Kansas collegians deprived of their Wheaties on trip to Guayallamba EC

Was Bruce Jenner on the Wheaties box?

https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=i … mp=yhs-001

In case such important news of this nature does not make its way to Ecuador (as you should hope):

http://news.yahoo.com/bruce-jenner-gend … cAksInnIlQ

cccmedia wrote:

...the professor accompanying them -- Business Prof. Bobby Lloyd -- had pre-arranged for their breakfast cereals to be shipped to them in EC.

I don't find the shipment getting stuck in customs nearly as strange as the fact that he "pre-arranged" to have their cereal shipped to Ecuador. Really? Would eating Ecuadorian cereal be that traumatic during their stay?

I don't think anybody was worried about eating an Ecuadorian breakfast.

My take is that Bobby Lloyd has a unique sense of humor and surprise, which probably keeps his students engaged -- engaged enough to follow him thousands of miles away from their college.

They were not in Kansas any more.

cccmedia wrote:

*Bethel College is a highly-rated liberal arts college affiliated with Mennonite Church USA.

Congrats, you used "liberal" and "Mennonite" in the same sentence with no negatives.

cccmedia wrote:

engaged enough to follow him thousands of miles away from their college.

They were not in Kansas any more.

There are many who would travel thousands of miles just to get out of Kansas.
Why not invite them down for the summer?

mugtech wrote:

There are many who would travel thousands of miles just to get out of Kansas.
Why not invite them down for the summer?

I believe I already did.

In the recent thread titled "Quito Expats Welcome Texans This Summer"...
I invited Texans to come here and get out of the heat during North America's hottest months.  I specifically added:  "Friendly visitors from all other locations are welcome, as well."

If that was unclear, I now add: 
"Kansans, y'all come too."

cccmedia in Quito

cccmedia wrote:

Although "the cereals physically made it to Ecuador, the postal service would not let our host family pick them up," one of the Bethel students later reported

It would not have been Correos that didn't allow the Wheaties into the country, but rather Customs and probably with the involvement of whatever government agency is responsible for agriculture. Not at all surprising, all countries have lists of foodstuffs and agricultural products that are not permitted.

Just ask the USA Expert @usmc_mv about his adventure trying to get 4 small boxes of Kraft Mac and Cheese sent into Brazil. Customs would have been less concerned about components to build a nuclear weapon, believe me. You can also ask him exactly the kind of foods that Customs & Border Protection - CBP confiscates in the USA.

Most savvy travelers know that trying to take foods with them when they travel internationally is nothing but a headache, sending it by mail or courier is no different, it's always subject to inspection and confiscation.

Amusing little story to start off the day, nonetheless.

Cheers,
James       Expat-blog Experts Team

cccmedia wrote:

I now add: 
"Kansans, y'all come too."
cccmedia in Quito

That's what they wanted to hear, they hate being lumped in with everybody else
They don't like to be a Texas after thought, gotta remember they entered the union in 1860 as a free state, never tried to leave like Texas.

James wrote:

It would not have been Correos that didn't allow the Wheaties into the country, but rather Customs...Just ask the USA Expert @usmc_mv about his adventure trying to get 4 small boxes of Kraft Mac and Cheese sent into Brazil.

I believe every aspect of your post is correct, James.

I would note that "SENAE" WAS included in my earlier post as being involved in the cereal 'blockade,' SENAE being the name of the EC customs agency.  An agency so opaque that, in my experience, they use Correos to front for them in 'communicating' with mail customers whom SENAE has decided to penalize.

As for contacting that Marine Corps sergeant....if he's the one who was representing the Home Office re the "Mile High Club" thread on the USA Forum -- the fiasco of the month -- I don't think we'll be querying him about mac-and-cheese shipments to Brazil.

cccmedia in Quito

I don't think it's any different in the USA or Canada either. When Canada Customs or the US Customs and Border Protection intercept a parcel and decide it is prohibited they don't contact the recipient either, they leave that up to the respective postal services. Given that Canada is a major wheat producing nation and exporter, I have to wonder if a shipment of Wheaties would have escaped the eagle eye of Canada Customs or Agriculture Canada? I think the end result would have been the same there... the team would have had to settle for Canadian cereal if it happened there.

I remember lots of cross-border grocery shopping trips to Blaine, WA or Bellinham, WA back when I lived in Vancouver, Canada in the brief era where the Canadian "Loonie" was worth more than the US "Greenback" (sigh). Supermarkets actually noted on the shelves the products that wouldn't make it past the Customs check-point. The general rule of thumb is that if it's meat, fish or any agricultural product that is produced in the country, then it is NOT going to be allowed to be imported. It ends up confiscated and goes into the bin.

Side note: Don't know if it actually goes to the landfill or it ends up reducing the grocery bill of everybody working the border point. Hard to say, but I've often wondered!

Great video of US CBP on a typical day:   http://youtu.be/L_n-p0gzAPc