Bob, Larry and all:
Just got back from a great trip to Mexico and have been catching up on all the message threads this evening. After reading this one I just had to add my 2 cents worth.
We flew across the Gulf of Mexico from Cancun to New Orleans and went through customs and immigration there. What surprised me was that the officials in New Orleans did absolutely nothing! I mean they not only didn't look in the plane or ask to see our bags but they didn't even ask to see our passports!
When we came back from the Bahamas in May I was a little surprised at how lax the inspection was in Florida but at least the immigration guy did ask to see our passports. But not this time in New Orleans.
So, as Judy and I were taxiing over to get some gas I remarked on how much stuff we could have brought back. She, of course, immediately pointed out how we would surely have been taken apart if we had tried. Smuggling is not my thing so it doesn't matter, but after 9/11 I would think that the officials would have made some effort to check us out. I can remember when every passenger and every bag used to get checked upon returning to the U.S. No more.
As a side note for anyone planning on flying to Mexico, probably ought not to try entering the country on a Sunday. We crossed the border at Brownsville, TX and landed at Matamoros to go through Mexican customs. Bad idea! They were very nice and polite but it turns out that there is a "special" fee for "special" services on Sundays there. About $115 U.S. There's even a sign on the wall announcing the need to pay for special services outside of normal business hours. In the future, we'll go Mon-Fri or be sure to land at a bigger, busier airport that has 7 day/week service. We couldn't fly direct to Cancun on the way down due to a massive low pressure system that was threatening to turn into a tropical storm in the middle of the Gulf. But the weather was great on the way back.
I'd tell you all about locking myself out of the plane in Villahermosa but I'll save that story for another time. Glad to be back in the States.
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