Lasīt tālāk
05.Dec
KUTA (BALI SALA)
04 Dec
- 2006 -
Author
Andis Pikāns
180 kilometers made. Right before the ferry all the good impression the island has made on us is spolied by two policemen who, having checked our documents, are asking also for some sort of international driver’s licence, otherwise they’d arrest our bikes until Monday to clarify the situation.
It’s obvious, they are asking for money; however, we don’t have time to play games because our ferry is leaving in twenty minutes. I offer 5, 000 rupees ($5), yet it’s not enough, and we are getting conoyed to the nearest cop-shop. We actually suspect this is the game they always play with foreigners, so we decide to stay cool and see what happens. Next amount they call is $100 for both bikes, and I reply that we’ve got nowhere to hurry, so we can also wait for Monday. Maximum I can give is $20 for each. Bargaining begins, and in the end we stop at $50. I am sure that if we didn’t have to rush for the ferry, we’d make the amount much smaller. This is the third time we have to pay to the police: first time we did in Russia, second time in Thailand, yet for a violation, and now this here, cheeky racket. Bali is still celebrating, and the streets are full of people dressed in bright clothes for the ceremony.
