tailsock

My wife and i got back from a 1 week stay in Puebla. We rented a car when we came into Mexico City and had a hell of a time with the driving (especially within the center) pedestrians/bikes spilling into the street , unexpected lane endings, no street markings, and everyone honking at you was chaotic. (don't get me started on the roundabouts)... you guys tried to warn me about this but it wasn't a huge deal.

Aside for that we didn't have any problems with the drive into or within Puebla. On the way to the airport however i ran into a problem. At a weird intersection there was a large tour bus that was blocking traffic and i needed to get into the lane that was on the other side of it. I ended up running a red light in doing so and was motioned to pull over by two traffic enforcement officers standing by the side of the road. I say they were traffic officers because even though they looked like cops they didn't have guns or badges. Plus i could make out traffic authority on their uniforms. With my limited spanish i gathered that i had run a red light, didn't use my blinkers (which nobody did), and crossed 4 lanes of traffic. While the latter was debatable he explained that he was taking my license and told me to pay a fine. He added it up on a ledger pad (not by any means an official document) and said i owed 4,200 mexican pesos. There were several other drivers licenses in this ledger btw. He told me i would pay at the police station. Frustrating and running out of time i asked if i could pay him. I told him i had credit card and only 20 mexican pesos. He directed me to a Walmart that was literally 30 meters away and explained that there was an ATM inside. My wife and i pulled the cash and had to settle up with a different individual. We gave him a different amount than what we were told to pay and he said this was ok. No receipt...... he told us to drive safe and directed us to the road that led to the airport. Common practice? I'm guessing it was a 4,000 peso donation and these guys ate well that night

emd3

This is why I do not drive in the big cities in MX and am very careful to go the speed limit and not run lights or stop signs, etc. ESpecially not good to drive to airport. You are at the mercy of whatever happens, and you need to make our international flight home.

But it sounds like you figured that all out, the hard way. Yes, you donated the the officer's fund. Good luck next time.

suze

I've never experienced it myself (I've never rented a car in Mexico) but your scenario sounds exactly like it's usually told when a cop takes a bribe from a tourist.

KVR

There are literally thousands of stories like this if you are willing to research it. That is just one of the reasons why we never rent cars in Mexico and never will. Better luck on your next visit.

tailsock

renting a car had it's advantages but this left a sour taste in our mouths. I was definitely at fault and have nobody to blame but myself.... it was a fun trip but I don't think we'll be renting a car here next time.

emd3

THe 1st class bus system is so good, ESP brown Puebla and Mexico City, inexpensive, comfortable and easy. in Mexico City, there is the very extensive and cheap and good subway system, and taxis.

Can I ask why you decided to rent a car for that route?

I have rented cars in other areas of Mexico where I needed to be able to get o areas not well-serviced by buses. I have a condo in Play del Carmen and rent a car there when the weather is really hot and humid in the summer, or when I need to get to to nearby areas on my own schedule. But Mexico City is a place I would never consider driving in, so I am wondering what the draw was for you to have a car there.

emd3

That would read "between Puebla and Mexico City."

Katzgar

The bite or mordida is practiced in all facets of Mexican commerce. build it into your budget. Mexican civil servants are paid little as the bite is understood to be part of their pay. This is true in most of the world.

Stewbear

"Luck" was not involved is this story. The guy broke the law. He could have been hauled off to jail missing his flight & having a most difficult experience. Instead of complaining he should be grateful. In San Francisco the same infractions would have been almost $1,000 with court costs.
If you do not know how or do not have the ability to follow the rules do NOT drive.

tailsock

emd3: the plan wasn't to drive the car within Mexico City even though I did want to see a little bit of it our first day and get lunch there. (we ate at Los Girasoles near Plaza Tolsa) We spent our vacation in Puebla. I used the car to get to and from restaurants that were outside of the city center, the Africam Safari, Cholula Pyramid and the San Gabriel convent, as well as a few trips to Paseo Bravo. It worked out pretty well in Puebla. My wife is also pregnant and I wanted to have access to a vehicle 24 hours a day in case she felt bad or something. I know that there were lots of taxis in Puebla... I just didn't feel like negotiating, explaining where we want to go with limited Spanish, waiving off a cab if I didn't like the fare etc. If it wasn't for this incident I would have felt like I made the right decision. I'm almost glad it happened at the very tail end of our trip.

