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Published: June 20th 2015
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Distance driven today: 198 miles / 317 km
Cumulative distance driven: 6,121 miles / 9,859km (11,000 miles to go)
Today’s trip: Coatzacoalcos to San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico
Severe traffic violation committed: 1
Bribes paid to police officer instead of traffic ticket: 1
During long riding days, I get lots of time to think through the subject of the blog post I want to write in the evening. But during todays’ ride I actually drew a blank. I couldn’t think of single thing that was worthy of writing about. Ok, so I misplaced my SPOT satellite tracking device yesterday evening at the parking of the hotel. It was inevitable that, during such a long trip, with so many gadgets that go in and out of bags, hotels, pockets and hotel rooms each and every day, I would leave something behind. It’s simply not a big deal, plus I already figured out how to buy a new satellite tracking device in Guatemala city, where we should be in a couple of days. By the time Zoe and I had completed 90% of today’s trip, from Coatzacoalcos, on the southern Mexican gulf coast headed
San Cristóbal in the mountains of Chiapas at the southernmost district of Mexico, nothing worthy blogging about had happened. Naturally, I concluded that I would not write a blog post today. How wrong I was!
As we started on our very last leg of today’s journey, we were just about to leave Tuxla Gutierez, which is a city just 30min from our final destination for today which is San Cristóbal. We reached an intersection in Tuxla with traffic lights. There were three lanes on the road, and we were in the middle one. It appeared that there was a set of traffic lights ahead of us, but a few of them seemed to be broken, a couple didn’t seem to have any light bulbs in them, and the one that kinda looked to work, had a very faint color, which I, in the blindingly hot sun, interpreted to be red. Playing it safe as a transit tourist riding through the town, I naturally stopped. The only problem was that all vehicles in the left lane kept driving ahead, and all the vehicles on the right lane also drove straight ahead. We in the middle lane were at a standstill,
with me at the very front of the lane, seemingly waiting for the light to tur green; if it at all was functioning. The cars behind me started to get impatient, and happily used their horns. I naturally ignored them. If it looks like a red light, you don’t want to be the gringo that violates it, not even in a country where, in general, few motorists seem to care too much about, let alone follow the traffic rules.
After several minutes of waiting it become clear to me that I face an option. Either the light actually was red, but it was perpetually stuck in red mode and would never change. Alternatively, there really was no read light at all, and it was rather just my interpretation in the blinding sun that there was a red light at all. Perhaps it was just a tinted colored glass plate that had once been a light but not any longer. Finally, I gave into the cacophony of all horns behind me, and cautiously drove ahead. You can probably guess what happened next.
It only took 10 seconds before a transit police officer on a motorcycle drove up behind me,
with all of his flashing lights on, signaling ferociously for me to pull aside. I instantly knew how this was going to play out. The officer made it abundantly clear that I had committed a very serious traffic violation, and on top of that, I had put other motorists in jeopardy! I of course played the dumb transit tourist who knew no Spanish whatsoever, and pretended that I had no idea what had happened and why he stopped me. I also asked Zoe to keep her Spanish at a very bare minimum. The officer asked for my driver license and I gave it to him. As soon as he saw the Washington state license he sighed heavily, realizing that he had no idea what to do with it.
He quickly explained that the only outcome was a hefty fine, and that we needed to drive to the closest police office with him to pay the fine – NOW. Again, we pretended we did not understand what we had done wrong. The fine was to be for 2,000 Mexican pesos, which is about $130 USD. In fact, how about we paid him right now the 2,000 Mexican pesos, right there
on the side of the road, he suggested sternly. That way we could all save ourselves the trip to the police office in the scorching heat of 100F/37C. I asked Zoe (she was always my loyal translator) to explain to the officer that we really didn’t have that kind of money on us, and that we needed to get to a bank in San Cristóbal to withdraw money so that we could have lunch. I highly anticipated what would happen next, because I had read about this scenario so many times before.
“Say, how many Pesos do you have on you right now” the Police officer asked? I asked my translator, aka Zoe, to let him know that we only really had 200 Pesos (about $13 USD) on us and that we were hungry and needed lunch. “How about I issue you a ticket for 200 pesos right here instead?” he said. And that was it. In the next 10 seconds, in what must have been a well-rehearsed motion for the police officer, he discretely grabbed the 200 pesos I pulled out of my wallet, turned his body in such a way as to shield “the transaction” from the
surrounding traffic, slid the bills into his shirt pocket, shook my hands as if we had concluded some sort of friendly business contract, got on his motorcycle, and was gone!
In essence, I think it is fair to say that I bribed a Mexican police officer for a traffic violation that most likely never really had happened in the first place. In the end, the police officer earned a side income equivalent of buying 3 cups of coffee at a Seattle Starbucks, while Zoe and I lost about 10 min of time!
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Mike
non-member comment
Me too!
The one time I worked in Tijuana for a few weeks, I too, committed a "very serious traffic offense - even in my own country!" I had stopped with the nose of my car poked into the intersection! When I explained that such a thing could not have happened, since another car was in front of me, he revised the serious offense, I had "stopped in the cross-walk, an even more serious offense!" Same deal, must drive to the police station, etc. etc. This discussion occurred on the freeway, where he had pulled me over after I had exited the offending crosswalk. I explained that I was in a bit of a hurry to get to a business meeting, could he be so kind as to take care of the fine for me? Oh yes, that was agreeable. The fine would be $20. The hand appeared through the sidewindow, down by my shoulder - cash changed hands. I went on my way. A few seconds later, pulled over again! Same cop - I had given him a $10 bill (actually, I had). The full fine was $20, which I forked over. I explained that I was also a little turned around and needed some directions. Turns out I was heading the wrong direction. So - he and his partner stop traffic across the entire freeway so I can do a U-turn! Apparently that is not a serious offense, even in my own country!