This is a terrible anecdote. I'm brazillian, and my country is factually one of the most corrupt in the world, and I have done all of this things (in fact I work in government), and have never paid or seen or even heard of anyone paying a bribe (other than in the news, like you).

People have a very bad idea of what corruption actually is. Low level bribes don't really make a difference anywhere. What really matters is corruption at the highest levels, that change how the whole economy works, and these you only hear when the (proverbial) dam breaks.