Benque Viejo - Melchor border crossing.
Dealing with border management and customs is always a tricky business for foreigners. It’s a shady realm existing somewhere between regulations and personality disorders. Luckily, knowing a local to get the process started is a great help but just a beginning.
In my attempt to make life ‘easier’ throughout my stay, I had the great idea of getting a temporary importation permit for my vehicle and kayaks. This should ease my frequent trips between Belize and Guatemala, especially as a way of being able to leave my kayaks out at the field station in Belize; the alternative is to haul them out every time I wish to cross the border at Benque Viejo. Then I would be required to drop them off at customs each time and just hope that they still reside there upon return.
So I spent half a day waiting on people, trying to learn the proper order of completing the paperwork, getting the necessary amount of money…going to point A, to point B, back to A, back to B, A, B, A, B….ahhhh!!!
And I didn’t get finished. Luckily my next trip to Guatemala was pushed back a day, giving me some breathing room to finish up tomorrow. Whew!
Off to Guatemala on Wednesday. I was also able to reschedule my habitat assessment flight over the Chiquibul for next Thursday (11-Feb)…let’s hope the weather holds.
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