There have been some recent posts about the police bribes here in La Paz that have garnered some attention and, as a resident, I would like to offer a few things:. Bribes mordidas happen. This is seemingly unsettling for visitors. It's part of the culture and has been for decades. If you know how to deal with the situation, it's no big deal. Although I have a strong opinion on how tourists react to this, I don't aim to be inflammatory so let me just say this.
Please understand that when you travel to a different country, you will be subjected to a different culture. Sometimes that means your comfort zone may be stretched a bit. Please keep an open mind and don't bash an entire city because you may have an uncomfortable encounter with a widely-accepted practice in a culture that is not your own. I would like to make myself available to anyone who might have questions about anything here in La Paz should you be planning a visit.
I don't disagree. I am by no means defending the act itself; I am merely pointing out that it is part of the culture, and, like it or not, widely accepted. Getting your pocket picked in Istanbul or Mumbai or falling for an elaborate theft scheme in Bangkok which normally includes police officers isn't pleasant either, but these things are so deep-seated in the culture that it's just, well, part of it.
Point is, culture is culture; covers a lot of ground. You have to take the good with the bad. Perhaps one day the mordidas will not be part of our culture; for now it is. So again, I beseech you: be aware of this; use your head; stand your ground; and most importantly, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater by bashing our beautiful city because of a cultural wrinkle. There's an interesting site called fulano forum. It has info from all over mexico under baja and mexico news they have a lot of news from la paz its worth a look if considering traveling their or anywhere in mexico.
Interesting is indeed the perfect word to describe that forum. There are many Americans and Canadians alike that get their daily fix of negativity from that forum whilst trying and re-create their own cultures down here as opposed to finding out about ours. Is it safe for a solo cruise ship lady to visit for a day?
