Jaunted - gt

But Will The World Really End in 2012?

Jonathan Sanders — 2009-12-11T15:31:46-05:00

If the Mayan calendar is correct, the world is going to end in 2012. That's why tourists have been heading to Tikal, Guatemala, ground zero of the conspiracy set. All this week, Jonathan Franklin and Morten Andersen, the guys behind Addict Village will be looking into the madness behind the newest tourism trend, Doomsday Tourism.

Damage. Destruction. Disaster. The Mayan prophecy of the world order being shattered was too dramatic for Hollywood to ignore --- hence the current media blitz over the movie 2012 and the ensuing slogan/website/marketing campaign “You Were Warned.”

If anyone can claim that Hollywood slandered, exaggerated and bastardized their history it’s the Mayans. 2012 runs like a sequel to "Independence Day" or "The Day After Tomorrow," not surprising as Roland Emmerich directed all three.

Where You Might Want To Stay When Doomsday Arrives

Jonathan Sanders — 2009-12-10T17:19:42-05:00

The area’s top rated hotel is El Camino Real Tikal which is often rated a 5-star but that’s simply not true. This is a solid 4-star hotel with a great lakeside location, with a stylish pool that hangs on a balcony surrounded by the jungle that looks eager to swallow the hotel at every minute.

The paint may be peeling on your window ledge, but there are toucans which arrive every morning to peck at the window. El Camino Real is far from the town of Flores, no stores to visit, few trinkets to buy. Instead, you are in the middle of the jungle, with a beautiful lake for swimming, sailing, or fishing.

Inside the Park, the Jungle Lodge is overpriced but boasts an undisputedly convenient location.

Mayan Relics and Monuments You Should See Before The World Ends

Jonathan Sanders — 2009-12-09T15:44:40-05:00

Mayan Cities – of which Tikal is among the largest – are a wonder of engineering, craftsmanship and perfection. Temples, palaces and plazas emerge from the jungle like a futuristic space ship about to take lift. In fact, scenes from the original Star Wars movies were based on the ruins of Tikal.

Even today, much of Tikal is shrouded in mystery as large swaths of the estimated 23 square miles which made up the “residential” section of Tikal has yet to be excavated or even fully mapped.

At the center of Tikal – and practically all visits to the area -- is the Great Plaza, a complex of stone buildings, including steep pyramids that rise straight up, hundreds of feet from the thick jungle. These temples were used for human sacrifice – as the victim was forcibly held down, a priest cut open and removed the live, beating heart. Sportsman playing on nearby ball court was also sacrificed, giving a gladiator like quality to the spectacle.

How Tikal Hotels Are Preparing for the End of the World

Jonathan Sanders — 2009-12-08T13:56:20-05:00

Thanks to the buzz from the Mayan calendar prophecies, local tour operators and hotels are upgrading their services. El Camino Real, a luxury hotel near the Tikal ruins, is now pushing Mayan cultural tours to the forefront and beginning to offer cultural nights with Mayan elders telling stories of the doomsday prophecy.

Mayan recipes are being resurrected and brought back onto the restaurant menu.

“I come from the restaurant side,” said Xavier Cid, the new hotel manager. “So I am completely redoing the menu, going out to the community meeting the older women and asking them what ingredients they use, what traditional dishes we can include in our menus.”

Cid, who worked in Guatemala City previously, says he will never go back to city living. “Where else can I be woken up by the ‘toc...toc..toc’ of a toucan pecking at my window.”

It's The End of the World as We Know It So Get Out Your Camera

Jonathan Sanders — 2009-12-07T15:39:39-05:00

Conspiracy theorists and the History Channel have spent the past five years convincing millions that the Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world. Hollywood just jumped in with the mega-meltdown film, 2012". All of this buzz focuses on a specific date, Dec 21, 2012. This is the mother of all conspiracy theories as the famously accurate Mayan calendar, originating from before Christ, predicts that we are all going to be wiped out in a cataclysmic finale or (in a more optimistic reading) the world as we know it will no longer exist.

Like Nostradamus’ predictions; the Mayan Prophecies have flourished in the internet age. With sophisticated websites explaining the Mayan concepts of time to simplistic websites which do little more than countdown the days hours and minutes till The End.

Different theories abound on what might happen on that fateful December 12, 2012. Will the earth stop spinning? Reverse direction? Get sucked into another galaxy? Or annihilated in nuclear conflagration? With barely two years to go until the final countdown – ignore the mass hysteria and go and check it out for yourself.

Guatemala Puts The Word Out That They're More Mayan Than Mexico

Omri — 2009-09-03T10:24:45-05:00

The Guatemala Tourism Board has become the latest tourism organization to go all-in on web marketing. The board's new "Last Minute" campaign tries to bring together potential travel customers with potential travel providers. Ads will be placed on Google and Facebook and aimed at users who are already searching for Guatemala-related topics, so it won't interrupt your Facebook zombie app or anything.

Users who click on the ads will be taken to a campaign-specific English/Spanish website. The site tries to go beyond the usual "come here because we're awesome" tourism site, linking the 70+ sponsoring travel companies with users. Offers run the gamut from accommodations to food to activities. The site will also include 25% off coupons for these amenities, plus car rentals and tours.

Voluntour In Sunny Guatemala

egw — 2008-12-01T16:47:20-05:00

Now that the holidays are here, we're chasing that warm fuzzy feeling that comes from doing good. Of course, you don't have to go out of town to find a soup kitchen or Toys 4 Tots program that would love for you to pitch in. But if you have an extra-long winter break and the itch to get out of town, why not head for Guatemala for some voluntourism?

There's no waiting for a visa for Cross Cultural Solutions' Guatemala City trip, which leaves December 13 for two weeks working with small children or the elderly in clinics or orphanages in the Latin American capital city. CCS will take care of your lodging, meals and transportation; all you have to do is roll up your sleeves. And you'll be back in the US for New Year's Eve, which encompasses all the drunkenness of Christmas without the pesky obligation of buying presents. You Scrooge, you.

Related Stories:
· Guatemala Beats Egypt At Pyramid Game [Jaunted]
· Ask Jaunted: Guatemala In A Week [Jaunted]
· Christmas Alternatives coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: antigua-guatemala]