Today was busy. We got up and did shopping first. On the way back we travelled via Lougheed Mall and picked up the Mexican Cruise tickets for the February 10th, Long Beach departure. After that, we decided to make use of the limited-time coupon for a free buffet mentioned a while back. I'm not so sure that a quick drive across the border is worth the effort nowadays. Even though we got to the Peace Arch Border Crossing in the early afternoon, the lineup started well before getting to the park. Things went fairly fast, but it still took more than thirty minutes. Coming back into Canada was just as long, if not a few minutes more. An hour's drive hardly seems worth an hour's wait. As well as the simple questions one may expect, both sides wanted to know where we worked, the exact reason for our crossing, and of course couldn't fathom we weren't carrying newly-purchased merchandise. I hate being made to feel guilty or fearful for nothing. I mentioned as we were going south that we were going for lunch and she wanted to know where and if we were meeting anyone.
In Europe borders are disappearing. Here, I feel just like in my early days of work when trying to enter or leave Saudi Arabia. The myth of the longest, unprotected border is nothing but a distant memory these days. It's a shame, eh?