Turkmenistan Travel Blogs

Abiverd, another Silk Road City
Jun 7, 2008 (10 photos)

Salam, der zweite Stop war in Abiverd, eine Seidenstrassen Stadt, von der allerdings auch nicht mehr viel erhalten ist. Dschingis Khan hat den Sueden Turkmenistans ganz gut verwuestet und die meisten Orte haben sich nicht mehr davon erholt (im ...

Ashgabat, the capital of the Golden Age
Jun 6, 2008 (57 photos)

Salam, natuerlich ist auch Ashgabat auf dem Programm. Hier gibt es eigentlich nichts historisches zu sehen, da die Stadt 1948 von einem Erdbeben der Staerke 9,0 zerstoert wurde, 2/3 der Einwohner starben dabei. Die Stadt wurde anschliessend sowjetisch ...

Turkmenistan, country Nr. 119
Jun 3, 2008 (22 photos)

... Zustand, es wird aber an den Highways gebaut, nicht mehr alles fliesst in Prachtbauten. Einige Fakten ueber Turkmenistan: Vorletzter Platz bei der Pressefreiheit, einen Platz vor Nordkorea. Turkmenbashi hat die Monate und Wochentage umbenannt, zB ...

Mary
Jun 9, 2008 (21 photos)

... es leider nichts... Mary ist eine russische Gruendung und wird gerade erst angefangen gemaess der white marble vision umzubauen... Turkmenistan hat erfreulicherweise eine Menge Kamele, (im Gegensatz zu den anderen stans) leider habe ich es nicht ...

Desert DisneyWorld
Jul 18, 2009 (4 photos)

We arrived in the bizarre city of Ashgabad, a glass and marble showpiece in the middle of the desert. Disney World without Mickey Mouse, Vegas without the casino's.  Acres of pristine parks, huge tree-lined boulevards, fountains everywhere.  ...

1001 Nights
Jun 9, 2008 (27 photos)

Salam, der zweite Ausflug von Mary fuehrte nach Merv, welches eine bedeutende Seidenstrassenstadt und islamische Stadt war, um 1000-1200 so bedeutend wie Damaskus oder Bagdad. Es soll ausserdem kurzfristig die groesste Stadt der Welt gewesen sein, ...

One more stopover in Ashgabat
Jun 10, 2008 (8 photos)

Salam, von Mary bin ich nach Ashgabat zurueckgeflogen. Fluege sind recht billig, US$30 hat der Flug gekostet, US$15 fuer Turkmens. (btw, Benzin kostet inzwischen 3100Manat, 1US$=14000Manat, dafuer bekommt aber jeder Turkmene 650liter Benzin pro halbes ...

The Ferry from Hell!
Jul 21, 2009 (6 photos)

We checked out of the hotel in Turkmenbashi at noon and headed down to the port to camp on the doorstep to try and sort a ferry. Oleg finally discovered that both of the ferries we had seen yesterday had sailed and that one of the ones there now could, ...

Good and Bad
Oct 2, 2006

We've spent 3 days in Ashgabat, a heavily manicured town centre of marble buildings and gold domes, which looks rather like it was designed in Sim City. The first afternoon we arrived was spent by the pool, eating great italian food from the hotel ...

Ferry From Hell, Part I
Jun 12, 2008 (18 photos)

... waren (am Montag mit der Dagestan). Die Faehre faehrt nur wenn voll, und da Azerbaidjan (der die Faehren gehoeren) an Turkmenistan Gebuehren fuer jede Stunde am Dock zahlen muss, lagen die anderen vier Faehren auf Anker im Meer obwohl ein Dock frei war... ...

on the sodding ferry. still.
Jul 6, 2009

... needed to be checked again. For some reason the official wasn't too happy and wanted to see all the papers claiming that our Turkmenistan code hadn't been stamped (admittedly this is a bit of concern but we weren't going to let him know that). He then ...

Gates of Hell
Jun 3, 2008 (64 photos)

Salam, von Konye-Urgench aus ging es dann gen Sueden durch die heisseste Wueste Zentralasiens, die Karakorum Wueste nach Darvaza. Dort gibt es einige Gaskrater, einen mit Schlamm, einen mit Wasser und einen in dem man Feuer an das Gas gelegt hat und ...

