| Mexico |
Esquintla |
N 15.32783° |
W 92.65500° |
The border crossing!!
The exit from Guatemala was straightforward. After navigating through Tecun Uman we arrived at a barrier
and were directed into a parking lot. The building at the rear of the lot is where the vehicle exit processing
was performed. There were a number of people wearing badges running around. They are not officials and
requests for fees should be declined. At the other end of the lot is the immigration office.
Processing here took only a few minutes once we got to the window. Then a few hundred yards up the road to
the Mexican processing area.
First stop was a shed where the vehicle was sprayed. Next stop immigration - this building
was a bit difficult to find. If you don't have the services of a helper, ask the spray attendant for directions.
Immigration was simple, fill out a form and get a stamp and get a tourist card.
But warning - if you are bringing in a vehicle make sure that the drivers and owners tourist cards are properly stamped.
Next to immigration there is a customs office that wanted to look in the vehicle.
This is where the fun startedIf you don't already have a window sticker for your
vehicle from a previous entry the customs people will tell you "you have to go to Viva Mexico
to get a permit". Viva Mexico is a processing station on the Panamericana (Mex 200) west of Tapachula
about 50 minutes drive from where you are. And to make matters a bit more complicated the road
one would normally take to get there from Tecun Uman is closed which means some detouring around the
chaotic streets of Tapachula.
At Viva Mexico you will pay US49.95 (if you have a motor home) for a 10 year multiple entry
permit. When complete you will get three pieces of paper all of which are very important for
exit and future entry into Mexico. The first is a blue document from which you remove a sticker and place
it on the wind shield of your vehicle. After removing the sticker from the blue document
keep the rest. Second a receipt for the fee your paid. Third an inventory of what you are carrying in the
vehicle. You will need this last document to make a correct exit from Mexico.
Matters were more complicated for us, we made the mistake of loosing all the documents except the window
sticker. It took three hours and a mountain of forms to cancel our old permission (and old sticker) and
issue a new permit and sticker.
Pemex gas station Esquintla, along CA-2 from Tapachula. |