151–160 of 246 posts
Cute story, but wonder if the outcome would be the same if the author hadn't originally been Russian and didn't speak Russian.
Update: To be fair, I'll add that some cops in Kyrgyzstan like that kind of easy money -- they could harass you until you give them some money. But don't bribe them. It is best to play a total idiot like "you me, me you, me friend to you, you friend to me, yes, I like your country, nature mountains ... " etc. Don't forget to smile :)
I don't know even what to make of this... The preamble suggests that Kazakhstan justice was superior to American justice, but after reading the whole story I'm like... dude, grow a sense of self-responsibility. It's not like your visa expiring was a surprise... you knew exactly when it was going to happen, and YOU CHOSE to violate it without giving yourself any wiggle room. Then you willingly participated in a corrup…
It's the ability to take the law and regulations lightly, when they're not that serious, and be humane about it.
I mean writing: "YOU CHOSE to violate it", with added emphasis, as if having a visa expiring on the same day you leave a place (and literally while you're on a vehicle leaving it) is some kind of huge crime...
I don't know even what to make of this... The preamble suggests that Kazakhstan justice was superior to American justice, but after reading the whole story I'm like... dude, grow a sense of self-responsibility. It's not like your visa expiring was a surprise... you knew exactly when it was going to happen, and YOU CHOSE to violate it without giving yourself any wiggle room. Then you willingly participated in a corrup…
He didn't intend to do anything malicious. He wasn't on drugs. Wasn't going to kill or rob anyone. He was maybe simply playing a mischievous kid, not a "bloody criminal". Are laws really meant to be taken so rigidly? Has he actually done anything immoral (except for the bribe part, which I also confidently despise of)? Laws are meant to help people live comfortably and save the innocents from criminal. Yes he could have left 24 hours earlier, but maybe he felt it was more comfortable to leave later. He chose his comfort for the cost of absolutely nothing except not following a law, hopefully made to ultimately give comfort to people. He didn't harm anyone.
The fact that such a non-malicious "crime" (read: mischief) did not have to face the brutality given to actual criminals is enough evidence for me to believe that Kazakhstan's law is indeed superior to American law - because boy do I hear so much ill of the American law punishing innocents every other day on the internet.
I don't know even what to make of this... The preamble suggests that Kazakhstan justice was superior to American justice, but after reading the whole story I'm like... dude, grow a sense of self-responsibility. It's not like your visa expiring was a surprise... you knew exactly when it was going to happen, and YOU CHOSE to violate it without giving yourself any wiggle room. Then you willingly participated in a corrup…
Oh wait, no, then he wouldn't have had an adventure and a interesting story to tell, so interesting other people actually enjoy hearing it.
I don't really get this comment at all, he never claimed to be hard done by.
He just told the story as it happened while giving us an insight into other cultures.
Visas are bullshit anyway, people should have the RIGHT to free travel wherever they wish, so BS on the ethics bit.
The only ethical issue is around using names (assuming they are real) and photos of people who helped him.
Other than that I suggest you get out and travel. You obviously don't, else you would know what it's like to get into situations that later seem so obviously could have been avoided. But to travel the world and have fun it's part and parcel of the experience.
I don't know even what to make of this... The preamble suggests that Kazakhstan justice was superior to American justice, but after reading the whole story I'm like... dude, grow a sense of self-responsibility. It's not like your visa expiring was a surprise... you knew exactly when it was going to happen, and YOU CHOSE to violate it without giving yourself any wiggle room. Then you willingly participated in a corrup…
I find this response, and the suggestions, exemplifying why Kazakhstan justice (as expressed in the story, I don't know how it's in general) is superior to American justice. It's the ability to take the law and regulations lightly, when they're not that serious, and be humane about it. I mean writing: "YOU CHOSE to violate it", with added emphasis, as if having a visa expiring on the same day you leave a place (and l…
What about the visum expiring the day before you leave? Two days? The law has to draw a line somewhere. It is the obligation of the person to stay clear of that line. If the visum duration is too short, just make all visa valid for 16 days rather than 15 days, and then enforce that line equally for everybody. Once corruption has taken a hold it tends to encroach on everything.
I'm surprised, that a western man is so ready to participate in corruption. I live in Kazakhstan and I would be very afraid to bribe an official, it could become worse very fast and if you are caught with that, you'll have to bribe much more people or end up in a jail with a very serious offence. I definitely don't recommend to bribe an official in Kazakhstan, usually it's better and safer to follow a law.
I agree. It's very naive and the original poster is lucky that he didn't end up in serious trouble.
Great story! 5 years ago we went on a Mongol Rally. Driving European vehicle through the Stans makes you easy prey for local policeman. My co-driver had a strategy of befriending them and sharing small gifts (pens, lighters etc.). Most expensive were Tajik GBAO guards, they got headlamps. During my shifts I had 2 encounters but played dumb, even though I'm native in similar language and could communicate. No bribes g…
I did it last year, same experience. A few times it seemed they were looking for bribes but gave up when they realised we spoke absolutely no Kazakh. The only bribe we had to pay in the end was $5 on the Ukraine/Russia border. Side note, Google translate's OCR feature saved me from eating testicles so many times.
Your loss. Testicles, e.g. lamb testicles, are just as delicious as any other part -- plus, if you think about it, there's nothing that strange or dirty about them (compared to liver or whatever), it's just some prudish mental connection people make.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Um, what? I read the story of his SF arrest. That's... not what happened. He was arrested because the police resented that he did not immediately 'respect my authoritah'. He was not interfering with paramedics. He was a safe distance away. He got put on psychiatric hold by the police as retribution for insisting it is reasonable for him to have the right to see a doctor for medical treatment. Medical treatment which…
In the time it took you to make that throwaway account you could have read this: http://sfist.com/2014/02/18/young_tech_worker_who_called_911... or this: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/779439/police_report_ann... LOL, he stated he was a medic and tried to push his way past the police.
Love the casual insinuations that he and his friend were just leaving a gay bar and are part of a sort of commune.
Like they carry any sort of weight or relevance.
Yellow journalism at its best.
Great read, but I don't buy it. I've not been to Kazakhstan but traveled Africa and South America extensively. I've been to war zones. A lot of things don't add up: * A cop takes a bribe, is surprised the tourist is in some computer and then returns the bribe? I've never ever encountered a cop who takes bribes but does not know how the system works. They are not this stupid. This, by the way, is the best way to avoid…
The kid could easily be overlooked by the border guards since he had his passport, and it might have took extreme due diligence on their part to bother to look it up on the computer.
>Cops being happy to have some "criminal" around for getting drunk and they even pay? No, they rather take your money and get drunk with their friends.
If you travel in the right places and chance on the right people, the first can happen just as well.
Especially if you have to be in their company (custody etc) in the first place for a few days, it's some small place and you're seen as interesting talking material, and lots of other situations. Even bribe-taking officials are not one-sided hardened corrupted caricatures.