International border crxings & passports

Having a Singapore passport actually means that we get very little trouble wherever we go. My friends from other countries are also really envious when they learn that I don't need visas for a host of places, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, US or Canada just to name a few.

Recently it was in the news that some west african drug syndicates were targetting Singaporean women to carry drugs for them because the Singapore passport is seen a quite 'safe' as in we don't get checked as much as other Asian countries or African countries for that matter. Seems the men would promise love and money... silly women.

When I cross land borders in South east asia, i tend to get smiles and such from border guards, coz everyone's heard of us. hehe.

I've never had passport trouble before, but my boyfriend who is african american was pulled to some immigration office for an interrogation when he was LEAVING China. silly. fortunately he speaks Mandarin so it wasn't so bad coz he could talk himself out of the room. He gets very agitated about the bias against black pple entering asian countries. (It's true though)

Granted, my border crossings are extremely limited, so I've never had any trouble. However, my boyfriend and our friend were hassled on the way back into the US from Canada once. Our friend happened to have a full dark beard at the time, and had Egyptian stamps in his passport from having done a study abroad thing a couple of years before. They held them for like 20 minutes while they searched all his bags, but didn't even touch my boyfriend's stuff, and took my boyfriend's word for it which bags were his and which were our friend's. I understand that border crossing guards have a job to do and it can't be a fun one, but sometimes the way things are handled certainly seem a bit fishy.

My mother was Canadian, my father a US citizen who flew for the Canadian air force. They had one kid in Canada. Moved to the US, had two more. Moved back to Canada, had another.

One day in the 50s they were moving back to the US. They were told at the border that dad and the two brothers could cross, Mum and the sister and the baby brother could not. They tried again the next day, same thing. Third day, Dad left behind his wife and 4 kids and moved back home where his job was waiting. Long story somewhat short, Mum and my 4 siblings spent several years living with her parents in Canada while Dad lived with his parents and worked to pay an immigration lawyer to get the rest of them into the country. It was not very easy on any of them.

I always laugh when people assume crossing the US/Canada border is a piece of cake. Not always, has been the experience in my family, and we have made many many many a US/Canada crossing. :)

Once I was around, Mum had her green card to present to them. And if the guards at the border (both countries) asked the questions incorrectly, my Dad lied. They should ask you for your citizenship (this was pre-the need for a passport, which we all have now so no big deal). But growing up, guards on both sides would often ask where were you born. Well that doesn't work for my 2 sibs, who were born in Canada but US citizens due to Dad. That is why he would lie. :) He'd say - the kids and I are all born in the US, my wife was born in Canada, and hand over her card. We kids learned early to not say a word when Dad was talking to the border guards. We also learned early how to feign being asleep on top of the cases of beer we were smuggling. :)

My uncle worked for the Canadian customs and he would always get so mad when my Dad would tell him that yet again, we were asked where we were born.

I laughed out loud the first time the Canadian guard asked me if I had with me any guns, knives, or pepper spray. She didn't look too happy but I told her that it was the first time in many crossings that I was asked that. Another time the Canadian guards were totally baffled how I could be a US citizen, with a US passport, and my reason for travel was "family wedding". I thought it odd that he was so baffled by that. Another time I was crossing for the above Uncle's funeral and it was so funny that the conversation was
destination? - Hamilton
reason for travel? - funeral
Hey, I just had a guy come through here heading for a funeral in Hamilton!!
I told him - well keep your eyes open, there are at least two more on the road somewhere behind me also heading to that funeral. :)

My brother crossed during the Viet Nam war, to go to a suprise party for my Aunt and Uncle, in his US Navy uniform. He was held up for hours. He asked the guy - if I was trying to go AWOL, would I do it in my uniform? He told him that surprisingly yes, most of them do that assuming that the guards won't think they are fleeing. So it took hours to get his post commander on the phone in Virginia who could then verify that he had approved leave, that they knew he was going to Canada and in fact yes he did have family there and they had the addresses in case he didn't come back.

I travel a lot for business and Canada is one of the most stringent countries to enter (I'm a US citizen & resident).

My most challenging border crossing, however, was from Singapore to Malyasia, on a bicycle. I saw signs for cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles, and pedestrians to cross the border, but none for bicycles.

I thought I was a pedestrian. Apparently I was supposed to be a motorcycle. :o :p

My most "interesting" border crossing. Over 5 years ago. During a car crossing at Peace Arch (south of Vancouver), going to Seattle.

