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Departamento de Chiquimula

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    • Ruta Maya
      Day 22

      Day 16 - Crossing border into Guatem

      November 24, 2023 in Guatemala ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

      Today is a short ride of only 50km but still quite a bit of climbing but all in paved roads - apart from the usual odd aberrations. The border into Guatemala is at the top of a climb about 11km in and we start passing parked Lorries about 1km before the actual border. This is a far more efficient set up where the exit from Honduras is at one side of the room and the entry to Guatemala is on the other - rather than the no man’s land at the other border crossings. And we didn’t have to pay anything !
      Once into Guatemala we immediately exchange dollars for local currency - the Quetzel.
      There isn’t a massive change from Honduras to Guatemala in the way we saw on other border crossings - the scenery remains similar and the roads are surprisingly good for a border area.
      Lunch stop is at 45km and Justin is being treated by Helen, the TDA medic. A large lorry was coming towards him on a narrow bridge. He hit gravel and went down. Result is extensive gravel burns and stitches in the elbow which Helen puts in. We arrive at hotel about 11 and sit by the pool until rooms are ready. Very relaxed setting with lots of greenery around 2 pools and there are few guests other than our tour - no other gringos though      Read more

    • About a girl who travelsLatinoamérica 2017
      Day 39

      Bordercrossing to El Salvador

      February 4, 2017 in Guatemala ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

      We wanted to start our trip through El Salvador in Santa Ana as this was supposed to be a good starting point for Ruta de las Flores. There was a tourist shuttle running from Copan to El Salvador which would stop in Santa Ana, San Salvador and at the beach in El Tunco. But the shuttle was $40 even if you would get of at the first stop in Santa Ana. And as we were the three of us traveling together we decided to make our way there by public busses. The shortest way to get to Santa Ana was through Guatemala and as we are all happy to collect more stamps in our passport anyway we decided to take that route.
      The first bus we took was a really crowded minivan from Copan Ruinas back to the border of Guatemala. Here we went back over the border the same way I came just a few days ago (but this time everybody was sober ;)). From here we took another minivan to Chiquimula in Guatemala where we were dropped at a bus station in the center. Chiquimula was a pretty crowded city with street venders everywhere but people were really friendly and showed us how to walk the few blocks to the other bus station where our next bus to Anguiatú at the Border to El Salvador would leave. In Chiquimula there was some Motorcycle Festival happening.
      In Anguiatú the bordercrossing was a little confusing. We got our stamp for leaving Guatemala like we were used to but when we went to the office of El Salvador the refused to give us a stamp. We were a little scared to enter the country without a proper proof that we did this the official way. And like I said before it's always a nice memory to carry in your passport. I knew that Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua have one 90-day-visa for all four countries but so far the others still gave us a new stamp everytime we crossed the border anyway. But the officer explained to us that in El Salvador you only get the stamp if you enter from or leave to a country other than theses 4 (by boat or plane).
      Behind the border there was already the next bus waiting which would bring us to Metapán where we changed one last time for our final bus to Santa Ana. All together it took us almost 8 hours compared to maybe 5-6 on the tourist shuttle but we also paid less than $10 and saw a lot of different cities and landscapes and people along our way in 3 different countries.      Read more

    • Pascal SteckLatin America
      Day 605

      Concepción Las Minas

      August 26, 2021 in Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

      No entry to El Salvador.
      The bus journey from Rio Dulce to the border of El Salvador was long and pricy, 4 buses and about 20 dollars for a trip of 6 hours. I arrived at half past three in the afternoon. After some lunch I went to the migration office to get the exit stamp of Guatemala. I continued to the Salvadoran side where they just got some parasols next to the street and a little table. I went to the man siting in the shade of this parasol and handed him my passport as well as my covid test.

      He showed my test to his assistants and after a bit he told me that I need a PCR test with this antigen test I couldn’t enter the country. I was puzzled when he said that it is an antigen test. I took it read it through and had to admit that I foolishly didn’t read my text properly.

