KUALA LUMPUR: Popular singer-songwriter Yuna was once blacklisted in Canada for accidentally entering the country to find the nearest restaurant.
Yuna, 38, said in a recent Instagram post that this happened 14 years ago when she tried to find a halal restaurant after a performance in Detroit, the United States.
"My fellow musicians and I were on the road and decided to find the nearest restaurant, and we made use of a Blackberry phone to pick a restaurant that was still open late at night," she said.
Yuna added that they were all hungry and craving for some pizza, and the Blackberry located a halal restaurant that remained open until 1am.
"We quickly drove to that restaurant, but we soon found out that we had left the United States and entered Canada."
Yuna said that they realised that they were in Canada after driving through a tunnel, which had a signboard which read that they were at the US-Canadian border.
"Before we knew it, some immigration officers stopped us. We showed them our passports, but we were still detained for entering Canada without visas," said Yuna.
As a result, Yuna was blacklisted from entering Canada for a few years.
"Since that incident, I have had to undergo strict immigration checks before entering Canada for performances."
Yuna and her friends were unable to enjoy pizza at their destination as a result of their "illegal entry" into Canada.
"Nevertheless, it was still an interesting and funny adventure for us," said Yuna.