Turkmenistan!
Well, well, well……thankfully the ferry crossing the Caspian was smooth, fast, comfortable, cool, picturesque and……on time! If I told you we had arrived in port in Turkmanbashi around 8am this morning and then didn’t leave until 2pm…..would you believe me? Wecome to the land of desert sun and blazing heat……Turkmenistan! We were spoilt rotten on our ferry crossing. Ilgas, our delightful cook, not only made us dinner but breakfast as well. While the immigration process on board the boat was quick, when we hit the mainland and went through the actual process, something slowed down as the temperature rose. Everyone (support trucks included) made it through unscathed and here we are on rest day number 3 in a town created by the demand for oil, Turkmenbasshi - population of around 60, 000. It is surrounded by sandstone cliffs and, of course, the beautiful Caspian Sea (yes, it is polluted but if you saw it at sunrise, wow!). Our delightfully understated and simple accommodation for tonight is the ‘Hotel Hazar’. There really is a distinctly Russian feel to some parts of the city so far. However, the rooms have AC, there is still a small part of the day to rest and relax, drink cokes and hit the beach as some of the riders are doing, and rightly so, for what lies ahead is the assault on the desert through to the city of Ashgabat! It promises to be a hot, but flat, four days of riding. Let's hope the desert winds play nice and stick behind us all the way! Rumour has it that in this part of the world, temperatures can soar to 50 degrees C during the month of August! We really are on the other side of the sea now and the ‘westernised’ Baku seems many miles away. The Caspian twinkles in front of us, the sandstone hills rise up around behind us, the desert awaits us and riders get a last look at their permanent bags, their internet accounts and cold cokes for a few days anyways.
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Posted August 28, 2007 by Field Writer
Turkmenistan |
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