(KidCisco will fall off his chair at this one) I have seen a lot of things, but this taxi guy last night got the best of me.

His trick was to say at both the resturant that he would wait for me, and then take me back to the hotel. I said ok because I did not think that he had much business, and that he wanted the money to take me back to the hotel.

So we finally get back to the hotel after dinner, and the place with the guy at the whorehouse with the shotgun out front, and I ask him how much money he wanted. He then tells me that I need to pay him by the hour for waiting for him, and he breaks out his rate schedule. His schedule says $20 / hr, and that he has been with me 5 hrs. I feel out of my chair then also just picturing what KidCisco would say, and wishing there were some US Navy Seals to help me, but they just were not there. Being a foreign county, I just paid the money. I never argue with a taxi driver on their home there. BUT if a guy every says that he will wait for you, make sure that he is one his on time, or tell him that you do not know when you will be out. You could tell him that if he is there when you get out, that you will use him.

I think another mistake that I made is that I did not pay him when I got to the resturant. I went to that resturant on Day 2, and it was $5. I should have paid him so that there was a complete transaction, and then when I came out start a new transaction. I did not pay this guy where I got there, so the original transactions was not complete, and this guy was running the clock on me.

Oh well, live and learn. Hope that you have a good laugh KidCisco. I did it for you.

CP..I had the same thing happen to me in Panama once. Guy just kept telling me he would wait for me and I kept telling him to not to and asking how much I owed him. I figured the same thing you did when he just kept waiting for me.

When we got back to my hotel, I gave him $15.00 which was about 2X what it should have been. he said $100. I laughed and just started walking away. Thank goodness the bellman had known me from about 25 visits because I explained what happened and he just started shooing the guy away.

The guy called a local MP/policaman who was standing on the corner. They all rattled away in rapid fire Spanish at each other and I just stood there not knowing if I was going to jail or what because I was refusing to pay him anothe dime. Finally, the cop told the guy to leave and my savior got a nice $10 tip for his help.

Even a vet learns new lessons. Pay by the trip!

You gentlemen will need to read my guide when I'm finished. Going rate for the taxi is less than $2 through most of the city. Agree on your price beforehand and insist on paying upon arrival. Take a different taxi if the same guy is still there. If at all possible, try to avoid the taxi drivers hanging out in front of the clubs and catch one off the street.

Canonperdido-I actually appreciate your honesty in admitting you paid $100 US for a cab for the afternoon. I don't think I'd have had the guts to admit that.

What puzzles me is your statement "Being a foreign county, I just paid the money. I never argue with a taxi driver on their home there."

I'm guessing you don't speak Spanish, right? I'm no Navy Seal-I'm about 5'7, 200 lbs, fat and slow, but I would have just told the guy no-Maybe offer $20 or what seems fair with respect to other fares. Based on what you say, I suppose any taxi driver has a license to scam you and you'll just pay to get out of it? This is the reason why Gringos get scammed all over the world. Locals know Gringos will pay whatever it takes rather than object in the least.

I look like a Gringo but speak Spanish. When taxi drivers in Mexico and Costa Rica have pulled this scam, I laughed at them and told them no. Once they saw I spoke Spanish they never objected much, but even if they persisted, refuse to pay and have him call the cops if he wants. There's likely no way he can justify 1/4 of that fare, so he'll back off eventually.

I still admire you for admitting it. My guess is it happens to a lot of other Hombres and we don't hear about it.

Hombrecito. Soy un persona que estoy en Panama, y no quieres problemas. Si hay un problema, yo no quiero ir a el carson, y tambien yo pienso que algunas veces me voy a hacer un cosa estupido.

Yo apprendio mucho la noche pasado, y no mey voy a hacer esto mas.

Gracias por sus sentimos.

Chau.

CP

Besides being honest about this could help others avoid this problem. No one has said yet if KidCisco fell out of his chair over this yet.

CP-They won't send you to jail (btw-it's carcel-accent on the a) for refusing to be robbed by a taxi driver. Usually mentioning the police causes them to drop it because they can't justify the price to the cops. It sounds like you speak enough Spanish to be understood. Next time, counter immediately with 1/4 - 1/2 the price. I'll bet your driver would have accepted $50 in a second had you countered, but that's still probably overpaying. It's also best to set a price before you go as mentioned.

Next time you take a trip, please notify me before you go. I'd like to go first and offer my services as your taxi driver. My rates are $100 & up to whatever you'll pay. I also expect a tip for speaking English and my fees are non-negotiable

Tengo a pensar mucho tiempo por esto. Es mejor que tu no esperar mucho tiempo si tu tengo agos cosas para hacer.

CP

Canon,

Great advice. I think sometimes guys forget the little things. I'm not surprised at your honesty. The purpose of these boards is to share information. Not to be lectured or ridiculed. Everything we do in life we learn from. I'm sure that you'll never make this same mistake again.

I might hit Panama with my buddy that goes down there alot. It will be interesting to see how I'll like it. I probably need to lay off the trips for a while but thanks for the informative posts.

Godfather. Panama does not begin to compare to BA, or Rio. I know it is a few hours further, but next time I will probably just keep going further south.

Weather here is much nicer this time of year (Dec to end of Feb), but for hobby stuff, keep going south. At least this is my opinion.

Chau.

CP