By ScubaBanker (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #668) on Tuesday, November 6, 2007 - 10:59 pm: |
After much talk and convincing my boss he will let me take what I am calling the 3 hr tour to bonaire. I know that the police have our passports so I just need to get in country so that I can reclaim our items and identify them for us.
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By Jeff (BonaireTalker - Post #88) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 - 2:38 am: |
When I first read this post I thought that it was a joke. The "police have our passports" had me LOL. Given the recent horde of stolen property that has been recovered, I understand. It is still a funny post Lucy!
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By Kobi in Virginia (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2396) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 - 6:39 am: |
WOW...that's a lot for passport retrieval! I would personally ask someone on island to secure my passport for me. This can be done with a release form with the BON PD so I heard. I was thinking Kathy was maybe going to get a release and have someone there get them for her?
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By Vince DePietro (Bellevue Condos ) (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1140) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 - 7:20 am: |
I can't understand WHY you would want to put yourself through this after what you have been through. IMHO the worst part of the Bonaire experience is the traveling, yet that's what you want to do. Really, your plan doesn't make any logical sense to me.
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By ScubaBanker (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #669) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 - 8:41 am: |
it not just about the passport. We had alot of electronic equipment stolen the big thing is Larry's laptop which had all his pictures on it and devastated Kathy the most. Plus he is mr. national geographic photogpher and had alot of phto equipment that was very expensive not covered by insurance. So that it the main reason to get back there electronic expensive items
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By Gail T. (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2455) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 - 8:46 am: |
Good luck, Christine. I hope you can recognize and recover some of your stuff. (Doen't say much for the thief's mentality - keeping easily recognized items at home!) I'll send up a little prayer for your travels to be successful.
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By Debbie Babcock (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6294) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 - 8:48 am: |
ScubaBanker, I am on Bonaire right now and if you want, I can pick up your items for you and bring them back with me. I am here only a short time, but maybe send me pictures of the electronic equipment to identify or I bet the serial numbers would be enough to identify the items. At least you would know IF they are here.
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By Jan Klos - ( Hamlet Bonaire #10) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #550) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 - 8:53 am: |
I would ask the airlines.. With the new rules, I do not think that they will even allow you to leave the states without one. I am surprised that you did not get a replacement for the stolen passport. Good Luck!!!
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By Shelley Voelkel (BonaireTalker - Post #30) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 - 9:36 am: |
You are right regarding the airline not letting you out of the US without proper documentation. I am on the front line with the documents issue and have been for the past 20 yrs. If the documentation for your international destination states you must be wearing "blue socks" and you are not, you don't go. The fines to the airlines are outrageous plus we pay the fares for deportation! The stories I could tell "Lucy". Do you have an expired passport? A lot of the Caribbean islands will accept an expired (5yrs) for entry. It's the return to the US, and you will have your passports for that.
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By BOOM! and then there was Tara (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5315) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 - 2:07 pm: |
Christine, I hope you take Debbie up on her offer and book that return trip for fun, fun, fun....
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By Kathy H (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #9595) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 - 2:37 pm: |
Debbie, you've got mail. I really hate for anyone to waste a minute of their vacation looking for our stuff. That's very kind of you to offer!
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By Linda Stoltzfus (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1178) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 - 5:05 pm: |
My first thought was....the worst that could happen was the immigration officer will take you to the Police Station and ...that's exactly where you want to go!!! But then Shelley mentioned the difficulty of getting on the Bonaire bound flight in the first place.
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By Ann Phelan - www.bonairecaribbean.com (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2951) on Thursday, November 8, 2007 - 7:37 am: |
US Airline Officials at the various gates will not let anyone one planes without passports. I have seen a few irate people at the gates in BOS unable to board because they had no clue passports were needed.
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By Shelley Voelkel (BonaireTalker - Post #32) on Thursday, November 8, 2007 - 12:47 pm: |
Back to the passport issue. Airline agents are required to check for proper documentation at FIRST point of contact. No one SHOULD be at a gate without passport (and visa Brazil, India and China to name a few). I tried unsucessfully to get into our system yesterday to post correct info on Bonaire. Although not the thread to continue this conversation, it chaps my you know what that airport agts are doing immigration and customs work. We are not trained to do this but we are responsible for the accuracy of the information on each international passenger. Just so you know, an agent who lets someone travel without the proper documentation gets in a LOT of trouble! I'll get off my soap box now and wish everyone a wonderful day!
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By Jan Klos - ( Hamlet Bonaire #10) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #551) on Thursday, November 8, 2007 - 3:11 pm: |
Maybe no one should be allowed to purchase international tickets whether on the phone or online without a passport. That way the ifo would already be in the sytem, when the passenger checks in at the terminal. And you would only need to ask proff of passport.
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By Glen Reem (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2640) on Thursday, November 8, 2007 - 5:45 pm: |
You cannot be the first American who has had this problem: talk to the US passport people or other official US to find out what is best to do about the passports and getting to Bonaire w/o them. They will have better information than this board all put together, as interested and good as we are! You can even start at their web site. :–)
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By ScubaBanker (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #670) on Thursday, November 8, 2007 - 10:29 pm: |
I want to thank all of you for your advice. I want to thank Debbie for offering to go pickup our things. I know we reported our passports stolen to bonaire police and the us embassy so that we could get back in states but we did not do the final step of reporting it on the form to the state dept because the bonairan police told us that passports always show up. Once you declare your passports stolen even if they are found they are voided and cant be reused.
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