Travelling Home to Canada

Report on our trip back to Canada – costs, helpful people and bureaucratic problems

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Westjet cancelled our flight home so we got a refund and then rebooked with Horizon Air to fly Manzanillo to LA to Seattle to Bellingham where we planned to cross the border at the Peace Arch in Blaine on foot.

We had reports from friends who had successfully traveled this route.  We did not wish to fly to Vancouver and pay for 3 days in a government specified hotel to be locked in our rooms and have guards on our doors.

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Here is a summary of the costs of this trip and some of the problems we encountered.  Prices are for 2 people, include tips and are in Canadian dollars.

1.  Flight                                                                              $1600.00

2. Taxi to ZLO                                                                           55.00

3. Covid antigen test at ZLO                                                   55.00

4. Taxi/shuttle to Holiday Inn from Bellingham airport          free

5. 2 nights stay at hotel                                                         240.00

6. 2 supper meals (breakfast/lunch included at hotel           25.00

7. Taxi to airport for PCR test                                                      free

8. PCR test at Bellingham airport                                           325.00

9. Taxi shuttle to hotel                                                                  free

10. Taxi to border crossing                                                       110.00

11. Taxi to Kelowna                                                                   700.00

12. Total                                                                                  $3110.00

 

Problems and help we encountered along the way:

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1. Covid antigen test in ZLO was fairly quick – 30 minutes.  It was confusing to know where to check for our results but a Mexican porter was very helpful and got us through customs and to our flight.

2. There is no food at ZLO airport nor is any food served on the airlines (small water bottle and pretzels). Neither were there any restaurants open after 6:00 pm in LA or Seattle.  We had fortunately packed a lunch and snacks.

3. Arrived in Bellingham  and there was no shuttle to our hotel.  It was after midnight.  We ended up taking a cab.  Tried to check in but neither of our Canadian debit cards worked – one was a Credit Union card and the other was a VISA debit TD Bank card.  The night clerk would not accept US cash and was not going to pay for the shuttle/taxi even after we previously told them our flight time and flight number and they had confirmed by return email that they would be there! So, we had the night clerk wake up the manager and over some discussion, he finally agreed to break with hotel policy and allow us to pay cash and he reimbursed us for the taxi/shuttle.

4. Next day, we discovered our Visa TD account had been hacked and frozen.

5. Signed up for our PCR test at testdirectly.com; took a taxi to the airport parking lot at noon; explained about the hack, offered to pay by cash, was refused, ended up using our son’s mastercard. Results ready in 24-48 hours.

6. Back to hotel where same manager was on.  Explained about hack and he generously accepted cash and reimbursed for taxi/shuttle as we had gone back and forth from the Bellingham airport.  Told him he was a saint and wrote a positive review for him at booking.com.

7. Next day, we had previously booked a car rental.  They wouldn’t deliver a car to the border so we had planned to take a taxi to Surrey, the nearest car rental place.  Here is where we had the biggest hassle and encountered the worst BS.  The guards declined our plan to take a taxi and rent a car!  Reason? The car rental places were not equipped to handle the public with necessary Covid protocols and we could not “interface” with any members of the public!!!  What a crock – we had been “interfacing” for days in Bellingham where everybody was following protocols – mask, sanitizers, plexiglass, social distancing.  We couldn’t believe that the car rental places weren’t also similarly equipped! After about an hour, I hit on the bright idea – could we take a taxi home?  Obviously, taxi’s met with approval.  In fact the guards helpfully supplied the names of 3 long-distance taxis (why did they have this info ready? Coincidence? Collusion? Conspiracy?)  Before we were allowed to leave the border, we had to have another Covid antigen test!!! Even though we already had the PCR the day before and all our tests were negative. Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait for results – this was day 1 of our Canadian quarantine and we have to do another test on day 8.

8. So, finally after so much stress and aggravation, spending untold hours on hold with airlines, banks, taxis, hotels;  we had a most pleasant 3 ½ hour drive home in a comfortable van, right to our doorstep.

Upon reflection, we still think it ended up cheaper that flying to Vancouver, paying a hotel for 3 nights in “jail”, then flying to Kelowna and taking a taxi from the airport home.