keeping it ugly

[LaOutbackTrail]

"Eh, no fumar espanol. 'Only' habla Hola, uno dos tres, bueno dias, hasta la vista. Lo siento, Senor."

That worked once in Reynosa, Mexico.

Cops response "Bye Bye"



Cruiser guy, you have me worried now. I'm looking to outfit an 80s 4runner for my Expedition vehicle for trips down into Mex and Central America... but you say those are prime target trucks for the 22re??

 

[sandcruiser]

Mexican bandits aren't likely to want 22re.... Toyota is pretty uncommon there, a newer Hilux or Cruiser might be of interest, but not so much the older 4runner, in my experience.

In the rest of Central America, that's like a rolling parts store.

Ok, not really that bad, but there are parts (motor) that are widely desired and reasonably common. More so than a Cruiser.

If you said "early 90s" 4runner, I'd be more worried.

 

[80t0ylc]

"Eh, no fumar espanol. 'Only' habla Hola, uno dos tres, bueno dias, hasta la vista. Lo siento, Senor."

That worked once in Reynosa, Mexico.

Cops response "Bye Bye"..........

Now that's funny!

....... It is a hassle, but not a good reason to avoid the fantastic countries south of the US border.

I agree! I got the rig to travel with and I'd love to visit all the countries from Mexico to Chile and Argentina. Someday, maybe!

 

[EOE_overland]

"Eh, no fumar espanol. 'Only' habla Hola, uno dos tres, bueno dias, hasta la vista. Lo siento, Senor."

That worked once in Reynosa, Mexico.

Cops response "Bye Bye"

x2
At least my spanish will be good for something! The mexican exchange student that lived with us when I was in high school only taught me curse words and animal names. Very helpful in this instance .
My brother speaks fluent spanish and will be helpful with everything else.

Great thread!

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

x2
At least my spanish will be good for something! The mexican exchange student that lived with us when I was in high school only taught me curse words and animal names. Very helpful in this instance .
My brother speaks fluent spanish and will be helpful with everything else.

Great thread!

I know a bit of espanol, I'm not fluent, but know how to play dumb... er maybe I is dumb.

 

[canucksafari]

x2
At least my spanish will be good for something! The mexican exchange student that lived with us when I was in high school only taught me curse words and animal names. Very helpful in this instance .
My brother speaks fluent spanish and will be helpful with everything else.

Great thread!

Just in case your bro isn't around, here is a tip. A few inappropriate curse words could have you in a much worse situation real quick. Saying, "Chinga tu Madre", "Cabron", "Hijo de Puta", etc. between friends may be okay. Saying a swear word to someone else who isn't a best buddy and it is fight time.

 

[EOE_overland]

A few inappropriate curse words could have you in a much worse situation real quick. Saying, "Chinga tu Madre", "Cabron", "Hijo de Puta", etc. between friends may be okay. Saying a swear word to someone else who isn't a best buddy and it is fight time.

Yeaaa, I know what all that means . I was kidding; I'm quite aware that using one's mother in any context does not cross the culture barrier well.

I guess this goes along with "keeping it ugly," but any thoughts on renting a car south of the border (not renting and crossing the border!)? Just a run-of-the-mill econo rental car from Alamo or Budget. Other than the obvious "don't leave it somewhere it could be stolen" overnight, any extraordinary issues with cops or robbers?

 

[sandcruiser]

depends on where you are...
people rent in the Yucatan all the time (from Cancun, etc)

Ditto in Costa Rica

Can't comment on the places in between

 

[canucksafari]

Lats time I checked in Mexico City it was for a van and it turned out to be cheaper to hire a driver & a 9 seater suburban than renting and driving myself.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

depends on where you are...
people rent in the Yucatan all the time (from Cancun, etc)

Ditto in Costa Rica

Can't comment on the places in between

We've rented two or three times in Costa Rica. No problems, the rental companies just strongly urge you not to leave stuff in plain sight.

Something that really hasnt been stressed is that most problems incurred with travel to C.A. really only involves opportunistic petty theft. Dont leave your nice sunglasses on the hood of your truck at the border crossing or tempt them by leaving your windows down and your GPS on your dash.

I only know of one person who has been violently robbed in Central America. He was on a motorbike in Guatemala near Lake Atitlan, on a road that he was warned not to go on. He incurred NO other problems all the way to Tierra del Fuego. Dave later heard that the men who robbed him were dealt with... apparently the closest town hunted the men down and gave em some wild west capital punishment.

You gotta remember folks, the VAST majority of the people you meet south of the border are going to be the friendliest bunch of people you will ever meet. My opinion is if you have the interest to travel south of the border, really, just do it! Sure there will be some headaches that are commonly incurred, especially if you don't speak the language. But, that is part of the mystique of Latin America, of expedition travel, of ADVENTURE.

