TRAFFIC IN ASIA
If you haven't been to Bali or even SE Asia in general, the traffic and road conditions are probably going to be a culture shock for you as it's most likely something you're not used to seeing where you live. I think of the traffic in Asia as organized chaos. It looks messy but for some reason it works for the people who lives there. There are rules but not really, if that makes sense. The structure is just a tad bit different from what you're used to especially if you're from Canada, Europe, USA and so on. Let's just say there's a bit more "freedom" when you're driving on the majority of the roads of SE Asia.
BALI POLICE
Before I share with you how to deal with the corrupt cops in Bali, I'll quickly tell you as to why they're corrupt. As with many things, it's mainly for financial reasons. Fairly obvious right? To be a cop, you have to pay a big amount of money to get your training in and get certified. Once you're in the force, you are not even close to making a decent amount of money to live. I a nutshell, it's a tough gig to be in especially if you have a family and some are corrupt for these reasons. At least that's what I was told.
OBEY THE RULES
If you're in Bali, you're most likely going to be operating a scooter or hopping on one to get around. This is the most convenient way and the most commonly used transportation by foreigners. Keep in mind that just because these cops exist, you still need to obey the law. The best way to avoid any confrontation at all with cops like these is to not give them any good reason to pull you over (though they will still pull you over because they can tell from afar if you're a foreigner or not). You need to have your helmet on, paper work for your scooter, and your international driver's license (and a photocopy of it).
YOU'D STILL GET PULLED OVER
With all of the above checked off when you hit the road, there's still a huge possibility of you getting stopped by these cops "randomly". They say it's random but when you look at who else got pulled over at the checkpoint, it's other foreigners like yourselves. I've gotten pulled over many times in Bali. The first time I got pulled over, I lost quite a bit of money because I didn't know what to do. The purpose of me writing up this post is to not bash the Balinese people, the people in Bali are very friendly and welcoming at least from my experience of being on the island the past three times but then again, nothing is perfect. I'm sharing this post to make you aware of what could potentially happen when you're getting around Bali.
THE CHECKPOINTS
These checkpoints are typically set up in high traffic areas, specifically in the well known tourist cities like Kuta and Seminyak. There are no specific times, I've gotten pulled over first thing in the morning, midday or even when it's dark out. The thing is, you can get stopped at any time and if you do, don't panic. Continue reading because there are several ways to deal with these cops once you get pulled over.
DON'T GIVE ANYTHING
Once you get pulled over, they will ask for a lot of things but don't give anything to them physically. Even when you park, grab your keys off the scooter because once they have something from you, they're most likely going to ask you money for it in exchange. You need to hold your ground and if they ask for your international license, don't give them your original copy, give them a photocopy of it.
Since we're on this topic, international license is an iffy subject because many foreigners in Bali riding their scooters without their international license. Yet, whether you do or you don't have one, you'd still get pulled over. It's better to have one anyways but just keep this in mind that it won't stop these cops from pulling you over.
USE A FAKE WALLET
Before you hit the road, put your real money somewhere else and have a "bail money" in your wallet. Put a couple of Indonesian Rupiah worth in your fake wallet. Once you've gotten pulled over, they're going to make up a reason how you broke the law. There's a chart that they will show you on a page of a pocket book. They'll quickly open up then close that page and then they will tell you that they will only charge you half of what's on the page. You're most likely going to say you don't have that amount (because it's a ridiculous amount of money to be carrying), they will then say they will take whatever you have. If you want to just move along and not waste any more time, you can take out your fake wallet and have a couple of dollars in there and say that's all you got. They will take that and let you go. Not really my favourite option but it's an option. Whatever you do, don't show them where you hid your real money because once they see it, they will take it from you (literally).
FLASH THE CASH
This technique came about as a fluke. Because what these cops are doing are illegal, being seen by the public get handed over cash on the busy streets is shameful. When I used the fake wallet technique above, I accidentally stuck the money out when I was giving it to the cop then the he hit me with the pocket book and said not to do that. He then told me to leave and walked away. How they accept cash is they cover you handing it to them with a book making the exchange as discreet as possible. Ever since this happened, if I ever got in a situation where I was handing over cash, I would exaggerate handing over the cash and to make sure the public to sees that an illegal transaction is being made.
STAND YOUR GROUND
If you have time and you know for a fact that you didn't do anything wrong, hold your ground. Make sure they don't take anything from you and just keep saying no to whatever they asked for. During this time, keep your cool and don't panic. Show confidence when you're holding your ground. Be patient and they will eventually let you go.
DON'T STOP
When you get pulled over, they usually wave you down. I'm not recommending this but this is something I've done before and it's something I'm not proud of but it is an option but perhaps not a safe one. I've gotten pulled over many times for no reason in Bali and it was just one of those days when I got really sick of it. One of the cops tried waving me down and I already knew where it was going because I looked on the side of the road and there were a bunch of foreigners who also got pulled over. At that point I didn't want my time to be wasted anymore so I had to make a quick but safe decision to just keep going. I looked at the traffic flow ahead of me, I saw that I had the opportunity to keep going so I went just beside the tail end of the car in front of me who weaved around the cop that was trying to pull me over and I kept going. Do this only if you feel safe in doing so.
BLEND IN
Bali's tropical weather will have you wearing summer clothes, easy for corrupt cops to spot you from several hundred meters away and stop you because they know you're a foreigner on a scooter. Locals living here are wearing long sleeves and jeans as if it's winter. I've never done this but do know a couple of people who have tried this and didn't get pulled over. You're basically posing as a local by covering your skin fully so that the cops can't tell you're a foreigner and won't get flagged down. If you do end up trying this, let me know if it worked or if it didn't. I just don't see myself wearing warm clothes in a 30-40 deg weather. I would rather stand my ground as opposed to sweating heavily with all the clothes I have on while on a scooter.
TAKE OUT YOUR PHONE
A scare tactic that I've tried and worked. Take extra caution when you're doing this as these cops can swipe your phone away from you aggressively because they want to keep their identity on the down-low when they're doing something illegal. If you have a passenger, it's better if they're recording while you deal with the situation (see below). If you pull this off correctly, they will ask you to delete the photos or videos off your phone and eventually let you go.
Bali is a hot tourist spot for the many, it's a beautiful place to visit with a ton of things to do. I don't want this post to prevent you from going to Bali. Every place, every country in this world has its pros and cons. As mentioned, the purpose of this post is to make you aware of what could potentially happen if you're out and about as well as how to prevent you from giving money away for no reason. If you are feeling generous though, by all means, give your money away. That's going to wrap it up for this post but if you have any questions or feedback, leave them in the comment section below. Safe travels everyone!
