Originally Posted by chasbondy
I've been there about 20 times and my record is (2) $20 shakedowns, (1) $50 shakedown and one $100 fee to buy my clothes back for getting nasty with a Federales. So, I'd say you have 4 chances in 5 of being left alone
Were these shakedowns all by police/Federales or by street thugs? Just curious.
I have to say that during my travels, one criterion I have used to judge whether the risks of visiting a foreign country outweigh the benefits is the quality of law enforcement. My general belief is that if a country's law enforcement officials are notorious for extorting tourists (Russia, Mexico, and Nigeria come to mind), it is not worth going to for pleasure. That doesn't mean I haven't visited such places, but it says a lot about a place when even government officials openly extort foreigners.