KVR

The difference is though that if he did get a ticket in the United States vs Mexico he would not had to pay the officer a bride to get his driver's license back. He would have received a ticket and let go to be on his merry way to take care of it when he got home by either mail or the internet.

I've read several complaints with regards to the issue and some people just tell the police to keep their license and not pay the bride. Not like they need it until they get home anyway where they can apply for a new one. A passport is sufficient enough to get home.

Also, in Mexico it doesn't matter is someone breaks the law or not. Police still pull people over and extort brides from them when they haven't done anything wrong. So breaking a traffic violation or not people still get extorted for money. The best thing to do to avoid such nonsense is not rent cars or drive there otherwise you are just taking a chance. So, better luck next time.

Katzgar

"The best thing to do to avoid such nonsense is not rent cars or drive there otherwise you are just taking a chance"

All travel is taking a chance so get used to it. No, not true at all. Mexico and much of the world operates on bribes. figure them into the price and go about life.

KVR

We have traveled extensively throughout Mexico and the Carribean for several years and never once had to pay a bride to anyone for any reason. When you choose to drive in countries known for this practice you are always taking a chance.

Even though it may be a common practice in certain countries it doesn't mean you have to "figure them into the price". I never do and never will. There are ways to avoid it. Don't rent cars and drive in those countries where you already know this is a known practice and an issue unless you are willing to take the chance and have the money to back you up in the event they choose you to stop, and don't break their laws and get caught.

Katzgar

I choose not to live in fear.

emd3

Oh tail sock, now I remember your posts when you were planning the trip, your pregnancy wife jogged my memory. I recall posting on your trip-planning threads. I would like so much to hear about he rest of your trip to Puebla! Would you consider starting a new thread and sharing about Puebla, and Mexico City also, what you did and saw and ate, and your and our wife's impressions of those wonderful places? I'd really like o hear about the good parts of the trip before the red light!

For the others: Tailsock said above he was clearly at fault and had nobody to blame but himself. It was the bribe that turned him off, and now he has been educated about bribes. I think this was his first trip to Mexico.

I have traveled extensively all over MX (I have been to every state there, many of them multiple times) for over 35 yrs, by car, bus, and trains when there used to be a great train system in the country. I have owned a home in Playa for over two yrs and have spent a total of 6 months here in the last 18 months. I have never had any incident occur where I needed to pay a bribe. I know about the whole bribe system but I think that if/when the time comes for me to pay a bribe, I still won't like it.

KVR

Katzgar, your responses don't even make sense. No one said anything about "All travel is taking a chance so get used to it" or "living in fear". Your just trolling to start arguments again with other posters, which is your standard practice for these forums. I guess you are disappointed that Fodors is shutting down the Lounge forum, you domain for causing havoc. Probably in part due your posts like this. Go find something better to do it you don't have anything really worth contributing. I'm off to our next vacation destination, so no more time to quibble.

tailsock

emd3: I will be putting together a very detailed trip report of lovely Puebla complete with pictures and some funny stories. you were helpful in my trip planning. It will take a while to get this up and running because I've been absolutely swamped at work and at home.

and yes this was my first trip to Mexico. My wife had been to Cozumel in college while on a cruise. I'd been to El Salvador twice, Costa rica for our honeymoon, so Mexico rounds out my latin American adventures

emd3

Great, looking forward to the report. My motto about trip reports is that the perfect is the enemy of the good. Doesn't have to be fancy, and pics add a lot, esp. for Puebla, since it is so lovely, visually and in ao many other ways. I can' t wait to hear your impressions. Puebla is a magical place.

emd3

KVR, buen viaje, wherever you are headed!

Katzgar

"so Mexico rounds out my latin American adventures " now its time for belize.