      I went back to a small village and even though the migration officers told me that I will be able to do the test on the same day, I highly doubted it. I arrived at 5pm just at the time when the clinic had closed its doors. I bought a Guatemalan SIM card and so asked the young folks on the streets if there are any accommodations nearby. Next to the main square was a hotel with a dirty uncomfortable bed for ten dollars.

      At the next day I went straight to the clinic paid 35 dollars and then explained that I need the result in an email as well as the paper form. Two hours later I got my result and went back to the border where I finally could continue my trip to Santa Ana, El Salvador.      Read more

    • TravelerLateinamerika
      Day 283

      Zurück in Guatemala

      January 13, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

      Wir haben hin- und her überlegt, aber dann für uns beschlossen, Honduras nicht weiter zu bereisen. Irgendwie schade, aber die mutmaßlichen Nachteile überwiegen doch irgendwie. Ständig wurden wir- auch von den Einheimischen selbst- gewarnt, dass es gefährlich sei, hier oder dahin zu fahren. Zudem haben uns die wenigen Orte, sprich die beiden Inseln, nicht wirklich gefallen, obwohl sie zu den beiden Highlights des Landes gehören sollen. Wahrscheinlich haben wir Honduras keine richtige Chance gegeben sich in seiner unentdeckten, wilden Schönheit zu zeigen, aber die überschäumende Abenteuerlust, wie sie am Anfang der Reise vorhanden war, ist einem Gefühl von "es soll möglichst bequem und einfach sein" gewichen. Deswegen ändern wir den Plan und fahren zurück nach Guatemala. Um genau zu sein in den Norden von Guatemala, wo z.B. das Touristenpflichtprogramm Tikal auf uns wartet, denn das hatten wir beim letzten Besuch tatsächlich ausgelassen. Es schien uns damals so programmgemäß dahin zu fahren, aber nun hat es bei uns ungemein an Popularität gewonnen. Vamos!Read more

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    • About a girl who travelsLatinoamérica 2017
      Day 35

      Bordercrossing to Honduras

      January 31, 2017 in Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      I had decided to take a tourist shuttle and not the public busses to make my way to Copan Ruinas in Honduras from Antigua. The Shuttle was supposed to puck me up around 4 a.m. and I ended up almost not sleeping at all that night as I was to nervous to really fall asleep and miss the shuttle and people from my room kept coming in.
      So when I was waiting for my shuttle I was really looking forward to catching some sleep on the bus.

      The bus arrived around 4:30 which I thought was normal because these shuttles usually pick up different people from different hostels around town. There were 4 people on the bus. I picked a seat in the back and curled together to sleep but as soon as the bus started moving one of the guys started grumbling really loud. He was kind of freaking out about something and first I thought they had all been robbed. But at some point I figured he had just lost his wallet or probably just wasn't able to find it due to his condition. It became pretty obvious that these four had decided to just party till 4 and get on the bus straight away - they were covered in glitter. The bus driver told me later it took them 20 minutes to get this one guy on the bus - the reason for the delay. I don't know how much he drank and what else he took but he didn't stop talking about his wallet till he popped some valium which put him to sleep for a while.
      When the bus stopped again for a little break he got of saying "I just gonna steel someone elses money. That's karma!".
      I think he didn't manage to do that as he didn't even find his way back on the bus without help.
      Around 10 in the morning we had made our way to the border of Guatemala and Honduras. From here it was only 20 more minutes for me to Copan. The others would continue on to the coast to get to La Ceiba.
      The busdriver asked for our Passports to take them to the Guatemalan border and get our departure stamp (I thought it was a little weird that we didn't have to go by ourselves but he said it's faster that way). Of course the drunk guy couldn't find his passport.
      When the busdriver came back I took my passport and went to the Honduran Immigration Office to get my stamp and pay $3 Immigration Fee. Even though the officer took his time and even checked my fingerprints and took a photo of me I was out before the other four even entered.
      The drunk guy had found his passport and joined the group. Unfortunately he didn't get his stamp for leaving Guatemala first which led to the first confusion. The officer got pretty angry because it seemed he was trying to leave Guatemala illegally. He made him go back there and one of the girls joined him so he wouldn't get lost again on the way there.
      While the two of them were gone the guy who seemed to be the least drunk came out and I started talking to him. He was really upset with the other three. He said he barely knew them but they just decided to follow him from Guatemala to Honduras and he didn't like the way they behaved and he didn't wanna be responsible for them.
      The other girl came out of the immigration office saying that she didn't have any cash as well as the two who just came back from the Guatemalan Office.
      Our busdriver told them to take a TukTuk back to the last town to get to an ATM as he wouldn't go back there. The sober guy decided to pay for the three of them just so we could keep going. He made them promise to pay him back as soon as we hit the first ATM in Honduras. I was still pretty happy he paid. The other 3 probably wouldn't have made it otherwise.
      Especially as the drunk guy was still behaving really stupid. Turns out he didn't want to show his passport to the officer "What do you need to see my passport for?!". We tried to talk to the girls and make them aware of what they were getting themselves into. Honduras is more dangerous than most of the other countries. You don't wanna walk through the streets here completely wasted. And your friend shouldn't carry drugs across the border "Why?" - they really didn't get any of it.
      I couldn't believe when everybody was back on the bus and we finally drove into Honduras. I so expected them to search our car. We just crossed a border with someone who was obviously on drugs and probably carried some as well!
      So I was really happy when the bus dropped me a few minutes later at my hostel in Copan and I send the other 4 of for their own adventure.      Read more

