In all my travels in L.America, i've paid a total of three bribes for a total of about $73. The first was in Panama for speeding. I was clocked doing 110 KPH in a 60 zone and was written an $80 ticket. I convinced the officer to write me a cheaper ticket for $25. I call it a bribe because i think the officer likely kept the money for himself. The second was in Colombia for not having the required insurance. It's cheaper to bribe the police than it is to buy the insurance. It cost me $23 for over 2 months of riding. The latest was recently while entering Mexico City. I was pulled over and surrounded by four cops on bikes. They demanded $300, i paid $25. This was fear induced, i didn't believe they were cops. Fake police is a well known problem in DF, $25 was a small price to pay to get out of what could of been a really BAD situation. If i break the law, i'll pay a fine or a bribe...thats just what you do down here. Corruption started with the church over 500 years ago, it's just the way things are and it's best to work within the system. If a cop tries to extort money from me and my life doesn't feel in danger, then i refuse to pay, or play the game so to speak. I always carry documents that are easily sacrificeable, and never give my passport. Just refuse! Give them a copy or another form of ID, or insist on going to the hotel or police station and show it there. Don't let them search your bags, insist you go the the station first. The most common trick is "eg. Nicaragua.. you will have to pick up your licence in Managua and pay a fine... or you can pay me and i'll give you your licence now. "
"No, keep the licence, i'll go to Managua tomorrow." They really hate that! I carry two IDL's for this reason and just show them the expired one...they're usually too stupid to figure it out. Let them keep the licece, or just before you leave, ask for it back. They gave me mine! It's way too easy to just say DON'T PAY! It's also pretty easy to slag those who do, but every situation is different, and if your really breaking the law, well, what would you expect of others traveling in your own country?

I'm with you here. I am weary of reading posts from those who "would never pay a bribe no matter what." Notwithstanding the general rules for negotiating such matters—don't be in a hurry, treat it like a game, feign indifference and absence of language skills, claim penury, ask about their homes and families in between complimenting their spoken English, etc.—there are times when your life is worth little, and both you and they know this. Often enough, you are conducting business with people who play by a different set of rules from your average lazy, grafting cop.

For me, the moment came when I found myself alone in middle-of-night darkness in northern Cote d'Ivoire just before the civil war began. A large man was berating me at close range and high volume, demanding money—no polite inquiries about cadeaux, no pretended traffic infractions or missing paperwork. When I realized I was standing on a string of .50 calibre machine gun bullets, the gun in question being trained on our transport, I relented and gave him a couple of dollars. No one who was not standing with me has the right to tell me I should have held out longer, or demanded a receipt or a trip to the police station.

Having said that, of course I agree that by paying readily you make life immeasurably more difficult for all those who follow; it's the adult equivalent of the package tourists who strew "bonbons" and "stylos" among the children wherever they go. I've spent a couple of years altogether traveling rough in the developing world, mostly in Africa, and I've paid just two bribes including the incident above. That seems to me a worthy record.

Safe travels all!

Mark

Hey Mark. Wow, we used to be neighbors! i'm living in Mexico now. Agreed, sometimes its a better idea to just pay. Life can be cheap down here! I do agree that we shouldn't feed the beast though. If you don't break the law and your life isn't in danger, don't feed the beast! The most important thing is to NEVER let them search your bags on the side of the road, unless they give you no other option, like arresting you and taking your keys and opening it themselves. It's a well known fact the police like to plant drugs in your bags, or even in your passport and demand $MUCHO DINERO$ ! Basicly, your f**ked! In many hotels in Quito, i saw postings in english warning travelers about this, and to never show your passport in the street, only in your hotel, Or to use a photo-copy.

I second Mr. Ron's observations of corruption in Mexico.

The following is based upon more than 12 years of living in Mexico, Central America and South America.

Another favorite Mexican scam is to conceal a small child under a sarape (colored blanket) in the boot (trunk) of a taxi, pick up tourists and their back packs/luggage, deposit the back packs/luggage in the boot. En route to the tourist's destination the small child opens the tourist's gear and replaces valuables with packets of marijuana. Also en route, the cab driver calls his local police buddy who manages to be at the tourist's destination for the purpose of examining tourist's gear for contraband.

The Mexican's win. Game over.

Now, here is another point of view regarding bribes and begging. Paying a bribe to police is like paying a persistent beggar to go away and leave you alone. Bottom line, you are paying each of them to go away. If you think of each peso/dollar etc. as a vote, you are voting for more corrupt police and more beggars.

But, if your body, bike or gear is in imminent danger from which you cannot immediately withdraw or comfortably talk you way out of, your vote for more corrupt police and/or beggars is well cast. xfiltrate

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I meet the best Cop of my South American trip in Peru!

I stopped once to have a drink in a small store in the middle of the day. Inside there were 3 Cops drinking . They invited me over to drink with them. They paid all the s

What can you ask for more? The cops paying you the . No way it is going to happen in Canada!!!

Patrick

I feel sorry for the poor bastard they extorted the money from to buy those s!

I can give a couple easy tips to drive "under the radar".. first.. if you have a shiny, brand new 1200gs, I'm sure you MUST be pulled out and tried to ticket you.. is logic.. always leave your bike as dirty as you can mount...
Second.. if you don't speak spanish (and even if you speak) don't say nothing!! just smile and say "no comprendo".. at any moment they need to call an official or release you...
Other good tips (specially in Peru) is contact bike's club; they really LOVE ride whit foreigners and can show you the city and hang up.. VERY friendly people and generally they're NOT stop big bike's concentrations.
One last tip.. busy hours are between 9 am to 6 pm; I don't say you cannot be stopped at night or early in morning, I say is less possible..
I ALWAYS stop to say "hello" in previous police's post then they know me when I reach big city (all post have radios and cellular and they rely this type of information); even sometimes when I don't have money for hotel they allowed me sleep in jail (very funny!)