Guatemala/ Mex border crossing
 

Guatemala/ Mex border crossing,
I filmed the border crossing process.
I had 0 Spanish at the time and was very new at this kind of thing but managed through it just fine. It was easier than I had expected.
May it be of some use to any other first timers.

crossing 1,
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crossing 2,
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Wait till you get to Honduras
 

Ricky, Rick McDermed here. I was the Harley rider you met in Pie Town on my way to OKC. I gave you my card to look in on my Pan American trip in 2006/7. I just watched your Guatemala border crossing movies. Your comment on how "messed up" it was made me laugh. Wait till you get to Honduras! :funmeterno: , then you will see how easy it really was!

Yeah, I do remember you...
I was a little freaked out about nothing in Guatemala, it was fine just weird that I couldn't get currency there at the border.
I've been in Guatemala now for a month and am liking it very well but will soon be heading South again.
Is the Honduras crossing pretty crazy?

It was the worst of all.
 

Yup, pretty crazy is about the BEST thing you can say for it! :thumbdown: Although the prodedure is the same as at all the borders it is just in Honduras EVERYONE has their hand out and will slow the process way up.. If you have a LOT of patience and can deal with the running from here to there for copies and such you can get through it. The actual charges should only be about $40 bucks but some have spent as much as $200 after all the "propina's", strange fees, and such. If you can find an english speaking tramitador (they will "attack" you just before the border) and agree to a small price, the help may be worth it. Having said that, I crossed twice at El Florido (Copan Ruins) and had no trouble what so ever and only paid the "standard" prices. I think you will find that a lot of folks have found the same at that crossing.
I can't seem to log into your site (no face book account I guess) so keep posting here so I (we) can follow your progress. :mchappy:
Rick

zentropa (Ricky), thanks for posting those links, that's really awesome. I feel much better about crossing over into Mexico now. :-)

The Copan Ruinas crossing is dead easy and cheap. The others seem, at best, somewhat problematic. But none of it is in any way as bad as a Honduran citizen trying to get an American visa, which costs far more and takes weeks, months, or several lifetimes, depending.

Thinking of it in that light helps me immensely.

Mark

(now in Ecuador, heading out)