Guatemala border crossing.

  Parque Nacional Tikal, Guatemala
Tuesday, May 1, 2007

With excitement, we jumped out of bed on the morning of May 1, 2007. We intended to hit another country today and we set our sights on the Guatemalan border. Thankfully, we got out of bed early enough, to not have to rush around and get ready. The van was cleaned up, dishes put back in the cupboard and we were essentially ready to roll the night before. We even had sufficient time for Geraldine "The Barber" Dueck to trim up Michael's hair and beard, yet again. The hot showers at Jamanji were enjoyed for one last time as we soaked ourselves before getting a fresh start on the day and our new country. It was a sad farewell with the Jeal's as they had been such gracious hosts that we had a hard time leaving and saying goodbye. Knowing that we must push on, we agreed to keep in touch and parted with handshakes and hugs.
 
We expected to reach the border within an hour of driving as Jamanji Bar is only 30 or 40 kilometres away. After paying for camping at the Jeal's and the recent adventures in the past few days we had very little cash in our pockets. Seeing how we already had one episode with crossing the Belizean border during our time there,

Highway trees in Belize.

we were aware that there was an $18.25 USD departure tax per person. We did not have enough cash, but also did not want a pocket full of Belizean currency to cross into Guatemala. Instead of stopping beforehand and getting prepared, we guessed that the border would be equipped with an ATM or take Visa to cover any costs. We were wrong. There was nothing available and the only payment option was cold, hard cash. We were routed back to the nearest town of San Ignacio to be some cash. This sounds all too easy, however the tricky part is that not all ATM machines accept international bank cards. Some only accept the local Belize card. There is no way to know which machine will accept our card or at least we have not figured out the trick yet. So as it stands, we try each machine until one decides to spit out some money. This generally takes a while as the banks and ATM machines are scattered throughout these small towns that we have limited knowledge of. At times we feel as helpless as mice in a maze.
 
With some persistence on Geraldine's part, she returned to the van with a handful of Belizean currency. Now this was progress. Michael elected to stay with the van after getting yelled at by some local dude because he was parked on the wrong side of the road. The local guy was standing at the window and yelling at Michael and telling him that he would give him a $100 ticket on the spot if we did not watch the way we acted. The entire time, Michael was silent and patiently listened to this odd local's rant before we were able to respond and say "No problem, we will park on the other side". This seemed to appease the local who walked away still puffing up his chest and wiggling his tail feathers in some sort of victory strut. We let him have his moment in the sun, determining that we had the greater victory of still having our sanity.
 
The drive back to the border was very relaxing as we had been down this road once before and knew the route. This is a rarity on our trip. The roads traveled are always new and foreign. We made it back to the border without incident and parked 'Nilla along side of the main building and went in to deal with Customs and Immigration. We paid our departure tax and from there we were shuffled into the long line to get the departure stamp added to our passports by the Immigration official in Belize. We still had to deal with our vehicle permit and from Immigration we were sent to the Customs office where they unhesitatingly accepted back our vehicle permit and within seconds we were on our way. We changed our remaining Belize money into Guatemalan Quetzals before heading across the border. The money changers at the border are a royal pain in the arse and are nearly as bad as timeshare promoters in Puerto Vallarta or T-shirt vendors in Mazatlan. We were hounded by them from the time we parked until the time we pulled away. Even after changing our money they all wanted to give us their expertise about how to get across the next border. Thanks, but no thanks! We have had great success crossing with honesty and avoiding raising eyebrows of the foreign government officials. I think we prefer to keep it that way.
 
We rolled 'Nilla up to the border gate and were both anxious to get moving into Guatemala, as we still had to deal with all the same red tape on the other side for the passage of both us and 'Nilla. In Belize, only the driver is allowed to remain in the vehicle to pass across the border. The signs read "Passengers must alight from vehicle and walk across the border". With all the stamping and dropping off of permits in Belize we were both allowed to walk back out to the vehicle and assumed that we could drive across as a team. When we reached the border, the guard asked a few questions and then explained that passengers are supposed to walk across the border and not ride in the vehicle. This was followed by a long silence. Then he spoke again to Geraldine and told her to get out of the van and walk across. We were both a bit shocked seeing how we were nearly across the border already, however rules are rules and we accommodated.
 
On the other side of the border people were buzzing everywhere. Men jumped in front of the vehicle to stop our progress and guide us into a makeshift spray booth. We were instructed that we had to subject 'Nilla to mandatory fumigation. We had been through this in Belize and were aware that the fumigation receipt was a much needed document to bring in the vehicle. The spraying took seconds and we paid them in equally short order. With 'Nilla parked we joined the long line at Migracion (Immigration) on the Guatemalan side. The line was filled with locals and foreigners alike. From this experience we have learned that lining up is a universal dislike of all people. There was not a smile to be found on any face in line. Patiently, we waited our turn to reach the front of the queue. We were greeted by a happy older fellow that handed us some paperwork to fill out. The form was a simple tourist card and took only a few seconds to fill in our names, home addresses, country of origin and check a few boxes. There you are, one tourist card filled out. The Migracion officer accepted the forms back and quickly scanned them before hammering all the pages with the official Guatemalan stamp. Our passports received the same treatment. Before we were able to leave, we had to pay Q10 each for the tourist card. Without questioning we handed over the money and were on our way.
 
