It’s tight. Actually sometimes it feels like a police state. Airports are not the only place and the security there is twice as cumbersome as in the USA but also only half as efficient so you do the math. Your bags have to be scanned BEFORE you enter the airport and get your boarding pass. Only one small carry on is allowed so even though we travel light we had to check some bags. If was clear these bags were opened and searched on the way to the plane. Then we had to have our carry on bags screened again and go through the metal detectors. Then they pat everyone down. Men and women in separate sections and the women get a little curtain around them. I’ve had security women stick their hands inside my pants and under my shirt. Not particularly pleasant.
Did I mention guards with automatic weapons every where. The same security measures are carried out on the Metro and the train station. Imagine a scene at Times Square where everyone had to go through screening every time they entered a station and you get the picture. Often the security lines at the Metro are hundreds of people long. So a short trip can take a very long time. Similar screening although sometimes not so intense takes place at hotels and shops.
Of course, one can buy one’s way out of most of this with money. Millions of people have the wherewithal to live in gated communities, have cars with private drivers and use various private services to avoid most of this hassle.
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