A few from me..
Never speak the local language.
I have crept to the side of big trucks and snuck through with my Toyota at road blocks.
Most of the time i drive through at remote places..they are so busy on their phones they only look up at the last minute.
Even if they speak English i still look like i don't understand them.
One guy caught me out though..had a bit of a chat..he seemed ok, but then asked for a gift...
"Ok, my gift is my song" and i then started singing to him very loudly..i was waved on immediately!!!

Travelling in a group you're less likely to be seen as a mobile cash dispenser I suspect. And I didn't say they were all corrupt.

shame them if you can or...
 

Sometimes when you think its endemic you find sites like this:

I Paid A Bribe | About us


and you smile knowing that they are now in a public forum for all to see!

I had a little bit to say about this in my article on Brake Magazine:
http://www.brake-magazine.com/ten-ti...elling-africa/


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

I really enjoyed reading this thread and agree with most of what's been posted, esp the mentions of 'always be polite'. I can add my own 2-penn'oth to that: take your sunglasses off when dealing with officials. There's something subconsciously irritating and distant about someone evading eye contact with you.

Most of the time, the only time being pressured for a bribe is an issue is when you've actually done something wrong. On my 2007-08 trip, in 1 of the areas where you'd most expect corruption - the Indian subcontinent - the only time I got busted was for genuinely speeding, in Islamabad. I'd seen the PC raising his hand for me to stop, but he'd only done it when I was so near him I assumed it was for someone behind me so I didn't stop. Then he came after me and flagged me down and I felt bad, as he said "I thought people from your country were honest". But I explained the above and he gave me a 200PKR (less than £2) ticket, apologising "for the inconvenience" and even offering to pay the cash into the police station for me. I can hear anyone reading this saying "didn't you realise that was a bribe?" but it was a very official-looking individually numbered ticket he gave me, followed by a receipt for the 200PKR!

Later in my trip - the roads in Russia (and Kazakhstan) were infested with rapacious traffic police, seeking to extort money from drivers. I was stopped daily for 'documenty inspekty' but 6 times I was stopped legitimately for speeding/overtaking; twice they just wanted to give me words of advice, but 4 times they wanted to bust me and couldn't because I couldn't speak Russian and kept saying "sorry" over and over in English - HA! But it depends on luck too - once in Kaz I came across 2 bikers (1 UK, 1 German) who definitely didn't speak Russian, but that hadn't stopped them getting a speeding fine (which was the only reason I got to speak to them at all; they were stopped by the roadside getting booked when I saw them)

A little bit OT, but make sure you don't fall foul of the registration rules relating to visa registration if you're overlanding through Russia. When I was there you had to go to the local PVU/OVIR to register if you stayed in 1 place for more than 3 working days but it may be longer now.

The police/PVU/OVIR aren't used to people sleeping in their own vehicles rather than staying in hotels, so they can take a bit of convincing. In practice this means keeping receipts from all shops, filling stations etc to prove that you haven't stopped anywhere long enough to need your visa registered. And if you DO stop anywhere for 3 working days or longer, make sure you get your visa registered and keep the receipt (spravka) for this as well. On my 2nd time in Russia, I kept receipts right from the start AND registered my visa properly on entry with a stamp on my immigation card. While in Moscow, I was near Red Square with a German when we both got stopped by the tourist police. I was able to prove with my wad of receipts that I hadn't been in Moscow (or indeed any other part of Russia) for long enough to need to register my visa anywhere; the German didn't have any proof and had to pay a 500 rouble bribe. He wasn't happy at all and I don't blame him, for back at the place we were staying he DID have proof but had let on to the police that he was catching a train out of Moscow that evening. So they had said 'well if you want we'll take you back to where you're staying to have a look, but you wouldn't want to miss your train, would you?', even shaking hands with him at the end as if they'd done him a favour.

THAT to me qualifies as sleazy.

Just so we don't scare anyone away from Russia, things have changed since 2007: This is no longer enforced and hasn't been for several years. I never registered anywhere in Russia while travelling and never had a problem, at borders or anywhere, nor did any of the many travelers I met. On separate occasions I had problems with local police, immigration police and the military, with full document checks, so if it were a problem I would know about it. Also, police corruption is far less of an issue now and no bribes were ever asked.

I agree. In 2013 I rode from Irkutsk to Magadan (via the BAM) without a license plate, nor working rear turn signals (on borrowed bike = not in my name) and was never stopped (in fact didn't see any police until Magadan: hotel was opposite the cop shop) for any paperwork check or whatever. Also didn't register anywhere with anyone.

The only place where I've travelled in recent times (Central Asia, Mongolia, Far East Russia, South America, Mexico and Europe) where I felt dodgy uniformed types exist was eastern Kazakhstan where the problem was endemic.

Si, (reads from card), yo no como espagnoil tampoocoo. Law sientah senyur. :innocent: