Posted on 02/11/2015 12:07:20 PM PST by not2be4gotten.com
Belgrade, Serbia:
So on Sunday, February 8, 2015, as an American, I was arrested and detained by the Belgrade transit police. So now I have a criminal record in Serbia.
Here is what you need to know.
When you get to Belgrade, you need to get a tram fare card. We got 10 rides per card, around $6. So when you get on the tram, you swipe your card and it subtracts 1 fare from your card. It is a very cool system. The problem is, when you swipe your card on the trams, we don't know where on the little computer screen it tells you how many more fares you have left. We just don't know, it is all gobbledygook. The only way we know of to tell if there are no more fares left on the card, is to get on a tram, swipe the card and if the screen flashes red, instead of the usual green, we know to buy a new card. This is all we know. We can't take our card to one of the little vending, kiosk, to find out how many fares we have left, because we do not know how to ask that question in Serbian and none of the kiosk people know how to speak English, because if they did, they would have better jobs and would not be kiosk vendors. Does this make any sense?
So Sunday, I jump on the tram, swipe my card and the little computer screen flashes red and gives a mournful beep, indicating no more fares left. And how lucky am I that a transit cop lady is standing right next to me, watching this happen. She immediately turns to me, decides I am a stupid american (baseball cap?) and says, in perfect English "Give me your passport, or I will summon the police." OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The jail cell, late that night, was chilly and damp, with a smell of vomit and urine, my prison smock smelled like an old garbage pail. The reflection of my fellow prisoners, off the damp floor, seemed to betray the fact that they were sizing me up, especially the 2 really big guys...
No... But this is what immediately went through my head...
I handed over my passport. She said "The fine is 2000 Dinar." While looking into my wallet and finding only 1500 Dinar, I explained to her that there is no way for me to know if there is no more fares left on the card, other than scanning it, on the tram and seeing it fail. She said "No exceptions!" I showed her how much money I have and offered to pay her in American dollars. I always carry $1000 American, just in case of an emergency (which will typically get you out of most anything), it is one of our rules.
She says "No!" She then continues "At the next stop, I will get off with you. You have 5 minutes to come up with 2000 Dinar, or I will keep your passport." We get off at the next stop. Luckily there is a bank, with an ATM, right across the street. I withdraw the money, give her 2000 Dinar (a little less than $20). I get my passport back and now all is well.
God bless Serbia!
“And how lucky am I that a transit cop lady is standing right next to me”
She was all firm with you. She clearly wanted you to bust a move. Should have made direct eye contact and told her you’ve never seen such a beautiful babe. You know shes not happy riding that bus all day....
In serbia, that is dinner for two and a movie
Like American Felonies: Everyone commits them. You just don’t know when Big Brother will choose to convict you of one.
buses and trains should sell those cards, maybe even vending machines at some of the lager stops
You already flashed her the thousand. So she knows. Dude, right after you paid the measly 20 dollar fine, you should have flipped the script and told her you were arresting her now, and that you’ll pick her up at 7.
Your Serbian flag was right there. Rico Suave baby,,,
That is what happens when petty people are given a smidgen of authority. Could’ve happened anywhere, anytime. Hard to be prepared for that kind of random scenario.
Of course, *if only* concealed carry were legal there, you could’ve double-tapped the b!tch and walked away with a smile on your face. /s
Her friend was kind of cute!
If you are going to spend an extended period in Belgrade, and intend to use public transport a lot, than you can buy passes that range from 15 days to 1 month. Those must be purchased at the public transport department, and can be somewhat difficult for foreigners to acquire, since the process is long (filling out forms with most of your personal information) and attendants do not speak English.
http://www.belgrade-serbia.com/blog/?page_id=5
So if I get this right, you had to pay a Serbian meter maid a $20 bribe to keep out of jail?
Crooked? Sure. Corrupt? Uh huh. Worth it? Oh yeah.
I’ve heard of her! She’s not really a transit cop. She just wears that uniform and extorts dumb American tourists.
Actually, I think you can conceal carry in Serbia. I believe you can own as many guns here as you like. Gun laws are very liberal here, in some ways there are more freedoms here than the USA.
Oh yeahhhh,,, (start up the jazz quartette)
Not suggesting you were mal-treated only because you are American, but it IS possible you may have encountered one Serb who did not appreciate Slick Willie bombing the ever-loving crap out her country, including the bridges across the Danube...Of the former Yugo countries, the Serbs especially should be our allies, not our targets...
Then again, you may just have been the unlucky person to fall within the sights of a local variety Barney Fife, duty struck cop...We have ‘em here in abundance as well...
Or it’s simply that tourism is down and that’s one of their revenue enhancement strategies...
Ain’t foreign travel fun?
Dinner for two and a movie is a lot better than paying for a dropped bar of soap in the jailhouse shower.
Common central/eastern European bus system.
I had a similar issue in the Czech Republic, although I didn’t get arrested.
Something similar happened to me on Port Authority Transit in Pittsburgh.
It seems to me the problem was you were not given any other option once you found out your fare card was used up except to pay the fine. The obvious options would be to pay in some other form say cash if that was acceptable or get off and get another fare card. The fact that a fine was imposed because you inadvertently got on public transit without a valid fare was over the top.
Granted, you might have had the same problem with finding a transit worker who speaks English right here in the U.S.A.
“She said “The fine is 2000 Dinar.”
What she really said was “the bribe is 2000 Dinar” “and that’s a nice watch” :-)
We live 2 blocks from the former Yugoslav ministry of defense building, that is bombed out. It is amazing to live in a place that your country bombed. Our plan is to live 1 month in every major city in Europe. This is one of them. The bombing of Belgrade was to keep the Monica off the the TV screens in the US. That is what I hear here.
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