I took the bus from Cuzco to La Paz to meet Natan (that´s a 12 hour bus ride, and there is NO bathroom on the bus). When we got to the Peru\Bolivia border, it was time for me to get a Bolivian visa. Now, only Americans need visas. Not Europeans, not Australians, not Israelis. Just Americans. (Supposedly, this was Evo Morales´retribution for the Visa requirements that the US puts on Bolivans.) I was told I would have to pay $100 US to get the visa, but wasn´t aware of any additional requirments (even after looking in my trusty Lonely Planet.)
The five men looked at each other and shrugged. Maybe, the leader said slowly, maybe, if you pay an extra $30 US, on top of the $135 you have to pay, I can give you a Visa. But don´t talk about it. I am not supposed to be doing this to help you. (Notice that I am NOT mentioning what checkpoint I went through.) I went through my American cash and found that I had just barely enough to cover my additional, unexpected expenses.
So when the guard at the Bolivian check-point took me aside after seeing my passport, I wasn´t alarmed, until he pointed to the list of additional things I needed to obtain one: a photocopy of your ticket to return the the US, proof of a place to stay in Bolivia, $135 (not $100), and documentation of A YELLOW FEVER VACCINATION. I told him that I had the first three (not exactly true, but I could fake it), but not the yellow fever shot. The man started shaking his head and took me into a back room where I was faced with 5 guards talking at me all at once in Spanish. Slow down, please, I said. I didn´t know I needed the vaccine. Is there any way I can get one here? What can I do? Do I have to go back to Peru? (I was trying hard not to panic: my bus was waiting for me on the other side of the Bolivian border, and I was the only American on the bus. So not only was I worried I wouldn´t get across to meet Nate, I was holding up all of my fellow passengers, who where NOT happy with me.)
The five men looked at each other and shrugged. Maybe, the leader said slowly, maybe, if you pay an extra $30 US, on top of the $135 you have to pay, I can give you a Visa. But don´t talk about it. I am not supposed to be doing this to help you. (Notice that I am NOT mentioning what checkpoint I went through.) I went through my American cash and found that I had just barely enough to cover my additional, unexpected expenses. And with that, I paid my first bribe ever. ¨Welcome to Bolivia,¨the guard said, as he shook my hand smiling. Welcome to Bolivia, indeed. 2 hours later, I was in La Paz.
1 comment:
Well done, Evin.
I once bribed the Egyptian embassy officials in Tel Aviv to get a visa to enter mainland Egypt (you don't need one if you're just going to Sinai). I had arrived at the embassy late and didn't have time to come back the next day. I simply put ten dollars on the counter and asked if there was any other way.
Greetings from Cape Town. We were supposed to visit Robben Island today, where Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years, but the water was too rough so the trip was cancelled. So today we're just chilling. NOTHING is open on a Cape Town Friday afternoon, except obviously, an internet cafe.
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