Bordercrossing El Salvador - Honduras
It was Tuesday June 16th 2015 when we
approached the border at El Amatillo, CA-1. Already a few hundred of
meters before a check-point there was the first guy heavily waving at
us. I ignored him as he did not look very official to me. With all
those guys running around in T-shirts it is sometimes hard to tell
who is who. Anyway, we stopped at this first real check-point. Some
other guy came jumping to us saying "moto papers" a few
times very quickly. I barely had opened my document folder and dug
out the required papers, when he took them out of my hands and said
he had to make copies (which cost 1USD for two copies).
By now the first fixer (fixer1) which I nicely avoided earlier arrived and took over. The first big blablablablaa was when he told that I would need to show a second title for the sidecar. What a bullshit! Well, sidecars are not common here, yet if they can read papers and check for vehicle classes then they would get it. Fixer1 hassled around and jumped from left side to right side booth, took copies, sorted them, got some stamped, took more copies when suddenly everything was ok and he told us to follow him.
By now the first fixer (fixer1) which I nicely avoided earlier arrived and took over. The first big blablablablaa was when he told that I would need to show a second title for the sidecar. What a bullshit! Well, sidecars are not common here, yet if they can read papers and check for vehicle classes then they would get it. Fixer1 hassled around and jumped from left side to right side booth, took copies, sorted them, got some stamped, took more copies when suddenly everything was ok and he told us to follow him.
He drove ahead with his moto and Skippy
and me followed. Next stop was immigration, pretty straight forward.
Then it was time to continue the bike work and get the import
permission canceled. It was a stamp on a stamped copy and made
another copy of that (or something like it). Fixer1 was hassling so
much - likely on purpose to give the impression they do something.
Due to the fact that this fixer1 was yelling all over the place about our dogs, we kind of were forced to show the dog papers and somebody wanted to put another stamp on them. After this was done and a few copies later we had all the papers to exit El Salvador. A last check-point before the bridge and then we could leave.
After we crossed the bridge the paperwork started on the Honduras side and smoothly fixer1 handed over to fixer3. Fixer2 already had a small-talk with us earlier at first check-point and suddenly appeared also at the Honduras side, having another small talk. I do not like this kind of small-talk. I was on a mission to cross this border!
Now fixer3 did lead me to the customs office and I handed title, passport and driving license. The guy started the paperwork and it was again a slow process. As soon as I got the passport back, fixer3 lead me to immigration (small building on the right side, opposite of the big center building). This was again painless and after I paid the 3USD per person we got our entry stamp. Fixer3 was crawling in my ass as well and mostly flirting with the officer-lady.
Back to the customs guy and after a while there was something ready and to be copied. Off to the copy shop then. Fixer3 told me also that I would need to get an import permit for the dogs and instructed which copies to take and where the vet is. Not totally useless guy I must admit, yet I would have gotten the same answers from others.
By now the fixer1 said that his work was done and he wanted some tip. I told him that I did not hire him and besides that I thought for some time that he works for the customs office. He repeated himself "tip tip" and "blablablaa", and since in fact he was helping (even though sometimes it was more like crawling into my ass, grabbing papers from an official and giving it to me whereas I was 15cm besides him), I gave him 2USD. He looked at me like I am from a different planet. Since obviously he did not want the 2USD, I took them back and put them into my wallet.
His friend (fixer3) suggested that he better take the 2USD, he accepted the tip now(!) and I gave him the 2USD. I wonder what would have happened if I would have given only 1USD (call it depression). But then again, those guys do have friends and I do not want any trouble. 2USD for a tip is fair.
Finally all copies were made and back
to customs. 40USD lighter (for each bike) I walked away with all
required papers.
Fixer3 demanded payment and I thought that 2USD is an excellent tip for an unwanted yet helpful service. Fixer2 also wanted some tip and I told him kindly that he absolutely did not do anything useful in this entire affair and said goodbye to him.
We got our stuff together and headed for Honduras. After the road joined together with the truck-traffic there was the final exit check-point. Our passports and bike papers were ok but this guy wanted to see the import permission for the dogs. Darn - I wondered whether they talk to each other with their walkie-talkies. We had to go back to get the permission for the dogs. This place is a green container besides the white/blue ones where the truck-traffic is handled (It's on the right side when coming from El Salvador).
This official went with me to some other container and they were able to make the papers for the dogs. Plenty of laughter as I did not get what info they wanted. In the end we sorted it out: total dog weight (in my opinion - they think in terms of livestock) and exit-point of Honduras were of importance. Then the guys told something about customs and as I did not exactly understand I went to the customs point where I cleared the bikes. However the guy told me that everything was fine and all papers were ok.
Our second attempt to get by the exit check-point succeeded and after 3.5 hours we were finally in Honduras.
In total we paid 103.25USD (3USD/person for the tourist visa, 40USD/bike and 12USD for the dog permit, 1.25USD for copies, 4USD fixers) - a very steep price for riding some 150km across a country.
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| Plenty of mosquitoes and huge cracks in the door frame are not a good combination. |
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| Our night guard at the hotel. |
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| Strange looking sculptures in the city. |
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| Good attempt to recycle - failed badly. |
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| Wolfi adapts local parking habits :D just park where ever you want! |
Bordercrossing Honduras - Nicaragua
We crossed the border along CA-1 on June 17th 2015. We passed a few standing trucks and rode all the
way to the first barrier at the Honduras side. A policeman approached as
well as one of those keen and annoying fixers (I do not call them
helpers any longer as they cause more hassle and stress then help). I
dealt with the policeman and he looked at the papers and told me to
get one copy of the vehicle transport permit, the passport face page
and the passport page with the stamp of the bike.
