This is a picture of an information poster at the Honduras border. Read it and have a chuckle over the litteral translation for digitizing the copies of your documents :oops2:
http://www.pixcelgallery.com/d/59387-6/100_4683.JPG Click on it and it gets bigger to readhttp://www.pixcelgallery.com/viewphoto.php/id/59388/sid/7

All clear now ?
( I forgot how all this posting of pictures stuff went but will be taking a refresher course this week, will see if I can get the pic to show here.Till then click on the link and have chuckle)
http://www.pixcelgallery.com/viewpho...id/59388/sid/7

Mick,
We are in La Libertad, Hostel La Sombra at Playa El Tunco, 100 yards from the beach. Will be here for 2 days and looking for some company to cross into Honduras.
Daryll

Look amigo, dont pay. It probably takes longer to pay than to stand your ground and not pay actually.

You dont need any Spanish at all. Open up your empty wallet and while you show it to them point behind you and just say "policia" or "corrupcion" and look disgustipated. They get the idea.

That is a cool little surf village black sand and big waves.
Cheers to you two.
Cal

About a month ago crossing elsalvador to honduras I let my paperwork out of my sight and ended up at the cargo building and paid $270 to cross. So the lesson is dont let your papers get out of sight and do not let anyone tell you that your bike is cargo.
A similar thing happened in miami flying the bike from Bogota columbia. I went to the customs area that did cargo in miami and was told i would have to pay a broker to get the bike in. Went back to the airline and was directed to the personal effects area at customs office. Went back to customs personal effects and was stamped in with no broker and no outlay of cash.
Bill

Hey Daryll, how goes El Salvador?? I won't be hanging around myself man, I get in tomorrow, may spend the night up the hills on this ruta de flores, or quite possible keep on going and get to Copan in Honduras in the same sitting. From Copan I'll be hitting Santa Rosa on to Marcala, then on through the capital to Nicaragua by thursday or friday, first stop Leon. I'll probably spend the weekend there, may see ye there if that's ye're route. Let me know what the craic is!
Crashmaster, I won't be giving them a dime, was just curious as to how many stops I'd have to make for the ****ers....

Bill, what the hell happened to you at the border, I don't quite get it.....??!

I crossed today from Nicaragua to CostaRica on the CA1, took 3 hours, but no problemsat all.

Cal,
Stayed there based on your recommendation and it was great. :thumbup1: Thanks.
Daryll

El Salvador/Honduras & Honduras/Nicaragua Borders
 

Hope someone can benefit from these notes. We crossed on Thurs. Nov. 18th, 2010.

El Salvador/Honduras:

1. Crossed at the El Amatillo crossing.
2. Arrived at the border at 8am.
3. We did not use any helpers and after hounding us for a while, realized that I spoke Spanish and left us alone. All officials were extremely friendly and I just asked for directions each time.
4. A truck load of helpers followed us into the border
5. By-passed all the tucks lined up and got stopped by the customs officials at a little booth by the roadside. They checked the VIN #'s and canceled our import permit. Had to make a few copies of the canceled permit at the copy place right next door.
6. Ride 3km ahead to the Migracion office. We parked the bikes right in front of the window. The El Salvador and Hondurs windows are next to each other.
7. El Salvador Migracion - looked at the passports, noticed that I had an entry stamp valid for 90 days and said that there wasn't anything needed and passed it on to the Honduras official.
8. I walked over to the Honduras window. Paid $3 each in US currency for the piece of paper that acts as a receipt I guess as well.
9. Ride across the bridge; however a guy checks to confirm the canceled import permit before you cross the bridge.
10. Cross the bridge for the Honduras Aduna paperwork. I used the window with the shortest line-up in the building with the arch straight ahead. 3 copies of passport, registration, license, canceled import permit needed. There are several copy places around. I had most of the copies, all up, cost of all copies came to $1.
11. Lots of paperwork filled out. Sent to the bank across from the Aduna and paid the $35 in limpera's per bike at the bank. There are several money changers around.
12. Go make a few more copies and return to the Aduna, each time, I skipped the line-up and went directly to the window and had no hassles from the people waiting in the line as they knew I was there previously. All done. Total time 2hrs, total cost $38 p/p + $1 in copies.
13. In Honduras, there were 8 checkpoints, we were stopped at only 3 and where asked for documents at only 2 of the 3.
14. No bribes paid, and a few minutes later, as all my Spanish had disappeared, we were let go.

Honduras/Nicaragua:

1. Crossed at the El Guasaule border crossing and crossed at 2pm.
2. We were fortunate, the heavens opened up as we got to the border, so all the helpers ran for cover and left us alone. Again no helper used.
3. Paperwork checked and stamped a few meters away from the office.
4. Honduras migracion and aduna a few windows apart. Both these took all of 5 minutes. The Honduras official retained the original of my Honudras import permit, and therefore don't have proof of cancellation.
5. Ride pass more trucks to a military checkpoint. They were taking shelter from the deluge and just waved us on to the office.
6. Nicaragua migracion - $12 p/p paid in US currency. Another piece of paper and a receipt of payment.
7. Aduna is down the hall. No cost. No copies needed. Copy of import permit is give back to you.
8. There were several people trying to sell us insurance at US$12 per bike for Nicaragua and we were told that there is a police checkpoint as you leave the border. We decided to take our chances without Nic. insurance. There is a checkpoint as you leave the border, and the guy checks the import permit, another guy checks passport and the receipt of the $12 paid. We rode to Chinadega for the night and did not pass a single checkpoint.
9. Total time at this border - 1hr. Total cost $12 p/p.

Sorry for the length of the post, but hope it can be helpful to someone else.
Daryll

Thanks for doing this. I, for one, will make use of this.

+1 on the El Salvador/Honduras crossing experience.

I think it need iterating that you *DO NOT NEED HELPERS*, one actually picked us up from the Gas station before the boarder and followed us all the way into Honduras (for over an hour). We just asked the officials where the next office/booth was. We ignored all directions from the helpers.

Jean finally snapped when 6 of them followed her into the small phootcopy office and told them to "F*** OFF" when they pointed at the photocopier and said "Photocopier".

The lady in the Admin Office seemed happy that we insisted on communicating with her.

Remember, you have been crossing borders since either Mexico or Argentina, and it is *exactly* the same process. So, why pay someone to potentially bump up the cost and spoil your day, they are not experts *YOU* are. One of the "helpers" touting for our business was insisting we had to have our passports stamped on entry (with a small fee to himself for arranging it), I had to explain the CA4 agreement to him.

All the border officials know about and understand the CA4 agreement, and there are posters at the Honduras border about it.

On the Insurance issue, we differ here.

If the insurance is available and appears mandatory we feel it should be purchased, as we would not be happy to be involved in an accident with an uninsured person in our own country, and after all it is *only* 12USD. That is about the amount we spend on a gas tank top up !