NLX Fin del Mundo: The world didn't end and I feel fine . . .

[gjackson]

The 'end' of the Mayan calendar (or rather the end of the 13th Bak'tun and the start of the 14th), has been anticipated all year by many around the globe. Those who love conspiracy dubbed it 'the end of the world' and we at No Limit X put together an expedition to commemorate the Fin del Mundo. What better way to greet the end of the world or the alien invasion than from a set of ancient Mayan ruins?

So on December 15th thirteen of us left the luxury of La Lancha Coppola resort north of Lago Peten Itza for an adventure into the jungles of the Peten that would take us to the ruins of Naranjo, Yaxha and finally Nakum on the 21st of December when the calendar ended. The two NLX Defender 110s were joined by a Toyota Tacoma from CO for this adventure.

Our first camp would be at the ruins of Naranjo and this required precise navigation on a very little-used track that we had scouted last spring. Skirting the edge of the Yaxha - Naranjo National Park, we had to contend with really dense sugar-cane growth over the road:



A stretch that was to prove both difficult to navigate and dense enough to swallow one of our GoPros whole!





We also had to contend with downed trees, massive ant nests, unexpected downpours, a little mud and massive sidewall damage to one of the tires. Here the team pauses to wait for a tire change on the Tacoma:



Approaching Naranjo we hit the deepest mud so far:



On top of the ruins Tanner checked the birds nest for cell coverage to see if the outside world was still there (it was):



After a fantastic meal made by James, some wine, and a howler monkey interrupted night at the archeological station at Naranjo we were off on our way to Yaxha and Nakum beyond:





The next night we had to camp in the jungle in a clearing. This wasn't part of the plan, but the adventure usually starts when the plan gets thrown out! Late in the evening James and I found a 'clearing' in the jungle and we all helped to open it up with machetes. The cars stayed on the track and dinner was served on the track as well. In classic NLX style James produced an amazing meal, which was enjoyed with wine and a true Guatemalan favorite, the best rum in the world: Ron Zacapa.



To be continued . . .

 

[gjackson]

After our bush camp which was caused by a change in Guatemalan government policy at Yaxha at the last moment, we continued on to Nakum. This road had stopped us last spring when we tried it, but proved less muddy this time. It was still quite a challenge and everyone got stuck. We were expecting up to 12 hours of travel, but we managed it in just over four!





The fresh jaguar prints in one mud section reminded us that we were well off the beaten path, and (I hope) gives a small preview of what we will see on the NLX Africa Trip this coming July:



And then the final prize, reached on the 20th of December; Nakum. We had selected this site for the Bak'tun for several reasons: remoteness, beauty and facilities. It was hard enough to get to that we were the only people there for the 21st apart from the site minders. We spent the 20th and the 21st at Nakum enjoying the solace of the jungle and the majesty of the ruins.





What better place to greet the end of the Mayan calendar?





And then, then it was: the Bak'tun. 12:12:12 on 12-21-12. (Yes, I was a bit early, but I had to get the pic in case the world did end!)



And as you all know, as the 13th Bak'tun ended and the 14th began, nothing really changed. But we still had an incredible meal that night: filet mignon, wine and champaign!

Our trip back to Yaxha was another process of getting stuck and un-stuck, but it was now a familiar process:





Until the Tacoma got a second sidewall cut. With just a few kilometers to go to Yaxha, we had to patch up the sidewall to get everyone home.

To be continued . . .

 

[gjackson]

A second sidewall cut meant we had to repair one of the tires:



Not hard, but time consuming and difficult to keep sealed in the muddy conditions:



We finally managed to make it to Yaxha and camped there for the final camp of the trip. There we also re-patched the Tacoma sidewall:



For the final night of the trip we drove to the Maya Villa resort and had a fantastic final meal in Flores.



Special thanks to Eric for all his Hipstamatic iPhone pics. If any of you are going to Overland Expo and are interested in iPhone photography techniques, Eric (or maybe Jeff) will be teaching a class on it.

Also if any of you are interested in a similar adventure we still have spaces on the upcoming NLX Ruins and Rain-forests trip!

Cheers and happy non-end-of-the-world.

 

[trackhead]

Too funny. Well played.

 

[Sojourn]

Wow. Definitely on my bucket list. Looks like you guys had a great time. Was the Tacoma running Goodyear Wrangler MT/R Kevlars?

 

[gjackson]

Wow. Definitely on my bucket list. Looks like you guys had a great time. Was the Tacoma running Goodyear Wrangler MT/R Kevlars?

No. He was running Goodyear Wrangler DuraTracs on 18s. The 18s made it hard to find replacement tires, so we ended up sourcing a complete HiLux spare as an interim replacement.

 

[chirigringo]

Looks like another great trip, Graham. You have no idea how bad I want to return. We need to catch up sometime for a beer.
-Michael

 

[gjackson]

Michael,

We need to have a re-union party with Nick and Vince as well. I'm leaving on the 12th for the Mundo Maya trip, but I'll be back on the 23rd. Maybe we can hook up after that.

FYI we'll be running Camp 6 this time; hopefully we'll make it all the way out!

cheers