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Turkey/Iran border scam: nothing new Turkey/Iran border scam: nothing new
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  #1  
Old 22 Sep 2010
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Thanks, Ian, I'll set this aside for my summer 2011's trip to Iran or Samarkand (via Iran).

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  #2  
Old 22 Sep 2010
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Good post – great detail.
Border touts make a living by blatent lies mixed with a real understanding of the often mind-boggling border bureaucracy. Personally I try to brush them off, but in most countries where they can operate freely there is a kickback to the border officials, and they don’t like loosing their little bonus.
I went through Bazargan oktober ’08, and then it was the customs officials themselves who were asking for handouts, they asked for Euro 20 after doing nothing for over an hour, reckoning I must be an easy mark by then. The resulting explosion of rough language resulted in my papers being stamped and counterstamped at record speed, they wanted me out of there as fast as possible. Not a method I would recommend everywhere, but these guys fold easily. The booth at the bottom of the hill just countersigned the internal receipt, to make sure you had actually been processed, and not just weaselled your way through.
Insurance is probably a good idea, but the petrol card was a waste of time and money – nowhere did I have any problem with fuel, if they had any in the pumps I was pushed to the front of the queue. Overfilling, splashing several liters of high octane on a hot engine was definitely a more serious problem, as was the “inshallah” driving and “me-first” pushing-and-shoving in queues.
Security of you, your bike and luggage is taken very seriously, they say there is no crime in Iran, and then help you lift your bike into a hotel reception, up three steps. I was unfortunate enough to attract the attention of the counter-espionage agency, and was interviewed twice, as well as being followed, so I was probably safe from normal criminals. There is a bright side to everything.
If you are travelling east in the Baloch area you may have military escorts, they are usually a pain in the ass, but we will never know if they were really necessary. They are very trigger-happy, and sloppy weapons-handling is always dangerous. One soldier shot into the ground near my feet because I took too long drinking water whilst waiting for other tourists at a checkpoint, and another shot in the air to make Swiss-Marco turn his bus around. That was counter-productive, to say the least. Otherwise the average Iranian is very friendly, and helpful, though I do wonder if all the people I spoke to were actually who they said they were, and not informants for the Iranian Stasi.
In ’08 there seemed to be some sort of food rationing, even in mid-range restaurants most of the menu was “off”, but the kebab is available everywhere. Tap water is not safe to drink, and bottled water is available everywhere.
Safe travels
Peter, in Oslo
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  #3  
Old 25 Sep 2010
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Hi Ian

Thanks for this information, very handy!
Cheers
Adastra
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  #4  
Old 25 Sep 2010
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Thanks Ian ; this is exactly the kind of helpful detailed post which makes HU the place it is. Thanks also to GSPeter, for the detailed followup.

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Old 25 Sep 2010
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Thank you for that informative post Ian. We are hoping to cross from Turkey into Iran in a few weeks, currently underway in a rainy Germany

My impression is you are better off without the helpers altogether? We have never done a proper big scary land border crossing before so it could be interesting...

Keep it between the hedges.

Neil
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  #6  
Old 26 Sep 2010
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None of these shenanigans encountered at the Esendere/Serou crossing. Not a single tout in sight. I had green card insurance for Iran. The topic of insurance never came up however. Very friendly on both sides.
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  #7  
Old 27 Sep 2010
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Thanks for the news Ian, I think the numerals you are trying to describe are Arabic even though they speak Farsi in Iran.

In which case this graphic is useful and as you say not so hard to memorise

http://www.sahara-overland.com/country/arabic-nums.jpg

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