatemala has not spend money on its vital road infrastructure and therefore throughout the whole country road travel is slow due to poor road conditions and a total lack of passing lanes on the mountainous climbs. When you inevitably get stuck behind the constant flow of heavily laden trucks and livestock transporters it adds a lot of extra time to the journey.

Our driver was Daniel – the husband of Mirza(OCC local office manager) – so he was extra careful with his wife and little daughter and a few cousins onboard. Thankfully the bus actually had seating for 30 – so our group of 23 fitted comfortably, even with the minimal functioning of the aircon. James & I managed to nab our own separate seating – so that made it easier and less sweaty in the constant humidity.

This little village at the eastern end of Lago de Petén Itza is about 30mins drive from the entrance to the Tikal site.

Our accommodation at Casa Don David along the north shore road as opposed to the busy, noisy main road proved to be an excellent choice. The gardens and hotel rear grounds directly faced the lake – a wonderful, peaceful vista. Our rooms were bright and clean with simple Mayan textiles used for decorations, and each room had a hammock sling outside on their individual veranda overlooking the gardens.

The broad garden with its huge Ceiba tree taking centre stage is creatively planted with native trees, plants and flowers to entice the indigenous birds. An informative Maya calendar is also arranged within the garden.

The Ceiba Tree is the national tree of Guatemala and a sacred tree in the Mayan culture. For the Maya it represents the stable world centre. It constitutes a line of balance that unites the underworld, heavens and earth. It has a remarkable straight trunk and buttress roots – and is often referred to as the ‘Tree of Life’.

On our 2nd evening, an early evening a short fire show display was lit featuring the Ceiba tree and the gardens.

El Remate village is known for its wood carving. On our final departure morning we visited a local co-operative woodworking shed to see some of their ‘ work in progress’ pieces currently being made and many of the group purchase items from their roadside stall/store. Yes the large Mayan symbols of various gods were intricate and interesting – but very grotesque faces and bodies.