RE: Lessons on Bribery: Crossing the Border into Tanzania
My advice... Next time pay some sort of bribe, you could have very easily been disappeared or worse. I know in our culture it's considered repugnant to do that, but the reality is that this is the way the world works.
In most 3rd world countries it's considered offensive to not tip government officials for good service. They don't make a lot of money and they have a dangerous job. You got lucky as hell girl.
When talking bribes, they will always gringo price you and start about 10x what they will really accept. You could have ended it by saying something like "all I have is $15" but if you'll take it now and give me your number I'll deliver the rest to you tomorrow. Helps if you follow it up with "And I work with the US Embassy, so you know I'm good for it." Last thing in the world local cops want is the US Embassy on their asses for hassling someone. You'll get a wide berth after that too.
Something else that I've found works well when traveling to these countries is to keep an entry on your phone that says "US Embassy", have it dial a friend. Make sure they know to answer with "US Embassy Emergency Hotline!" No joke it works every time.
Good Advice. Sometimes negotiating down is better then not paying at all. Depends on the scenario. Although if you are aware of how the system works, you can better get away with standing your ground. It's also good to keep a copy of some of the local laws and policies readily available on your phone and maybe links to certain government websites and friends in power. In my case local traffic officers in the Philippines tend to threaten to keep your license if you dont "pay the fine." Having the guidelines for the local traffic agency readily on my phone that states they cant take your license for any reason has gotten me out of so many fraudulent traffic stops. See my main comment to Heidi's post to read more.
Anyways still good advice