First day in the Andes Mountains. Tons of small towns that time has forgot laid out along twisty mountain roads. Elevation changes ranged from sea level to over 9,000 feet. It was nice to get up out of the heat and humidity. The roads have numerous slow moving trucks, so the rapid acceleration of the 1200GS made passing quick and fun. Times like this I wish I had a GoPro so I can see what it looks like from a third person point of view.
Pulled over and shaken down by the police today. Looked through every piece of paper, every stamp in my passport, and they found nothing. Needing a reason to extort money, he informed that I was missing a sticker on my helmet and that it was a $100 infraction, payable immediately in US dollars. During my travels, I have been shaken down many times, refusing to pay every time, using various techniques depending on the cops demeanor. I have used the "I do not understand what you are saying" approach, the flat out refusal, and the "you will have to arrest me and we can discuss this with the judge." I tried a new approach for this one, I blew a raspberry at him, and walked away. He then tried to negotiate a lower "fine," and I blew another one, took my passport our of his hand, wished him a "buenas dias" and drove off. The fact that his police officer buddies were laughing at him when I blew the raspberries gave me some confidence. The funny thing was that during the event, an American drove by the other direction. She gave me a huge smile and wished me luck. I laughed and thanked her. Apparently we get picked on.
Pulled over and shaken down by the police today. Looked through every piece of paper, every stamp in my passport, and they found nothing. Needing a reason to extort money, he informed that I was missing a sticker on my helmet and that it was a $100 infraction, payable immediately in US dollars. During my travels, I have been shaken down many times, refusing to pay every time, using various techniques depending on the cops demeanor. I have used the "I do not understand what you are saying" approach, the flat out refusal, and the "you will have to arrest me and we can discuss this with the judge." I tried a new approach for this one, I blew a raspberry at him, and walked away. He then tried to negotiate a lower "fine," and I blew another one, took my passport our of his hand, wished him a "buenas dias" and drove off. The fact that his police officer buddies were laughing at him when I blew the raspberries gave me some confidence. The funny thing was that during the event, an American drove by the other direction. She gave me a huge smile and wished me luck. I laughed and thanked her. Apparently we get picked on.
Trip Summary
Today's Leg: 186 miles
Total Distance Traveled: 5,449 miles
Total Borders Crossed: 8
Total Countries Visited: 9
Total Times Stopped by the Police/Tickets Issued: 6/0
Shaken Down by the Police/Their Success Rate: 2/0
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