Guides in DR, tend to have a greater covering within job description, anything from Travel agent, Foreign exchange, drug dealer, pimp, Chauffeur, body guard, best friend, drinking buddy, agony aunt, hair dresser, brick layer, ok im getting a bit carried away now but you get my point. Guides have to have many many contacts as is the nature of their services, they tend to know people, know tricks, often work on back scratching basis. 'Jim'll Fix It' has nothing on some of these guys. No one can comment on who your guide is, no one knows him, just you and if this was your first bad experience since you've been visiting the country then you haven't been too naive, people ome off far worse far quicker in a worse wy than this. In reality all that happened is they stopped you, had a look around the car, looked at some papers (they could have been anything, something or nothing) and let you go, so it's not really a huge deal, you just got a little freaked out. No need to cast everyone around you as untrustworthy, PN yes but you have common sense, obviously. I still think you could do with sharpening up a little, you are going to get hurt on your journey because you give people the benefit of the doubt, and that is a huge mistake. When dealing with equal status people you can give the benefit of the doubt until that trust is broken, when dealing with desperate people a bit of a barrier should be up until they prove to you you can let it down somewhat. You'll get it eventually, once you've been hurt a couple of times. But you do need to try to mix with people of a similar status at least some of the time, hanging with poor people ALL the time gives you a false sense of security. They will never hurt you and will protect you as you are to some extent an asset to their lives, this does not mean they don't like YOU becau you are a good guy, but it is wrong to consider all others will hold you with this equal regard, sadly they won't. You'll work it out once you've been in the picture for longer than vacations. Once your social life kicks off and the Santa Claus visits stop, you'll get sick of the moronic mentality of the simple living people, you need someone to buy you a beer, go to a restaurant, have a nice bottle of wine, some stimulating intelligent conversation, live a life rather than spectate other people from the sidelines.