Ah! The day I'm having! And so typical of island life ... well, my island life.

I knew this was going to be a town day. Mark received notice yesterday that a parcel had arrived for me, so a trip at least as far as the airport was called for. You see, everything that comes to Seychelles is taxable, and as there's no way to stick something in the boot of your car and drive it into the country, the powers that be are very systematic about how packages come out of cargo holds, then move along to end recipients. Fed Ex or DHL, or whichever company has been paid a stack of money to transport your goods from Point A to your house, don't. What they do is give you a little piece of paper that informs you that something has arrived, along with a bill of lading that should tell what it is and how much it cost. An import permit must then be filled out, and with the document diabolically convoluted, Mark had done this for me. (He's good at that kind of thing.) Since my parcel is a gift I only know what's in the box because the bill of lading lists contents, and I'm not really supposed to know the cost, which is problematic ... but I'll get to that.

Because she can, my darling daughter decided this morning to set her schedule completely on its head and take a very long nap right about the time I had hoped to start out. By the time she finally was awake, fed, bathed and dolled up, I knew time would be tight, but decided to get going anyway. I arrived at the airport customs office just after eleven with the paperwork. Just in time to wait around for a while, juggling kids the whole time, of course, then be told that I needed all documents in triplicate and to return at one o'clock. The closest photocopier is in Victoria. So ... wrestle the kids back into car seats and off we go.

The photocopy place, Kim Koon, is in the heart of town on the street that runs from the clock tower to the Twa Wazo roundabout ... a very busy stretch. Especially at lunch time.

Lunch time! Forget this plan then, as Kim Koon is now closed for an hour, like every other business in Victoria that's not a restaurant or a take-away.

But I'm supposed to be back at the airport at one. Hmmmm ... I wonder if my friend J has a printer that can make copies ... Quick call, and Yep!, I'm in luck ... she's got one, and she's home, so stop right by. No time for a coffee ... thank you very much.

Back out to the airport, and the following conversation:

Customs official: Madam, you have neglected to fill in the section with the individual value of the items.

Me: This is a gift, so I don't know the value of the items.

CO: But the value of the individual items must be listed (indicating a row of little squares on the import permit) HERE.

Me: But I don't know the value. There's a total on the bill of lading. Doesn't that work?

CO: No, Madam. The value per item must be listed HERE. (indicating the squares again)

Me: But I don't know the value per item.

CO: But the value of the individual items must be listed HERE (once again, that indicating thing)

Me: Hmmmmmm. (a sound I can make when thinking ... or just about to explode) So ... if I take the total value listed on the bill of lading, divide it by three and put that number in the little squares ...

CO: I'll get you a calculator.

A mere hour and ten minutes, and five hundred and twenty-five rupees later, I have my package. Wow! For Seychelles, that was pretty easy.

More on this *&#!?*% day tomorrow!

Questions? Comments? Shy? E-mail me ... intladoptionblog@adoptionmail.com