This looks like an innocent snack for me...
If you think this is just a tricky title, you are wrong. This really happened to me and Luísa.
First I´d like to say that I´ve been wanting to travel with Luísa for an extended period of time, but I´m still not sure where to go… I want to write on this blog about traveling, so I´ll have to tell you about some of our past trips.
When Luísa was two and a half years old, we went to spend a month in Chile. I´ve been to Chile many times and I know how the customs there work. Dogs sniff all the luggage and some passengers as well. Luísa wanted to pet the German Sheperd, but I wisely didn´t let her.
I know that you are not supposed to bring in the country any kind of food, plant or agricultural product. I actually smuggled in cheese bread once, the police officer made me open my luggage to check on this maybe dangerous product. Well, back that time, the officer let us pass by with just an ugly face.
This time it was different. We were arriving at 11:45 pm in Santiago and I had some coconut oil with me and I declared it as soon as I walked off of that airplane. I told an officer about my bottle of coconut oil and he said that I didn´t need to do any papers for that.
But hey, once my backpack went through that X-ray machine: danger was in sight! An apple had been forgotten! The police officer stopped us right there and showed me this huge sign of products you can´t bring in (with a picture of an apple among other examples).
So we were taken to this room and another officer explained that they would have to give me a fine of US$200! No way to back out. I tried to explain that mothers always carry a snack for their kids and that I had forgotten the fruit there two days earlier.
He took the apple and put it in a sort of evidence plastic bag and called someone to pick it up. Then he told this someone to destroy it.
We were held by the Chilean beaurocracy for one and a half hours, with me making sure that Luísa didn´t mess up the officer´s table or the office during this time. After paying and signing a document explaining the whole incident, we were let free without a single bite on the forbidden fruit.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I once forgot a bottle of forbidden water in my backpack and we were pulled aside (but not held for hours, and we didn’t have to pay a fine). It was in Las Vegas. Fortunately as the officer was shuffling through our backpack he saw a familiar book, one that my husband and I were reading together at the time. He began reciting a quote from the front of the book. At-first we were startled, then the officers face broke into a smile as he finished the quote. We were happy (and amazed that he was able to say the quote in its entirety).
“Look to this day, for it is life…the very life of life…”
Have a great day, Marilia, and enjoy a delicious apple
What a positive encounter you had with your ilegal items. I love the quote.
Unbeliavable !!!
I just got back from Miami, and I forgot to tell my mum – that was traveling with me – that it´s forbidden to carry any fruits. Well, she had not only one but TWO apples !!!
They stopped her bag but for my surprise, the reason was a bottle of water. Amanzinly they let the two aples pass. Maybe they thought as an elderly lady, she wasn´t much of a treat !
Perhaps you should consider going to Miami with Luiza, it´s hot, the beach is calm and there are lots of kids there !!
Congratulations on your blog !!!
Kisses and Tchau !
I guess apples are more dangerous in Chile than in the U.S.
Miami is a bit off of our plans right now, but thanks for the tip, I´ll keep it in mind.