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Captain's Log. Stardates 23 - 24. Wee Strom continues south.
Day 23 really nice. Great views of the Sierra Madres and the coast. Ended up in a really nice hotel in Tapachula for $29.
However....... Stardate 24 is going to go down in infamy. Started out by trying to find the border and the plethora of offices and followed a sign that said Frontera. (Border). Ended up at the end of dirt road. Yep the border alright, but with barbed wire and jungle.
Then I make another wrong turn in what looks like something official, then a guy with a gun starts yelling at me. Oops, another wrong turn. Then a guy on a 125cc pulls up and tells me he'll take me where I need to go. Followed him and tipped him.
Great I'm here. So I go to the immigration office to get my Visa canceled, give them the doc. and they say where's your other doc. Huh, what other doc, this is all they gave me at Mexicali two weeks ago other than my vehicle import permit. Angry looks all around. Go sit over there! Three different people come out and ask me for the same doc three separate times. Finally, the angry El Jefe comes out after 2 hours of sitting in a sweltering waiting room, and takes me to another office and reads me the riot act and says never do this again. Gives me the exit stamp and stomps off. Not sure what he was talking about but I nodded accordingly.
As an aside, there was a well-armed platoon of troops getting briefed there for their daily "battle" keeping the migrant caravans from crossing into Mexico. Lots of tear gas canisters as well as M16s. Walked up and BS'd with a few of them. Nice guys and gals. Told them I was retired military and handshakes all around.
(Man, I'm glad I've been studying Spanish for two 1/2 years.) So I drive thru no man's land, and start the Guatemala border circus. First the guy says your credit card isn't working for the defumigation procedure (ya, right) you'll have to pay cash. So I barter with three money exchange dudes to get the best rate, and check off the defumigation box. (The bike, not me. :-O. ). Then off to immigration. Fill out the multiple forms. The guy tells me to go to the vehicle import office for Guatemala entry and forgets to return my passport. An hour later in the next office I realize this and go back to get it. Another 45 minutes to get the permit for the bike, in several different lines, and I'm thru! 3 1/2 hours total.
So now I get stuck in nightmare traffic for three hours until the highway opens up, heading towards Antigua. Then the GPS craps out as it tells me my SD card for Central America isn't compatible with my new GPS. Great. So now I'm down to my cracked screen iphone, that keeps telling me to go the wrong way. Somehow I make it to Antigua, Guatemala figuring I'm totally lost, and stumble on the most incredible old colonial city I've ever seen anywhere from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego! Incredibly beautiful! Google it. Scored one of the best hotels I've ever seen in my life, five blocks from the main plaza.
I ain't budging for three days. All's well that ends well! Life it good! Might even extend my stay here longer!
Day 23 really nice. Great views of the Sierra Madres and the coast. Ended up in a really nice hotel in Tapachula for $29.
However....... Stardate 24 is going to go down in infamy. Started out by trying to find the border and the plethora of offices and followed a sign that said Frontera. (Border). Ended up at the end of dirt road. Yep the border alright, but with barbed wire and jungle.
Then I make another wrong turn in what looks like something official, then a guy with a gun starts yelling at me. Oops, another wrong turn. Then a guy on a 125cc pulls up and tells me he'll take me where I need to go. Followed him and tipped him.
Great I'm here. So I go to the immigration office to get my Visa canceled, give them the doc. and they say where's your other doc. Huh, what other doc, this is all they gave me at Mexicali two weeks ago other than my vehicle import permit. Angry looks all around. Go sit over there! Three different people come out and ask me for the same doc three separate times. Finally, the angry El Jefe comes out after 2 hours of sitting in a sweltering waiting room, and takes me to another office and reads me the riot act and says never do this again. Gives me the exit stamp and stomps off. Not sure what he was talking about but I nodded accordingly.
As an aside, there was a well-armed platoon of troops getting briefed there for their daily "battle" keeping the migrant caravans from crossing into Mexico. Lots of tear gas canisters as well as M16s. Walked up and BS'd with a few of them. Nice guys and gals. Told them I was retired military and handshakes all around.
(Man, I'm glad I've been studying Spanish for two 1/2 years.) So I drive thru no man's land, and start the Guatemala border circus. First the guy says your credit card isn't working for the defumigation procedure (ya, right) you'll have to pay cash. So I barter with three money exchange dudes to get the best rate, and check off the defumigation box. (The bike, not me. :-O. ). Then off to immigration. Fill out the multiple forms. The guy tells me to go to the vehicle import office for Guatemala entry and forgets to return my passport. An hour later in the next office I realize this and go back to get it. Another 45 minutes to get the permit for the bike, in several different lines, and I'm thru! 3 1/2 hours total.
So now I get stuck in nightmare traffic for three hours until the highway opens up, heading towards Antigua. Then the GPS craps out as it tells me my SD card for Central America isn't compatible with my new GPS. Great. So now I'm down to my cracked screen iphone, that keeps telling me to go the wrong way. Somehow I make it to Antigua, Guatemala figuring I'm totally lost, and stumble on the most incredible old colonial city I've ever seen anywhere from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego! Incredibly beautiful! Google it. Scored one of the best hotels I've ever seen in my life, five blocks from the main plaza.
I ain't budging for three days. All's well that ends well! Life it good! Might even extend my stay here longer!