"and not get taken advantage of" The trick, IMHO, is to have some local knowledge of what's what and then to be firm in everything (and not afraid to say 'no')

"and not get taken advantage of" The trick, IMHO, is to have some local knowledge of what's what and then to be firm in everything (and not afraid to say 'no'). If the phrase "you can't bullshit a bullshiter" is taken into consideration, the appearance of having adopted such a stance makes one pretty much immune from being taken advantage of. For anyone considering LatAm, just let people know they can't pull the wool over your eyes (no pun about llamas intended).