Río Chapulapa

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