The US Customs officer cannot wrap his mind about me being from Quebec driving a BC rental car to go to Seattle, so I know I'm in a bit of trouble. Then he asks what I'm doing in Vancouver and I have to explain that I'm a visiting researcher at the university there. Oh yeah, what do I do research on? I hate that question. I do research on grad students. I tell the guy just that. He erupts in a thunderous laughter like this is the funniest thing he has ever heard. I just wait and smile, thinking: he's going to pull me over and I'm here for the day. But, no! He is still laughing and just waves me off, saying goodbye. I roll up my window and start to roll when he comes out of his cabin running after me and knocks on my window. That's it, he's back to his senses and will pull me over. I stop (!) and roll it back down. He's still laughing and asks: "You know what you should research? You should ask why all grad students have thick glasses! They all do!!" and I say, "Yes, sir, that's a good question."

Go figure.

Sometimes even the obvious is a struggle for the border guards. My friend, who is whiter than toothpaste, from Manitoba got banned from crossing the border to visit her husband in Seattle. The reason? she married her long time boyfriend who has dual citizenship. They figured she married him to get a Green card. It took her 15 months to eventually get her Green card.

Coolest border crossing - by bike!
I used to live on Lake Constance which is bordered by Germany, Austria and Switzerland, so one morning I thought I would ride half way round and get the ferry back. The crossing from Germany to Austria was open - nobody there as the two countries are in the Schengen Treaty, so borders are open. Crossing into Switzerland (having cycled across Austria at it's narrowest point) was fun though with a proper passport check. Crossing back into Germany as I got off the ferry, I just got waved though.

Fun border crossings....for some reason when I was about 11, US embassy realized I was a US citizen and needed a US passport, we had no idea. So that summer, travelling to the US, I got to go through the ciziten side while my parents and brother were stuck in the looooong queues for immigration. I was very proud to be travelling through alone although the border guard looked a little puzzled when i pointed to my family over in the other line.

Slightly intimidating crossing....leaving Israel after a summer of fieldwork. Before you can even check in at the airport, they check your papers and your luggage. Apparently, single woman is a red flag to them. I got cross examined for half an hour by two different agents asking the same questions repeatedly and had to proove what I had been doing when with paperwork and schedules from the fieldwork.

I also regularly confuse border guards and airport check-in desks by travelling into the US on a US passport, then travelling out again on a Norwegian passport to get to Norway. Dual nationality is a difficult concept for many. But travelling anywhere else, I usually stick with the Norwegian passport which gets very little hassle from anyone.

I have had much questioning at US-Canadian border crossings, too.
My most fun crossing was riding over the border from the Czech Republic to Austria. It was on a tour, but we were the only ones going through at the time. Basically, it felt like going from 1955 to the 21st century, since the part of the Czech Republic by the border is extremely rural. We had just seen a man about 80 years old pulling a wagon full of logs, up a hill with a grade of at least 15%.

I've never had a problem getting into or out of Canada, but I've only traveled to Quebec a few times, not the other provinces. I usually travel to Europe, and since I'm a dual citizen I use the most convenient passport depending on if I'm a-going or a-coming. Cuts down on the hassles considerably. It also cuts down on costs. When I went to Brazil, I entered on my French passport to avoid having to get a visa that is required of US citizens (and costs $100 back then). I returned on my US passport, but I did have to show the airlines both.

When I moved to France (and back) I had my parrot with me. He's a threatened species and needed all sorts of paperwork having to do with international treaties. Going to France, they didn't blink, and I had to essentially beg them to stamp the paperwork. When I returned to the US, I failed to arrange for a vet to meet me at customs, so I had to wait for hours while the staff vet checked out all sorts of animals, including two racehorses who had just arrived from Argentina. When he got around to me, he took one look at my parrot, asked me if he was healthy, and sent me on my way. I don't think he was too keen on birds--more of a dog and cat kind of guy.

Once I was returning from Sarajevo in the late 90s with about five pounds of scrumptious dried lamb and beef that my host family had given me. I wrapped it up in foil and plastic and then in my clothes, but I was sure it would be discovered. But I got waived through at Newark with barely a nod.

