first of all i apologise up front about the quality of todays photos, it was heavy rain off and on all day and i was doing a border crossing so i was just snapping shots as i was riding
the border from Chetumel Mexico into Belize...in a word EASY
so it goes like this...
get gas in mexico first and fill up, its about $3.25 a gallon and in belize its about $6
do passport exit stamp on your right as you pull up to the bridge, small white concrete hut
if there is a guy approach you for insurance refuse, its a scam, tell him you have it arranged at the Belize insurance company across the bridge "you know the big white building after customs"...after this he was just chatting, he did give me some good free advice though - don't drive in the puddles unless you have to, some of them are VERY deep...i saw this first hand as i crossed the bridge, i watched a trucks wheel drop into a hole that looked like a small puddle and it was over 10 inches deep, basically a wheel buster
then ahead on your left is the Bank for getting your refund of your TVIP, i had one person in line in front of me, they come out and take a photo of your VIN number and then issue you a reciept, the refund is about a week or so
no photos on that side of the bridge due to very heavy rain
over the bridge, this is looking backwards, towards mexico
at the bottom of the bridge is an insurance company, one of two...ignore the hustlers if they come over, they will do a 2 for 1 scam, taking your info getting your paperwork and going inside on your behalf, trying to charge you $60 US for insurane thats $30 US but on the paperwork it shows $60 (but that's in Belize money, they pocket the change)...do it yourself
this is the insurance company i used
i knew the fee was $30 for 7 days, i only had a $100 bill, he couldn't change it, he asked if i had a credit card, nope! how about mexican? yes, i can do it for 220 pesos about $16...deal
then he made a mistake, he gave me insurance for a month instead of a week...for some reason i didn't say anything
he gives you the paperwork and a sticker to put on your windshield so the cops can see it and won't stop you...thats what he said, not me
next you go around the corner to your right, behind the casino about 200 yards ahead of you is a big white warehouse looking building up a side road...go up there
it looks like this
this is passport control and customs and where you do your import, they don't come out and look at the bike or bags at all
first passport control, tell them you are here for a month otherwise they give you a transit visa for the day or maybe two, i use my UK passport and once they saw it they changed and were real friendly, Belize used to be a British colony, i guess they were expecting a US one, i keep that hidden away
they gave me 19 days
but its more than enough, i'll be here for a week or two weeks tops
next - ten yards further forward is customs import desk, go to the 'goods to declare' side on the left you are declaring your bike
they need to see your passport and title, i gave them a copy and they were happy with that - they don't keep any copies
they write down your VIN/ address/name/plate number in a book and give you a copy, then they stamp your passport again next to the immigration stamp and add import expiry date, and the bikes details
next you go back out get your bike and ride thru here
he wants to see your passport and the little piece of white paper they just gave you inside, he checks your tag number, not your VIN and thats it
once you drive away you will see a big white building across from the stop sign, this is the Belize insurance company, if you missed the first place then this is your last chance to get it and its compulsory
then ride on...you're thru and done
CENRUT maps for Garmin here are kind of OK, not too accurate but they send you in the right direction, my route was off by about 20 yards
OK the differences since crossing the border
i lived in the Bahamas for a number of years and also traveled around numerous caribbean islands as well, straight away you get a feeling like you are on an island in the caribbean. Houses on short stilts because of high water issues, tin roofs, small low level stuff, some Mayan huts as well, a few unfinished Mexican style houses too - someone correct me on this if i'm wrong, i remember traveling in Spain years ago and i was told that if a house isn't 100% finished then no taxes are due, i was told it the same in Mexico, thats why they always look like the second floor or roof is waiting to be put on
also more pastel shades as well for exterior paint
KM's are gone you're back in MPH
topes are gone now they are...
very few were painted and blended in with the road very well, but same rules as Mexico applies, most of the time there are some on the way in and on the way out of a town
animals look healthier
when they say its rainy season they mean it
women ride bicycles in the rain with umbrellas!!!
places are signposted pretty well, my destination for today was the Crooked Tree Lodge, up this dirt road for 4 miles, there was a "toll" to enter the village but i just rode by, its $4, i didn't have any change anyway
i get to the lodge and i'm the only one here, its rainy season!!! but its very cool i'll take some photos and add them in the next post or two, the owner is an ex british military guy called Mick, and already he has invited me to a pig roast tomorrow at some friends of his...might stay here a while, well 19 days at the most