We came, we saw, we conquered?

Turkmenistan – we came we saw we conquered. Well, not exactly, but it sounds good. Our time there has been and gone, and as mentioned previously, limited (if any) internet access. A nice change not to be compelled to check mails or get in touch with people. Much of what we passed through from the Uzbek border near Dashoguz to the Caspian sea at Turkmenbashi was arid desert landscape. Some salty flats, some dunes, a few mountains, a lot of sand and gravel. And some of the worst roads we’ve travelled thus far. In my mind, worse than some African roads. Tar that’s been so heavily weighted that there are waves of depressions that make you feel like you’re on a roller coaster or perhaps even a seesaw. But it was necessary to experience these roads in order to see some of the unusual sites that we have seen. Turkmenistan really does have some unusual highlights.

First up was one that I’d been looking forward to all trip – the Darvaza gas crater. This is a source of gas that was exposed in the early 70’s. Instead of capping the gas source, it was lit, and has been burning day and night for forty years. It really is an amazing sight. You can see the glow of it as you approach (in a 4x4, with accompanying local music), from a sandy track. And then, as some have said: the gates of hell. You can feel the heat. Fires continuously blazing in pockets on the bottom of the crater, and in small hollows on the side. Really quite something.

Nigel C, on his second Odyssey Overland trip (that's 8 months in total!) has officially become part of Odyssey's  "Extreme Overlanders" club

It was also here at our Darvaza bushcamp that we had a Madhatter’s Tea Party.  We’d had an early braai-your-own-steak barbeque that evening, in order to get to the crater around sunset, so definitely needed some nourishment afterwards in the form of tea, scones and chocolate fridge-cake. The only pre-requisite to come to the party was that you wear a funky hat. Some of the gang have collected a variety of interesting and unusual hats from the countries we’ve travelled through, so we weren’t short of hats to go around. (Notably, I think Nigel H has, to date, 7 hats!) Tea, coffee, scones, jam and cream, and fridge cake - some of the tea was substituted for vodka.  And even a little bit of limbo dancing – think Phil took 1^st prize!

Andrew P, Phil, Ann H

Ann H, Anne W, Toby, Nigel H and Ann S

Fraser, Jill and Nigel H

There are also 2 other craters in the area – 1 with water (gas evident at the bottom – we saw some bubbles), and 1 with mud bubbling at the bottom, and gurgling noises that are enhanced by the echo of the crater walls. Less impressive than the gas crater, but nice to see and it completes the fire-water-earth Zoro-astrian triangle.

From there it was on to Ashgabat, a really interesting-to-see capital city. Much of it is under 20 years old, and the many new buildings less than 14 years old. It is a sight of glitz and glamour as far as architecture and buildings are concerned. Gold, marble and fountains are in fashion, and no expense has been spared. There is clearly money to flash around and be spent on the various different buildings that house ministries, presidents, printing etc. The magazine printer’s building is shaped like an open magazine, the ministry of Foreign Affairs has a globe on top, one of the hospitals is shaped like a needle on top, the gas ministry is like a lighter, the ministry of education like an open book. There is a covered ferris wheel (if you can imagine that) – it really is a bizarre place, and a sight to see. Golden statues of the former president Niyazov are around every corner, and there is a monument of his book – the Ruhnama book. This book has been prescribed reading in schools and was intended to educate the Turkmen people on their history and culture. He was the first president after independence, though had previously headed the Communist Party of Turkmenistan.

His successor’s face (Berdymukhamedov) flashes across the city on bill boards and bright lights.

Clearly they’re doing well from the oil, but as with most places, the wealth is unevenly distributed. Roads in cities are much better than in between – did we mention that in Ashgabat there is even a road that has heating  underneath so that it can never freeze. But the rural towns from the outside look much less flash.  Diesel is a remarkable 0.20c a litre – I still jump when I get the fuel bill after filling over a hundred litres and paying under a hundred Manat.

It is not just the diesel tank that needs to be kept full - here we are getting the water tank filled straight from a water tanker

From Ashgabat, a long drive of almost 600km on mostly terrible roads to the port of Turkmenbashi on the Caspian Sea. Two interesting stops on the way – the Golden Mosque (largest Mosque in Central Asia) built in 2003, with Niyazov’s mausoleum next to it.

The Golden Mosque

And then an underground hot-spring: a small lake/pool, deep in a cave. We stopped there for a morning swim in this bath-temperature water. Wonderful to swim again – and in such mysterious and unusual surrounds. Ignore the smell of sulphur and it couldn’t be better!

And so that brings us to Turkmenbashi, the port, where just as all sources of information state: there is no schedule of ferries, you just sit and wait. Which is what we’re doing as I type. There might be a ferry arriving, there might not. It is unloading, it won’t take passengers, the truck and passengers have to go separately, passengers can’t go on this ferry because oil is being transported, the ferry is not offloading, the ferry is sitting in the canal, the weather is not right for departure, the ferry needs to be full before it leaves, etc etc. One of these many options. But maybe they will take us today. Or maybe tomorrow. Maybe we will be camping at the port, maybe not. Inshallah, the truck and us leave at a similar time, soon-ish, and sail soon after boarding. We can hope. And we can wait.

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And that is what we did. We read, we sat, we played frizby, we typed blogs, did work on the truck, snoozed, ate dinner. Our local guide Murad hadn’t heard anything and didn’t think we would sail until the next day at least, so we put up our tents and camped in the truck park of the port. A couple slept in the waiting room, and Jacq and Ann H even found  an empty container to sleep in.

Waiting, waiting, waiting

It was a good sleep until the awakening at 1am that was not a sick joke – Murad telling us to pack up and get ready to board! So at 1am we started the process of packing up camp, grabbed our bags, headed through immigration, said ‘bye’ to Murad, Simon and Calypso (not lucky enough to get passage for the truck on this ferry), and at about 4am we were on the ferry. Definitely not the new revamped ferry – cabins downstairs that a few brave ones slept in. Others chose to lie down in the table-tennis room, and still others outside on deck.

Nigel C and Teresa

Getting comfortable on the deck

Al, modelling the captain's rather fetching jacket!

We set sail at about 5:25a.m Turkmen time, and docked 15hrs later in Baku, with a great view of the many funkily-lit-up buildings in Baku as we sailed in. It was actually a great journey – apart from the toilets. Still waters, blue sky, nice temperature, and for some even entry into ‘the Bridge’ and tea with the captain!

Ann H, Nigel C, the captain and Phil

Cathy & Teresa

Unfortunately our formal entry through immigration into Azerbaijan was slow after a long day – rumours that a trainee was sitting at the immigration desk, so it was still a while before we got to our hotel. But here we are now in Baku – hopefully Simon and Calypso are on their way so that we can be reunited soon and head off to see a couple of other spots in Azerbaijan. ‘Til then – the glamour and expense of Baku!