Today's adventures with customs

[maardak@yahoo.ca (Mardak)]

Since I live near the border, I've had lots of experience crossing
(even just to party).  I just went over to pick up my brand new MK1
windshield that I had delivered to the guy I bought my car off of in
Canandaigua NY.  The U.S. customs official didn't believe my story at
all at first.  She said "you're going where, to pick up what?"  I guess
it does sound kinda fishy - I was driving about 5 hours total there and
back to pick up a windshield...  I had to explain to her that my car
was over 20 years old, and these parts are getting harder and harder to
find...  Slowly I could see that she was starting to believe my story,
but she asked me a zillion questions - obviously trying to trip me up
or find inconsistencies...  If this was before Sept 11. I would have
been pissed, but I can understand why they're being extra careful. 
Maybe the turban I was wearing didn't help either (kidding!)  :)

Getting back into Canada was pretty much the same, but they were super
nice!  They didn't even question my "receipt" from my friend claiming
that the windshield was used, and that I only paid $50 for it!  I was
real chatty though, and asked them a bunch of questions about taxes and
duty, etc...  In my experience the Canadian customs guys are usually
really friendly, it's the U.S. officials that always seem to have
something up their butt...   

One thing I do know:  expect long delays if you're traveling with a
minority.  My best friend is West Indian and we get hassled EVERY time,
even though he was born and raised in Canada.  As if I need to lose
more respect for authority figures - freakin' racists...  Anyone who
tells you that there's no such thing as racial profiling is full of
crap...

Another thing:  cell phones don't work close to the border!  They must
have the towers spaced so there's no overlap or something...

Oh well, I guess there's no real point to this post, but you asked for
border stories!  Good thing I didn't ask you to bring across my order
from Adirondack eh?

Mark.
 
--- Cathy Boyko <losinit@usa.net> wrote:
> Okay, so off I go again, too cheap to pay a broker, so I do the US
> mailing
> address thing, which I've done many times. And agree to have another
> set of
> goodies sent there for someone else, should be no problem. So I
> contact the
> other guy, who will not be named pending notification of his family,
> and we
> set up a secret meeting place (okay, the Duty Free) and there we
> hatch a
> plot...So he is supposed to follow me, and I give him really skimpy
> instructions on where we are going, since he is following me and we
> have cell
> phones. (can you see where this is going?)
> 
> I'm first through Customs, and have the passport all ready, and I
> decide to be
> all honest (MISTAKE) and say I'm going over to pick up some car
> parts. Well,
> now it's Where? Are they for your car? ( well, yes, but the other guy
> is
> getting some too but I don't mention that) What car are they for? And
> what do
> you do? Do you have a business? etc...it goes on for some time. I'm
> thinking
> the other guy is toast, young, male, old car (MkI Rocco)...So I pull
> ahead and
> wait, and wait, and wait, no signs of him. So off I go after it is
> clear he
> ain't coming, and get the parts. I try phoning, but no cell
> service...
> 
> So I hit the other side, with two of everything (we're talking
> Quaifes here),
> and go in to pay the taxes (and discover that "warrantee replacement"
> means
> you still pay full taxes). Same deal...show me who you work for ( I
> produce my
> teacher's card, looking for the Mohawk College one), are you
> reselling these?
> (would you like to see the four VW ownerships in my purse? yes, I
> could use
> all those parts...) So I pay and then they decide to launch into a
> phone
> verification of whether the business on the bill really exists, and
> then the
> car search. I'm a wreck by the time this is over, and still have no
> clue where
> the other guy is, could be in jail for all I know...but I have his
> diff, so
> I'm sure he was more worried. Turns out he got yanked in for
> interrogation,
> (something about his story being vague...) and we finally met up and
> all is
> well. But serves me right for being honest. They must have served bad
> ham at
> the Custom's Easter dinner. Bunch of miserable so and so's. 
> And it's not the Sept 11 thing either, I've done this since then and
> it wasn't
> a hassle at all. I thought they were going to sieze it. Thanks for
> listening.
> Now tell me your worst Customs horror story. It wouldn't bother me,
> but I had
> real bills and paid on the full value and they still made me feel
> like a
> criminal. Next time I'll just smuggle...
> Done ranting, Cathy
> 
> 
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