Once I was atop of Pyramid One and had calmed myself, slowed my heartbeat, steadied upright stance, and adapted to its scary unprotected height, I was rewarded with an extraordinary view across the grassy Great Plaza toward Pyramid Two. Being able to overlook the whole Plaza with Temple Two at the far end from this height, was well worth the dangerous climb. As I stood there entranced by the view of these Mayan Ruins in the middle of the jungle, birds were soaring around my head, darting in and out of the little limestone room behind me, situated at the apex of the Pyramid One.
I walked inside the small room and found it amazing to see that the original carved wooden lentils above the doorway, still existed intact. I would have thought that after 1,300 years in the moist jungle environment, they would have long rotted away.
While I hadn’t given much thought to the steepness of the steps while climbing up the pyramid, going back down, was a totally different experience. It was gulp-producing. I kept a tight grip on the chain that lay beside the steep, narrow steps, that served as a “handrail” on the of the pyramid. It was the only security provided to those brave (or foolish) tourists climbing up or down the pyramid’s steps.
I survived my descent, however, making my way down the very steep stairway was not very enjoyable. Once I had my feet solidly set back on terra firma, I walked across the lawn of the Great Plaza to Pyramid Two, Climbing up to the top of Pyramid Two, which was not so high, was a piece of cake compared to what I had experienced climbing up Temple One.
No comments:
Post a Comment