Monday, March 31, 2014

Come fly with me to Niagara Falls

It all started when I was planning a trip to my homeland: Brazil. My passport was dated and I heard talks of being able or not to travel with a passport that was no longer good. I was going to drive from Rochester NY to Toronto - Canada by car and from Toronto I'd get a flight to São Paulo. Called the brazilian consulate and they assured me that I was not going to be able to cross the border from USA to Canada without my passport being validated. I explained that I had a green card and the answer was no. I didn't have time to get a new passport. Darn! 
 Well, I decided to go to the border and find it out myself. Got into my car and drove one hour and fifteen minutes from here to the Niagara Falls. It was a beautiful summer day, and along the way I stopped to get some gas and a fly got inside my car, it was pretty much annoying. I opened all windows and it seems that it didn't want to get out, payed tolls and nothing, it was there, still. I was getting close to the border. And I must say I never in my life traveling any country in this whole wide world I got any pleasure crossing any borders. Perhaps is my big hair and the look of someone who smuggles little children from country to country. But anyway I was getting prepared to get double annoyed from an officer and that bloody fly bugging me all along the trip. Then I arrived at the border and the most gorgeous, amazing looking immigration officer was staring at me. Looked like a Ford model. I immediately  forgot all my love for George Clooney . That was simply not true on my book.
 Officer: - Welcome to Canada! What brings you in here?
 Me: - YOU! 
 The guy jumped! 
 Officer: - Well but what you came in here to Canada for? 
 Me: - To see you! Only you! 
 Ok the guy was laughing and at the same time purple, pink, blue and all colors of the rainbow. And I'm going to tell you something my friends: These people from the immigration NEVER, NEVER laugh. So I think he lost his voice after that and I continued: 
 Me: - May I ask you a little question? 
 Ok that was it! The guy was really thinking I was hitting on him. So then I told him that I was just there to ask him if I could cross the border with my dated passport and my valid green card on a trip I was planning a little further. Oh my gosh he open that gorgeous smile and explained to me that the passport wasn't going to be a issue if I had the green card. But that in Brazil I'd have to make another passport or I wouldn't be able to leave my country and so and so... and then he asked me a question: 
 Officer: - Did you really come here just to see me? Because I can open the gate for you to make an U-Turn and go back to US or you can go to the Canadian Niagara Falls and have a little fun and go back to the border again.
 Well then I just melted! How adorable! My very first pleasant experience crossing a border!!! An immigration officer good looking and being absolutely a gentleman. What the heck? I'm going to see the Canadian Niagara and then go back to US and go to work that same afternoon. 
 So I kept driving, looking at the amazing Niagara Falls from my window, all the tourists clicking their cameras, all the happy families, that amazing myst brushing on my face from the falls, a perfect day! And it seems that it was a perfect day for someone else too: The fly! It just bug off out of my car mixing into the crowd. After all I helped an illegal american fly to cross the border and perhaps today it works for the Casino Niagara buzzing around the old fellas playing black jack making them confused by doing dumb decisions and losing tons of money. Just a perfect , perfect simple day for me!