Profiling: Coming to an airport near you

[scandal 951]

They were just doing their job, in the end. In Tel-Aviv, when something out of the ordinary happens, it sparks their interest. Me being from US and my fiancee being from Ukraine, yet spending time together in Israel didn't sit well with them so..

That makes no sense. Not the part about them looking for something out of the ordinary - that they most certainly do. But the part about US & Ukraine, that's not strange at all. There are plenty of Ukrainians and Americans living in Israel, visiting Israel, and traveling in and out of Israel. Just as there are American/Thai couples (myself & my wife) doing the same, or other mixed nationalities. The bar of strange behavior is set quite a bit higher than that at TLV.

[Martyshk 137]

That makes no sense. Not the part about them looking for something out of the ordinary - that they most certainly do. But the part about US & Ukraine, that's not strange at all. There are plenty of Ukrainians and Americans living in Israel, visiting Israel, and traveling in and out of Israel. Just as there are American/Thai couples (myself & my wife) doing the same, or other mixed nationalities. The bar of strange behavior is set quite a bit higher than that at TLV.

I know, I've traveled there quite a bit.

What started it all, is that a security guard (a very young girl) could not understand why we were both there at the same time, something didn't register with her. I was escorting my fiancee through the security line because she doesn't speak English or Hebrew. So they asked me who are you, I told them, I'm a fiance. They asked for my passport, and then it went on. I dunno why it was such a big deal. They barely looked at her luggage and waved her through to the ticket counter and she went through the securty/passport control after with no problems.

However.... a bit later, when I was going through the pre-screening myself, I was in the line with the same girl security guard that my fiancee went through, so meh.

Also, that day, something else was going on at Ben-Gurion. They were using some weird sticks with blue cloth on them to wipe the contents of people's carry-ons and everything inside of them. Pretty much everyone's stuff too. So I'm not sure if they were looking for explosives or whatnot. You know how it goes there

[scandal 951]

You know how it goes there

Yes, I do. All too well.

[DanielParul 50]

I was visiting family in India back in Feb. You have to shave before you try to get on the subway there or the paramilitaries will want to talk to you. Facial hair is a big no-no if you don't want people to think you're Moooslem.

I do not believe that. What city are you talking about?

[Darnell 8,479]

Cool - China ain't on the list. Yay!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I do not believe that. What city are you talking about?

Kolkata. A few weeks before I arrived, Muslim 'militant' groups had threatened to blow up a mandir right across a metro stop. My cousin was detained a few times by then too, he had even more facial hair than I do.

[justashooter 430]

At an Indian airport, I've had my carryons emptied on the ground by security personnel, sifted through with a baton and then ordered to hurry up and repack because I'm holding up the line

i was never treated disrespectfully at any of the 20 or so indian airports i have been through.

they did get a bit nervous the time i field stripped the security guy's sterling, though.

it was an indian made copy, but seemed to be adequate in all respects, though i did not live fire it.

they wouldn't let me play with the SLR, but we did have a nice conversation about the differences between the indian SLR and similar brit/canadian/aussie manufactured models.

then there was the time i struck up a conversation with a cutie in the mumbai airport. she had a bunch of younger girls with her, and said she was touring with them. ten minutes later my indian friend asked me how it was that i was talking with the current Miss India? Miss India? i said. she seemed rather ordinary to me.