Border Crossings – Yuck!
Thursday, April 29th, 2010We have a hell of a time crossing into Honduras. We drive for a couple of hours to the border and go through a small town close to the border. A man runs up to the car yelling at us. We ignore him and drive on. He then gets into a SUV and follows us, passing us and jumps out when we get to the border. He bangs on Paul’s window. We think that we are getting robbed. He then yells, “Paul!” Paul cracks his window and he says, “My cousin helped you at the El Salvador border and told me that you were coming. I can help you.” We are not sure of the validity of his statement, but nevertheless, enlist his help.
The border is chaotic. We get our passports stamped, but then get stuck waiting for the car registration. We sit at the border for 5-6 hours in 96 degree heat. I stay at the minivan with the kids, while Paul and our ”assistant” deal with the customs official. There is one man who does all of the paperwork and Paul is at his mercy as he takes coffee breaks and a lunch break. Several people are waiting and becoming infuriated. We finally get through after $230 in fees ($100 to the police, $45 for the car, $35 for the bank and $50 for a tip to the “assistant”).
Our introduction to Honduras is horrendous, but quickly changes when we find a lovely hotel in the mountain town of San Marcos. The hotel has a 360 degrees view and friendly owners. We spend a lazy day in town, catching up on school work and exploring the hilly streets. We dread the next day’s border crossing into Nicaragua. Amazingly, we have a totally different experience – getting through in less than one hour and only $50 in fees.
So far so good in Nicaragua – more to come in the next blog…
hwy1alltheway