I always thought that as long as I declared any amounts over $10K no problem but I guess not . So how do I protect myself? Carry copies of bank statements showing x amount in withdrawals (the amount I'm taking with me) but there really isn't any paper trail per se for the amounts I'm bringing back with me.

In case you guys don't know, there is a very active "underground" in these countries where for a fee you can leave money there in local currency and pick up the equivalent in the US in $. I'd prefer not to do that for a number of reasons but it seems that law abiding citizens like myself would be forced to skirt the rules rather than run the risk of having our funds seized for no reason