Kiwi bikers detained in Iran
 

May 18, 2005

A group of six New Zealand motorcyclists have been detained by police in Iran.

The group, including Wellington economist Gareth Morgan, are on a trip to try to follow the old Silk Road from Italy to China.

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_national...%3fformat=html

Seems it's not a good idea to attract too much attention.

------------------
Salut from Southern France, the bikers' paradise,

Peter.

Police sayed "papers are not in correct order", i only guess the local police were mistaken due there's cc capacity limit to local bikers (it shouldn't exceed more than 200cc or so). Let's hope they'll be fine after it's sorted.

Margus

hi,
as i met the bikers just before they we setting of for their trip to the caspian (masulleh), the only woman in the companie was not wearing a scarf at all. i thought this was unrespectfull, and maybe this is why they attracted some negative experiences to...
its not driving alone..
i hope they can make it, although driving through uzbekistan will be for another time..
greetz
niels

Neils, am surprised at you..........I do not wear a scarf when i am riding either. Enough with my riding gear and this doesnt seem to offend anyone in iran. In fact quite the opposite as they seem to be very impressed that a womans rides a bike. Once I get off my bike i go to my back bag and get a scarf out and put it on and this all seems to work. Not attracting a local crowd in MOST countries is very difficult. We got very very bad treatment in Turkey in 2001 as 'our paper work was not in order'. Rather think it is the luck of the draw with that one. We were stopped near Bam (Iran) having a morning cuppa and biscuit with Hanka and Eric....4 people & 3 bikes when the police arrived and made us move on....no explanations.....lucky we had eaten all the biscuits! Hanka and I were wearing all the 'dressup gear' as we call it, at the time. We had attracted a small crowd who were watching us drink the tea but they (or us) were not causing any problems.

On the road again: http://www.silkriders.co.nz/articles.asp?id=24

Sounds like just your average routine third-world-country ID check...

------------------
Salut from Southern France, the bikers' paradise,

Peter.

hi,
good to hear they are on the road again. about the scarf thing; i can understand that you dont wear a scarf when riding (altough a lot of cyclists do,it is not so easy with a helmet i suppose ;-), but wearing one if you come down the bike is the least you can do. she was not wearing one at all. not while unpacking, not sitting in the restaurant...
my other fellow womentravellers where more shoked then me..
anyway
greetz
niels

That may be so, but reading the report that's not what caused the trouble. Just a self-important cop who wanted to show off.

They laughed at him and that got him going.

------------------
Salut from Southern France, the bikers' paradise,

Peter.