    • TravelerZentralamerika und Antarktis
      Day 23

      Antigua nach Chiquimula

      January 13, 2023 in Guatemala

      Bevor wir losfahren besuchen wir noch ein paar touristische Highlights unserer nach San Cristóbal de las Casas in Mexiko zweitliebsten Stadt unserer bisherigen Reise: Die Klosterruine Santa Clara, der öffentliche, authentische Waschplatz 'Tanque Union', Calle de Arco, die Kirche 'La Merced' mit der aufwändigen Fassade sind neben den Häuserzeilen in denen sich viele Restaurants und Hotels mit gemütlichen Innnenhöfen und kleinen Parks verstecken nur einige der besichtungswürdigen Gebäude. Hier wäre ein idealer Ort für einen Sprachaufenthalt um daneben die vielen möglichen Aktivitäten der Umgebung und weitere Details der Stadt zu erkunden und mehr der kulinarischen Leckereien zu geniessen. Die Strecke zum Etappenziel ist mehrheitlich 4-spurig, führt uns durch das mittägliche Verkehrschaos der Hauptstadt und wieder mal kurvig durch die Berge, nicht unbedingt sehenswert aber immerhin effizient. Die letzten 80 km wird's wieder etwas langsamer 2-spurig mit Baustellen und Lastwagen durch die Hügel. Trotzdem sind wir kurz nach 15:30 im überraschend grossflächigen 2*-Hotel mit grossen Pools welches auch Massagen anbieten würde. Offenbar das beste Haus der Umgebung wird doch bei Sonnenuntergang im Garten ein Photoshooting mit ein paar hübschen Schönheiten gemacht 😊 bevor zum Nachtessen der Regen einsetzt und Cheetah den letzten Schliff gibt für den Grenzübertritt nach Honduras.Read more

    • Panamerica Nord
      Day 410

      Typisch El Salvador 🇸🇻

      May 26, 2023 in Guatemala ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

      El Salvador in Bulletpoints:
      - erleichterte Menschen (weil alle Gangmitglieder nun im Gefängnis sind)
      - Insassen als Bauarbeiter
      - sehr freundliche Menschen
      - unzählige Mangos
      - Pupusas
      - Surfen
      - unentdecktes Land
      - kaum Touristen
      - Gebäude ziemlich heruntergekommen
      - chinesische Investoren
      - wahnsinnig gute Strassen
      - kaum Topes      Read more

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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Departamento de Chiquimula

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