Back in the 90s I used to encounter a lot of dodgy police and border guards in Hungary and Romania. Sometimes they wanted some "backsheesh" (cash) but a cheaper option was to come prepared with a bottle of something or even a package of coffee (really - you used to be able to give civil servants a package of coffee as well to reduce the amount of bureaucracy you normally had to deal with). I remember that the lorry and mini-bus drivers used to just pull out a package of coffee and hand it to the border guards and then drive off.
In Romania, there's still a lot of corruption but it doesn't seem to be as bad as it once was. I think that with the recent push to eliminate corruption (at least among civil servants) and the large number of foreigners who are now living and travelling in this region, fewer cops are so blatant about asking for a bribe. But maybe it's just that now I can speak Romanian so they don't see me as an easy mark.
I haven't had any hassles in Hungary for a long time.
Last edited by ursus-spelaeus; 5 Nov 2010 at 07:16.
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