Over our Mexican road trip we encountered a couple things that we were not too happy about. The first scam we encountered was at the Hertz rent a car counter at the Cancun Airport. At the desk we were told that the price would be about $11 USD/ day. What a steal right? We were told it would include all the costs associated and the insurance. They drove us to the lot, and we were told we would have to pay an additional $26 USD /day for insurance. Even when we told the woman that the other person at the counter said the price included insurance she told us it did not. I read that people who try to barter the price down end up getting charged a higher price anyway. In the end we took a taxi from hertz which was still quite pricy at $30 usd plus tip, but we just couldn’t see ourselves paying $37 USD / day plus tax for a car we needed for two weeks.
The next scam we found was in Tulum. There is a sign that says paradise beach (the public beach) is closed. You can drive through a gate. As you drive down the road men will try to flag you down. They will tell you that the beach is closed but you can park near them for a tip and go to the beach. They will tell you the tours are the only way to get to the beach or wherever you want to go. This is a lie. You just drive right past them, and there will be an entrance to the beach and a parking area where it says you can pay to park. There is no one there to collect money so you can park there and walk to the beach. To be honest the public beach is not that great, but don’t fall for the tour guide scam.
The next scam is about dos ojos cenotes. We drove to dos ojos cenote where we were told price of admission was $250 pesos which is about 11 USD. We were willing to pay that, and the woman noticed a camera in my hand. We like to take nice pictures and create great memories. She told us there would be a charge for the camera. I was already annoyed. Even if it was a one dollar charge, that’s not ok in my book. Come to find out it’s a $17 USD CHARGE. How absurd! That is literally more than the price of admission. I recommend deciding with your dollar not to be a patron of a place that so shamelessly price gouges as there are hundreds of Cenotes to choose from.
The last scam was the most terrifying. If there was one thing I stressed to my fiance, it was that we MUST go the speed limit to avoid getting pulled over. In every city we entered in Yucatan, there was a police checkpoint where we stopped, told the police where we were going, why we were there, and then went on our way. While driving in Cancun we arrived at a police checkpoint, so I stopped, but my fatal flaw was that they did not tell me to stop. The police officer told me to pull over, and then asked for my license. I went to get my backpack and handed him my license, my hand trembling with the fear I had of going to Mexican jail . My fiance, who is fluent spoke for me. The officer told us the speed limit was 40 kph and that I was speeding. This was simply not true as the speed limit was 70 kph. He continued to ask me how fast I was going, and said that I needed to pay the police. My fiance was dumbfounded by the whole thing because he knew I was not speeding, and the officer did not have a radar gun to prove anything. My fiance told me looking back he should have been more deferential to the officer. However, he very matter of factly told the officer that I was not speeding. The officer got a bit angry that I was not speaking to him and asked if I spoke Spanish. My fiance again answered for me and told him that I spoke a little Spanish. He then looked through our windows and asked what we had in the back seat to which we answered pastries. He told us he would let us go with a warning, but I was definitely shaken by the experience.
