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Crossing the border

Sunday, December 11th, 2005

Entering a new country involves leaving another country. Crossing with meat, vegetables and other animal products is usually banned, and if you are entering a pretty security consious country like Chile then your bags will get searched. In my day bag I had a lot of drugs for sleeping, these are usually illegal to carry into other countries without prescription but I wanted them so I was set on claiming ignorance, if questioned.
My rucksack was first to go through the scanners, fine. No problems. As common practice the Chilean border guards open the top of your rucksack look at the top item – in this case a jumper, then close it upset they havent caught you smugglin a three-toed-sloth into their country (if only they looked under my jumper).
After opening a few more zips, ignoring my medical kits, knives and woodern crafts they noticed my weaved juggling balls on the side of my bag.
The first women, aka “security whore” was determined I wasnt going to have my balls. She prodded them, smelt them and tried to squeeze the life out of them to find out what was inside. I picked up my other 3 and demostrated what they were for, unimpressed, she removed them hastily from my hands and passed them to another man – with a knife.
This man was mean, I mean he had your typical “I mean business” face and wore the security apparrel with officious arrogance. He put his knife to my balls, determined to penetrate them. I begged, he moved the knife closer, laughing as he did so. The knife flicked out of its body, reflecting the UV light into my eyes, forcing me to wince, I waited for the inevitable, removing the sweat from my brow as I did so. Then, suddenly, this overdramatised scene was interuppted by another secruity guard “Young whippersnapper” who had extracted from my balls what the Chilean authoritys had feared – a seed. The knifewielders smiled vanished, his knife slipped and clicked back into its body and I started to sweat more.
Someone of authority spoke, “You cant take seeds into our country”. I explained, pleaded, “only 2 of my balls have seeds, the other 2 contain plastic” .. We stared at each other, threatening each other with our gazes, refusing to break contact – but he was squeezing my balls, I remained strong trying not to submit to his underhand tactics. A fly landed on his sweaty brow, he pushed out his bottom lip and blew upwards with startling acuracy, the fly took off, circled around the room, then found another shit to land on.
Just as I was about to buckle, a miracle happened. “Security whore” discovered something in a womans rucksack of much greater significance. I heard her scream “sundried tomatoes” and that did it, man-of-authority released his steely grip off my balls, broke the stare and turned around defeated.

I had won, my balls entered Chile.

Argentina Part 3 (A visit to the Policia)

Wednesday, December 7th, 2005

Big ass drop

I am in Mendoza in the fanciest internet cafe I have seen in 4 months, I have written a few emails and I think I have nearly fixed my ipod. I have just uploaded all my photos onto the pc and a few onto my website. Camera finished with I placed it back in its case put it on my bag. As I was writing another anitidote about something or other, some guy started tapping me on my shoulder, pretty damn vigoursly thinking about it, muttering something in very fast Spanish and pointing at the PC next to me, so, like a fool I turn around to see what the hell he was pointing and after saying “I dont know” (in Spanish) he just shrugged and walked off. I turned round thinking “that was strange”, then suddenly realised it wasn´t that strange, infact it was pretty much a textbook robbers trick. I turned around and sure enough my camera case with my camera, memory card, a few earings (and all your Christmas presents) had gone.

So, the very nice man in the internet cafe phoned the police station, three officers arrived, chatted to me in Spanish then piled me in the back of their van and took me to the police station. They explained something to there superior then told me to wait in line, behind the other 4 people. Now, one sentence I really wish I had learnt from travelling around Latin America is “who´s next”, because not knowing this gives the-people-who-do-know a much greater advantage at getting seen before you. I waited there for 3 bloody hours before someone gave me a police report, if another person pushed infront of me I would have commited a crime myself….

It all could have been worse though, I actually just put all my photos onto this PC so I haven´t lost any, and my iPod was plugged into the PC, which is usually sat in my camera case. I do have a police report, so if there isn´t a million hidden clauses in my travel policy I should be able to get the money back.

I have uploaded some photos on my site from a trip I did yesterday trekking up another 4000mt mountain in the Andes, then cycling down another dangerous road. Have a look if you are bored.

Bye byeeee

Argentina Part 2 (with added Uruguay)

Thursday, December 1st, 2005
This is a photo of a statue, most of the photos from this part are with me, with no t-shirt on. I wouldnt harm my readers in such a way! Different day, different country. I suppose I should ... [Continue reading this entry]

Argentina Part 1

Sunday, November 20th, 2005
me Well after my last post I haven´t done a great deal worth mentioning, unless you all want to know the in depths to my new and much appreciated diet, which I will tell you about anyway as ... [Continue reading this entry]