Iran - Andrew Burke [327]
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TOILETS
Most Iranians have squat toilets at home, but the majority of better hotels have thrones or a choice of loos. Almost all public toilets are squats and while some are regularly cleaned, others are very definitely not. Still, there are usually enough options that you won’t have to enter anywhere too stinky. Mosques, petrol stations, bus and train stations and airport terminals always have toilets, sans TP.
Fortunately, buying toilet paper is easier than it once was. Most of the bit-of-everything grocery stores stock it, and if you can’t find any there’s always the ubiquitous box of tissues. Many midrange hotels have joined their top-end counterparts in supplying toilet paper, though sometimes you’ll need to ask. Most plumbing is not designed for paper so put your used sheets in the bucket next to the toilet.
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TOURIST INFORMATION
The ominous-sounding Ministry of Culture & Islamic Guidance is responsible for ‘cultural affairs, propaganda, literature and arts, audiovisual production, archaeology, preservation of the cultural heritage, tourism, press and libraries’. As the list suggests, tourism is not its top priority, though it’s rising.
In 2007 the first national tourism website (www.tourismiran.ir) was launched. It’s planned to eventually be available in 11 languages, but at the time this book went to press was still largely useless. Cultural Heritage offices, universally known as Miras Faranghi in Farsi and often housed in restored historic buildings in provincial capitals, dispense information. They don’t see too many walk-in tourists but will usually try to find someone who speaks English and search around in filing cabinet drawers until you have a showbag full of brochures, maps, postcards and other promotional paraphernalia. Some cities also have more proactive private or semi-private tourist offices, where basic information is available in English and guides and tours can be arranged, usually at reasonable prices.
There are small information booths in train stations, where staff are usually good on timetable information, and international airports, where they might speak English and have a map, but little else. Information offices in bus terminals are generally useless.
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TRAVELLERS WITH DISABILITIES
Facilities are rare, but as long as you are healthy and come with the right frame of mind there is no reason why travellers with disabilities shouldn’t enjoy Iran. Wheelchair ramps are starting to appear, largely to cater to disabled veterans from the Iran–Iraq War, though it will be a long time before you can depend on the ramp’s presence. Only the more upmarket hotels are guaranteed to have elevators big enough for wheelchairs and European-style sit-down toilets. Bring your own medications and prescriptions.
For more information on travelling with disabilities, see these websites:
Access-Able Travel Source (www.access-able.com)
Radar (www.radar.org.uk)
Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (www.sath.org)
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VISAS
Perhaps the biggest reason more people don’t come to Iran is that getting a visa can be unnecessarily frustrating. Even though part of the Iranian government is trying to attract international tourists, with the ambitious if spectacularly deluded target of 20 million tourists by 2020, suspicion bordering on paranoia elsewhere in the government makes getting a visa such a protracted hassle that a lot of people either don’t bother or give up.
Trying to work out the best way to get your visa isn’t easy because the rules seem to change without warning or explanation. Sometimes this change results from actions on a bigger political stage. If, for example,