Casa De Cafe, Copan Ruins

Missed writing last night because I was so tired. We caught the bus from Guatemala City to Copan, Honduras, at 5 AM from a hotel that was about 6 blocks away from our hotel (Hotel Dai Nonni). The shuttle picked us up at the Westin Camino Real, where we didn´t stay due to cost of the rooms, but it looked nice from the outside. We spent the morning head bobbing in the back of a 15 passenger van , sort of pretending to sleep, because every time the driver went careening around a curve, I nearly fell off of my seat.
We got to Copan about 10:00 AM where we stayed at the Casa de Café, Copan. We got settled in our room (and got some yummy tea from our hosts for the day/evening at the hotel, and then walked about a mile to the Copan Mayan Ruins.

We walked back to the town and stopped at the shotgun-guarded ATM.
People have said how huge the structures are which were built by ancient civilizations. I´ve been to Stonehenge in England. I´ve walked through St. Peter´s in Rome. I´ve been to Mesa Verde in Colorado, USA. But I was not prepared for the massive nature of what exists at Copan. And people say that the society which lived at Copan is small compared to the society which lived at Tikal. So now I´m looking forward even more to seeing Tikal.
At Copan, there is an amazing staircase which upon first look appears to be an amazing set of stairs made from limestone and sandstone.

After looking at them for a minute though, it becomes apparent that each stone was carved into a symbol and the staircase itself can then be read. It´s the long form story of the recorded history of the people who lived at this place from around 100-1100 AD.

Why did they die out? Where did they go? What gave them the idea to carve stones so precisely and build structures like they did at Copan? Why had I never Heard of or seen pictures of this place? Are Mayan ruins really so plentiful?
A thousand other questions eked their way into my mind throughout the four hours we spent wandering through the ruins at Copan.
For foreigners, the ruins cost $15 per person. It seemed expensive at the time of purchase, but was absolutely worth it.
My recommendation – take the tour at Copan Ruins even though it costs more.
We ate pupusas at at a café in Honduras in the afternoon (full lunch cost $4.33 for both of us), and fell asleep at 5:30 at Casa de Café. Woke up at 9:45

Related posts:

1. Copan, Honduras: Mayan Ruins
2. An evening in Copan, Honduras and current events (and travel safety) discussion with a local
3. Tikal Mayan Ruins at Tikal, Guatemala (Lots of Photos)
4. Video: Monkeys At The Mayan Ruins of Tikal
5. Posts you may have missed