things where persons should be

The other night Drew and I were driving late at night. We were carrying some speakers in the back seat from an outdoor movie that Drew had set up for. We only had about a 15 min drive to go, but were stopped by police before our destination. We were not speeding and were curious as to why we were pulled over. After greeting the policeman, he told us that the problem were the things in the back seat. Really? We asked. He went on to explain how you cannot have "things" where people should be, and vice versa. Mind you, that in this country one of the main forms of transportation is riding in the back of the truck. He is telling us that is illegal, as well as having items on seats that are meant for people. When we questioned, he replied that it is true, and "haven't you read?" assuming we have access to said rule book (which we don't). The fine was said to be 1500 metacai, which translates to about $45. For having "things where persons should be." Oh dear. Thankfully, Drew was able to stroke the ego of this policeman who was then essentially asking for a bribe, and we drove away without a fine. This is just one of the may examples of silly fines and stops here in the third world country.