The situation in Guatemala was getting bad so we opted to backtrack to Mexico. The problem is due to the fact that Guatemala only guarantees school for two years for free and then they have to pay something like $75 per child per month so most of them can't read or write so they are influenced by what they are told. Currently they are being told that foreigners brought Covid 19 to Guatemala. It's entirely predictable that they would react badly.
We were in a small convoy of 3 vehicles and 7 people to the Mexico border and crossed at about 2 PM. All vehicles needed Temporary Import Permits which took an excruciating 3 hours and they would only give us 7 days on our visas and TIPs. I suppose it would be possible to get to the US border in that time, but it would be a crazy drive and we don't want to backtrack that far.
We headed to Tapachula for some pizza, beer and a hotel and in the morning we said our goodbyes as we were fairly sure we were not going to get more time. We went to the border at Ciudad Hidalgo prepared for a no and found wonderful, helpful people who changed our visas, TIP and our lives by giving us six months in Mexico.
With our new documents in hand we headed to the beach to get the band back together joining our convoy family at a place ran by an Australian couple called Mission Surf. The funds from their campground fund their charity that helps Mexican children who are at risk and abandoned. They have adopted 2 of them along with their 6 natural kids.
Our Kiwi convoy friends are waiting on an original document to get their paperwork so they can store their van in Mexico while they fly home. We celebrated her birthday which is the same day as my brother Mike's while we were in Guatemala and today we will celebrate his which is the same day as my sister Mary's.
Our other convoy family member is a woman from Oregon who has temporary residence in Mexico. Her path will lead her to Oaxaca eventually.
When our band breaks up again we will have to decide what to do next. A return to the states is an option, but we would rather wait and head south. Other travelers have said that the farther north you go the more masks and random stops where they take pictures of your vehicle there are.
We won't rush either way. Today, however, is Carl's birthday and we will celebrate that.
That
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Puebla Magica San Antonio De Ibarra
About a year ago Pam reached out to a couple who are artists from San Antonio de Ibarra which is north of Quito because they were going to h...
-
Our month in San Cristobal De Las Casas is coming to an end and our goals for this time have mixed results. As far as our Ecuador visas ev...
-
The situation in Guatemala was getting bad so we opted to backtrack to Mexico. The problem is due to the fact that Guatemala only guarantees...
-
About a year ago Pam reached out to a couple who are artists from San Antonio de Ibarra which is north of Quito because they were going to h...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteYou two have been on our minds. We're glad to hear you're safe!
ReplyDeletethis is Marshall and Tisha
DeleteWe are good right now. We made a hard decision to head back to Mexico and that puts us in the best possible spot for now. We hope to stay in Mexico, but we are prepared to reenter the US if we have to. Thank you for your care and kindness.
ReplyDelete