i was travelling to sosua (from POP) on saturday using guagua. i was not sure how much does the trip costs so i had some change stuffed in my pockets and waited for arrival to pay.
at playa dorada a pair of tourists (french canadians, i think) get in and ask the money guy (drivers helper) how much to sosua. he says "200 pesos". they started arguing it was too much and one of passengers (very sankie like) joined in, the conversation was from then on held in french so i have no idea what was being said. as a result the price "went down" to 100 pesos for two. at which point the money guy turned to me and demanded money.
now, i am a person of routine, especially here where so little happens in orderly fashion. since i have never paid for my trip before finishing it i was a little surprised. i said i will not pay until we get to sosua (in very broken spanish).
we get to the entrance to sosua, money guy stops the car, tells the tourists to go out. he tells me again to pay to which i again refuse saying i will pay at texaco station. as soon as we got there i asked the driver to stop, got off and gave the money guy 30 pesos (i found out the fare is 25) and walked away.
now, from the moral point of view i know one should inform poor tourists they are being ripped off. from pure rational point of view thou - what should one do? is it wise to join in and say what the fare is? or is it better to shut up?
ok, in a way i know it is wiser to keep moth shut - which is what i did, since my spanish is nowhere good enough to argue and as a gringa i'd be probably seen as a rich bitch trying to stop poor dominican from earning few extra bucks...
(minovio tells me that every guagua driver has a number displayed in front of the car and i should have taken it to make a complaint to the syndicate. apparently he has done so few times and got drivers suspended.)
my question is - what would you do?
at playa dorada a pair of tourists (french canadians, i think) get in and ask the money guy (drivers helper) how much to sosua. he says "200 pesos". they started arguing it was too much and one of passengers (very sankie like) joined in, the conversation was from then on held in french so i have no idea what was being said. as a result the price "went down" to 100 pesos for two. at which point the money guy turned to me and demanded money.
now, i am a person of routine, especially here where so little happens in orderly fashion. since i have never paid for my trip before finishing it i was a little surprised. i said i will not pay until we get to sosua (in very broken spanish).
we get to the entrance to sosua, money guy stops the car, tells the tourists to go out. he tells me again to pay to which i again refuse saying i will pay at texaco station. as soon as we got there i asked the driver to stop, got off and gave the money guy 30 pesos (i found out the fare is 25) and walked away.
now, from the moral point of view i know one should inform poor tourists they are being ripped off. from pure rational point of view thou - what should one do? is it wise to join in and say what the fare is? or is it better to shut up?
ok, in a way i know it is wiser to keep moth shut - which is what i did, since my spanish is nowhere good enough to argue and as a gringa i'd be probably seen as a rich bitch trying to stop poor dominican from earning few extra bucks...
(minovio tells me that every guagua driver has a number displayed in front of the car and i should have taken it to make a complaint to the syndicate. apparently he has done so few times and got drivers suspended.)
my question is - what would you do?