Taken for a Ride?
Most Americans tend to assume that uniformed officials are honest and professional. As my husband and I had the misfortune to discover on our recent trip to Eastern Europe, that is not always the case.
We purchased European East passes--the Eastern European version of a Rail Europe pass. The rules, printed on the back, state that these passes must be validated prior to boarding the first train. In Poland, we were assured by railroad officials that the stamps are no longer necessary.
However, shortly after our Vienna-Budapest train crossed into Hungary, a conductor informed us that our passes were not valid and demanded $50 a person for stamping them. I demanded to be shown this “official policy” in print. His only response was pretending to copy the contents of my husband’s pass. Having finished his show, the conductor proceeded on to the next passenger, as if nothing happened.
An acquaintance who lives in Hungary later told us that corruption among Hungarian officials is commonplace.
I would like to urge Americans traveling to Hungary not to accept any demands by officials for money at face value.
ELEANOR R. MARCH
El Cajon
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