Tikal, and Ancient Mayan Calves

There´s something a bit too Americanly brazen about reciting a short Hans and Franz skit off the double podiums of an ancient Mayan civilization that dates to a few thousand years before Christ. To my American credit, I only decided to stop after reciting "I am Franz!"

Elliot did the rest. Our voices were greatly magnified by twin stone templs rising over 200 feet in the air. They weren´t the largest temples, either. Each boasts the same design - ziggurat, with excptionally steep stairs that taxed the lungs and legs of every tourist who tried to scale them. The more difficult stone steps had been superceded by wooden walkways that, ironically enough, ended up being steeper than the stones themselves. Our safety was guaranteed by two sturdy ten-penny nails on each step, firmly adhering it to two-by-two supports. Firm stone that had weathered a few milennia didn´t stand a chance against modern building techniques.

I´m going to forego an accurate description of the ruins, the largest of their kind in the world, in favor of much better pictures.



Yup.



You get the idea.