Driving Central America & South America.
Talisman crossing into Guat
January 10, 2009 - 3:18pm
Just to let you know about the crossing:
About 45 k before you get to Tapachula, the trimitadores start pulling you over at the topes with official looking badges, etc and trying to fake you out that you need them. If there´s a guy at a tope without a gun and a police uniform, just wave no and keep driving even if they bang on your rig and scream to pull over. At the border itself, it would be VERY VERY easy if the trimitadores didn´t confuse and swarm. Pull down the road, past the turnoff for the locals with goods on the right. There is a building on the left BEFORE the bridge. Stop there - just park on the road at the right side. Walk to immigration and get your exit stamp and turn in your tourist permit - no money changes hands. Get back into your vehicle and drive across the bridge. There will be a dude there charging 5 quetzales to drive through their town. We didn´t want to pay so sat there until we saw a bus driver pay and then we did (it´s only 50cents anyway). Then you drive to the left and pull over (right after the bridge) to get your passport stamped which is 10 or 20 quetzales (memory escapes right now). Get back in your car and drive to the right at the Y and get your tires fumigated for 17.80 Q, then pull forward under the canopy and park. Go into the building at the left with your vehicle papers, passport, etc - copies of all too. They will want a copy of your stamped passport pages that you just gotas well. We happen to have brought a small printer-copier for that so went in the van and copied it (with our little inverter for power), took it back and they then had us take a paper and pay the bank which is under the same canopy on the left about 100 paces from where you´re doing your car paperwork. They give you a paper back, you take it to the office and they come out and put a sticker on your car. Then you leave. That´s it. No need for trimitadores- they are very pushy and pissed us off bad.
It really wasn´t hard.
the hard part was the GORGEOUS mountains we climbed in our 1989 van afterwards. Damn.
Leah and Matt
Awesome border report -- keep them coming!
People, the "take-away" info here is: Keep your head, and don't just hire someone to do the border work if you don't want to. 1000s pass through that border every day, and as a tourist (driving!) you're a high-value target to be taken advantage of. The locals know the game, you don't.
But, it's no big deal. You'll say "No, gracias" a lot. People will ask you for money. Tell them no if they didn't help you. Keep cool!
Thanks Leah and Matt! I'm loving the trip reports!