There is no way we can give a comprehensive overview of Turkmenistan but until this moment it has been rather surprising. While looking for a hotel last night, a car pulled up next to us and was willing to guide us to the hotel. When we stood in front of the hotel, a police car passed by and the friendly gentleman waved to the police and the police waved back… did he know the police? Was he undercover? Was he following us to make sure we were not de-routing from our route? Are we becoming paranoia?
The next day we discovered that the supermarkets are really well stocked in Turkmenistan. All western products are available for local prices. We did not expect this. Maybe the whole ‘North-Korea of Central Asia’ is a bit exaggerated, at least groceries wise.
We left Turkmenabat (a city full with grand palaces, statues and wide boulevards in remembrance of the great leader Turkmenbashi who passed away in 2006) in the early morning and set off into the Karakun Desert, a vast nothingness that covers almost the entire central part of Turkmenistan. While the ‘nothingness’ holds true for everything that is above ground, beneath the soil large reserves of oil and gas guarantee the wealth of this nation.
Goodbye friendly people at hotel in Turkmenabat!
Everything you can wish for!
Karakun desert in Turkmenistan
