We got half way across Guatemala on Wednesday in our frantic drive to cross the country before the blockades go back up.
Half way sounds epic until you measure the distance along CA2 (Central America Highway Two) and discover that from Mexico to El Salvador is about 180 miles. It’s a ridiculous way to visit a country but happily we saw some good bits this Spring but right now after two weeks of total road closure the political parties are talking and the general strike has been suspended, for how long no one knows. We hope to be in El Salvador by lunch time Thursday and are looking forward to some time on a beach away from the mountains of the interior.
Highway 200 to Tapachula a lovely tree lined drive through Chiapas:
Our day started at sunrise in the supermarket parking lot where we spent the night. I walked Rusty while Layne cleared the cabin for the road and we were off by 6:30 when it was full daylight. We drove a couple of hours on Highway 200 to the Mexican border town of Tapachula and in the way we passed more Venezuelan refugees photographed by Layne:
These people are walking and pushing baby strollers to the US to look for work. I asked a Guatemalan border official what they thought they would find. “Oh,” he said shaking his head sadly, “they expect an open door and to find dollars hanging on trees.”
We had Rusty’s health certificate from Oaxaca and all we needed was to fill up with purified water and buy gas in case of difficulty in Guatemala (where we have plentiful supplies of both). Layne spotted a water truck and he sold us 15 gallons by the side of the road.
He brought me the jugs and I siphoned them into our tank while Rusty watched from the shade.
As if to reward my labor a pastry seller came by selling cream filled danishes made by his daughter. A dollar each? Give me five! Layne held me down to one but she doesn’t like them. Helping the local economy, that’s me.
Getting across the border was actually bloody difficult. At our first attempt we accidentally found the truck and commercial vehicle crossing. We drove toward the coast along the river that divides Mexico from Guatemala until we came to the town of Ciudad Hidalgo and we poked around looking for the border.
It was absurd! We couldn’t find Guatemala! An entire country had vanished and not a word in the news. How was this possible?
There was a bridge but it was hardly signposted at all but I knew there had to be a way across the river somewhere in this confusing town.
We checked out of Mexico presenting immigration our tourist cards and our receipt of purchase from Laredo. If you don’t have the receipt they make you pay again, $35 each. I don’t what the story is but exiting to the United States they never stop you to ask for the tourist cards (FMM) back. In the south they always do and I was ready. GANNET2 has a ten year import permit so that was ours to keep.
Then we paid a buck to cross the bridge to Guatemala and I had a twinge as we left Mexico.
First the rather feeble disinfectant spray. That was five Quetzales (65 cents) and luckily we had some Guatemalan money from our last visit, about 800 Quetzales or $100US.
The agriculture guy ran us down and was very grumpy until I produced Rusty’s passport with his rabies vaccine and his health certificate and I even had a copy of Dr Edie’s travel vaccine paperwork from the Keys. Why he wanted a copy of that in know not. I had to pay $13:50 in Quetzales at the bank for Rusty. He’s worth it.
Then we went to see immigration and he gave us 90 days and a free stamp in our passports. The. We went across the courtyard to Aduana -Customs- for vehicle paperwork. Title registration passport and drivers license and one copy of each. We were ready! Oops. Immigration forgot to give me a receipt with a number. Back across the courtyard to get that. Ooops! We need to see Rusty’s permit. Back out into the 90 degree sun to get that.
A quick VIN verification and a vehicle check followed which consisted in seeing our bed and then I showed our sink faucet to the inspector to show her how it doubles as a shower. No check of the fridge or food thank you.
After two and a half hours of running around we paid the bank $20 (in Quetzales) for a Temporary Import Permit for GANNET2 and with our blue Guatemalan registration sticker on the windshield we were good to go. The security guard checked our papers in the way out. Much more formal than Mexico.
Immediately on entering Guatemala you can see you are in a poorer country, more crowded and more chaotic than Mexico.
More motorcycles, more beggars and street performers and less order than in Mexico. Which probably sounds odd if you think Mexico is chaotic. The motorcycles here are aggressive and insane.
Fortunately these grotesque formal potholes didn’t last long. CA2 is a mostly smooth highway properly surfaced and with very few random
speed bumps. In Mexico they call speed bumps “topes” (toe-pays) but in Guatemala they are “tumulos.” Whatever the name, they are a pain in the ass, literally if you hit them at speed.
The only road food we found was these weird red things. At first I thought they were tubers or roots but the seller said “Pan!” And I was in. Bread it was too but not normal. They were crusty aerated bread balls covered in sweet icing. Never seen anything like them but they were really good unless you are Webb Chiles with no sweet tooth. 
If you need privacy with your mistress the highway is littered with love hotels. However don’t bring a van as it won’t fit in the narrow low hidden parking garages…
We hoped to get as close as possible to El Salvador in one day but the traffic was miserable. It was one jam after another all afternoon long. We were lucky to make 90 miles.
The bus driver got out with a jug of water to sluice off his muddy and rain spattered windshield. In Mexico it’s very rare to see old school buses working public transit these days. Another measure of Guatemala’s relative poverty.
The weather went from sunny to rainy to overcast. In the evening we got drowned in a massive downpour. We were already looking for a place to sleep when suddenly the sky went black, the clouds opened up and darkness fell. Peachy!
I followed a tanker truck at thirty miles an hour and its as well I did as he spotted and dodged not one but two unlit tricycles on the highway. By myself I could easily have killed them in the rainy darkness. Thats why we try never to drive at night.
I think the motorcycles had cardboard on the seats to make them as fully paid up in the private parking lot. It’s not always clear how things get done in these cultures.
In the end we found a gas station and they let us spend the night. It was bliss as Layne cooked sausages and mash for dinner and Starlink provided the entertainment and we turned on the air conditioning to cool down our box and inside we all three were snug in our home. Rusty polished off his tuna and kibbles and eventually we turned in with open windows and a fan as the night had cooled off.
The employees also got a tour of our mobile home, their first view ever.
Pushing Coke Zero:
