Rules and Traffic Report
Trip Start
Oct 20, 2008
1
14
41
Trip End
Feb 28, 2009
Leon,
Nicaragua
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Wow itīs 6:00, sunny, hot and humid already. I forgot to take my Malaria pill last night so I took it this morning. Within half an hour I did not feel very well. Iīm sure it was because I took it on an empty stomach. We stopped for breakfast and I felt better immediately. We arrived at the Honduras border at 9:00, some more of our "friends" were there too help us. As decided the previous day, I did the border work while Mike watched the bikes. I hire one friend and he helped me through the process. It was very simple to leave Honduras. My friend tried to tell me that the "Honduras border is closed soon I get paper work for youĻ" I thought hmm..okay go get the paperwork. He comes back you must pay me $42.00 for the papers. I look at the papers and of course it says $12.00. I ask him why he lied to me, he says he needs that much to get paper work Rapido... I tell him we have all day to get through this border. He doesn't like that much. He keeps pressuring me and I stand my ground. I tell him no rush... We wait and wait. He says if you pay this person $2.00 he will stamp your passport now. I tell him no, obviously the imigracion officer was swamped with paperwork as a bus load of people were standing there waiting for him. I wait, my friend gets more agitated. By this point Iīm laughing at him. I figured out the game and the rules which I will post at the end of this blog. Honduras Imigracion stamped my passport... okay over to Nicaragua imigracion. She was great...stamp this ... stamp that fill this out.. inspect the vin numbers on the bike. Give my "friends" a lot of shit for tying to steal my money.We then had to go to a different office to get our bikes imported. I gave the gentlemen all the required documents. He hands my border papers too me. I double checked everything. Oops he misspelled my name. I have him correct it. Then he proceeds with Mikeīs paperwork. He hands it to me Oops.. another mistake he put the wrong year motorcycle on Mikeīs papers. He is quite irritable by this point. Surely a border official could never make a mistake. He corrects it. I double check only to find out that he changed my paperwork and not Mikeīs. I point this out to him. Suddenly he glares at me, then throws all of our paperwork to the girl next to him. Passports, photocopies, receipts flying everywhere. He slams his fist on the desk and yells at the person in line behind me. The person nudges me out of the way. The girl next to him is picking up our paperwork, I explain the change I need. She corrects our paperwork and were free. As we entered Nicaragua the road was horrendous. Pot holes that you could fit a small car in, wash board gravel and so dusty I could barely see 3 feet of me. The road continued like this for apx 30 kmīs. How can a govīt do business and trade via borders when roads and immigration can be in such a state of disrepair? The road finally improved and now we have heavy traffic... that is herds of cattle. I did not want to cut through the herd of beasts with their huge horns and massive girth. One nudge and we could easily be impaled, knocked over and trampled upon. We pulled over and waited for a transport truck to cut a swath through these beasts. We followed very closely behind. Nicaīs country side is beautiful with plenty of well kept properties. Poverty is still rampant and I wonder how many people go to bed hungry and wake up hungry. We found a hotel in Leon called the America. No one has secure parking so we lifted the bikes into the lobby of the hotel. Back in her days she must have been quite a sight. Beautifully tiled floors, huge thick doors and highly decorated woodwork. The place has not been touched since built. It is quit run down but palatable for a us.
Rules for Central America Borders
1. Hire one person to help you through the process and establish 1st how much he will charge you.
2. Do not give them any of your paperwork ever.
3. Pay money only to people wearing a uniform.
4. Do not let border officials give your paper work to your "friend"
5. Confirm every piece of paper you get is correct.
6. Double check the vin number, your name, license number, plate number, passport number is exact on their documents.
7. Do not leave the window until you are happy and everything is right.. be persistent.
8. Be patient your " friend" may sound anxious and try to rush you or stress you. Only causing more confusion.
9. Keep every single piece of paperwork given to you at the border. You have no idea what the next border requires from the previous country !
10. copy, copies and more copies. Bring 30 photocopies of your license,ownership and passport.
Comments
Watch out for POTHOLES and manholes !
Hi Moe & Mike,
Rebecca was just looking over your shoulder and
yelled 'I've been there'. One night the group that she was with was stuck in Leon by a truckers strike and they tried to find some backroads back to Manaugua. They stopped at the American for directions.
Watch out for missing manhole covers in Nicaragua as they are often stolen and sold for scrap metal and the holes remin open. That same trip the van Rebecca was riding in drove in to a coverless
manhole and was stuck in to the axle.
Remember to take some time to stop and small the roses. At the rate you are going you will be at the
end of the road in South America in no time.
Great pineapple and bananas in Central Americ.
Enjoy
Chris Mc
From the Bayou
Mike and Moe,
I can't tell you how much we enjoy your travel pod entries. I'm sharing them with people you've never met, and they're begging for more. Your border-crossing experiences do not entice me to venture south. I cherish the hassle-free mobility we have here in North America.
You guys are in our daily thoughts and prayers. You're truly on an adventure of a lifetime. Can't wait to spend more time with you guys in the future.
Skip & Karen
Mandeville, LA