Juan
comes up to the Mexican border on his bicycle. He's got
two large bags over his shoulders. The guard stops him
and says, "What's in the bags?" "Sand,"
answered Juan.
The guard says, "We'll just see about that - get
off the bike!" The guard takes the bags and rips
them apart; he empties them out and finds nothing in them
but sand. He detains Juan overnight and has the sand analyzed,
only to discover that there is nothing but pure sand in
the bags. The guard releases Juan, puts the sand into
new bags, hefts them onto the man's shoulders, and lets
him cross the border.
The next day, the
same thing happens. The guard asks, "What have
you got?" "Sand," says Juan.
The guard does
his thorough examination and discovers that the bags
contain nothing but sand. He gives the sand back to
Juan, and Juan crosses the border on his bicycle.
This sequence of
events is repeated every day for a year. Finally, Juan
doesn't show up one day and the guard meets him in a
Cantina in Mexico.
"Hey, Buddy,"
says the guard, "I know you are smuggling something.
It's driving me crazy. It's all I think about..... I
can't sleep. Just between you and me, what are you smuggling?"
Juan sips his beer
and says, "Bicycles."