Saturday, September 08, 2007

LOC - 1

Prelude:
After a long time I return to my blog.... Thanks to my NY trip :)
Trips for me have always been exciting.. Especially when its a new place and an opportunity to meet old friends...
For the labor day long weekend, NY was our destination... We landed in NY on Friday night and started our drive to Niagara the same night... Since we were a group of 12, we had to take 2 cars..
Its a 7.5 - 8 hour drive from NY to Niagara and we managed to reach there by 9.30 - 10 in the morning. We were to visit Niagara that day and start back that night, so we had not booked a hotel there...
Our car reached there first, as we did not stop to have food anywhere... We thought we will have it near Niagara as there are plenty of Indian restaurants there. Once we reached Niagara we started searching for Indian restaurants on our GPS....

Story:
Our GPS mis-led us to a couple of Indian restaurants, in reality there were no restaurants there.
Finally, we saw an Indian restaurant on the right.. As I was on the left lane, I could not make a stop there at the intersection. We had 2 options - to take a left and take a U-turn and come back or go straight and take a U-turn and come back... I decided to go straight as most of the vehicles were entering that road, which we happened to believe was the way to Parking for Niagara Falls.
The vehicle movement on that road was really slow and there was bumper to bumper slow moving traffic. As we went a bit further, we entered a toll-gate, paid $3 to the attendant there..
Me: Is there anyway I can get back? I don't want to park my car here.
Attendant (Takes $3 I hand over): Go straight and take a U-turn.

Now, there is a huge line of cars behind us too and a huger line in front of us. As we inch forward, I get a call from Akshay (he was in the other car)
Akshay: Maga, where are you people?
Me: We are in the parking lot of Niagara. We need to get out, but looking at the traffic, it seems like its gonna take more than an hour. I suggest you people come here in the meanwhile.
Akshay: We are the Niagara tourist info centre. Once you people come out, give me a call.
Rajendra(who was sitting in our car, suddenly tells): I think we are going to Canada, I see a Canadian flag on the other side.
Me(joking about it over the phone): Maga it seems we are in Canada, I will call you soon.

I put the phone down and tell people that there is a US flag also there, so we cant be in Canada.
As the line of cars slowly move forward, each one begins to feel that yeah, we are indeed entering Canada. Now there is no way to get back as we cant take a reverse there. We need to go straight. A lady (seems like a traffic control volunteer) is walking past our car, we decide to ask her the way out.
Me: Is this road leading to Canada?
Lady(Has an "as if you didn't know expression on her face): Yes
Me: We entered here by mistake, is there any way we can get back?
Lady: Oh, go through the Canadian custom checkpost, tell them you entered by mistake. They will ask you to take a U-turn and get back. Dont, worry this happens many a time.

As we get close to the Canadian customs checkpost, we see written there "Please hand over your passport to the officer." This is when I realize that my passport is with Chaitra who is in the other car!!! Bhargav and Mayur have just got their state ids and their passports are back home in Minneapolis. And my only proof of identity is my Karnataka State Driving License!

We are next in line, we decide that I alone will speak and explain. I roll the window down and turn towards the Canadian Custom Officer (CCO)
Me: Hi, we entered here by mistake. We need to get back.
CCO: Please show me your passports.
Me: Uhmm, well actually my passport is in another car. They have stopped in Niagara tourism centre. These people have passports/State Ids. I have my Indian Driving license.
CCO: Hand them over to me together.
I hand it over and answer each question she asks. "Why are you here", "Where are you staying", "Where are you from" "How long have you been here" etc etc
Me(pleadingly): We had no intention of entering Canada, we came here by mistake. We need to get back.
CCO (Verifies all the documents and hands it over): Take a U-turn immediately and get back immediately.

I take the documents, pass it back and with a sigh of relief, satisfaction and pride take the U-turn back. We managed to step into Canada we all think. A few even thinking of getting down, just to see how the ground in Canada feels like. As we head back on the same bridge. We are able to see Niagara Falls on the right side. Seeing this Kavitha immediately starts jumping, telling she wants to get down and take a pic there. I totally refuse as there is bumper to bumper traffic and there is no way I can stop the car there. But she refuses to listen and since the car was moving so slowly, she along with Bhargav and Mayur get down there. I cant stop the car there and these people start running in the opposite direction taking photos.

We inch forward and we see a checkpost again there, "US Customs Checkpost" it reads. And written below it in bold is "Please hand over your passport here". Now we are frantically trying to call Mayur/Bhargav/Kavitha. Kavitha and Mayur have left their cell phones in the car itself and Bhargav's cell phone is low on battery. I try to take my Indian DL out, which is my only source of identity. But it seems like, when the Canadian officer handed it over, I had passed it back to Kavitha, who has taken it and has got down. I finally manage to reach Bhargav, but Kavitha there tells that she left the DL in the car itself. We are all now frantically searching for my DL but in vain.

Its finally our chance near the counter and I again lower the window and talk to the US Customs Officer (UCO)
UCO: Hi, please give me your passports.
Me: Hello, we just entered by mistake. We had no intention of entering Canada. We were asked to take a U-turn back.
UCO: Sir, whatever it might be I want to see your passport.
Me: Well, my passport is in another car, that car is closeby. I can call them up and get it.
UCO: You cant call them as the use of cellphone is prohibited here. Can I see the passport of the other 2 people with you. And since you are driving the car, can I see your DL
Me: Yeah, it is somewhere here.
I again start searching and finally see my DL lying inside Kavitha's purse. Relieved, I hand it over. Here is my DL.
She sees "Karnataka State Driving License", makes a weird face...
UCO: You will have to meet the Officer in the Customs office, I cant help you.
Me: But we showed the same to the Canadian authorities, they dint....
UCO (cutting me short): I dont care what the Canadian authorities do. I am abiding by the US government. I cant let you inside US without confirming your status. So, take this slip, park your car there and go to the 2nd floor of that building. Your documents will reach there. You can meet the Immigration officer when your name is called..

To be continued....

3 Comments:

Blogger Divya said...

waitin for the part II :)

1:37 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

11:42 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

halli gamaadgalu delli ge hodar anthe :D

11:49 AM  

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