Border crossings in Central America are like hangovers: full of headaches and a bit disorienting.
You’re hot, thirsty and thinking: If I can just get through this one. And with the worst ones, which last for hours, you wind up regretting ever starting down the road that led you there.
Without a doubt, the frontier crossings were the hardest part of our two-week, seven-nation jaunt across Central America.
It wasn’t as if all the officials and hangers-on were unpleasant people, though some were, or that the checkpoints are seedy dumps, though some are. It’s just that when your documents are being shuttled from office to office and you’re wondering if everything is O.K., it’s kind of hard to enjoy the interesting people you meet.
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Our experiences are by no means the rule. Different travelers go through different things, and our case was complicated by a couple of factors.
Our car was in neither of our names but registered to the Tribune’s previous correspondent in Central America. The car had Panama plates, even though one of us lives in Mexico, the other in Chicago and both were traveling with U.S. passports. And the plates were expired.
What gave us the most trouble was that we had only copies of some documents because of a bureaucratic mixup in Mexico. In the U.S. we are told to never keep the original title in the car, but when you cross borders in Central America it is often the first thing requested.
Beyond our document deficiencies, we looked for speed over economy. At borders in each country except Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama, we found young men or teenage boys eager to help us process our papers. They work for tips, from a couple of bucks on up depending on how much they do. But giving up your documents means ceding control of some of the process.
Now, having crossed borders with and without their help, we can say without a doubt that using these “fixers” saves time, sometimes hours. And if you find yourself in a situation such as ours, where every document is not signed and sealed beyond question, they are the ones who find ways to get you through.
So, having provided those caveats, what follows is a quick overview of what crossing through each country was like:
Mexico: A breeze. Our permit to have the car in-country was long expired, but foreign journalists have a special privilege to keep vehicles in Mexico longer than six months, and the customs agents gave us no grief. No bribes, no extra fees, no waiting. We spent maybe 15 minutes at immigration and customs, then crossed into La Mesila in Guatemala from Ciudad Cuauhtemoc. A word of warning: If you keep your car in Mexico longer than the law allows, without permission such as we had, expect to pay heavy fines upon leaving.
Guatemala: Easy going in, hard getting out. You have to get the car fumigated when entering, unless you get lucky like we did and find a friendly agent who lets you slide by with only an exterior spray. The agent upon entering asked about the car’s original title, but did not press it after being assured that the car belonged to the company. On the way out, however, the permit became an issue and we ended up having to give nearly $20 to our helper so customs could process a “special permit” allowing us to leave. The total to get in and out, with car papers, inspection fees, visas and whatnot, was about $55 including tips for the fixers.
El Salvador: Nearly a deal breaker. Without the original title, we were marooned at the border for nearly three hours until the boss arrived back from lunch. It looked grim, with everyone telling us that to certify the title we would need a lawyer–and, of course, there were no lawyers there. But the boss patiently listened to our account, reviewed all our documents and ordered that we be given a temporary permit for 30 days. All very professional. The form ended up costing us a bit extra, but the total to enter and leave amounted to less than $35.
Honduras: The most expensive country. Part of it was our fault, since we failed to check the exchange rate before entering and lost about $7 changing Salvadoran money to Honduran. Still the fees are outrageous, especially considering we spent only a few hours in the country. Our fixer was quite good, and fast, and we ended up having to see not a single official before going on our way. But the documents cost nearly $100.
Nicaragua: Again we needed to visit with the boss. This time they wanted to assign us a “guide” to make sure that, yes, we would take the car out of Nicaragua. The cost would be a few hundred dollars, but, worse, it would have slowed us down considerably. But the customs official relented eventually. The hours passed a little more quickly here, thanks to a group of young boys–smart, earnest kids consigned to hanging out at the border station and hoping to pick up spare change for washing cars or shining shoes–who surrounded our car and asked us for spur-of-the-moment lessons in reading, writing, numbers and English. The only other roadblock in Nicaragua was that we had a heckuva time finding the motor number, which was buried under an oil frosting on the engine block. For what seemed like a half-hour not even the boys, who practically climbed into the engine in search of it, could find the number. Finally, however, we got on our way, at a cost of about $55.
