Balkans - Bulgaria to Bosnia

This was almost Colombia all over again...except I pulled a Bulgarian, the Canadian way ;)

My heart began to race as soon as I walked off the plane and into a room full of hundreds of people who were all waiting to go through customs. With only two hours until boarding (the exact same scenario we were in when we flew here from Panama City in April) I knew I was going to miss my flight to Ottawa. What could I do? I overheard the woman in front of me talk about some sort of mobile passport app that would allow you to bypass the herd, so I immediately befriended her and asked her for more details. We became fast ‘friends’ and exchanged numbers on WhatsApp as she assured me she would hold my place in line just in case this ‘short line’ didn’t actually exist, but if it did then I would send her a message so she and her daughter could take advantage of it as well. As I wearily made my way to the “mobile passport line” I asked every employee I could for reassurance that this was legitimate. There were only 9 people ahead of me!! I could hardly believe my eyes!! As I waited in line, I then started chatting with an employee who seemed to be directing traffic. I guess I must have killed her with kindness, as she let me enter a “Global Entry” kiosk line that is apparently a paid service, and I just heard her decline a fellow traveler who was worried about missing his flight to Denver, so a line of 9 quickly turned into 0, as they were serving me next!

How was I slithering my way through so smoothly? Next obstacle - the customs agent repeatedly took my photo, but it wasn’t recognizing me for whatever reason, so I cracked a joke about being so short as the reason it wasn’t working, so he told me not to worry about it, wished me a great day and let me through...seriously what is happening? I raced to the baggage claim area and had the biggest smile on my face when I spotted my backpack. As I dropped it off, the gentleman working the check-in counter chatted with me for several minutes and told me not to forget my “baby,” aka my backpack when I landed in Ottawa or else he’d be upset - seriously why are people being so friendly?!?

I found my gate, confirmed my departure time, and just like toucan Sam I followed my nose to...the closest bar. Currently at a place called “American Tap Room,” and boy let me tell you beer has never tasted so good, as sheer minutes ago I was sure that I’d be resting my head in Washington for the night. Although it’s not a Maple Leaf Lounge, I sure feel like a VIP today. For anyone who has travelled through Dulles before you’ll understand, so one huge piece of advice, download the Mobile Passport app in advance and save yourself the stress! KKOkumaya devam et