OFF: immigration trivia quiz

Colin J Allen colin at CALLEN18.FREESERVE.CO.UK
Sun Aug 24 15:43:53 EDT 2003


EFTA = European Free Trade Area.


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----- Original Message -----
From: "Henderson Keith" <keith.henderson at PSI.CH>
To: <BOC-L at LISTSERV.ISPNETINC.NET>
Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2003 2:58 PM
Subject: Re: OFF: immigration trivia quiz


> An experienced voice says...
>
> >when i visited the uk from the netherlands in 1979 for a hawkwind gig the
> >costum officer asked me where i was going to.
> >i said enthusiastly ......to see hawkwind in london :)
> >
> >well then they started checking my bags,clothes everything.
> >
> >almost ever since then the customs check me when i try to enter the uk.
> >it doesn't matter if i travel by plane, boat or jetfoil !!!!
> >
> >so now i NEVER EVER tell them that i go to see hawkwind.
>
> Yeah, after enough shows in Toronto I learned the same (not specifically
> with Hawkwind, but any band).  Plus, if you're travelling alone,
> have long hair, and say you're just going to be there one evening,
> then it starts to get more suspicious.  And then you start answering
> detailed questions about what concert you're going to see ("Never
> heard of them") and what club it is ("Never heard of this place"),
> etc.  When I went to see Pink Floyd in the old Exhibition Stadium
> (which I think has been torn down now hasn't it, Eric?), I actually
> did come across 'straight'...since I thought there would be lots of
> Buffalo folx driving up for it.  And never ever take amphetamines
> in powder form!  :)
>
> But at Luton immigration, I said merely, "I'm going up to the Lake
> District for a camping trip with friends."  Which really was pretty
> much the truth, so...
>
> My only problem was that I had to wait a full hour to get up to the
> counter. During this time they waved through about a million people
> with UK, EU, Swiss, and other 'non-threatening' passports in another
> line, so I ended up behind just a small group of African, Canadian,
> and Middle Eastern folk, some of whom (guess who?) were getting
> serious looks.  And so there I was still waiting long after my bag
> stopped rotating around the claim carousel, and was put aside.
>
> Grakkl (FAA)
>
> P.S.  Still don't understand why the Canadians (and Aussies too?)
> didn't get to go through the 'express' line, but that the Swiss
> were able to, since I guess they are part of something called EFTA,
> I think it was (what the heck does this mean?).
>



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