Imagine Now's blog: "notes to myself"

They pulled us over in our rental car for tinted windows. $450 and an hour and a half later they let us go, only to have another "cop" pull us over again for the same reason. I guess that is what you get with income disparity and as spring breakers we should have expected it. Just a warning before you decide to travel in a car south of the border: Assume you WILL BE PULLED OVER by "cops". Travel in a rental car, not your own so they can't easily confiscate it. Have full documentation ready, including mexican insurance. Don't have tinted windows. Make sure you can access at least 3000 pesos or more, depending on how deep they have you in for. Don't worry, the "cops" will let you know exactly were the nearest ATM is while they hold your car and friends. Don't drive at night as you don't want to withdraw bribe money from an ATM in the shadows. Don't drive after drinking any amount of alcohol or be in possession of anything remotely illegal, including viagra without prescription. (oops) Hmm...that's about it. Traveling to Mexico just to hang out and party really isn't worth the risk. It is rarely cheaper at the clubs and you have to deal with scammers of all sorts. I'm just glad we made it home without injury.

I was prepared to die. The sight of blacked-out suburbans going backwards down the street, moving the car three times, interrogated seperately, people in street clothes revealing their heat to us as they walk by and my friend has been gone for half an hour to go to an ATM just around the corner. They wanted four thousand and I didn't know my pin.
Worst of all, one of them kept telling me to be tranquilo while me friend was gone for a long, long time to the ATM. He came back from the first ATM and told them he could not withdraw money there because people were watching and following him very closely. Now, aren't they supposed to be actively scaring us to get the most money possible? It was like the handful of grass you feed the cow before you pop it in the back of the head.