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synch
Nomad
Posts: 316
Registered: 9-14-2004
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Mood: wandering...
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$175 bucks and he STILL had to go to the end of the line?
For that kind of cash, he should be escorted to the FRONT!
Then again, there's one born every minute...
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wilderone
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3871
Registered: 2-9-2004
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You guys are merciless!!
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Braulio
Nomad
Posts: 321
Registered: 11-7-2002
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Yeah - I'm with you guys - this pair of idiots deserved exactly what they got - just for being unsuspecting pendejos.
Actually the gringo couple really didn't lose much - they'll get along just fine spending their time and money elsewhere - in fact the Tecate cop
might just as well have taken a few thousand dollars out of the pockets of his own paisanos (assuming subsequent cancelled trips by the couple).
And you can multiply that by the number of people this cop has fleeced - and then that by the number of corrupt cops there are.
And it all comes out of the mexican economy.
Yeah - right on - absolutely hilarious.
Qu? pendejos.
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velella
Newbie
Posts: 6
Registered: 12-9-2003
Location: Orange County
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crossing at Tecate tales...
I have crossed at tecate many time and usually it is a breeze. Two tales though. First in my motorhome I dinged a corner of a stop sign heading for
the end of the line. The two cops worked me for a while and finally (and $75 that I had negotiated down from 150) they walked me to the front of the
line and cut me in. Maybe it was worth it. At Thanksgiving a Hummer cut into the line about a half hour out and the cops did not do anything...
until the turn to the border and then they pulled him out and sent him back to the end of the line. That was great. Enjoy
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FrankO
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Posts: 301
Registered: 11-10-2002
Location: Ocean Beach
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Thieves in uniform ought to have their balls cut off. In public would be good.
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Germanicus
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Posts: 214
Registered: 6-13-2004
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cutting into that line is >>sometimes!! unintentianally.
I saw that line lining far more than 3 blocks parallel to the border.
Now, if a car comes from downwown yo the border, what's his choice if he is a 'first timer'?
I also was driving along that line and thought they are all parked as the cars are standing still and close to the sidewalk.
Being fined for cutting in is a common parctice in Tecate. But the official fee for is NOT for cutting in but for doing anything else wrong.
Like crossing that barrier (yellow stripe) etc.
And the official fee is $65.
BUT: Mexican Officials are NOT allowed to take foreign currencies.
It is practiced but against the Mexican Law.
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bajabum
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Posts: 144
Registered: 9-29-2003
Location: San Diego, Ca
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I cant believe there are so many people that are surprised or offeded by this.
Even though Baja is conected to the U.S it is owned by Mexico, it is a foriegn country and they play by a different set of rules. I think it actually
adds to the adventure of travel in Mexico!
Corruption is part of the Mexican culture, it is an every day occurance that happens at all levels. The higher up the totem pole ya go the higher the
level of coruption is.
Mordida is considered proper usage of tourist dollars and is depended on for survival.
There seems to be 2 main thought streams on this issue:
1) Its just part of the game and should be expected. Play, pay and git on down the road
2) They are like pigeons, if you keep feeding them they will never go away
I have played the mordida game many, many times over the last 25 years. Most of the time I am anxcious to get to where Im going so I negotiate down to
as low as they will go (usually less than $20), pay em and get back on the road. I have paid mordida to police officers, PGR, federale comandantes,
hotel managers, dept de pesca officers, gasoline attendants, etc. Mordita can get you things that dont exist!
I have also taken the other road several times and refused to pay the "fine" asking to be taken to jail instead. After following them for several
miles they mysteriously get a more important call and let you off with a warning.
My experience has been that if you tell them you are going to pay thier "fine" but want to know there name and badge #...they will back off and go
away. Never be intimadated by there efforts to make a living. It may seem like a terrible thing when viewed through gringo eyes but it is simply a way
of life in a game with a different set of rules. Remember, you arent going to jail, you certainly arent going to die, and you really dont have to pay
if you dont want to play. There is an agency in place that is set up to police the police (cant remember the name of it) if you mention the name they
will back off in a hurry.
If you want to learn more about the rules go to: www.rulesofbaja.com.
Work is just something I do to keep me buzy between baja trips!
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FrankO
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Posts: 301
Registered: 11-10-2002
Location: Ocean Beach
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I cut in line inadvertantly once and a local went a got a cop. He told me I had to go to the back of the line and when I said no way he just looked at
me and left. Wasn't a big deal.
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jrbaja
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4863
Registered: 2-2-2003
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It's only a big deal
if you make it one!
