Into Guatemala
Tuesday, 08 December 2009 10:42
At the Guatemalan border, I finally felt that my trip had started. I’m in Central America!
Working through the market to the border
Checking into Guatemala
The border crossing at La Mesilla was really very easy. You stop on the Mexican side, just outside of the town Cuauhtemoc, to check the bike out of Mexico at the customs office. Then you check yourself out of Mexico at the immigrations office. From here, you ride about 3 to 4 kilometers to the border. The last 600 to 700 meters is through a large market and I had no idea if I was headed in the correct direction, but I figured if I kept turning toward Guatemala I’d get to the border at some point.
Entering Guatemala: Step 1. Get the bike sprayed for contaminates. (Not sure it really helps as people were crossing the border without being sprayed.) Step 2. Go to immigrations and get your passport stamped. Step 3. Push the bike to the customs office and check the bike into Guatemala.
In Mexico and Guatemala, the immigrations and customs offices are next to each other. You only need to ride the 4 kilometers to get from one set to the other.
Gas Stop
We got a late start out of San Cristobal, so by the time we finished all the paperwork, we only had a little over an hour to find a place to stay. The next town of any size was Huehuetenango, so that was our destination. For the last 30 minutes, we rode in darkness which was absolutely NO fun as some of the oncoming cars, trucks and busses did turn their lights on. I realized this when I started to pass a truck and suddenly a car without lights appeared. I didn't know if the car I was following had lights (only one taillight worked) but I decided it was best to allow the car to be a guard for oncoming traffic...until I could find a hotel.
The next morning we where off to Panajachel and Lago de Atitlan.
First volcano sighting
Roadside Market
Chicken Bus
Panajachel, Guatemala
Largo Atitlan
These busses drive really fast and don't slowdown down for anything.
First Central American hot water heater
Keep your fingers crossed when you take a shower
After a day of riding, we found a restaurant for a beer and watched the sun go down.
Largo Atitlan Sunset
What is up with that water heater??