Our short time in Mexico was coming to an end but our last stop before going through three countries in one day was Chetumal, located in the southeast corner of Mexico.
Only 12km to the border of Belize, at first look Chetumal seems like a boring town with nothing to offer for tourists; in fact it offers diving, ecotourism and Maya-related activities. We were only stopping over for one night on the way to the temples of Tikal via the San Juan shuttle services which takes you to the pretty town of Flores. You can also get to Caye Caulker via the water taxi. Here’s how we spent the afternoon.
After booking a random hotel in the centre of town which greeted us with two white swans smooching on the bed (towel art), we ventured out to check it out. Starting with nachos for threesies in an authentic Mexican restaurant (the waiters wore freshly pressed white trousers, shirts and hats), we headed to the market where some shopkeepers were luring people in with offers on the microphone. Just like Dale Winton on Supermarket Sweep! We then visited the Museo de la Cultural Maya to get our Maya fix and onto the Esplanade for sun down. There was something quite nice about being in a place where no one spoke English with children staring at the gringos because there were very few of us – nothing was put on for the tourists. We were simply in the midst of a typical Mexican town, very refreshing after Tulum.
Moving away from the local crowds, we found the peaceful waters of Chetumal Bay and promenaded along the malecon whilst the day was starting to fade away. Always ready for a beer, Ryan found a rustic bar perfect for sunset. Luckily it was hora de feliz so it was rude not to sample the local beers. Feeling like a feliz Felicity, after a while the crowds we left behind were back enjoying a Saturday night with family and friends. Pink limousine pedal bikes for kids with electronic motors were roaring about, fountains were spurting out colourful waters and food carts selling tacos, papas fritas and scrummy Yucatecan marquesitas dotted the street. This sweet delight is like a crepe but after rolling it up with all your goodies inside, it goes crisp like a wafer cone.
The next morning we left early doors on route to Flores in Guatemala, via our first border crossing into Belize. After hearing many rumours about the Immigration Officers ripping tired tourists off, here is Ryan’s advice below:
Crossing the Mexico/Belize border
Right. Literally just passed through the Mexican border and into Belize via Chetumal and feeling great right now after a few days of worry!
We flew into Cancun nearly two weeks ago from Gatwick with British Airways. We had read somewhere before leaving the UK about this so called departure tax to leave Mexico but after reading post after post and forum after forum I think I finally got my head around it.
My conclusion is that if you have flown in on a commercial flight then the taxes (or FMM fee) has been paid by your airline. My understanding is that the fee is for the tourist visa (FMM) that you keep in your passport while in Mexico. If you arrive by charter flight then it’s more than likely you haven’t paid the fee.
The bit I’m a bit confused about is the whole going to a bank to pay for this fee before heading to the border. Don’t quote me on this but I understand that if you arrive by land or sea you also have not paid the fee. I read somewhere that if you arrive by land and do not receive the paper slip (visa) to keep in your passport, then you need to go to a bank to basically buy one.
As we had flown in on a commercial flight (British Airways), I suspected that we had paid the tax already although our airline ticket did not give an exact breakdown of the taxes we paid.
I phoned British Airways and confirmed that, indeed, we had paid the taxes required to depart Mexico but they said it would take up to 28 days to get a itemised receipt sent to my email! We were going to have to wing it with just the airline tickets showing total taxes, fees and charges and also our charm!
We departed Chetumal at 7am aboard the San Juan shuttle bus to Belize city and Flores (Guatemala), along with another 15 other Westerners. We arrived at the Mexican border in around 15 minutes. I was surprised to see no chaos at all, unlike many other border crossings we’ve been to, and our driver drove us straight up to the official’s booth. We ended up being second in the queue and we waited nervously. The couple in front of us proceeded to pay the fee ($25us or 360 pesos each) without question. We arrived at the booth greeted with your typical plump border official although he was young and grumpy as opposed to old and grumpy! We handed over our passports and he asked us to pay the fee. We told him politely that we flew into the country with British Airways and that we confirmed with them that the fee was included in out ticket. He then took a look at our ticket print out and because there was no itemisation he said that if we leave by land we need to pay the exit tax! We politely disagreed and sounded like we knew what we were talking about. He then handed back our passports (without stamping) and told us to wait to one side. We then watched the rest of the group hand over their passports and their cash until we were the only ones left again. We approached the booth and he showed us an example of an itemised airline ticket. He stamped our passports and gave us a stern telling off, saying that next time we need to show ticket with itemisation.
