Chapter 1: The Adventure Begins
“Bejuco!” Laura shouted.
I ducked just in time as a thick vine slammed against the jeep window with a loud thwack, leaving a long scratch across the metal door.
Heads and arms quickly pulled back inside the jeep.
“Just missed that one!” Matthew shouted, gripping the seat in front of him.
“Yeah,” said Paul, leaning back with a grin. “One second later and your head would’ve been garrotted!”
Matthew turned to him, eyes wide. “Garrotted?”
“Well,” he said cheerfully, making a slicing motion with his hand, “it’s when something wraps around your neck and—”
“Paul!” his mum, Laura, interrupted sharply from the front seat. “Enough! Oh, no—bejuco!”
We were winding our way through the Guatemalan rainforest to reach the ancient Maya ruins of San Bartolo. I had come all the way from the UK to study Maya archaeology, and I couldn’t wait to start digging there.
This adventure was more than I had ever imagined. It felt as if I had stepped straight into one of the stories I used to read as a child or into the adventure films I had watched on television.
Mike, the director, was driving the dusty blue jeep, leaning forward slightly as he carefully steered around roots and branches. Beside him sat Laura, his wife, her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail that flicked from side to side every time we hit a bump.
In the back were the rest of us. Chris, my campmate, and I were squeezed together on one side. Opposite us sat the two brothers, Paul and Matthew.
They looked so alike they could almost have been twins, both with short brown hair and sun-tanned skin. Paul, the older one at eleven, seemed to enjoy teasing his younger brother whenever he got the chance.
The windows were open to let the air in, but instead of a cool breeze, we mostly got clouds of insects and waves of jungle heat. Sweat trickled down my back. It was only 8 a.m., yet it was already 25 degrees Celsius (25°C).
All around us, the trees pressed in. We were following a narrow trail carved through the forest using machetes, large, sword-like knives used to clear thick vines and branches.
I was bursting with excitement. The dig was only part of the adventure. I was going to be living in the rainforest for three whole months. I’d always loved camping, but I’d never camped anywhere like this before. This was full-on jungle survival!
“Ouch! That hurt!” Chris groaned, rubbing his head as the jeep bounced over a tree root. We were flying up and down in our seats as if we were on a roller coaster. Chris’s hair brushed the roof again. He was so tall that every bump sent him crashing into it.
“Hey! Look, a monkey!”
“Where?” Matthew twisted around in his seat.
“Over there!” Paul pointed into the trees. “On the right—look! There’s three of them!”
I leaned out of the window and saw three brown monkeys swinging through the branches.
“Looks like we’ve got a welcoming party,” I said.
Then—
WHACK!
A vine slapped me straight across the face.
“Bejuco!” everyone shouted in unison, laughing.
“Okay,” I muttered, rubbing my stinging cheek, “I’m definitely staying away from the window.”
Suddenly, Laura placed a hand on Mike’s shoulder. “Mike, stop the car. Look in the branches!”
Mike slowed the jeep and looked up to where she was pointing, scratching his dark beard.
“A scarlet macaw!” he exclaimed.
We all craned our necks to look up.
WOW!
Perched high in the trees was one of the most dazzling birds I had ever seen, its feathers flashing bright red, yellow, and blue through the leaves.
The ancient Maya admired these birds too, painting them on vases and carving them into stone. Sadly, macaws are now endangered, so spotting one was special.
Before long, we reached a fork in the path. The trail to the left was used by local people to collect sap from the chicozapote tree, whose sticky resin is used to make chewing gum.
But we were turning right, deeper into the jungle. I could hardly wait to see what we would find next.
Chris grinned. “Hey Mike, you forgot your indicator. The car behind won’t see whether you are turning left or right.”
Everyone burst out laughing.
There was no traffic here, just endless forest.
Somewhere ahead of us, hidden beneath the trees, were the ancient Maya ruins we had come to explore.
None of us knew yet what we were about to discover there.
But one thing was certain.
The adventure had only just begun.
It is great
I loved it and you came to my school on the 5th May 2026
Thank you so much Maya Expert!
I love how it starts when your coming but one second later your body is in the maya civilisation it’s so cool
wow it was a good first chapter can’t wait to read more
Thank you!
cool, I did not know that trees could make gum!
Very good
My class think that the chapter was very good and full of detail. They loved how interesting it was and how you described the animals in such an extraordinary way.
Thank you! That is great to hear.