The problem (i.e. MY problem) was that
there was no electricity and thus the copy machines did not work. The fixer
still buzzing around me similar to a house fly told that I need to go
to the Nicaragua side for copies. Obviously he was right in that
matter or pulled a good show - I was not able to tell the difference.
Off I went to Nicaragua to get
copies (Hint: take of your bike pants!). The Nicaragua border guys
were first looking like WTF is this gringo wanting here and I was
afraid that the fixer (still buzzing around me) will ruin my attempt
to get copies.
Anyway, I got the copies done (copy
booth is inside the big yellow building), came back and the first
policeman was happy, but now I needed to go to the customs to get the
exit stamp for the bikes into the passport. And THEN I need to give
that guy a copy of the passport page which showed that the bike had
an exit stamp. He kept the driving licenses to make sure I would come
back.
In the meantime (and this is where the
buzzing guy became annoying and hassling) I went to the vet and
started to deal with girl's papers. The officer was a really cute and
good looking lady also needed copies of the page in girls' passports
with the Rabies vaccinations and a copy of the stamped copy of girls'
passport front page.
After the vet I went to immigration to
get the exit stamp for ourselves into the passport. The buzzing fixer
was yelling at me that I need to pay 3USD per person. I told him to
hush because I already paid those 3USD when we entered. I felt that I
would soon punch this guy. Then I went to customs (other side of the
building) to get the exit stamp for the bikes into the passport. The
buzzing fixer was still around and offered his services to get
copies, or give me his bicycle or whatever. I told him that I have
not hired him and I will not give him any money. He said ok and
started to make a few push-ups.
After I had all the required stamps, I
walked again to Nicaragua to make copies - sounds great does it not?
:D
A few minutes later I went with the
required copies to the vet and got back the Honduras papers of girls
with all the stamps. Then I gave the first policeman the copies of
the passport page with the exit stamps. Except for the copies, all
services were for free and we left Honduras.
Next stop was first passport check in
Nicaragua (it was now my third visit to Nicaragua) and fumigation of
the bikes. Some other guy came and told us to fill out an A5 paper
related to health and whether we had anything to declare. First we
took girls out of the sidecar while a guy in mask fumigated the
bikes. I paid the fumigation fee (82local or 3USD per bike) while
Skippy watched the fumigation (should have taken our helmets with
us). It took us a few minutes to fill out the paper and gave back to
the guy who gave us those in the first place. After some corrections
and additions, we put girls back into sidecar and went to the yellow
main building.
Instantly a guy came buzzing to us and
sold us the obviously mandatory vehicle insurance for 12USD/month.
While this took a while I asked Skippy to go to immigration to get
our passports stamped. She went there and soonish told me that she
needs money. I forgot that the tourist visa costs in Nicaragua so I
went over to her and paid the guy the fee (20USD per person -
actually we were not sure whether it was 24USD per person or 24USD
for both of us but in the end I gave the guy 40USD). Then the officer
demanded that we provide a tiny piece of paper to him which we did
not have.
At the same time the bike insurance
cards were done and the insurance guy told me to go to the customs
counter. Since the passport is needed everywhere parallel processing
is not possible and then there was again hassle (darn - should have
known better by now). I decided to go first to handle the bike
matters and then come back to deal with immigration. It first started
so well at the customs and then the guy had what-so-ever trouble to get
the bike data into his computer, went to the computer of the
colleague, had to come out to see what kind of vehicle my hack is.
Sidecars are not common in Central
America and border officials have a hard time to deal with them (see
El Salvador - Honduras border crossing). There was also talk about
having another title for the sidecar (Really?). It took over one hour
to get the sidecar cleared and about 15 minutes for the Suzuki. There
was no need for copies because he scanned everything straight into
the system. In the end we got the transit permit for the bikes.
In the meantime the immigration officer
was pissed and harassed Skippy because we let him hanging there. As
soon as I was finished with customs, the insurance guy (also a fixer
- less buzzing at first, then he also became a big buzzing fly) was
answering some questions to the customs guy like color of the bike
which he anyway got wrong (guy must be color and black/white blind as
my bike became grey and Skippy's bike violet ) and then pushed me to
go to the vet. How I hated this! I think I need to learn "piss-off" in
Spanish!
I went back to immigration first.
Obviously the guy was so annoyed that he did not need this tiny paper
slip any longer and instead filled out some papers which he kept for
himself, stamped our passports and gave me the slip for the usual
police check point at the exit.
While I was dealing with customs and
immigration, some other official made it clear to Skippy that we need
to see him because of the dogs and so I went there. This guy wanted
copies of my passport, title, girls passports Rabies page and the
famous stamped-in-out-in copy of girls passport. I got him the copies
and he filled in some papers. A few minutes later and with 15USD less
in my pocket I left the place and we were good to go.
The buzzing insurance guy told me that
the policeman who was hanging around the area would need a copy of
the bike transit papers, so I went to get a copy and gave it to the
policeman. He looked a bit like what am I suppose to do with that.
Well. Now the fixer wanted payment, and as before I told him that I
have not hired you and I am not giving you any money. He was unhappy
but maybe he learned a lesson (I actually doubt it).
After spending over 3 hours for this
border crossing it was time to hit the road. The last hurdle was the
check point at the exit. I gave the paper slips from immigration but
this guy also wanted copies of the bike transit papers and I had to
go back to make two more copies. Once I returned to the check-point
and gave him the copies, he was happy and said we can go. Nobody
cared about the dogs even though they saw them so I guess I could
have saved those 15USD for the dog permit.
In total we paid 49USD (12USD/person
for the tourist visa, 3USD/bike for fumigation and 15USD for the dog
permit, 4USD for copies).
While Skippy waited at the different
stations she saw many dogs crossing the border from one side to the
other without any papers... :)
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| Our track from El Cuco to Somoto through Honduras (abt. 263km) |
