Directory A–Z - Central Asia - page 469

¨ Your best bet is to be
polite, firm and jovial. A
forthright, friendly manner -
starting right out with an
asalam aleykum (peace be
with you) and a handshake
for whomever is in charge -
may help to defuse a
potential shakedown,
whether you are male or
female.
¨ If someone refers to a
'regulation', ask to see it in
writing. If you are dealing
with lower-level officers,
ask to see their nachalnik
(superior).
¨ Ask to see a policeman's
ID and, if possible, get
a written copy of the ID
number. Do not hand over
your passport unless you
see this ID. Even better, only
hand over a photocopy of
your passport; claim that
your passport is at your
hotel or embassy.
¨ Try to avoid being taken
somewhere out of the
public eye, eg into an office
or into the shadows. The
objective of most detentions
of Westerners is simply to
extort money, and by means
of intimidation rather than
violence. If you're prepared
to pull out a paperback
and wait them out, most
inquisitors on the make will
eventually give up.
¨ If you are detained at
a police station, insist on
calling the duty officer at
your embassy or consulate.
If your country has no
diplomatic representative
in the country you're in, call

the embassy of a friendly
country - for example the
UK if you're from Australia or
New Zealand.
¨ Make it harder for police
on the take by speaking only
in your own language.
¨ If officers show signs
of force or violence, and
provided they are not drunk,
do not be afraid to make a
scene - dishonest cops will
dislike such exposure.
¨ Never sign anything,
especially if it's in a language
you don't understand. You
have the right not to sign
anything without consular
assistance.
¨ Antinarcotics laws give
the police powers to search
passengers at bus and train
stations. If you are searched,
never let the police put their
hands in your pockets - take
everything out yourself and
turn your pockets inside out.
¨ If police officers want to
see your money (to check
for counterfeit bills) try to
take it out only in front of
the highest-ranking officer.
If any is taken insist on a
written receipt for it.
¨ If you have to pay a fine,
insist that you do so at a
bank and get a receipt for
the full amount.

or hostels in Bishkek and
Osh (Kyrgyzstan), Almaty
(Kazakhstan), Khorog
(Tajikistan) and the main
towns in Uzbekistan.
It's generally not too dif-
ficult to find travellers to
share car-hire costs for the
Torugart, Irkeshtam or Pamir
Highway trips. Local travel
agents and community
tourism providers can often
help link you up with other
travellers or try a post on the
Thorn Tree (http://thorntree.
lonelyplanet.com).
Travelling alone in Turk-
menistan can be expensive.
Hotel rooms cost almost the
same whether you have one
or two people in your party
and if you are on a tourist
visa you'll have to bear the
burden of hiring a guide for
yourself.

Telephone
International Calls
Private communication
centres or (in Tajikistan and
Kazakhstan) prepaid inter-
net phone (IP) cards cost a
fraction of a conventional in-
ternational phone call (from
around US$0.10 per minute)
and the quality is usually
as good as through the old
Soviet-era landlines.
In smaller towns you
place international calls (as
well as local and intercity
ones) from the central tele-
phone and telegraph offices.
You tell a clerk the number
and prepay in local currency.
After a wait of anything from

Solo Travellers
There isn't a huge traveller
scene in Central Asia but
you'll meet other travellers
in backpacker guesthouses

GOVERNMENT TRAVEL ADVICE
The following government websites ofer travel advisories and information on current
hot spots.
¨ Australian Department of Foreign Affairs ( % 02-6261 3305; www.smartraveller.gov.au)
Register online at www.orao.dfat.gov.au.
¨ British Foreign Office ( % 0845-850 2829; www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice)
¨ Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs ( % 1-800-267 6788; www.travel.gc.ca)
¨ US State Department ( % 1-888-407 4747; http://travel.state.gov) Register online at
https://travelregistration.state.gov.