Years ago, pre the use of my passport for my family visits, I was coming back into the US and handed the guard my ID. I'm a federal employee so I just handed her my gov't ID rather than my license (easier to get to than the drivers license). She looked at it and said to me - oh no, wait a minute, are you kidding me? I was like - oh no, what now. She then, through her laughter, pointed out that I was actually wearing a sweatshirt in the picture for my gov't ID, that said CANADA on it. She cracked up and said I should be required to get a new picture taken. The lanyard attached to it has maple leaves on it too. :) Then we had a lengthy discussion of all the US employees at that border who actually live in Canada and how they were making them all move back to the US (or something like that, it was a few years back).

I could type for hours about interesting US/Canada crossings, given how long my family has been doing that. When I was filling out the forms to get a secret clearance with the US gov't, one section asks you to list travels outside the US. I called my brother, a US federal judge, and asked him what did he do with that section. He said - how many lines? I said 6 or something. He said, put down the 6 most recent trips then. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by msincredible

I thought I was a pedestrian. Apparently I was supposed to be a motorcycle. :o :p

---

That's pretty funny! Especially since you of all people knew you were not on a motorcycle. :D

All this discussion is reminding me I need to renew DD's passport for our motorcycle trip this summer. :rolleyes:

For those of you who have two passports:

I've noticed this summer, traveling to Turkey, that German customs officer (I was flying from Canada through France and Germany) were very sensitive about seeing stamps showing which country I entered AND EXITED. I have only one passport so they're all in one spot, but the Germany officer was really annoyed that the French had not stamped my passport when I exited. (I don't know a lot of German but I understood that he was not kind to my French cousins.) When I left Germany on the way back - even just on a stop over - they were careful to stamp my passport. My feeling was that with the tightening concerns over illegal immigration there is more concern for those sorts of things. Maybe that's why they get confused if you use one passport to get in and another one to get out. What do you think?

We cross a lot at these miniscule crossings on the WA/BC border. They used to practically wave you through but of course not any more.

I have two great border stories.

(pre 9/11)We have soem friend that used to have a rustic cabin about 1 mile S of the BC border into the US. DH went mountain biking and of course ended up in BC as there's no fence; the border is just a clear cut up there. Eventually he came back on the highway. A guy on a mountain bike shows up in lycra, shirt off (tucked unto the back of his shorts) no pack, no ID no nuthin. It took him about 45 mins to talk his way back in doing something like "We are staying at that cabin, RIGHT THERE!!!

(post 9/11)
Some good friends were doing wildernes rafting way up in the remote section of BC when "it" happened. They got to the border and literally did not understand what had just happened in the world. They had a big van, plus a trailer full of raft gear. Now, if any of you have ever done wilderness rafting you know about the groover or honey bucket.... ( you can see where this is going). A bunch of scruffy looking folks, and the customs agent says, sit down ,shut up and don't say a word. The guy pokes through everything. As he gets closer to the honey bucket ( rocket box used for human waste, cleaned out but the stink never goes away and it's really, really, really bad) they are whispering..."should we say something?" "No,he told us to be quiet".... Finally the guy gets to the rocket box which actually has a sticker on it that says, "Sh*t Happens", opens it, sticks his head in it to inspect it, gags, and retches and just starts screaming "what the hell IS that? Get the heck out of here...."

So of course they drove off.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Irulan

The guy pokes through everything. As he gets closer to the honey bucket ( rocket box used for human waste, cleaned out but the stink never goes away and it's really, really, really bad) they are whispering..."should we say something?" "No,he told us to be quiet".... Finally the guy gets to the rocket box which actually has a sticker on it that says, "Sh*t Happens", opens it, sticks his head in it to inspect it, gags, and retches and just starts screaming "what the hell IS that? Get the heck out of here...."

So of course they drove off.

---

LOL -- he probably will change his inspection tactics in future.

Probably many many areas where you can walk through controlled wilderness between Canada and U.S. We did stroll across the border between 2 national parks, each in Canada and the U.S.with obvious signage and clearcut of trees/bush to signify the 49th parallel international border:

A well-know hiking trail in Waterton National Park in southern Alberta that immediately goes into Glacier National Park in Montana.
Round trip hike was at least 10-12 kms. and we didn't go deep/far into Montana because we were running out of time and didn't want to get stuck in the U.S. This was 2005.

To give those of you unfamiliar what a clear-cut international border looks like through forested areas, here I am if you scroll down half way and see me with an concrete obilesk and the line of cleared trees and bush.

http://cycling-touring.thecyclistweb...eline_Walk.cfm

It'a beautiful area and the customs/immigration authorities are fine there. Of course we were only carrying some snacks and little else on us.