It's the way it works down here. Always has been too.
So what. Don't like the way it works, don't put yourself in a positon to have to deal with it.
Stay home where it's "safe"!
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HotSchott
Nomad
Posts: 156
Registered: 9-4-2003
Location: Sandy Eggo
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As I pass through Tecate every couple of weeks, the people cutting in line and getting turned back is a timeless ritual. I have always believed that
it is an indication of the honesty and integrity of the local police in Tecate, which is far and away the coolest border town I have ever been to. I
have never seen anyone asked to pay a fine or be escorted anywhere for cutting - even by accident.
The funny part is that the people were probably led to police station which is often where the line starts at the rotunda on busy weekends. To be in
a big hurry such that $175 seems like a better idea than a trip to the station for making a wrong turn tells me that these folks were easy prey and
have learned a valuable lesson. I can't remember a trip where I was in possession of $175 - especially at the end of the trip! Were they keeping
this dinero on hand for this exact opportunity?
To recapitulate: SUCKERS
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Braulio
Nomad
Posts: 321
Registered: 11-7-2002
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I still say the real suckers were the cops - they're taking a leak in the same pool they're swimming.
Last night I talked to my girl friend in Mexicali - she has an old brooch she wants repaired for her mother for christmas - so where does she take it?
- El Centro, CA - because she's afraid a mexican jewler might pry some of the stones off. And she's no pendeja.
So another 40 bucks needlessly exits the mexican economy.
Corruption in Mexico might be OK for some americans who can afford it - or don't have to support a family in Mexico - folks who can pack up and leave
when they've had their fill.
I also have a problem with guys in uniform that intimidate women - yeah - she had a guy there - it doesn't matter. The cop was a cobarde.
[Edited on 12-15-2004 by Braulio]
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jrbaja
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4863
Registered: 2-2-2003
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We have a great jeweler here
in Rosarito.
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Braulio
Nomad
Posts: 321
Registered: 11-7-2002
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We do in Mexicali also - and they can do anything the El Centro ones can - but corruption is so endemic in the mexican system that she doen't want to
trust an heirloom with ANY mexican ones.
Just like the lady who got hit up for the ticket in Tecate - people with an option just aren't going to put up with it.
Same thing happens in industry - companies go elsewhere. (it ain't all a matter of wages).
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jrbaja
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4863
Registered: 2-2-2003
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I just hope that those people
that are considering buying homes in the developments are reading this!
When the population increases in the gringo communities, so does the crime rate and corruption.
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Braulio
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Posts: 321
Registered: 11-7-2002
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I'm with you on that one JR - like in Mexico City where there are relatively few gringos (%-wise) - levels of corruption and crime are extremely low.
I just wish the chilangos would spread even more of their culture to Baja.
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jrbaja
Ultra Nomad
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Registered: 2-2-2003
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Bigs cities are always an exception
Like what Loreto Bay will do to Loreto, and what all the development in Cabo San Lucas has already done to that area.
Before it was TJ, Mexico City, L.A. and New York that were famous for crime.
I say it's high time to give them some competition!
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Dave
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6005
Registered: 11-5-2002
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajabum
you really dont have to pay if you dont want to play. |
You have no clue.
EVERYONE pays whether they are aware of it or not.
Shoddy workmanship, poor worker productivity and unsafe products, increased costs for goods and services, lax or nonexistant law enforcement,
exploitation of the poor and middle class, inferior health care, substandard education, corruption of the democratic process.....and most importantly:
No respect for the rule of law.
You would feel very differently about corruption if going home meant NOT crossing the border northbound.
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Dave
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6005
Registered: 11-5-2002
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Braulio
I just wish the chilangos would spread even more of their culture to Baja. |
I like the way they dispense justice for perceived crooked cops, don't you?
(See most important reason above)
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Bruce R Leech
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6796
Registered: 9-20-2004
Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
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Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Braulio
I'm with you on that one JR - like in Mexico City where there are relatively few gringos (%-wise) - levels of corruption and crime are extremely low.
I just wish the chilangos would spread even more of their culture to Baja. |
god god where on earth did you
ever here that corruption and crime are extremely low in Mexico city . check any source do an INTERNET search , you go and live in D.F for a month and
if you survive you will be begging for Baja. D.F. is hands down the crime capital of th world . I cant believe you made that statement
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
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Dave
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6005
Registered: 11-5-2002
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bruce R Leech
god god where on earth did you ever here that corruption and crime are extremely low in Mexico city . |
Bruce, stick your tongue into your cheek. Report back on how it feels.
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