Over the last few months i've began what i feel to be my first mid-life crisis. I sold my house, quit my job, gave up everything i own except what fits on my motorcycle and moved to Mexico City with my girlfriend Claudia. This is a big challenge for me! I will attend University starting in January to study Spanish and will need to start some sort of business to make a living. One thing i am having the hardest time with is adjusting to the level of corruption that is part of everyday life in Latin America. Especially with the Police! You cannot trust the police in Mexico and they should be avoided like the plague. Everytime my girlfriend has been stopped for whatever reason, you can guarentee that some sort of payment will be made, service with a smile! Here's how al this began:
I've traveled through Mexico a lot over the years and have never had a problem. Both the police and military have pretty much ignored me, and using ignorance has gotten me out of a few situations (no hablo espanol??) This last entry to my new home left a very bad taste in my mouth. First, Banjercito refused to recognise my motorcycle registration. On the form is a slot for Aircare, a pollution controll service used for cars and trucks, moto's are exempt. Therefor it is left blank. I've never had a problem with this before with my other bikes, but this time the guy said there is no expiry and refused to issue a permit. A asked him what i can do, and with a smirk he told me to go see La Senora in Aduana, so i did. She was a nice lady, very friendly, and i carefully explained the situation the best i could with friendly smiles and laughs. She then kindly wrote me a letter saying she felt the paper was indeed valid and to issue me the permit. She then asked me for $20...what?? Indeed, this little note will cost you $20, or you cannot enter the country.
I was furious! But, i kept my cool, got my permit, gave the beggar missing one leg enough money to feed him and his kid and sped away, giving everyone who wasn't paying attention the bird. Nice...
Three days later i enter Mexico City, my new home. Not my first time here on the bike, but exciting and intimidating none the less. Not 15 minutes into the city, i'm surrounded by four cops on moto's. Uh oh, now what?? So i pull over on the side of the highway and the first guy introduces himself in a friendly manner and shakes my hand. I jokingly ask him why there are four policemen for only me?? He begins to explain the "program" in Mexico city, where vehicles are prohibited from driving in the city one day a week, based on their plate number. It's thursday, and on thursdays, #4 is prohibited from driving. I said i was sorry, i'm a foreigner and don't know the rules,and will leave immediately for Queraterro and return in the morning.
"No Senor, you are in DF now and prohibited. We need to go to the station where we will keep the bike until tomorrow. You will then pay a fine and you can have your bike."
Well, how much is the fine?
"$350 dollars."
...okay, so at this point i know i'm about to get fleeced by Mexico's finest. I take a good look around me. The cops are riding two Harley sportsters and a couple of Honda's. Out of the four of them, only one actually looked like a cop, and he was in the background watching carefully. The rest looked like they bought their outfits at a set-dec sale for the tv show "The Streets of San Francisco" Keystone cops without a doubt!
I told them i'm a foreigner travelling in their wonderful country, and i apolagise that i don't know the rules, and i will leave right away and return in the morning. They said i need to pay them a fine, they will let me go for only $300 dollars. I showed them the $25 i had in Peso's in my muggers wallet and said it's all i have. They said we can go to the bank and take out the money. I flatly refused and said that was very dangerous for me, no! Let me leave to Quereterro.
"Senor, you need to pay us the fine now or we will take you to the station."
I called his bluff:"Okay, vamos al estation! I have no money, so lets go!"
...he didn't like that! The keystone cop kicked the dirt in frustation, called me some bad name in Spanish and walked away. At this point, the "real" cop walked up to me, opened his book and asked me to give him what i had. He also tried to extort everything he could, but i stood my ground only showing him my wallet. He asked if he could look in my bags. I said of course, once we go to the station. He finally accepted my $25 and let me go, reminding me to stay off the Periferico.
This experience has left a very bad taste in my mouth, and i keep thinking of how i might of managed the situation differently. I've heard of this before in DF, from Wyomex i think??
I would like to here your input on how i handeled the situation, and really what is the law regarding motorcycles in DF? For now i have both a fear and hate for the Mexican police, extortionist bastards, every one of them! I don't like feeling this way, especially considering this is my new home for the next few years, and i'm hoping someone can convince me different. Who can you trust in Mexico, other than your closest friends? Is this corruption only found in the Police and Gov't circles? Do i have anything to look foreward to??