So home now after 10 flight legs and 8 security searches during which the process got slowly a bit slicker and excitement kept to a reasonable minimum.
Learning points included:
- The coax relays, toroid and wiring inside a diecast box show on X-rays as clear as day and one young gun thought he was onto something. Fortunately his senior female supervisor quickly put him back in his cot.
- One security guy thought things were ‘mixers’. I avoided disabusing him of the difference in meaning; it seemed to tick his boxes.
- Take all large electronics out of baggage, not just the laptop (RTFM). Then you generally pass through unchallenged. Eventually the embarrassment of turning out your entire luggage on the floor in front of strangers fades as it becomes routine – remember the inside of their luggage looks just the same, apart from the K3 etc. Just concentrate on the job in hand.
- The infinity of cables in a large jiffy bag in my luggage lid was never challenged.
- You now need an eTA to enter Canada. Fortunately it only takes about 15 minutes online
- On the slimmer planes, when experienced cabin staff say ‘I don’t think that will fit in the overhead’ they are generally right (one red face later, swimming against the tide down the slim plane). So then you must check your large bag into the hold, but at least you get it back immediately on the jet bridge at the other end.
- Despite the 6 international border crossings, again no paperwork was ever demanded.
- I remain a total believer in taking Echinacea as a preventer of plane colds. My doctor says it’s all in the mind. I can’t comment, it just seems to work.
The record was 5 trays while in Vancouver and with a delayed incoming flight, passengers were very teasy. If looks could kill.
In Winnipeg my warning to the guy behind me saying ’Ever seen 15 Ukranians get out of a Mini?’ yielded a bigger laugh than expected as he watched the boxes and entrails being yanked sequentially from my bags. Then I remembered that my Aunt emigrated to Canada decades ago and married one of the many Ukranians in that region.
There are comments upon whether stations are giving or receiving in BERU. I’m sure travellers are doing both.
73 G4CWH/ZF2CA
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