Hotel President Turkmenistan

... of the Arch of Neutrality. It has been almost deserted, apart from the odd guard, but finally find people at the Turkmenistan Hotel. Look at a two level women's fashion shopping centre, then follow the stream of people to the Russian Market,  under ...

... ... 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 ...

From our Hotel we were picked up and driven to the border of Turkmenistan. We'd been warned by many people of the hassles of crossing into and out of Uzbekistan, especially if carrying medication or more money than you declared on the way in. Our entry in ...

... back through parts of our walks from the previous days, Gozal was explaining some home truths to us. The previous President, Turkmenistan's first since their declaration of independence in 1991, definitely thought a lot of himself, starting with an order ...

... we were in Turkmenistan we did not hear too many negative comments about Niyazov or the current President Berkymukhamedov. Perhaps it was justifiable caution. After all, Turkmenistan has been long criticised for its human rights abuses and is said to have ...

... to Ashgabat, where I was again treated to the wonderful hospitality and kindness of Central Asian people. As we arrived, Turkmenistan's great capital shone in the sunshine with its white marble buildings stretching into the distance - built at a frantic ...

... and be tested on every 6 months and should they fail they loose their jobs. There are many golden statues of the previous president and his slogan was - People, Nation , Me . A bit Hitleresque. Media is also controlled. Strange city indeed with some odd ...

... it is definitely worth a visit. I really was surprised..... For sure the craziest trip I ever made....wow. Which places in Turkmenistan did we visit? Ashgabat, Erbent, Damla, Underground Lake (Köw Ata), some mosques, Kunya Urgench, Dhasoguz, Mary, Merw. ...

... and before returning to my beloved Vienna, off I went on four back to back Drago trips over three months from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, through, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan ending in Beijing, China.   I met up with John, another passenger due on the trip ...

... Turkmenistan didn't want by the way) Niyazov simply changed the name of his party to the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and made himself President, creating a personality cult in a similar fashion to the Kim Dynasty in North Korea. He took the name of ...

Wondering around the streets of Ashgabat, one begins to wonder whether they have stepped into the first Turkmenistan President's game of Sim City. After spending 2 days transiting from Uzbekistan, through Mary and the ancient city of Merv, we were keen to ...

... twice more. Let me interrupt my rant about bureaucracy for a moment to tell you a little bit about Turkmenistan. One man dominates the country, President Niyazov also known as Turkmenbashi (head of all Turkmen). His face is on every banknote, his ...

... tanks of every size, running through their paces. Shirmyrat's girlfriend scowled when I rummaged for the camera as everything in Turkmenistan is forbidden to be photographed. I scowled back as her beloved got pulled over for speeding just as we entered ...

... on the same road. It was all very bizarre. We had been told that even now under the new President Berdymukhamedov (Niyazov's former dentist) all hotel rooms are probably bugged and emails, phone calls monitored. As a tour group we were forced to stay in ...

... sweet wines & cognac bought from Samarkand, vodka of course, warm beer - yuk, but it all went.  So - there's not much to Turkmenistan - a few villages, lots of desert, a gas crater & an outrageous city. That actually is it. If I was to sunup ...

... this enormous sweltering city, making our way around Independence Square and through Independence Park heading out towards our hotel. But Mister Russian President was in town and the local police had other ideas for us. We were continuously waved back no ...

... ', I thought. I couldn't have been more wrong. The border was supposed to be temporarily shut because Uzbekistan's President was returning today from a visit to Turkmenistan. So, as one ran off with our passports to see what he could do, we passed several ...

... and slightly sugarcoated information in a very coy way hehehe she gave us a brief history about Turkmenistan, and its independence from the soviet union, the previous president; who in my opinion was a tyrant that plastered the whole city with his ...

... able to escape. We were on the truck on the road at about 11am - 47 hours after the whole thing had begun. Now we are in Turkmenistan and have been for about a day, and it is the strangest country I have ever been to. I may regret writing that, because ...

... and government departments. Almost all appeared to be deserted and empty. Huge posters of the new "President" look down on us everywhere. We checked into our hotel and gratefully stepped into its air conditioned interior. It was almost 50 Deg outside and ...