Turkmenistan was a fascinating country, and there were plenty of things that struck me as we journeyed through it. Those that were particularly common/memorable: Flat desert scenery Fancy green signs Gas pipelines with a U-shaped dog-leg every couple of hundred metres Image of the President all over (yes, that is an LED screen!) Green roofs Pristine […]
Looking out the window at Turkmenistan Read More »
After a couple of wonderful days in the fascinating city of Ashgabat, we were back in the truck for the 540km trip to Turkmenbashi to find a ferry to transport us across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan. The road was pretty good (for a change), and although it was 4 lanes for most of the
Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan over the Caspian Sea Read More »
If I ever again hear anyone complain about how Canberra is a planned and dead city, my response is going to be: “Go to Ashgabat”! The capital of Turkmenistan is a truly bizarre experience. Completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1948 that killed a large fraction of the population (though the Soviets denied this
Ashgabat – Turkmenistan Read More »
I remember first coming across a picture of the Darvaza Crater a few years ago and desperately wanting to go see it for myself. So you can imagine how excited I was that it was on our itinerary for this Silk Road overland trip! The story goes that the crater was formed after a natural
The Door to Hell – Darvaza Crater – Turkmenistan Read More »
Turkmenistan is, in a similar fashion to North Korea, a very closed country, which can make it quite difficult to visit. We needed Letters of Invitation (one of our group was refused this because in his photo he wasn’t clean-shaven and yet didn’t have a full beard … just a 5-day growth) and Visas, both
Konye Urgench – Turkmenistan Read More »
