Ashgabat

15 September 2012

The joy of having a 5 day transit visa rather than a tourist visa to Turkenistan is that I am free to travel in the country without a guide and driver.

This freedom enabled me to hitch my way across the desert road to Ashgabat. I travelled in one of three trucks which were returning to their depot on the outskirts of the city. We saw lots of camels roaming freely; often strolling along the road side.

The truck driver was really into trying to communicate through gestures and a mixture of universal words. One of our conversations went something like this:

" do you have camels in London?".

 "No, but we have cows and goats"

"Which is the best country, London, Turkmentistan or Uzbekistan?

" Turkmenistan is the best ; the people are so friendly and the landscape is very different"

"Where is your husband and how many children do you have?"

" My husband and two sons are in London"

The driver spent an hour of the journey look through my photos of Uzbekistan on my camera. He was able to do this whilst also swerving to avoid the many potholes along the way. He was fascinated to see what the country neighbouring his own, looks like.

Ashgabat is a weird oasis of white marbeled buildings, manicured gardens and waterfalls, empty streets and police at every corner. I was immediately aware of being under dressed, concerned about leaving even a trace of dirt behind me and wondering where all the people were.