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GUATEMALA, HERE WE COME!
Seeing the Guatemalan valleys and knowing that the border was just eight short miles away, I felt like I had to see it. I really wanted to go to Tikal to see what is billed as the grandest surviving classic Mayan cities but I hear you need a good eight hours (takes 2.5 hours each way) and all I had was four. Wilbert, the resort’s guide, drove my friend Natalie and me. It sure was nice going with an experienced multilingual local to show you the ropes.
CROSSING THE BORDER
It took just five minutes to get to the border and the first stop was Belize’s passport control. Departure tax is 30 BZE ($15USD) and then you go to the next counter to show your receipt and get an exit stamp from Belize in your passport. The good news it there was no wait. Wilbert picked us up on the other side and we drove 100 yards through "No Man’s Land". All cars go through a mandatory spraying for bugs and at then we parked at the Guatemalan border. It got a little dicey here when Wilbert asked for our passports because he said it will save time and money ($4) to have a local guide do it. I don’t hand my passport to anyone but I trusted him and he’s been working at the resort for a while.
WHAT THE ... ?
Five minutes later, Wilbert came running out over the dusty dirt road and said that there was a problem with the vehicle. It had never been properly discharged the last time it was taken over the border and he needed a passport to put a stamp in it. I handed him mine but he said that I had too many pages stamped so he used Natalie’s. The longer he took to return with her passport, the more Natalie freaked out. I guess it didn’t help when I joked that I hoped he hadn’t stashed mounds of drugs in the van now that he’d registered the vehicle’s border crossing with her passport. "If he did," I said to Natalie, "you’re going to jail for a long time!" Before she could cry, he came out and everything was totally legit. Directly across there is a border town which is a lot nicer and probably safer than Tijuana but it doesn’t have the modern buildings or people bugging you to buy stuff. Chiclets, anyone? Not here.
GUATEMALA Guatemala was noticeably different from Belize, the moment we entered. First of all, it’s a Spanish speaking country, they use kilometers not miles, the currency is Guatemala Quetzales (at the time of publication, 1.00 USD = 7.4 GTQ) and the roads aren’t as nice. The first 30km or so was on a hard dirt road, which they are just now working on. The new government is working diligently to improve tourism. But what’s ironic is that the dirt road was actually better than the paved roads because it didn’t have deep potholes. There were also more wild animals: lots of horses, cows, dumb dogs, fat pigs and
a horny donkey.
DID YOU KNOW? Guatemala has 22 beers, Gallo being the most popular while Belize has just one called Belikin Beer.
EL REMATE
Gas is a bit cheaper than in Belize so Wilbert pulled into a station to fill up. I needed to use the loo and as I jumped out, Wilbert warned me not to be alarmed when an armed guard with a 12-gauge shotgun opened the bathroom door for me. I’m glad he told me, otherwise I would’ve just handed him my wallet. We then drove for 90 minutes. The first hour, there wasn’t much to see but farmland. It got more interesting when we checked out three different lakes. I can’t remember all the names just the last one, which was fresh water. I do know (I think) that the first two were made up of sulfur and salt water. The last was Lake Peteen Itz and the village of El Remate sits along its eastern shores. El Remate is a tiny tourist town that caters primarily to Tikal visitors (the entrance of Tikal is just 30km away but it takes 40 minutes to drive from there to the ruins as the speed limit is 20km). We stopped off here to relax, stretch, soak up the sun and the warm lake water. Wilbert pointed out the "Sleeping Crocodile" silhouette that’s formed by the shape of the forested hills and then we went souvenir shopping. The locals were very nice and it was fascinating to see their everyday life. Just like in Belize, they bathe and do their laundry waist deep in the rivers. It’s a whole other life here and I’m glad I got to witness it -- even if it was just for a few hours.
NEXT WEEK Next week, we travel to the new gambling capital of the world! We’ll be checking out the MGM Grand and Casino. Hmm ... I wonder where that could be? Hint: if you guessed Las Vega$, think again!
*If you heard about us somewhere else or have the link to the story please email Johnny Jet media and let us know where!
SOME OF LAST WEEK'S READER AIR-eMAIL
Had to laugh at the Miami Marriott 'scam'. Exactly same thing happened to us in Paris, but on United. They must have signs for all of the airlines to lead you to the dungeon for your 'free meal'! Connie S - Carmel, CA
Love the regular newsletters we get from you. Bob R - Connecticut
Hi, I am a long, long time reader and follower of Johnny Jet. Today, I noted the new EDITOR, also noted her lovely pic in Delray...She is darling. So all the contributors --- WOW --- and a trip with you next year for your followers and you are giving traveling seminars. The world is yours... from the very beginning to now. You staying at all the TOP hotels intrigues me since I can never set a foot in such. I am always looking forward to your weekly trips and treats and I hope you do not make us pay for it as so many websites get us going and then begin a payment plan. Your dad looks good and Natalie as well. Sailinsal - Rowland Heights, CA
On your list of travel aids, you must add noise cancelling headphones! Use them with a laptop, iPod, the in flight entertainment system or just put them on for a better sleep. Don't even mention they are a god send when a baby starts crying! Keep up the good work. Kind regards, James M -
Kelly, I absolutely loved your WY story. One of the best I’ve read. All those descriptive, fun adjectives.
I’m amazed it took soooo long to reach WY from NC. Heck, I can get to Frankfurt, Germany quicker from Las Vegas. (Condor, LAS non-stop to FRA, 11 hours.) I’ve never been to WY, and never really had much desire, but it’s now on my to-do list. MT was always of interest to me, especially after watching “Legends of the Fall,” but now I’m not so sure after reading about rattler infestations. Yikes! Back in WY, the first thing I’ll do upon arriving is sign up for a rock-your-world massage. Cheers, Brett Harriman
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