The border to Guatemala

Before reaching the border, we were somehow concerned, after reading other peoples’ stories about crossing from one country to the other. Estimates varied from 4 to 10 hours of waiting time.

Once the people in the vicinity of the checkpoint became aware of our presence, they all started rushing to us. Everybody had something to offer: some guys dealt with currency exchange, others claimed to have connections at the customs office that can help us with papers, or guard the motorcycle, find a better parking location, bring food, water, sell newspapers, candy, sun glasses, sombreros, religious artifacts etc.

As we proceeded with the formalities (without accepting help from bystanders) we learned that the process is actually simple enough and can actually take up to 1 hour. No bribes were required but we had to pay $1.50 for spraying the bike with some substance that was supposed to keep disease and germs outside of Guatemala. The officials were friendly and helpful.

While we were waiting for stamps and visas, we observers a countinuous flux of totaled cars comming from USA. The people doing this were better organised than their romanian counterparts I know about, each driver being able to bring two cars with the aid of a special towing device that was attached to the towed car’s frame after having removed the bumper cover. In addition, both cars were stuffed with used parts, household appliances, electronics, clothing etc.216 border217 border218 border

Permalink|Comments RSS Feed|Trackback URL

The cars of Mexico

As we were riding South through Mexico, I observed how the typical vehicle on the street was also evolving. If the standard car in the northern states like Baja California or Sonora was a big american built SUV or sedan showing slight damages on body, once we reached the center of the country the cars were downsized to the standard european measurements. Only here and there there was a US car, most of them bearing japanese or korean names. Plus some french, but not many, and a lot of VW, built in Mexico. I was happy to see again two of my favorite brands: Seat and Opel (although rebadged as Chevrolet and bearing a funny looking round shaped badge to fit the space of the original Opel badge).
207 car
Sadly, there was no Mercedes-Benz, Audi or BMW. I think we only saw two of each in Mexico City, but that’s it!

Also, in center and southern states there were A LOT of VW Type 1 (bug) and Type 2 T2 (bus). Taxis, private vehicle and commercial, they were everywhere.
208 car209 car210 car

As we started riding through Mexico, we also saw something that was to become very common: a pick-up truck with people riding in the cargo area. In the second picture, you can see the mexican variant of a school bus!
211 car212 car213 car

Besides that, here and there we could find some old Dacia cars, made in Romania!214 car

Plus, plenty of vehicles with three wheels, for passengers or freight
215 cars

There is also an unanswered question: everywhere people were driving with the hazard lights (blinkers) on. Buses, trucks, cars and motorcycles as well. Still I am trying to find out whether they were all signaling something and I wasn’t able to get their message… or this is more of a matter of style.

Permalink|Comments RSS Feed|Trackback URL

Stucked again

Stucked again, this time at the border between Oaxaca and Chiapas. After purchasing a new relay, I discovered the issue was actually a bad ground wire. The guy at a tire service on the side of the road took me with his 70cc motorcycle for shopping.205 stucked206 stucked

Permalink|Comments RSS Feed|Trackback URL

James and the winds

When we were happy that the rains were over, another meteorological issue arrised: very heavy winds from the side. For fear that we might fly, we continued with 40-50 km/h for about 30km. As we were advancing slowly, we saw James standing with his bike on the side of the road. This guy is a real hero: he rode his bicycle from Washington, planning to reach Nicaragua. We was looking to hitch to the next town or until the winds were over, as he was unable to proceed.204 james

Permalink|Comments RSS Feed|Trackback URL

The restaurant and the people who don’t respect the deal

On our way to Chiapas we stopped at another restaurand on the side of the road. While our lunch was being preprared, I decided to inspect the bike and Laura was helping me. At one moment, a guy with a pick-up truck stopped and began talking to a man who was probably the owner of the place. Then Laura made me aware that, for some reason, the word “coca” kept repeating in their conversation… As I was lubricating the chain, the discussion reached such topics as “dineros” and “los hombres que no respectan la convencia” (money and the people who do not respect the deal). We agreed not to talk Spanish anymore, or else we could be placing ourselves at risk of being eliminated for the reason of knowing too much…203 dineros

Permalink|Comments RSS Feed|Trackback URL
Pages: Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next