WWOOOOOO I can blog again!
Jun 30, 2009

... ! Internet is quite expensive here so this wont be long, but suffice to say that I've made it out of Iran, after getting my Turkmenistan transit visa, and am now in the capitol, Ashgabat. It is very nice, I'll say more when I have time. Iran was wonderful, ...

many bad things and one fantastic bit
Jul 8, 2009

... later on when we were fined  for driving on the wrong side of the road. It was an easy mistake to make as Turkmenistan doesn't believe in signs and our road literally flowed through to the wrong side. Of course you couldn't explain this to the police ...

niyazov the nutcase
Jul 9, 2009

... Ashgabat, in a clearing characterised only by a pile of rubbish and a stray dog.  It was unpleasant.  A microcosm of Turkmenistan, or at least our experience of it.  So far it has been pointless, disorganized, corrupt, dirty, tacky, and ...

Cooking on Gas
Jul 19, 2008

... ;posted to you Lara so please accept the unsolicited gift posted to your address that is carpet sized and originates from Turkmenistan. I feel very confident at giving him your address and telephone number Lara and he has again this morning confirmed that ...

we could have swam across.
Jul 10, 2009

... the Amu Darya, to the border crossing at Farap.  As we have come to expect from the money grabbing officials of Turkmenistan, the bridge cost $50.  The men in charge of taking the money were deeply unpleasant characters who in addition to be ...

Hell is great
Sep 29, 2006 (3 photos)

After a day driving though the desert we camped next to all the machinery being used to build a new (less potholy) road between Ashgabat and the border. We set up camp and jumped in the back of one of the dump trucks to go and investigate the orange ...

Mary, Turkmenistan
Aug 30, 2008 (5 photos)

... and of course having spent an enourmour amount getting across the Caspian Sea. The internet is extremely slow (non existing in Turkmenistan) and not many computers available so I am just able to do the 3 days cycling in Turkmenistan to Mary and do the ...

December 1st
Dec 1, 2004

December 1st 2004 Hello again everyone! Well I am over my bitterness of not being home for the holiday, but really it wasn't all that bad. I have been at site now for 2 weeks and am really enjoying being out of training. I didn't realize that ...

Chicken season
Apr 8, 2005

... , let me know and we can meet up. I know a few of you are in Japan...who knows right?! So my tidbit from Turkmenistan for this update will talk about spring. It has defiantly come in full force. It is already hot, it was 32 degrees the other day, I ...

Turkmenistan on a tour package
Sep 1, 2006 (28 photos)

... North Sam, a Russian speaking American English teacher, and I crossed the border from the northwestern Uzbekistan to northern Turkmenistan. The border guard told us that, on average, there are one or two foreigners passing through that border crossing. ...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Nov 22, 2004

Happy THanksgiving everyone! I hope you enjoy all of your good food and families. This year, I decided to revise the former 10 things I am thankful for that I never knew about. Here we go 10. Vegetables in the winter. One more pickled tomato I ...

Waiting for a ferry
Oct 5, 2006

Get to the ferry terminal at midday. Ferry has just left so need to wait for the next one at 6pm. No problem. ...time passes... 2 dock worked have sadly died in a benzene accident so the next two ferries are being exclusively used to transport the ...

Ancient Town
Jun 8, 2008 (30 photos)

Salam, in Persien (Iran) gibt es ein Friesz (Felsschnitzerei) aus der Zeit von Darius (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darius_I_of_Persia) auf der ein in die Sklaverei gefangener Koenig aus Marginia gezeigt wird. Marginia war lange Zeit ein unbekanntes ...

Ferry to Turkmenbashi
Jun 27, 2006 (2 photos)

We heard that fewer than 100 tourists cross this particular border each year. Getting across the Caspian with our truck required obtaining a place on a cargo ferry that has proved tricky for previous overlanding trucks. The crossing itself should take 15 ...

FIRST THOUGHTS OF TSTAN
Sep 27, 2004

Hello everyone! I am now sitting in Ashgabat Turkmenistan! I really made it and I have been doing really well. To be honest, there have been no major incidents. I am one of the only ones not to have any GI problems and my host family is great. ...

Merry Christmas and Happy NEw Year!
Dec 28, 2004

... but I am so far from any reality that I didn't even know it was Christmas, let alone winter or not normal to be in Turkmenistan. Not to say it doesn't feel like anything. Really, they do celebrate this season with the rest of the world. Since it is a ...

Turkmenistan
Dec 13, 2004 (24 photos)

I went to Turkemenistan to visit Elynn. Here are my pictures from Ashgabat, Turkmenbashy City, Akdas, and Balkanabat. Interesting facts about the country: -There are no taxis. You catch "rides" with people and pay them what you deem to be appropriate ...

Turkmen Troubles
Jul 17, 2009 (1 photos)

... several hours and 13 pieces of paper later (all stamped at least twice in at least two different buildings...) we emerged into Turkmenistan many Dollars lighter and very confused. But we were in! Off we went with Oleg in his Toyota 4x4 leading the way, ...