ASHGABAT
Ashbagat is one of the strangest cities I have visited. It’s like something out of a Hollywood set which sits vacant between sets.
ANY BUILDING I WENT IN I SEEMED TO BE THE ONLY PERSON THERE
The new city which has been constructed from scratch is so sparse and clearly many of the buildings are not occupied. One thing I did notice was the the distance from one building to another, it could be half a mile – and this is the city centre!
WHERE IS TURKMENISTAN?
MUSEUM
I had a short visit to the state museum which had all the usual artefacts and pottery, not my thing but I will admit know that some of the pieces are 2000 years old blew my mind! Here they also have the 5th tallest free standing flag pole in the world – personally I thought they were clutching at straws thinking this was a record!
CHANGE OF ITINERARY
After visiting the mosque (yes it was also brand new and empty) I was taken back to the agents office to chat about train times. I showed him my itinerary and he said “why are you not going to Bukhara?” I didn’t have an answer for him, it was just how to itinerary worked out. He checked the train times, drew out an itinerary and said there you go, you have time! It’s this sort of costumer service that I never forget!
FOOD
There wasn’t much to see in the city which was proven by our next stop at the Horse stables but one thing I did enjoy was the food at pub city but for the life of me can’t remember what it was called and somehow doubt it’s very traditional. This will go on to be the only dish worth eating in turkmenistan After visiting the Russian Bazaar and saying goodbye to my guide we started our journey to Darvaza to visit the Door to Hell.
NEXT UP
Breaking down in the desert on our way to the Gates to Hell. Click to read
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
128/229
This post is part of the Central Asia Series, click to explore or for episode 1 click here.
To watch the video of my trip, head to my highlights on my Instagram.