No, I havent traveled throughout Central America, and no I havent driven to Panama. I have been to Costa Rica (extensively), Nicaragua, and extensively in NE Mexico (by moto). The only problem I have had was the shake down by the cop mentioned earlier because I went down a one way street...

 

[cruiser_guy]

Are you serious? Do you think that would matter to a corrupt cop or border guard? Would they even know or be able to comprehend what a notarized document is? If they're even accepting photocopies of licences, passports and other documents is evidence that, here, you make up the rules as you go - at least until the next change in power decides how things are to be done. It's intriguing to see how things are done in different parts of the world. Sandcruiser, my hat is off to you, man! You must have cast iron cajones to travel outside your country down there on pleasure cruises.

I hate to break it to you bud, but I HAVE traveled extensively by vehicle in Central America for the past five years!!

Yes, the border officials DO know what notarized documents are, the cops not so much. I have official documents for my trucks from both B.C. and Guatemala. I have both my current licence and an expired licence from B.C. I produce the expired one first and hope they do not notice that it is expired but a color photocopy of the current original is a much better idea and one I had not thought of before (it will be in my bundle of goodies next time). I have had a Mexican border official suggest that I forge a title once but I did not wish to forge any documents to make him happy. I was eventually able to proceed after getting a copy of an official document e-mailed to me so I could print it out for him.

The cops are often on the take, the border guards are trying to cover their behinds since they get such a range of documents and they cannot possibly know what an official title from "Timbuktu" looks like for the temporary import documents. The border accepts photocopies after seeing the originals and some times they need coercing to accept something that's not what they are expecting to see. For instance, B.C. does NOT issue a vehicle title, I CANNOT get one. That can cause a problem but it can be overcome with some coercion because the border guard doesn't know what to expect. A cop is probably unsure what he's looking at for most foreign documents for a color photocopy is probably a good idea, notarized is even better (and cheaper to replace than the original).

Paperwork is not always easy.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

This is turning into a different sort of discussion, so I wanted to add a bit of an observation, and Cruiser Guy, I'd hope to get some info from you on this.

My last trip to Mexico, we went to the border and got all of our vehicle paperwork done the night before. This worked out well, because we were able to get everything done in about 15 minutes opposed to the hours waiting in line before.

Tip, find a 24 hour crossing for Mexico. CruiserGuy, what are your experiences with crossings and which borders are open later, etc?

 

[cruiser_guy]

This is turning into a different sort of discussion, so I wanted to add a bit of an observation, and Cruiser Guy, I'd hope to get some info from you on this.

My last trip to Mexico, we went to the border and got all of our vehicle paperwork done the night before. This worked out well, because we were able to get everything done in about 15 minutes opposed to the hours waiting in line before.

Tip, find a 24 hour crossing for Mexico. CruiserGuy, what are your experiences with crossings and which borders are open later, etc?

If you have your paperwork in order it really goes quite fast. You must have a copy of the passport, vehicle title, drivers licence and tourist permit and of course the originals. A major credit card or cash to the tune of about $400 is needed depending on the age of the vehicle.

I generally cross at Nogales or Juarez. I have also crossed in Mexicali, Algadones, Ajo (I think that's what it's called), McAllen and Douglas. I think that Juarez might be the only 24 hour crossing. Nogales is not, at least not northbound. Personally I try to cross early in the morning but during daylight hours. I'm not sure if the vehicle import office is open 24 hours either. It is possible to get your vehicle permits through the Mexican consulates as well I think though I have not used that service. Not all crossings can give you the vehicle permit at the US border. Often it is obtained at the "second" border about 20 km into Mexico.

 

[1tontoy]

San Ysidro is open 24/7, and is an easy crossing. But, then again, traveling baja is a little different.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

If you have your paperwork in order it really goes quite fast. You must have a copy of the passport, vehicle title, drivers licence and tourist permit and of course the originals. A major credit card or cash to the tune of about $400 is needed depending on the age of the vehicle.

I generally cross at Nogales or Juarez. I have also crossed in Mexicali, Algadones, Ajo (I think that's what it's called), McAllen and Douglas. I think that Juarez might be the only 24 hour crossing. Nogales is not, at least not northbound. Personally I try to cross early in the morning but during daylight hours. I'm not sure if the vehicle import office is open 24 hours either. It is possible to get your vehicle permits through the Mexican consulates as well I think though I have not used that service. Not all crossings can give you the vehicle permit at the US border. Often it is obtained at the "second" border about 20 km into Mexico.

I was wondering more about the other crossings, Gatemala, Belize, etc.

 

[cruiser_guy]

I was wondering more about the other crossings, Guatemala, Belize, etc.

