How do you get to the Maya ruins?

This is about the journey to Nakum. Outside of the "tourist friendly" temples, you need a 4X4 and/or a boat with a driver and tour guide. Trust me, this is a picture of a good section of road.

And.... this is what the journey looks like most of the time. Not even a 4X4 can make it.

So everyone gets out, looks for stones to place under the tires so the car can gradually be lifted out of the mud.

Doesn't take a eagle eye to spot that bald nugget in the rain forest. I ended out throwing away all of these clothes, they were literally ruined by mud, blood and sweat.

To this day, my camera has mud on it. The mud I did get off ate the paint and finish of the camera body and lenses.

We got stuck so many times the heat from the engine curled the paint off the hood of the truck.

Luckily the soft limestone breaks up with a pick-ax pretty easily.

I only wish a photo could convey how miserable it is in a rain forest. The insect repellent would just wash off from all the sweat, then the mosquitoes would have a field day. There were also fly-like creatures that would eat you regardless of insect repellent. Plus theres the 100% humidity when its about 35C/95F. And in the pools of watery mud were millions of tadpoles and leaches.

Naturally its hotter in the car, and the view isn't much better.

It took 10 hours to go 22km/14miles.

It took so long to get to Nakum, that the local workers put us up for the night at the work camp. Here a descendant of the Maya is cooking us corn tortilla's.

The wood from the trees that were on top of the ruins becomes firewood.

Each worker has his own cooking spot. The food was delicious that night, and I am grateful for all of their help.

On the way back, we took a less traveled road that was not so muddy.

Unfortunately the road hadn't been used for three months, and there were trees that had fallen down.

So you get out the machete and cut a path through the jungle thats wide enough for a car.

Old road on the right, new path on the left. It only took 7 hours to get home, and only four paths had to be cut around fallen trees.

I would like to give a special thank you to all of the boat/car drivers and my tour guide, Senior Antionio Diaz (right) from www.tikalcoadventure.com