10 unusual prohibitions that tourists may encounter
They don’t enter a foreign monastery with their own rules, so travelers need to put up with the laws of other countries, no matter how unusual or even stupid they may seem. Of course, if the tourist does not collect troubles on his butt.
During the holy fasting month of Ramadan for Muslims around the world, eating and drinking in public places is prohibited in these two Islamic countries. This applies not only to the faithful, but also to guests of the country. Probably so as not to tempt the locals by gobbling up hamburgers with a cool cola.
This law is not formal. The latest precedent known from the press occurred with three tourists from Europe drinking juice in full view of everyone in the center of Dubai. Violators were fined $275 for this trifle. Every.
If you think that the law is the same for everyone, then you do not belong on the beaches of Palermo. The laws of this Italian resort city prohibit sunbathing and swimming naked, but not everyone. The ban applies only to men and ugly women.
All ladies who consider themselves attractive and fit can be completely naked in the coastal area. From our point of view, the law encourages law enforcement officers to abuse, since there are no exact criteria for female beauty, but, as you know, it depends on taste and color...
Despite the fact that the ban on the use of mobile communications on Liberty Island was abolished back in 2008, after the death of Fidel Castro, we decided to use it as an example of one of the strange rules, non-compliance with which could lead to serious consequences.
In Cuba, only government officials and representatives of large companies with appropriate permission could use mobile phones, as well as the Internet. The law applied exclusively to residents of Liberty Island, and tourists did not have to comply with it. But the Cuban, who was caught with a prohibited gadget, risked going to jail.
Today, representatives of the emo youth subculture are found mainly in jokes, but in 2007–2008, sad young people in black clothes and with long bangs could be found in any city in the Russian Federation.
Due to the fact that emos promoted depressive ideas and suicidal thoughts, the spread of their ideology was prohibited in Russia at the legislative level in 2008. The emos themselves, of course, were not thrown behind bars, but the distribution of content related to them on the Internet was significantly limited.
More precisely, the law prohibits having dirty license plates. Russians can drive cars completely covered with dust or clay, but not in the area of the license plate. In this case, the driver may fall under the provisions of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, Article 12.2.
The law sounds strange only to avid pedestrians, because any driver knows that a dirty sign is simply invisible on security cameras. The owner of a vehicle with an indistinguishable license plate is less vulnerable to highway patrols.
If you went to the Celestial Empire and during your visit to this wonderful country you needed to go through a cycle of rebirth, then know that you are breaking the law. In China, reincarnation and similar Buddhist things are seriously prohibited.
This ban is connected with the desire of the Chinese authorities to limit as much as possible the influence of the Dalai Lama on the population of Tibet, which was once squeezed from him. Beijing seriously fears that the Dalai Lama, who is already 70 years old, will be able to be reborn in his homeland after death and thereby bring confusion into the hearts of millions of Buddhists. There are many believers in the country who are not delighted with the entry of Tibet into China and, even more so, with the forced exodus of the highest clergy from Lhasa.
In Thailand, it is illegal to step on the country's banknotes. This is justified by the fact that by trampling on banknotes, a person is trampling underfoot the image of the king of this country, which, without a doubt, is disrespect for the royal person.
Any disrespect for the king in Thailand is punishable by imprisonment, the length of which depends on the severity of the crime and whether it was committed for the first time or repeatedly.
If you are heading to Italy and do not want unnecessary problems, under no circumstances should you feed pigeons in this country. The law, adopted on April 30, 2008, prohibits such manifestations of care for birds and threatens violators with serious fines.
For throwing a bun to pigeons, you can pay a fine, the amount of which can reach 500 euros. The ban on feeding birds pursues two goals at once: reducing the amount of droppings on the streets and especially on cultural monuments and limiting contact with pigeons, which can carry infections dangerous to humans.
Greece, as you know, has everything. Including ridiculous laws. Since 2002, it has been officially prohibited to play computer games in the country. In general, they planned to ban only gambling and slot machines, but they could not give a clear definition of entertainment that was harmful to the Greeks and, just in case, banned all games on computers.
Fortunately, for gamers, despite the fact that the law is in force, no one checks its implementation, and residents of the country calmly play whatever they like.
No, the Chinese have not gone crazy and are not catching fellow citizens who can teleport, like sparrows under Grandfather Mao. The ban applies to depictions of the teleportation process in cinema, theater and fine arts.
The topic of teleportation and time travel is incredibly popular in China, but authorities believe that they are unscientific and harmful to the country's citizens. Teleportation contributes to the spread of superstitions, as well as the ideas of reincarnation, which, as we wrote above, is illegal in China.