Border Crossing - Numero Uno
Trip Start
Jan 01, 2007
1
19
141
Trip End
Ongoing
La Mesilla,
Mexico
Saturday, January 20, 2007
After 5 chilly days in San Cristobal, Mexico, we were ready to head out to a new (and warmer!) country. Hola Guatemala!
It was pretty simple on the Mexican side. Very quiet, actually. We caught an early morning 1st class bus from San Cristobal to the border town, about 3 and a half hours. About 100 pesos per person ($10). From there, we got a quick stamp and Adios from the fellows at the Mexican immigration (no exit fee). Then we caught a taxi for the 3 mile trip to the actual border crossing.
And thatīs where things got hairy... Hectic and loud and hot. Lots of vendors and travel agents and money changers and tourists and more vendors. Oh my! We buddied up with another couple (names forgotten, sorry!) who were backpackers as well, but spoke very fluent spanish.
First stop was the Guatemalan immigration office. Fairly simple, actually. Just squeeze in with the other 2 dozen tourists in the water-closet sized room, stick out your passport, and hope that the right agent takes it to stamp! No fee to enter the country.
Next, following the fluent coupleīs advice, we followed them up to a store selling 1st class bus tickets. (Not ready for the Chicken Buses, YET!). Finding out that the bus does not leave for another hour and would not get into Quetzeltenango (our next destination) until late, we decided to head back towards to the immigration office. Outside the office were a handful of agents hustling rides on private shuttle buses. These are buses that have been contracted by tour agencies for a specific list of pre-paid passengers, but who always have room for a few more passengers for a few more Quetzales in their pockets! Well, this is where things got even hairier. Frank was not enjoying the border thing one bit. The moment we crossed over into chaos, he panicked, and continued to panic. What are we doing? Where are we going? How are we going to get there? Whatīd he say?
We talked to a shuttle driver and agreed on a price of $10 per person. Then, as I was getting money out and handed it to him, the driver suddenly upped it to $25 for 2 people. I started to object, but Frank spoke up and got worried that we were going to be stranded at the border if we didnīt ride with them. Man, were we an easy target for those hustlers! I handed over the $25 and our bags and we hopped on board. It took Frank another hour or so to recover from the border experience.
3 hours later, we arrived in Cuatro Caminos, a junction on the main highway for transferring buses. This is where our comfy, cushy shuttle bus ride ended and we hopped on our very first Chicken Bus! Wooohooo! They are fun! Loud music, bright colors, festive decor, full of locals! And the Chrome bumpers...whoa buddy! The only drawback is the lack of shock absorbers on these former US School Buses from the 1970īs. Oye, oye, oye, my poor poor back.
20 bumpy minutes later, we arrive (or thought so) in Quetzaltenango. Well, we thought so. But, it turns out this Chicken Bus stops at the edge of town. And we had no Quetzales (Guatemalan currency) on us. The bus ride ended in a gas station, that luckily had an ATM. We pulled out a nominal amount (500 Quetzales, about $60), then hailed a taxi and told him the address of the Hostal Don Diego we hoped to get a room at.
He took us right to the address, but to the wrong zone. Who knew that there were a half dozen different 6 Avenues and 14 Calles in Quetzaltenango? Turns out there are many streets with the same name, only differeniated by the Zona (Zone) they are in. Oops. In the cabbieīs defense, he did inquire in the begining what zone we wanted. Yo estoy estupido. I assumed (yes we know the old saying about ass-u-me...) that we were in Zone 1. Isnīt Zone 1 always right in the heart of town? Not in this case! Eventually, the friendly cab driver dropped us safely in front of the correct address. Except, the Hostal moved. Luckily, a sign out front pointed us in the right direction.
Next up - details of our stay in Xela (Quetzaltenango)
Cheers, Kay
