international travel and customs . . .

Mexican flag

Have you ever traveled to another country? It's remarkable how entering the gates of another country can present challenges that are unexpected. 


On our way into Mexico, we obviously had to follow the rest of the herd through "customs." No one seemed to mind, as most everyone on our plane looked to be vacationing, not returning home. You may remember the beginning of our little story where I mentioned traveling through customs into Mexico with very little comment. It was easy! So, why would returning to our own home country be so difficult? Bureaucracy at it's finest!


The tension, and subsequent anxiety, began at the San Jose Del Cabo airport. We were on-time and relaxed, even looking forward to getting back home, but not prepared to repack suitcases because they weighed more than the acceptable limit. We each had one large suitcase and fully stuffed carry-on bags, then we had the snack suitcase, that should have been empty but wasn't. Each bag was manually searched, attendants riffling through all contents! They chuckled at the contents of the snack suitcase as it passed inspection. Next we went to the check in line with the scales. Samantha's bag made it through, was tagged and sent on to the conveyor belt that we hoped went to the right plane. Charlotte's bag was next and exceeded the weight limit. In the U.S. when this occurs, you are charged $50 or given the opportunity to rearrange and shift the excess weight to another bag. Not so in Mexico  .  .  .  I can't remember the exact charge, but it was somewhere in the neighborhood of $400 dollars (not pesos) to travel with the bag as it was packed at that moment. So what does Group Therapy do? We empty the snack suitcase, donating its delicious contents to the young riflers who had chuckled at its contents moments before. As we struggled to reallocate Charlotte's belongings, we were once again reminded of our friendship and unique bond. We were one unit determined to fix this little glitch. Thankfully, my bag passed the weight inspection, so all we had left was security.

Wilbur "look-a-like" (from Charlotte's Web)

This sweet little piglet reminds me of our commitment  .  .  . in Charlotte's Web, Wilbur would do anything for his beloved friend Charlotte. For us, whether it was making it through destination malfunctions, too many adult beverages, constipation, sunburn or overweight bags at the check-in, in a foreign country, we were united in a way most would envy. 


The challenges continued once we entered the U.S. in Houston. Our carry-ons were loaded to the gills and we had to walk the circumference of the airport to get to the "customs" area, only to be told that the special tequila that we bought at the airport in Del Cabo could no longer be carried on the next leg of our flight  .  .  .   these bottles needed to be packed in our suitcases. WHAT???  How were we going accomplish that? So once again, and at a fevered tempo, we repacked, reorganized, and RAN to make it through customs, security and to our final gate. We were late, and exhausted and NOT having nearly as much fun as we had been for days  .  .  .  what a bummer reality was! Figure in stress and hot flashes and a little left over hang from the last bit of fun we had in our tropical paradise. Could we actually be spending the night in Houston again? 


This flight was the final flight to our hometown today, and as fate would have it, thankfully, we approached the gate, sweating, out of breath and anxious, to be told that our last leg had been delayed by almost an hour  .  .  .  what a break! It was early evening so we decided to eat a little something, have one last beer together, and relax before this adventure really did come to an end. Shortly thereafter, we boarded our last flight, not seated together, to head home.

Remember this picture?

As I end this chapter, I realize how sad I am  .  .  .  not because the trip ended, but because our time together ended. The three of us, Charlotte, Samantha and Carrie, had spent every waking and sleeping hour together, making this wonderful story come to life. I think I speak for my two lifelong friends when I say we had withdrawals for days afterward! I guess the only realistic thing to do is start planning the next trip  .  .  .  and we will let someone else arrange the travel!


From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for reading our BLOG and reliving this adventure with us. The BLOG will continue with other stories that are too funny so stay tuned. Make us a favorite or a bookmark and please give us feedback. 


From Anne and my lifelong friends Charlotte and Samantha, and of course me, Carrie, we wish you a great weekend! Never forget the power of friendship or Group Therapy  .  .  .  

Group Therapy,  Cabo San Lucas,  2011