Now for Something Completely Different - Guatemala

We left Camitan De Dominguez by 7:30 a.m. in anticipation of crossing the Guatemalan border which lay 85 kilometres from our starting point. We arrived at the small border town in Mexico and were ready with paperwork to return our temporary vehicle permit slips and our Tourista cards. Check! Mexican paperwork done and we were again on our way to the Guatemalan border.

Gliding through an area of no man's land, we finally reached the official border crossing. Usually you expect to be greeted with row upon row of kiosks with officials in sharply pressed uniforms, gleaming with authority. Well, that is not exactly how it was crossing into Guatemala. We were asked to drive under a lift gate; a manually lifted one I might add, then asked to drive up to  pylon. A nice gentleman asked us if we needed to exchange pesos into Guatemalan money, and we had received information from others that these people are legit and will help you through the extremely quirky immigration process. By the way, we checked on the exchange tonight and he was bang on the bank rates for the day. Wow, there are some good people out there still.

We were first escorted to a small office, the size of a closet with a young man in an official golf shirt, jeans and running shoes who gave the dogs their official inspection. I might add from the window, which was probably a good thing as the three amigos were readily protecting their truck from any passerby.

While we were paying for the canine's paperwork, another young man in coveralls and a white surgical mask and galoshes asked to spray the bottom of our truck with a disinfectant. I would imagine this was probably against the spread of invasive plants. Check! Dogs' paperwork done and vehicle will not share Mexican invasive species with Guatemala.

Next we were asked to report to the customs office. This second office was much larger than the first, and resembled more of a retiree's  volunteer job. Three very nice gentlemen had a television on and were watching the old spaghetti western, Catbalou - in Spanish.

They finished our paperwork as the plot of the movie unfolded and we were passed on to the next office which was for our temporary vehicle import permit. Here, this gentlemen, dressed in a casual golf shirt and jeans completed our paperwork while Mic went to the bank to pay for the import fees. With three barking dogs in the truck, this brave soul also insisted on placing the sticker on the inside of the window of our vehicle. He placed the sticker and gave the dogs a friendly, "Adios, my friends". Personal customs and vehicle importation; check! Our entire immigration process took about 30 minutes.

Finally we crept our way through the bustling village were textile store after textile stores were readying their shelves for the day, despite it being Sunday. Finally we left the bustling little village and made our way into the most beautiful mountains and terrain we have ever seen. Like their textiles, the surroundings were vibrant. The spectacular drive took us through winding and twisting turns almost the entire way to Guatemala City where we stopped for the night.

We were surprised to see how so many people get around in Guatemala. First off, there are a series of pickup trucks which load as many people and belongings onto the truck that the bumper is almost dragging on the ground. Secondly, there are these crazy busses which are all tweaked out with chrome, special paint jobs and lots of "loco" horns. These buses stop wherever on the road, but when they are going, watch out, or they may run you over. I don't think anyone could pay me enough to ride one of those buses.

Something that really stood out to Mic and I today, was how nice it was to see so many of the residents of Guatemala still wear traditional clothing and the beautiful vibrant fabrics which we had seen on our way through the border. It wasn't just the older Guatemalans, but even the toddlers, children and young adults wearing the traditional garb. They have kept so much of their culture while embracing the changing world.

The Guatemalan's we met today were such helpful people too. We stopped a couple of times to ask some directions and although there was a language barrier, we still had a laugh and I was able to figure out what they were saying. I think you would have been proud of me today Sergia!

We have enjoyed our travels through this beautiful country so far and look ahead to tomorrow as we make our way east across the country towards Honduras.