Talisman Bridge into Guatemala is 24 hours, Tecun Uman is not. Not sure on La Mesilla. I also do not know on the Belize crossings. I've crossed at both the crossing to Mexico and the one to Guatemala but during the day time. You'll be needing to do a temporary import permit at any of the crossings and that generally means you can't do it at weird hours.

I wouldn't advise crossing during the night anyways. Borders are a little strange as it is, at night it is even worse.

The Mexican temporary import office on the south border is NOT open 24 hours. It is generally 8-12 hours with hours varying on day. Some days they do not open till 9:00 and close at 4:30 other days they might be open at 7:00 and not close till 9:00.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

Talisman Bridge into Guatemala is 24 hours, Tecun Uman is not. Not sure on La Mesilla. I also do not know on the Belize crossings. I've crossed at both the crossing to Mexico and the one to Guatemala but during the day time. You'll be needing to do a temporary import permit at any of the crossings and that generally means you can't do it at weird hours.

I wouldn't advise crossing during the night anyways. Borders are a little strange as it is, at night it is even worse.

The Mexican temporary import office on the south border is NOT open 24 hours. It is generally 8-12 hours with hours varying on day. Some days they do not open till 9:00 and close at 4:30 other days they might be open at 7:00 and not close till 9:00.

Cool thanks for the info. I wouldnt consider crossing at night time, but it is something to consider. I just know it was MUCH easier to do the crossing into Mexico. I dread trying to cross into a place like Honduras though.... Crossing by bus from CR to Nica was frustrating enough!

 

[cruiser_guy]

Cool thanks for the info. I wouldnt consider crossing at night time, but it is something to consider. I just know it was MUCH easier to do the crossing into Mexico. I dread trying to cross into a place like Honduras though.... Crossing by bus from CR to Nica was frustrating enough!

Honduras was not that bad. The tough part is finding where all the offices are. You can do it yourself or there will almost certainly be tramitadores around who will help you for a fee. If you use a tramitador make sure you know what it should cost and agree on the price BEFORE you proceed. Honduras has the highest cost of official paperwork after Belize, about $30 - 40 for your import permit and $3/person last time I did it.

If you elect to do it yourself make sure you get all the copies and receipts for your payments as there were several cops checking papers after the border. Cops in Honduras will also require a fire extinguisher and warning triangles otherwise they'll give you a fine. That seemed to be all they asked each time we were stopped.

If you thought the bus from CR to Nica was bad wait till you do that in a private vehicle!!

 

[sandcruiser]

Crossing from El Salvador to Honduras was, by far, my least favorite border experience.

And it wasn't for a lack of know-how, we had done dozens of borders by then (literally at least 12).

Journal Dec 19 - Dec 28, 2002 <--link has a detailed account, so I won't retype here.

Crossing borders at night? Stupid. No offense meant to those who try it, but in the same sense that jumping into shallow water with unknown rocks might not result in a head injury.... crossing borders at night might not result in getting robbed and/or other problems.

We did everything we could to avoid *driving* at night. I have lived in CR for nearly 8 years and I still avoid driving at night if possible. Crossing borders? God help you.

Honduras was not that bad. The tough part is finding where all the offices are. You can do it yourself or there will almost certainly be tramitadores around who will help you for a fee. If you use a tramitador make sure you know what it should cost and agree on the price BEFORE you proceed. Honduras has the highest cost of official paperwork after Belize, about $30 - 40 for your import permit and $3/person last time I did it.

If you elect to do it yourself make sure you get all the copies and receipts for your payments as there were several cops checking papers after the border. Cops in Honduras will also require a fire extinguisher and warning triangles otherwise they'll give you a fine. That seemed to be all they asked each time we were stopped.

If you thought the bus from CR to Nica was bad wait till you do that in a private vehicle!!

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

Honduras was not that bad. The tough part is finding where all the offices are. You can do it yourself or there will almost certainly be tramitadores around who will help you for a fee. If you use a tramitador make sure you know what it should cost and agree on the price BEFORE you proceed. Honduras has the highest cost of official paperwork after Belize, about $30 - 40 for your import permit and $3/person last time I did it.

If you elect to do it yourself make sure you get all the copies and receipts for your payments as there were several cops checking papers after the border. Cops in Honduras will also require a fire extinguisher and warning triangles otherwise they'll give you a fine. That seemed to be all they asked each time we were stopped.

If you thought the bus from CR to Nica was bad wait till you do that in a private vehicle!!

I wish I was able to go on that Belize Expedition that no one but you went on (from ExPo). I'm going to attempt it this or next year, but either with just the family or with a couple friends in another truck. Hope to do a route through Belize and Guatemala. But I'm just down for traveling south of the border.