Who would guess an adventure vacation could be so romantic

GUATEMALA — Standing atop an ancient Mayan temple in the middle of the Guatemalan rain forest with the roar of howler monkeys echoing in the canopy all around us, I gathered my thoughts and pulled the ring from my pocket.

My girlfriend, Melissa, and I share a love of travel and adventure. So, it was only fitting that when it came time to pop the big question, it happen while on an adventure vacation.

I considered a few familiar romantic getaways: Paris, Rome, Honolulu. All wonderful cities but a little too conventional for this particular occasion. I wanted to find a destination a little more off the beaten path.

That's when a friend suggested Guatemala, a country that wasn't even on my radar. Heck, I wasn't even sure where Guatemala was.

But after browsing a few travel sites, I was certain this Central American country would be perfect for an adventurous getaway and provide an ideal spot for me to propose.

So, with tickets purchased, vaccinations taken care of and the ring expertly hidden in my camera bag, we boarded our flight to Guatemala City. The sum total of our trip planning had consisted of browsing through a few travel guides and listening to free Spanish podcasts. We made no reservations and had no definitive plans, which we soon discovered to be the best way to travel in Guatemala.

After spending the first night in a sketchy hotel surrounded by barbed wire in the overcrowded capital city, we set out on our way toward the Mayan ruins of Tikal in the North.

We arrived in Flores (the main city serving Tikal), immediately enamored by this quaint island city connected to the mainland by a narrow, land bridge. Just as a heavy rain began to fall, we found a clean hotel room overlooking the surrounding lake for just under $20.

We booked travel arrangements to Tikal for the following morning and spent the rest of the day taking in the city and searching for a functioning ATM. Later, excited about the next day's excursion, we enjoyed a nice bottle of wine as we sat on a lakeside dock serviced by one of the many cafes along the water and listened as a local strummed his guitar a few docks down.

The ruins at Tikal

Tikal, the ancient capital of the Mayan civilization, is within Tikal National Park, about an hour's drive from Flores.

Arriving as it opened at 6 a.m., we were able to wander the park alone, welcomed by the cries of howler monkeys; an eerie sound to the unaccustomed ear.

We came upon one magnificent structure after another, some extending far beyond the tree line above us. Surprisingly, with few barricades and no guards, visitors are free to explore the ruins and climb to the top of all six temples. So we did.

With sore necks from gazing up at the spider monkeys and sore backs from climbing temple steps with our packs (all of our luggage), we sat down at the top of a temple in the Grand Plaza for a rest. Then and there, alone save for a brightly colored turkey, as we sat reflecting on the grandeur of the ruins all around us, of how it might have been here over a thousand years ago, I asked the question. And she answered with an unforgettable smile and a "yes."

Later that day, we ziplined through the canopy, soaring through the trees, supervised by two local boys who didn't speak a word of English. My podcasts had failed to cover zipline terminology, so it was with a lot of pointing and head shaking that we made it safely back to ground level.

We spent the night at one of the three hotels within the park, the rain forest alive all around us, the smiles still wide on our faces.

Western Highlands

After an unforgettable experience at Tikal, we were ready for good food, good wine and a little relaxation. A once-thriving colonial Spanish city, Antigua answered that call.

Melissa and I wanted to celebrate our engagement in style and we found just the place - the Hotel Casa Santo Domingo, a monastery dating back to the 1500s that had been converted into an awe-inspiring hotel. At sunset, hotel staff light thousands of candles that light the open-air hallways throughout the hotel.

Our room had a fireplace and a balcony offering a view of the garden below and a volcano in the distance. After long, hot showers (a rarity where we'd been), we dined at the hotel restaurant, savoring the food and reflecting on our amazing trip.

Venturing farther west - two hours from Antigua - to our final destination of Lago de Atitlan, we were looking forward to hiking and resting by the highland lake before heading back to Charleston.

After spending a quiet night in Panajachel — the city that serves as a jumping off point to the smaller Mayan villages sprinkled around the lake — we awoke with one goal: to find a decent cup of coffee, which thus far, had eluded us.

We finally found the Crossroads Cafe, where the owner, Mike, a New Yorker, not only served us one of the best cups of coffee either of us had ever had, but also recommended a lakeside hotel — Casa del Mundo — that "can't be missed!" Enough said. We bought some coffee to take with us and headed out.

With a new destination in mind, we walked down to the dock where locals corral tourists and village inhabitants into boats that should have been retired long ago. We boarded one that already appeared to be exceeding maximum occupant capacity (a concept we agreed would make the captain laugh) and made our way across the lake toward Jaibalito, a short hike from our destination, the highly recommended Casa del Mundo.

Everything that a vacation should be was there at Casa del Mundo. A friendly staff, cheap rooms, wonderful food and wine, and private balconies overlooking the lake. We enjoyed the food and lively conversation with the other hotel guests, hiked the trails to nearby Mayan villages, and jumped from the balconies into the cool, clear water. And we sat beside each other and agreed that it just doesn't get any better than this. Can't we just stay here?

Guatemala isn't a place where things go as planned or where plans are particularly useful at all for that matter. With the advice of locals and fellow travelers, we were able to experience the trip of a lifetime, far beyond what we could have imagined. This beautiful country with friendly people had left an indelible mark in our hearts.

Michael Fussell, an online editor for Charleston.net and avid traveler, can be reached at 937-5659 or mfussell@postandcourier.com.