{"id":7705,"date":"2017-02-24T16:18:48","date_gmt":"2017-02-24T21:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/?p=7705"},"modified":"2020-01-15T12:29:29","modified_gmt":"2020-01-15T17:29:29","slug":"complications-at-the-border","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2017\/02\/complications-at-the-border\/","title":{"rendered":"Complications at the Border"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Stranded<\/h3>\n

We were stuck on the border between Mexico and the United States.\u00a0 Officials on the American side didn\u2019t see reason to let my French husband back in the country.<\/p>\n

No, Eric hadn\u2019t done anything wrong.\u00a0 He\u2019s got a B-2 visitor visa which allows for stays of up to six months at a time over a ten year period.<\/p>\n

The thing is, official visa regulations don\u2019t specify how frequently B-2 visa holders can visit. In theory, you could just walk across the US border into Mexico or Canada, turn around, and come right back to the USA.<\/p>\n

We\u2019d crossed into Mexico before Eric\u2019s allotted 6-months in the US expired.\u00a0 So far, so good.<\/p>\n

No reasonable person wants to overstay in the USA.\u00a0 It\u2019s not like in Sudan, where officers just smile and wave you past border control even though your visa officially expired two days back.\u00a0 Or even Laos, where over-stayers pay a nominal fine for each extra day.<\/p>\n

Nope.\u00a0 Make a slip up with your USA exit dates and you\u2019re likely to be barred from reentry for several years.\u00a0 Possibly worse, in Trump\u2019s America.<\/p>\n

A Change of Plans<\/h3>\n

We exited the United States in southern Arizona with the intention of riding across northern Mexico through the states of Sonora and Chihuahua and then reentering the United States somewhere in Texas.<\/p>\n

And then I got freaked out about safety.\u00a0 That\u2019s what happens when you spend too much time on the US State Department website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

U.S. citizens have been the victims of violent crimes, including homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery in various Mexican states.<\/p>\n

Gun battles between rival criminal organizations or with Mexican authorities have taken place on streets and in public places during broad daylight. The Mexican government dedicates substantial resources to protect visitors to major tourist destinations and has engaged in an extensive effort to counter criminal organizations that engage in narcotics trafficking and other unlawful activities throughout Mexico.<\/p>\n

Sonora is a key region in the international drug and human trafficking trades. U.S. citizens traveling throughout Sonora are encouraged to limit travel to main roads during daylight hours and exercise caution on the Highway 15 corridor from Nogales to Empalme.<\/p>\n

Criminal activity and violence remains an issue throughout the state of Chihuahua and its major cities.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Cautious or Neurotic?<\/h3>\n

Over the years I\u2019ve grown more\u2014not less\u2014safety conscious. Maybe that\u2019s due to age.\u00a0 It\u2019s a well-known fact that risk aversion increases as we get older.<\/p>\n

But I think the main reason I\u2019m less willing to take chances with my safety is that I\u2019m better informed. \u00a0\u00a0Well, at least I listen to more news (via podcasts\u2014mostly from NPR and the BBC).<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong, listening to a steady stream of the world\u2019s woes as recounted by the media hasn\u2019t made me fearful of exploring our planet.<\/p>\n

Our world is a wonderful place, full of mostly kind and generous people.\u00a0 This is I\u00a0know<\/em> from first-hand experience.<\/p>\n

Iranians are NOT religious fanatics who want to kill westerners.\u00a0 Poor African villagers are NOT thieves who will strip your bike as soon as you turn your back. Rednecks in Texas do NOT hate cyclists and attempt to run them off the road at every chance.<\/p>\n

95% Nice<\/h3>\n

But there are a few bad apples everywhere. And kidnapping is an increasingly popular pastime<\/a> in the 21st<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve listened spellbound as kidnapping survivors recounted their ordeals. \u00a0Experienced war journalists have given podcast accounts of being held by ISIS in Syria.\u00a0 The wife of a factory owner in Mexico shared her experiences negotiating for the release of her husband.\u00a0 A British woman told how she was awoken in the middle of the night by armed men who whisked her away from her resort off the coast of Kenya.\u00a0 A despondent shopkeeper in Venezuela explained how thugs kidnapped his son as he trudged home from school.<\/p>\n

So, yes, people do get kidnapped. \u00a0\u00a0And it\u2019s not just the wealthy that are affected.<\/p>\n

What are the odds of foreign cycle tourists in Mexico getting kidnapped?\u00a0 Probably pretty low. Targeting foreigners would mean international attention and that\u2019s something most criminals steer clear of.<\/p>\n

I know the biggest risk I run by riding across Northern Mexico\u2014even in areas deemed extremely dangerous by the US State Department- is getting hit by a distracted driver.\u00a0 Smartphone addicts are the real danger to two-wheeled travelers.<\/p>\n

Facing Facts<\/h3>\n

I also know that I couldn\u2019t really relax and enjoy a ride across Northern Mexico.\u00a0 I\u2019d worry too much. I\u2019m the first to admit my kidnapping fears are slightly irrational.\u00a0 But, as much as I might like to be a carefree individual who could ride her bike through slightly sketchy spots without concern, that\u2019s not me.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we were being held up at the US border post between Agua Prieta and Douglas, Arizona. The US immigration officials didn\u2019t think our one-week stay in Mexico amounted to a substantial departure from the US.\u00a0 Eric had just spent 6 months in the US and officials saw no reason to grant him six more, back-to-back.<\/p>\n

Which would be really, really bad for us. We\u2019d be stuck in Mexico(a place I\u2019d concluded was too dangerous for touring) and we\u2019d miss our planned flight from New York to Kazakhstan in early April.<\/p>\n

Proving our Case<\/h3>\n

Our situation seemed pretty gloomy.<\/p>\n

Luckily, a kind-hearted supervisor decided to hear us out.<\/p>\n

I passionately pleaded our case.\u00a0 Eric wasn\u2019t entering the country in order to \u2018steal\u2019 a job from a hard working American. We really did just want to ride our bikes across the southern US. \u00a0In a last ditch effort to convince the officials of our honest intentions, we pulled up bank statements and photos on our laptop to prove financial solvency and explain our bike touring project.<\/p>\n

After three hours of tense dialogue, the coveted stamp was issued.\u00a0 Eric was in for six more months.\u00a0 Now it was time to ride to Tucson.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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\"Bike
Back in the USA. Legally.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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