After visiting the ruins of Takaliku Abaj, we went straight to the border, just an hour's drive. There are two alternative border crossings between Mexico and Guatemala, located close to each other. Having a bad experience with Ciudad Tecun Umanthe in the opposite direction, we chose El Carmen this time. There were many people harassing us on the Guatemalan side (offering assistance, money exchange, etc.) but we managed to dismiss them. A short drive to the Mexican side and we were checked in 40 minutes in total. It was much better than the 6 hours wasted a month ago.

It was not too late when we entered Mexico, so we continued driving north. On the way, we encountered a roadblock caused by Haitian migrants walking towards the USA. There were hundreds of them. Mexican police stopped them at some point, what disrupted the traffic. It seemed that the Haitian migrants we saw a month ago at the border in Tapachula, Chiapas, became impatient and decided to go north. There were many young people there with children. It was not surprising. We visited Haiti not so long ago seeing the terrible poverty with our own eyes. Young people are looking for a better future. We stayed for the night in the vicinity of the roadside Hotel San Rafael, 5 hours. from the border.

The next morning, we had breakfast in a roadside restaurant. As a rule, we sleep a long time. We set off at 10 am. We followed the road along the Pacific. However, not everything went as expected. The road was closed at the point where we were about to turn towards the mountains towards Oaxaca. It was a blockade organized by the local community. I have no idea what their demands were, but not a single car was allowed passed. It was the only road. I could not find a detour on the map. It was an area without towns and villages, only mountains around. There was no other option, but continue along the coast.

An alternative road took us through the mountain village of San Jose del Pacifico. We finally said goodbye to the Pacific Ocean and climbed from sea level to 2800 m / 9000 ft. We were above the clouds when sun decided to set. You do not experience sunsets like this every day. These are unforgettable moments. At 11 pm we were in Tule. It was a long day, 13 hours in the car.