Now we had the more difficult task of obtaining a permit for 'Nilla. We were directed into a huge room in a bank-like building where we were greeted by the lonely woman behind the desk. It did not appear that she had much on the go as she was sitting with her hands folded on the desk from the time we opened the door until we reached the counter in front of her. The process of obtaining a vehicle permit in Guatemala was much the same as Mexico. We needed to provide the registration, which includes all the vehicle specifications and from there the official paperwork is filled out. We were sent with the completed paperwork across a small bridge to the town of Melchor de Mencos to get the necessary photocopies to complete the vehicle permit transaction. Copies were required of the vehicle registration, driver's license, passport and the tourist card. The bridge was manned on the other side by a local police officer who informed us that there was no fee to walk across, however we would to pay Q50, which is about $8 CDN, to cross over with our vehicle. The photocopy shop was located literally steps across the bridge, and the proprietor was a kind middle aged Guatemalan man that spoke wonderful English. We handed him our paperwork and he had it organized and copied in seconds. Given that he is the only shop with a photocopier for miles, he likely sees this paperwork on a daily basis. He told us that he has been running the photocopier for 4 years and the guy he bought it from ran it for over 15 years. The machine is routinely maintained and kept under a blanket when not in use. Imagine, 20 years out of the same copier with no need for bigger or better. Isn't that a novel idea. We chatted with the shop owner about places to see, things to do and our experience at the border crossing. It was here that we learned there is no cost for the tourist card so the Q20 we spent just minutes before was a sign of corruption. He handed us a pamphlet and told us to report the matter to the proper authorities as this was the only way to clean up the problems. As if the immigration officials were not enough to worry about, we were also warned that the police officer that mans the bridge gate is notorious for overcharging. We were told to pay no more that Q10.
 
Back at the border we decided to put the government official to a little test. We walked back up to the Migracion office and demanded a receipt for the money we had paid for the tourist card. It is not like the Q20 or $3 CDN was a big deal financially, however it was the principle of the matter we were concerned with. The happy man that greeted us the first time was still sitting at the window and asked again how he could help. We simply asked why we were required to pay Q10 each for our tourist cards. The reply was long winded and in Spanish so we still were not 100% sure about the answer. We continually tried to ask and the response was just that it costs Q10 per person. This game of repeating ourselves could have went on all morning and possibly all day and we were honestly growing tired of it. So, we changed gears and asked for a receipt. The clerk was now asking the questions and wanted to know why. We simply said we would like a receipt thanks. How is that for a taste of your own medicine Mr. Border Guy! We were given this somewhat official looking document confirming our donation of Q20 to some part of the Guatemalan government and we were satisfied, I guess.
 
With all the required documentation in hand, we jumped in 'Nilla and fired her up. She was anxious to get her tires rolling over some new soil in Guatemala. We drove about 300 metres when we reached the other side of the bridge and were greeted by the police officer manning the swing-arm barricade.

Welcome to Guatemala!

He walked up to the window and demanded Q50. We told him that we had been advised not to pay more that Q5 and that was final. The officer became angry in an instant and we calmly held our ground. He barked at us saying that we are in his country and will pay what is being asked. We simply replied that we will gladly pay what we are responsible for paying and no more. The officer dropped his price to Q20 and with that we knew that we were starting to win the stand-off. There was a line up of cars forming both behind us and in front of us going the opposite direction. The locals were not impressed with the delay and the car horns started blaring and the sounds were filling the air. By this time the officer was so frustrated with us and we were ready to move on that we offered Q10 which he grudgingly accepted. Feeling the victors, we drove of rather pleased with our performance.
 
The day had been long and filled with adventure all within a 1 kilometre radius. We were certainly ready to get moving out of Melchor de Mencos. Rolling down a bumpy gravel road we spotted a Texaco gas station and pulled in to fill up. 

Sunset at El Remate.

We searched our pockets and wallets and found that we were rather low on cash, yet again. We had not taken out nearly enough at the ATM in Belize and now we were one hour from the nearest ATM on the Guatemalan side. We dug deep and searched the van high and low, however we only mustered up enough cash to get a ¼ tank of gas. A bit worried, yet without options, we pointed 'Nilla toward Santa Elena and hit the gas. We drove a steady 80km/hr and reached Santa Elena with gas to spare. It was not much gas, but it was gas to spare nonetheless. We found a tourist information booth right along the highway and they were an immense help to suggest a few cheap hotels and direct us to some options for camping as well. Since we wanted to tour the ruins at Tikal, we decided to make our way to a campground located right in Tikal National Park. We quickly hit the nearest town of Santa Elena to stock up on some cash, grab some gas and purchase groceries. Filled up and loaded down with food we hit the highway to Tikal.
 

Turkey Lurkey!

We reached the main gate at Tikal National Park at around 5:00pm and after chatting with the gate guards, we were convinced to take the sunrise tour. We were a little concerned about getting up on time, however decided to take the chance and go for it. We went ahead and made arrangements to meet the tour at the Information Booth inside the park at 4:45am. The road into Tikal National Park is beautiful. It is a winding road that climbs small hills and has long descents on the other side. We enjoyed the relaxing drive toward the main park and soaked up the calmness of being surrounded by trees and the sounds of nature. The road signs at Tikal are quite amusing and we just had to take pictures of them all. Quite a difference from the deer crossing signs we get back home.

Photos:  http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=16xvaj2z.81j48tcv&Uy=-xyorzv&Ux=0