On a group safari with some friends, a woman in the back asked our guide: “Why are the watering holes so small? They have much bigger watering holes in Kruger.” Would you really like to know why, dear short-haired lady with your arms folded, watching a herd of elephants with a thoroughly unimpressed look on your face? DO YOU??? Well, I’ll tell you why, because you’re not in fucking Kruger.
Now, look, nobody likes the unimpressed lady in the back of your open-topped Caucasian Land Cruiser. Nobody. But for this post, all apologies, I’m gonna be that lady. Guatemala was a cool, chill stop. I had a great time and enjoyed myself thoroughly. But the ruins and temples are bigger in Mexico. Hell, they’re bigger next-door in Belize. While I’m certain that if you spent an extended trip taking a deep dive touring Guatemala, you’d come away with some nuance and possibly really appreciate the place. This trip wasn’t nearly long enough to gain that kind of insight. I will say though that the local indigenous shaman guiding a ceremony at one of the temple sites was pretty cool. Religions that integrate fire into their rites definitely get extra points for presentation.
