Security- We have a T-Rex on the Mayan Ruins

Security - We have a T-Rex on the Ruins

Bright and early we started walking to the Copán Mayan Ruins. I did not research much of what I would be seeing on this trip so I had no idea what to expect. Entering the park we decided to pay for a guide named Tony - a man in his late 80s with an extensive knowledge on Mayan ruins. 

Walking down towards the ruins we could hear the macaws and see then flying over head. It was a spectacular sight. Just before getting to the actual ruins themselves there were around 40 macaws on branches, on the ground, and flying around. I was speechless seeing these beautiful creatures in the wild.

The ruins themself were ok at first. I was a bit disappointed not realizing the bigger ones were yet to come. The cool thing was that we were the only ones in the actual park. The biggest ruin in the area was a small pyramid that you could climb.

Perfect spot for the T-Rex photo. I nervously climbed up to the top and put the costume on. My group down below all started laughing and taking pictures. One of the guides even was taking photos and laughing with our tour guide.

All was well and I could cross off standing on Mayan ruins from the list. 

Moving further into the park I realized that the ruins got way bigger and more impressive. Excited I ran to the top of another area and proceeded to get ready to take the picture. That’s when I heard a security guard begin to whistle and clap his hands. Whoops! No big deal I put it away and walked back down. He was there waiting for me and proceeded to point at the costume, the radio, and a bunch of Spanish. 

Mai, Paul, and I tried to translate but all we could understand was that he wanted to take the costume and that security could see me on the cameras! Part of me wanted to stuff it in the bag and just walk away. He continued to insist that he had to take the costume since headquarters had seen it and no T-Rex costume were allowed. Actually none of us were even allowed to have backpacks but since we got there so early no one was working to tell us (common theme in Central America).

After some more translating, Fernando helping talk to the guard, and a bunch of awkward laughs we finally come to the agreement that they would confiscate the costume until I left the park!

The rest of the ruins were pretty amazing. The tree growing out of rubble looked almost unreal. Tony told us so much information it made my head spin. He also would get so excited to tell a funny joke but would forget halfway through. 

It was also so enjoyable to have some time in the park without a ton of people. By the time we finished and made our way out the crowds began to flock in. There were very few gringo tourists. Mostly everyone touring was from Latin America. 

Exiting the park I was able to get the T-Rex back in my possession and laugh about the fact I will probably be the only person to get away with something like that for a very long time!