I was in Turkmenistan only because it was the only route for road traffic from Uzbekistan to Iran. We (a tour group again) were required to stay a minimum number of days (5, maybe?) in Turkemistan. Our guide there was a Russian woman who had been dismissed from her quite senior post at the main museum because she was not a native citizen; so it was galling for her to have to take us round that museum, but there were few tourist attractions. Some streets were entirely government buildings, monotonously similar. Lots of white marble.
Our guide did facilitate currency exchange for us by introducing us to a couple of men in long raincoats with carrier bags stuffed with cash of assorted currencies, with whom we conducted business on a street corner tactfully outside the hotel.
Every shop window was filled with photos of Turkmenbashi and his latest book but ordinary objects like sungasses were hard to find. But that was some years ago: the placemay have changed.
My main memory of that trip is being stuck in no-man's-land between Turkmenistan and Iran. It was quite a distance between the two customs check points - rough ground over which we had to trundle our cases - and by the time we reached the Iranian frontier the customs officials had just gone off for an extended lunch. So we were stuck in the hot sun, no shade or refreshments, and no toilets, though we improvised behind spindly bushes with one person standing guard.
It depends what floats your boat.
@RooFlyer was very impressed by this;
One travel experience you've had that was particularly incredible category.
Without doubt,
Darvaza Crater in central Turkmenistan, also known as the Door to Hell. Drive 3hrs through the desert, to reach nowhere in particular, and be confronted with this:
Roaring hell hole, like putting your head in an oven when the wind blew from it.
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