Quetzaltenango – Guatemala

TRANSPORTS
L'épopée du siècle

So hang on there ! How a 15-hour trip turns into a 26-hour trip.
The original idea was to do Mexico City - Tapachula 12 hours by night bus then Tapachula - Quetzaltenango in 3 hours by public transport type combi or others. I had looked on my favorite site Rometorio, which calculates the routes and offers you all the possible solutions to perform the said route. He has always been reliable .... well so far.
In reality, it turned out rather like the following:
Mexico City - Tapachula 9 p.m. by bus with the Titanium company for 750 pesos. Yes yes you read that right. The 12h walk turned into a 21h journey. You should have seen my head upon waking at 7am 😂. I look out the window and there I realize that we are in the middle of the pampas. I check our position on Google Maps. We are halfway there. Uh, the app doesn't work? I check several times and the app always positions me in the same place. My cloudy brain takes a moment to understand the anomaly which is in fact ... the bus. He stops all the time, for a long time, drives very slowly, makes detours. In short, it is the ride of the century. So I arrive at 4:30 p.m. at Tapachula instead of 7 a.m. Yeah, it is going to be a long day.
Tapachula - the Border 30 mins in a combi for 23 pesos, on a backless seat. There are only Mexicans around me. That, on the other hand, I love it.
I arrive at the border guard post and there Big News. There has just been a thunderstorm, the electricity is cut off. Without a computer, well, no passport verification. Conclusion, we have to wait for it to come back ... That moment I say to myself: "there is a balance in everything. Clearly, I pay for all my great trips in Mexico". Luckily, I wait 20 mins. My little feet, me and my 2 suitcases finally cross the famous Mexico-Guatemala dividing line. It's dark, it's raining. What joy !
And there, new delirium, 12 guys jump on me, or rather on my luggage. They catch them all bawling words in Spanish at the same time. Well, it's not won ! My Mexican adventure mainly made me speak English since many practice it there. I manage to understand that they want to take me to my next destination. Reaction: "Hold on! We freeze, we step back and I keep my luggage." My priority is to have my passport stamped. 90-day sesame that will allow me to travel to 4 countries: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. The employee gives a carefree buffering. I explain to her that I have to change my remaining pesos into quetzales, otherwise I will go nowhere. As it is dark, I forget the idea of ​​the ATM, too dangerous. Super nice, she indicates me the good guy in the long line installed outside. The decor is quite astonishing, moreover: the street, on either side, men sitting on a chair behind a table with piles of banknotes placed on it, all protected by a parasol. I benefit from an attractive exchange rate. Top ! But despite everything I only have the equivalent of 20 euros with me. My 12 guys have been following me all this time of course. Seeing me with quetzales, rebelote, they peep again squinting at my luggage. I validate the proposal of a young person who must be barely 15 years old (combi with green band, important detail, it is the officials). Great moment: he takes my luggage, his friend the other and here they are running to nab the combi. The only thing I say to myself as I run behind them is "if they run away with my belongings in 2 opposite directions, what luggage I save ? 😂😂😂. But no, they will put everything in the right combi in exchange for a tip. So here I am installed in the front of a big van with my stuff, soaked, hungry but happy to move towards my destination.
Frontier - Mazacatlan in combi therefore for 50 qtz. (of the scam, I took the lead with the driver). But hey, we do not always win. He drops me off at a chicken bus (explanation below). I smile, 1st experience of this kind.
Mazacatlan - San Marcos 30 qtz. The bus rolls like crazy, takes the bends at full speed. The scenery looks amazing despite the night. I guess the contours, the heights, I can not wait to be in broad daylight. We arrive in San Marcos, everyone gets off, the driver turns around and says: "where are you going? -" in Quetzaltenango - "No, it is 8:30 pm, there are no more buses" - "Yes, I have to go there, I booked a room - "nop, you won't go, there is nothing left at that time -" ok, do you know a hotel, cheap, clean and near the terminal? "Very nice, he stops in front of a hotel he knows, rushes to ask for the price, validates with me, takes my luggage down and leaves.
Summary of the races: 26 hours of travel, I have been without a phone since I crossed the border, at a destination and a hotel not chosen, it is dark, it is cold (10 degrees humid), I only wear a sweet on me because I have nothing else, and I only have 30 quetzals left to eat. Suffice to say that I had the morale in the socks. I was already sad to leave my beloved Mexico, but it ended me. So I will eat an 18 qtz burger and fries in a nearby restaurant, whimpering in front of the 80s clips playing on the screen. Obviously I hurt them because they offered me orange juice to cheer me up.😂So cute ! I went to bed after an almost hot shower, dressed from head to toe under 3 blankets. It curdles but it curdles. Go to sleep ! Tomorrow is another day. Travel is that too.
Why did you not take the plane ? Answer: it cost me 3x more and the initial idea was not bad ...