Small villages and towns turned out to be just as remarkable as the Mayan sights, each offering something wonderful to discover and explore. Thick jungles, exotic flowers and animals along with an abundance of exotic birds kept our heads turning and then there were areas where the roar of the howler monkey was the only thing to pierce the quiet it was just awesome; immense lakes and serpentine rivers cutting their way through the jungle added a sense of timelessness to our visit.