Costa Rica: After Mexico, the most above-board operation. We had to buy insurance here, which cost nearly $20, but otherwise the fees were reasonable. Our only problem was the officious customs chief who, sitting regally in his air-conditioned office, treated us contemptuously. He made us beg for a special permit to bring the car in, because its registration in Panama had expired, then sniffed as he scribbled out a note allowing us only a limited time to spend in Costa Rica, far shorter than the time normally allowed for tourists to visit the country. He seemed to enjoy this, we could tell, making the tourists grovel. But he failed to realize–or maybe didn’t care–that he is part of the reason Costa Rica is losing its luster as a tourist mecca. The process took hours but cost us only $25.
Panama: Our Land of Canaan. One last trip to the boss, and he was great. He patiently scoured our packet of papers until he plucked out the form we used to leave Panama two years earlier. He then escorted us to immigration and customs, instructing his people how they needed to process our papers. After the rudeness of Costa Rica, the expense of Honduras, the bureaucracy of El Salvador, Panama was a welcome change. We spent $16 on visas, fumigation and a small gratuity and then, charged up and a little shocked that we made it, crawled past the checkpoint and into Panama.
We learned a lot of lessons: Bring all original documents, even those you think you may not need. Make copies of everything. Know the approximate exchange rate of each destination.
And perhaps, most important, load up on aspirin and patience.
TIPS FOR TRAVELING THE PAN-AM
– First and foremost: We highly recommend against doing this trip alone.
– Travel with original documents for the car, and have any explanatory letters translated into Spanish and notarized.
– Have the car tuned up and pronounced fit by a good mechanic. Lights and wiper blades should be checked.
– Travel with your passport, traveler’s checks and most of your cash in a money belt or neck pouch.
– Avoid night driving, particularly in El Salvador and Nicaragua. Bandits usually work at night. Trucks, buses and autos frequently travel with headlights and running lights turned off or burned out. Pedestrians and bicyclists walk and ride the highways in dark clothing and without reflectors.
– Bandit activity has been reported in isolated spots along the route, particularly in Guerrero state in Mexico, if you take a detour toward the beaches of the Pacific; in Guatemala, soon after crossing from Mexico; in El Salvador; and in Nicaragua. Also, pay particular attention in Panama City.
– In San Cristobal de las Casas and other Mexican towns, learn the right-of-way system for intersections. A red arrow on a well tells not only what direction the traffic runs in but also that cross-traffic has the right of way. A black arrow means you have the privilege.
– Remember that altitude can affect people adversely. Don’t eat or drink too much if you are unaccustomed to it.
– Find out current exchange rates for each country before crossing borders, but still expect to get dinged a little by border moneychangers.
– If you have time, and live in a city that has many consulates, try to get your tourist visas ahead of time for Guatemala, El Salvador and other countries that may require one. This will save time and money at the borders.
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– Have lots of single dollar bills on hand for tips.
– Load up on bottles of water and snacks when you can; energy bars and granola snacks are good.
– Gas up the car when you get the chance; it may be many miles between opportunities and mountain driving can really burn up fuel.
– Carry extra belts for the car, especially a fan belt, and other parts you think your car may need. Keep in mind that parts for some Japanese and many European cars can be difficult to find.
– If there is room, stow an extra gallon or two of windshield-wiper solution in the trunk. But use it sparingly mixed with water. Also carry a couple of quarts of oil and, for Mexico City and mountain driving, fuel additive and/or carburetor cleaner. Split up the car keys.
– Watch for speed traps in Costa Rica.
– Be extra security conscious with the car and valuables inside in Guatemala City, San Salvador and Managua.
– Lastly, budget more time and money than you think you need. You will (not you might) at some point want to take an unplanned detour or stay on somewhere you had not thought of earlier.