That was it! We walked away from the booth with a massive grin on our faces and we then entered Belize.
My advice for anyone wanting to cross a land or sea border exiting Mexico is:
a) If you arrived by air then find out if your airline included the fee.
b) If they did then make sure you get an itemised ticket or receipt well before you are due to cross the border.
c) Know your stuff. It’s tedious and there are different opinions but still do plenty of reading on the Internet so that it sounds like you know exactly what you are talking about when confronted with your grumpy border official.
d) Never hand money over to a border official! Always use an appropriate cashier, or in this case bank, to pay any money you might owe and always get a receipt.
I’ve no idea where the easy money goes but making around 400 bucks in 15 minutes would make a damn good tequila party.
Regrettably we only had a night to look around Flores but luckily caught a gorgeous sunset at the top of the hill, next to the cathedral. Flores is a quirky, cute and colourful island village in Peten, Guatemela and a step away from Tikal. We walked the charming streets in 20 minutes and finished off with our first Western meal of the trip, pasta in one of the lakeside restaurants. We left at 4.30am the next day to leave for Tikal National Park on our selected ‘early morning tour’ (sunrise, normal day and sunrise tours are also on the menu too) which was as early as we wanted to be following our ten hour trip to get here.
Archaeologists say that the Mayans settled in Northern Guatemala in around 900BC. Most of the tall temples we draw-dropped at were built during the 8th century AD when Tikal became the greatest city in the Mayan city with an estimated population of around 400,000. Following the abandonment of the ruins around the 9th century AD it was time for the jungle to make a life there and swallow up this great city, hiding it from the rest of the world. Man I love nature! The forests of Peten guarding their secret were eventually discovered around 1848 and during the 1950s and 1960s some of Tikal’s treasures were tenderly restored. However the vast majority are still under mounds with stones topped with lush vegetation. Who knows which part will be uncovered next but restoration needs money. Apparently sonar is used to identify which ruins are most suitable for this.
UNESCO granted Tikal a World Heritage Site in 1979 so no wonder it’s become a proud national symbol. What makes it feel so magical is that it’s so rich with tropical plants and wildlife covering more than 200 square miles. Howler monkeys, turkeys, parrots, toucans and even jaguars have now made it their home, recycling living quarters I suppose and you can both see and hear them (not the jaguars, sadly for us).
It’s recommended that you do book a guide to lead you around the narrow rocky paths, overseen by domineering trees, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, to take you to the next building and to prevent you from getting swallowed up by the jungle yourself. Unlike Chichen Itza, it’s still possible to climb some of the ruins. The grand finale of the tour finished with an energetic 64m climb up to Temple IV for an awesome view of the sea of jungle surrounding you. You’re even higher than the tips of the temples and towering trees making you feel you really are on top of the world. From this vantage point minus the crowds, we were even closer to the wildlife and arguably felt a little part of their home too.
After the tour, we were dropped off at the little village of Ixlu to wave down a packed collectivo to take us back to the Guatemala/Belize border. Collectivos are mini-vans and used as a form of local transportation moving people from A to B. There is a driver and usually a young conductor, collecting payment and helping with luggage. It was so much fun standing up, hanging on for dear life as the driver raced towards the border dropping off and picking up smiling folk. We met a helpful Belizean Auntie and Nephew duo who took us under their straw bag and told us the cheapest way to get to our next stop. After another border crossing, a lovely chat with the duo (in Belize the official language is English) and our first Belizean chicken bus (an old US school bus), we made it to the picturesque town of San Ignacio.
barnesontour (again) 