He had quite a few stories about his encounters with the law but I have to admit that at that time, I took the guy’s stories with a grain of salt.
In the mean time I’ve been pulled over quite a few times during my travels across Brazil in the past 2,5 years, and a few times I was lucky to escape with no fine and no bribes – like the one time when I came riding into Volta Redonda with a 25 liter jerry-can with diesel on the roof of my car because the fuel pump broke down…
He invited me me into his office and I noticed that he was all alone there. I remember asking myself if this was a good thing or not. When it would come down to me paying him a bribe, it could be a good thing because he would have the loot all for himself and so I could get off the hook paying less.
He took the phone, but to me didn’t look as if he was really making a call. He said something about nobody picking up on the other side, and then laid down the law, which came down to this: if I couldn’t come up with the correct document, he would have to confiscate my bike…