Where to start? Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have both been fantastic. It cost some extra money, but using a guide for Turkmenistan was the right choice. It was great having a local guide and it was super convenient (all the hotels were booked and she got us through the Turkmen border like it was nothing).
Turkmenistan was much different then I thought it would be. The main highlight was the people - we had our first taste of Central Asian hospitality. Everywhere we went, people wanted to shake our hands and chat with us (barring Ashgabat, which had a weird undercurrent that I can't quite put my finger on). Sadly, I didn't have much of a chance to ask about the Turkmen police state.
Turkmenistan was much different then I thought it would be. After a fitful night of sleep in the port parking lot, Angela (the guide) met us and took us to our hotel in Turkmenbashii, a port city which is rapidly becoming a tourist destination. It was great to have a day to fully relax. Baku and the ferry had given us plenty of free time, but waiting for some nebulous event to occur is not the same as relaxing. I went for a swim in the Caspian Sea, visited the local bazaar, and took a nap. Dinner was the highlight - mutton kebabs (which called sashlyk), mincemeat kebabs, and liver kebabs. Lots of toasting as well (with plenty of vodka).
The next day was spent driving to Ashgabat. The first 160 kilometers and last 100 kilometers were fantastic new roads, but the stretch in the middle was quite bad. The potholes weren't terrible, but some were quite large. The real annoyance was the whoops in the road. I've never seen anything like it. There would be seven or eight in a row and each one would send me through the roof (we had moved some bags to the roof so Angela could ride in front). We stopped at several beautiful mosques, both built by former President Turkmenbashii (who was quite the egomaniac).
Ashgabat is quite a beautiful city - just about every original structure has been torn down and replaced with brand-new buildings with white marble exteriors. I've never seen anything like it. It's impressive, but also a little unsettling at the same time. Angela gave us a quick tour and we headed to the hotel. As luck would have it, several other Mongol Rally teams were parked outside. It's always a pleasure to meet up with other teams - instant drinking buddies. All the teams had arrived from Iran, so they were looking to do a bit of partying. I was glad to help. Vodka, beer, and cigarettes were consumed until wee in the night - the next morning was a bit unpleasant. Luckily, we had the day off. Scott and I headed to the only bank in Turkmenistan foreigners can withdraw money from (!!) and headed back to the hotel for an extended nap time. We ate dinner at a local establishment called the British Pub - a criminally overpriced restaurant praying on expats with too much money. The food was quite good, but the beer was terribly expensive. I was in bed by 11 PM.
We had another half day off as well and we completed another trip to the bank. We ran into a few more teams who had arrived fresh from Iran (now that I think about it, I haven't met any other teams who took the Caspian ferry) and killed time at an internet cafe. At 3:30, we headed back to the hotel and prepared for our trip to the Darvaza gas crater. The gas crater is the result of Soviet gas exploration gone wrong - a natural gas deposit was accidentally ignited and has been burning since the 1950's. We picked up some fresh mutton, vegetables, and vodka at the Russian Bazaar and began the trip north.
It took us a few hours to arrive at the crater. By my recollection, we arrived after 9. A 4x4 vehicle is required to access the crater and the Jimny was up to the task. The glow from the crater was visible several kilometers away. It was incredible to see in person and I am not sure I can do it justice. Imagine a deep crater with flames burning inside. Some call it "the gates of Hell". Sadly, the President of Turkmenistan has decided it needs to be extinguished (wether it is possible to do remains to be seen). We had another enjoyable meal of mutton, bread, and vodka. Angela invited several of her friends to join us and we had quite a time. Scott and I slept under the stars.
We got an early start the next morning. Our general rule is this: any day involving a border crossing requires an early start. There is nothing worse then a lengthy border crossing that puts you in an uncomfortable position (see: our 1 AM arrival in Baku). The road was fairly good most of the way to the Uzbek border, although we did have one scare: we arrived at a checkpoint only to find it was closed. The guards told Angela it may be closed until 5 PM. No one had any idea why. A near-riot almost broke out when they allowed some southbound students to pass in order to make it to their exams. Here's where having a guide pays off: Angela informed the guards our Turkmen visas were about to expire and we had to leave the country today. It took a bit of convincing, but they eventually opened the crossing for us and saved us a great deal of time.
The road was mostly good to the border but the last 70 or so kilometers was abysmal. Angela proved her worth again by getting us through the Turkmen side of the border crossing in minutes. The Uzbek side was relatively uncomplicated, although every traveller is forced to fill out a lengthy customs form. They thoroughly searched our bags (a first on this trip) and let us pass. This was our quickest border crossing since leaving the EU.
Our goal was to make it to the Uzbek town of Urgench. My guidebook indicated that there was a rather nice hotel, but we counted our chickens before they hatched. There was no easy way to cross the river to the town - we would later find out that the correct exit was 50 kilometers down the road. The cigarettes I offered the Uzbek border guard must have paid off in the form of karma because we ended up spending the night at an extremely pleasant Uzbek tea house. We were driving along the road attempting to look for a hotel when hunger struck. The owner seated us at a traditional Uzbek table (low to the ground and surrounded by rugs and pads). Scott and I pulled out the phrasebook and attempted to communicate that we were looking for a hotel. The proprietor insisted there was no need to search any farther - we would be staying here! His wife brought us blankets and pillows - were able to nod off right where we ate!
The next morning required another early start: our goal was Samarkand, nearly 700 kilometers down the road. Initially, the road was quite good but it quickly devolved into one of the worst roads of our trip. Massive potholes and signs of shoddy construction were everywhere. The most unusual and strangely beautiful thing we saw: roads reduced to one lane by blowing sand dunes.
We reached Bukhara in relatively good time, but decided to leave after witnessing the lines at the gas stations. For those who don't know, Uzbekistan is facing a severe petrol shortage - it's only reliably found in Tashkent. This was obviously a huge concern to us - we had to travel 700 kilometers! Our ace in the hole: a jerry can full of Turkmen fuel that we were able to take out of the country (this is technically illegal, but no one asked about it). We stopped to grab a quick bite to eat and I changed 100 dollars into Uzbek som. The current exchange rate: 1 dollar to 1600 som. I received two fat stacks of Uzbek currency (strangely enough, the only Uzbek note I have seen is the 1000). I planned to get a photo of myself surrounded by money, but we got lucky and found a petrol station with a short line.
A full tank of gas put us in very good spirits! We found a solid hotel, showered, and went out for dinner. The evening was quite relaxed as we were both quite tired. Uzbekistan has treated us so well we decided to spend a full day here.
This should get everyone up to speed! I'm off to see the sights. Tomorrow we have a three hour drive to Tajikistan (not including border crossings. Our current plan is to arrive early in Dushanbe and spend the day preparing for the Pamir Highway. We're both very excited - traveling along the Pamir Highway is the reason I signed up for the rally!
- Charlie
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