Border Crossing Belize to Guatemala
Trip Start
Nov 03, 2008
1
8
40
Trip End
May 13, 2009
San Ignacio,
Belize
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Week 4 Monday
After an overnight stop in San Ignacio just inside the border which is literally nothing to write home about I set out early to the border with Kenso a Japanese traveller I had met the previous day on the chicken bus from the zoo.
Border crossings can be strange and sometimes dangerous experiences and it is always best to have at least one other person with you. Before setting out I had read another blog of a travelling couple who had completed a very similar route to myself. They retrospectively put a disclaimer in their blog that this border crossing was the last point in their trip that everything was plain sailing. I hoped that the same wouldn´t apply for me..
We got a bus to the village nearest the border and then after fending off a myriad of dodgy cab drivers we choose what seemed to be the safest, all be it still a dodgy looking cab. He drove off in the opposite direction to the others which was a bit unnerving and when questioned on it all we got in response was a grunt, a "no" and "shortcut". He had 5 minutes or I was going to lose it!
Exactly 5 minutes on the dot, the border appeared over the hill. Phew! Out of the car and again we were immediately set upon, this time money changers. To change Mexican peseos and Belize dollars into Guatemalan Quetzales, one guy quoted me a number. I asked the rate did a quick calculation and quoted him a number back. He whipped out the calculator and sure enough be laughed and went with my number. 2 minutes later I was through Belize emmigrations and walking to Guatemalan immigrations. It all seemed very laxidazy, very open. I racked up to a counter presented my passport and after a 5 minute wait while the attendant pretended to be checking something on me, the obligatory illegal 20 quetzales bribe to get in and bosch done.
Into quatemala. No customs! Why? Maybe they dont need them as why would you smuggle anything into Quatemala. It's got pretty much everything illegal anyway! I thought mainland Belize was quite rundown but it didn't prepare me for what I met over the river seperating the two countries. It was a little embarassing and felt a little uneasy being there when all around was a village full of people living in extreme poverty. The kids happily ran around us and played away but the adults simply looked through us. Our aim now was to get on a bus or collectivo as quickly as possible. We negotiated a price which I reckon was still about a 400% markup on the local prices but still rediculosly cheap and 2 very bumpy, sweaty hours later we were in Flores.
