I have just seen the most laid back border EVER. Crossing between Peru and Bolivia, the only reason you would know if you changed countries at all is because of all the tricycle drivers assaulting you to drive you to the frontera. Originally i was told by someone in my collectivo van that the border is only a couple blocks up, so i started off walking, but then got laughed at by another collectivo that was going to the border town. After I'd turned varied shades of carefully hidden pink (since i had been so generously sun kissed on the lake earlier) I was very happy i didnt plod through like 2 km of nothingness all the while having to watch my backpack against it being cut or what not.
You get to the other side and the biggest sign you see is: GO BATHROOM HERE. or maybe it was NEED GO BATHROOM HERE. around the sign are much the same spreads of blankets covered with trinkets and knit hats etc. The only way you know you already crossed is a condensation of money changing tables on the street. Only after careful looking around did i spot the immigration office where i needed to go get my stamps, cards etc. The only people going through the process were two swiss girls i had seen earlier on the trip to the titicaca islands (ooh, i stopped giggling at that one) and myself. The locals just seemed to be walking back and forth with the look of inpenetrability, covered by a bowler hat and supported by a huge colorful sack on their backs. well, at least in the case with women. men had no sacks. you know what i mean?