Dec 1 st, San Cristobal Las Casas , Mexico to Limones , Guatemala – 200km on Mexico 200

I just had a short ride to the Mex/Guat border today. It should be easy right? Absolutely not. I barely made the 200km before dark.

The state of Chiapas , Mexico has a long history of rebellion. It is a very poor area of Mexico and they feel like they don’t get any representation in government.

As it turns out, the week before, Mexico elected a new President. There is a large group of people in Chiapas that think that he stole the election.

As I’m cruising down the final miles of Mexico 200 I see a line of stopped cars. This is nothing out of the ordinary. On a motorcycle you have the privilege, and are expected to go to the front of the line. Usually whoever is in charge will waive you through and you’re off on to wide open roads. As I cruise to the front I see that the street is strewn with boulders and crowded with people. It doesn’t take long before I’m swarmed by people on all sides.

Curious Protesters

Now let me clarify a little by saying that there wasn’t a gun in sight. There were also lots of women and children. It was a very peaceful protest. As the crowd around me grew the people who organized the protest got a little upset. They informed my new friends to leave the Gringo alone and to get back to being upset at the government.

Everyone was really nice and a lot of fun. I would bear hug my bike and ask them not to kill me. It got a good laugh.

Pictured on the flag: Pancho Villa, Che, and Hugo Chavez. I find it funny that, Hugo Chavez shares a flag with two huge, dead legends known for helping the poor.

The road block ended after an hour and a half. No rocks were thrown at my head and I had a great time with these people. I was feeling pretty good as a headed down the empty road. Fifteen minutes later, another road block.

This time I did not go right to the front. My already extremely limited patience was gone. I didn’t want to be the centre of attention again. I turned down a dirt road to try and circumvent this idiotic form of demonstration. Who does it really hurt? The new president? I doubt it. Or does it hurt the people? Everyday people just trying to do their thing are stopped and asked for a contribution for god knows what sort of organization. I can’t get around it but I get extremely muddy in the process of trying. That helped restore some patience.

It cost me 20 pesos ($2.00USD) and an hour of my life to get through. They can choke on it.

Another 10 miles and I find myself in the longest line yet. The mood isn’t nearly as fun as the first one. These people are sick of this shit. It breaks up after the obligatory hour. And I find myself at the border in a town called La Messia. It took me all day to make 120km. I’m tired, hungry, pissed, and anxious to get the border out of the way so I won’t have to stay in some border town for the night.

I stay in a border town that night. I didn’t get stamped out, or the visa for my bike cancelled before I left Mexico . I didn’t realize this until I was 90% through the Guatemalan border dance. The Guatemalan officials didn’t think that it would matter. I knew that I would have to come back this way and that I needed everything perfect to avoid scrutiny on my return leg. So I went back. There was a bus load of people ahead of me. It was getting dark. I smelled like an orang-utan.

Someone took pity and helped me get stamped out of Mexico in less than twenty minutes. Back to the Guatemalan border. Just to clarify, you always need to check yourself (exit stamp in passport) and your vehicle (cancel, rip up vehicle visa/permit) out of a country before you can be stamped into and issued another visa/permit for your vehicle for the next country.

I can’t begin to describe the chaos that surrounds this fairly straightforward Guatemala border. The offices are hard to find in the crowded maze like street. Once you do find them, it’s easy.

There is anther town nearby. I make it there before dark. And get a hotel room..

I’m drying my laundry.  

We talked politics for and hour or so

I hear that when you kill roaches it spreads the eggs. Fortunately, in the morning there was an army of ants that breakfasted on the eggs and the carcass.

It took me a long time to find a restaurant that would serve Gringos. Yup, I was refused service twice. When I finally did get to a restaurant where my money could be exchanged for services the waitress would not look at me or say your welcome when I said thank you.

US foreign policy, I love it, really. We probably bombed them or supplied their sworn enemies with weapons. It is bad though when you are used to people swarming you for the American green stamps, then all of a sudden a town or country would rather spit at you then take your money.