this was the first phase. then i would fly from ecuador to mexico and travel to where i could just walk across the u.s. border. finally the bus pulled up to the peru/ecuador border. i was here three years ago. this was a cakewalk. you showed them your passport, they stamped it and they let you through. i saw them searching peruvians and ecuadorians patting their bodies. body searches. this wasn't supposed to happen. were they going to body search me? the customs man came aboard and then he said take your luggage out. and this attractive young traveler sat next to me and said