Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hold the position until the shaking stops and you can move outside. Stay clear of win-
dows, appliances and freestanding furniture (such as wardrobes) that might fall over. Use
a pillow to protect your head.
In a mud-brick building it's vital to create space (under a bed, perhaps) that won't be
filled with dirt and dust, which could lead to suffocation - the primary cause of death in
Bam.
If you're outside, stay away from buildings and power lines.
Traffic
Forget religious fanatics, gun-toting kidnappers or any other threats you've associated
with Iran, you're more likely to get into trouble with the traffic than anything else. Irani-
ans will tell you with a perverse mix of horror and glee that Iran competes for the highest
per-capita number of road deaths on earth - in 2010 that was more than 22,000 people,
with another 200,000 plus injured.
No-one pays any notice of road rules and the willingness of a car to stop at a busy inter-
section is directly proportional to the size of the vehicles in its path. Playing on this, some
cunning motorists have fitted deafening air horns, usually found on trucks and buses, to
their Paykans and Prides. A quick blast sees other traffic screech to a halt, fearing they've
been outsized. Meanwhile, the modest little Paykan/Pride sails through the intersection.
Size (or at least the perception that you're big) matters.
Be aware of contraflow bus lanes (along which buses hurtle in the
opposite
direction to
the rest of the traffic), and motorbikes speeding through red lights, along footpaths and
through crowded bazaars.
Vehicles never stop at pedestrian crossings so don't underestimate the possibility of dy-
ing a horrible death while crossing the road. It may be little consolation, but the law says
that if a pedestrian is hit the driver is always at fault and is liable to pay blood money to
the family of the victim. Until you've got your head around the traffic, perhaps the best
advice comes from one pragmatic reader: 'Cross a busy street with an Iranian person, but
make sure the Iranian is closest to the approaching traffic.'
Unmarried Couples
There was a time when unmarried foreign couples found it difficult to get a room. These
days, however, hotel staff usually won't ask too many questions - exceptions are likely to
be in low-budget establishments.
