SAS Urban Survival Handbook (83 page)

buildings, there is a much better chance of attracting rescue, day or night. Even in office buildings there is usually a caretaker, janitor, security officer—or cleaners in the evening or early morning.

What if the lights go out?

The back-up battery will give at least an hour’s light once power has failed.

What if it’s an office building and it’s the weekend?

The worst that can happen is that you will have to wait until the building opens after the weekend.

ESCALATORS/WALKWAYS

• ◑ ALWAYS hold the handrail. If there was a power failure or someone pressed the emergency stop button, you and everyone else may fall. This is particularly dangerous on escalators. See
  Reading the signs
  (colour pages).
  
• ◑ DON’T stand so that your feet rub against the sides. The heat generated by the friction could soften rubber and plastic soles and drag them into the machinery.
  
• ◑ STEP off the escalator—DON’T drag your feet over the comb. If edges are worn you risk a nasty accident.
  
• ◑ GET CLEAR of the escalator/walkway as soon as you reach the end. If there are people behind you, they may have no choice but to shove you out of the way to prevent a ‘log jam’.
  
• ◑ DON’T allow children to play on escalators/walkways.
  
• ◑ ALWAYS carry pets, small children, pushchairs and prams, soft luggage or shopping. It may get caught as the steps ‘open’ and ‘close’ on escalators—or at the sides of escalators/walkways.
  
• ◑ ALWAYS stand on and keep luggage to one side of the escalator to allow people to walk up or down.
  
• ◑ When escalators are stationary, walk up and down with extreme care. The irregular depth of the steps could easily cause you to trip and fall.
  

TRAVELLING ABROAD

The world is getting smaller! Once mysterious and inaccessible foreign lands are now equipped with airports, hotels and at least one branch of a wellknown hamburger restaurant. Tourism is BIG business; business is international. Whether it’s for a holiday or to strike a deal, most of us now leave hearth and home at least once a year, taking journeys across continents, time zones, cultural and language barriers—often quite unprepared.

The pitfalls of a foreign trip are legion. There are any amount of disasters that can—and do—befall even the most seasoned traveller. As we travel further afield, there are more local customs and laws to take into account.

This section addresses all aspects of our behaviour abroad—from practical considerations (such as staying healthy and safe) to matters of courtesy and fitting in with the local customs and culture.

Research your destination

You may think, if you’re only nipping a few hundred miles across a continent to lie on a beach for a fortnight, there’s nothing you need to know (and to some extent the travel industry has encouraged you to think that). But even in a place you THINK you know well, there’s ALWAYS plenty to learn—you’ve probably even been startled by an unfamiliar street in your own home town.

As soon as you enter a foreign country, you face many differences—language, diet, climate, dress, religion, customs and laws which may vary widely from those you take for granted, but aren’t necessarily obvious straight away.

It is a matter of courtesy and common sense to know what to expect in any situation. Even if you intend to do nothing but sunbathe, you might want to visit the local church or hire a car—do you need to cover your head/shoulders/legs? Is today a local holy day? Do you need an international driver’s licence/ special insurance? What are the local roads like? What the hell does THAT road sign mean?

On business trips it’s especially important to know how not to offend your host/contact/potential client, how to ensure they’ll be eager to welcome you back.

REMEMBER

No matter what the purpose of your trip, when you’re abroad, you’re a GUEST in somebody else’s home.

BEFORE YOU GO

Immunization

Up-to-date information regarding which vaccinations are mandatory or advisable for your destination is obtainable from the airline—they have a vested interest, since they are obliged to fly you home at their expense if you don’t have the necessary jabs. Additional vaccinations are advisable for visits to the tropics and subtropics, since the natural immunity of people from a temperate climate might not be strong enough to withstand the barrage of unfamiliar diseases. Your GP should be able to advise you, and administer the innoculations. Allow plenty of time before you’re due to travel.

BE PREPARED

A reliable guidebook to your destination is a worthwhile investment. Choose one for its depth of information rather than its lyrical descriptions – those you can write yourself! You need specific details on ALL aspects of the country, which could be condensed under the following headings:

LANGUAGE English is the native language of 330 million people – after Mandarin Chinese (748 million speakers), the commonest language in the world. Your hosts are more likely to have learned English than any other tongue, but take the trouble to acquire a few basic phrases in their language. It’s only courteous (at least) to ATTEMPT to communicate in the vernacular, and it’s often appreciated. In remote areas, it’s entirely possible that NO English is spoken at all, making a phrase book an absolutely essential piece of equipment.

CLIMATE Air travel means you can be freezing in an English February one day and sweltering in the tropics the next. Obviously you will need to know whether the heat you’re heading for is humid, as in Singapore, or fierce and dry, as in desert regions such as Egypt. In other words, extreme variation is possible, even within a single country – the coast of Senegal, for instance, is humid whilst the interior is extremely hot and dry. Forewarned, you will be able to pack appropriate clothing and avoid the most extreme seasons.

CURRENCY You should know not only that 1 kwacha = 100 ngwee in Zambia, whereas in Papua New Guinea you get 100 toeas for your kina, but also how many toeas a cold drink costs, how many kinas – if any – you’re allowed to import. Will dollars or pounds turn out to be more useful? Are there two rates of exchange – government and black market? If so, what are the risks? Are traveller’s cheques and credit cards going to be any use to you, and if so, which? Some countries have an inadequate supply of small denomination coins in circulation, and shops might give sweets or a box of matches in place of the odd penny.

DRESS Climate and purpose of trip will be the main factors in deciding what to pack, but you should find out what the locals wear. Do the women cover up – and do visitors have to do so, too? Are you going to offend people if you wear shorts? Is topless/nude bathing tolerated/restricted/ illegal? Is a suit and tie right for meetings?

RELIGION A potential can of worms for the uninformed visitor. Eating in public during Ramadan or asking for an alcoholic drink in a Muslim country, women wearing shorts in Italian churches, entering a Burmese temple without a temple sash – all these will SERIOUSLY offend. Whatever your religion or attitude, you should be respectful of others’ beliefs if only by taking the trouble to find out what they are.

CULTURE You DON′T criticize the monarchy in Thailand (it’s a SERIOUS offence) or touch anyone on the head; you DON′T use soap in a Japanese bath; you DON′T show anger in Bali . . . Other countries have different concepts of what constitutes good behaviour. To avoid offending someone (or risking prosecution) with your rude unclean habits, learn what you can about your destination and respect its ways.

DIET These days, of course, you can find the same bland ‘international’ menu the world over, but you invariably eat far better at local restaurants. Knowing something about the cuisine of the land will enhance your understanding of its people, not to mention your enjoyment of their hospitality. Rudimentary menu translation ability will enable you to avoid any foods you dislike or are allergic to, and steer away from the more unusual offerings – sheeps’ eyeballs, rat, insects and live monkeys’ brains are not as common as some people would like to think.

HEALTH You MUST ensure you are innoculated against endemic diseases (see Immunization), that your travel insurance is sufficient to cover ALL eventualities, and that you take an adequate supply of any prescribed medication. It’s as well to know something about the standard of health care in the area you’re visiting—on the whole, it’s wise to avoid medical or dental treatment in Third World countries. Many countries have a favoured panacea for minor ailments—as anyone who’s been advised by a Greek doctor to swab themselves with their own urine (which has antiseptic properties) to the affected part can affirm.