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Popular General Tips | Miscellaneous General Tips Tips | All Tips (9)  | |  |  | First Impressions of Turkmenistan | Tip Rating:    |  |  | |  |
The idea of visiting Turkmenistan was very exciting for me as I'd never even been to Russia, much less any FSU countries before. So u do your search on VT and rest of the Internet for info on the country, and there's certainly not much. And must say i was disappointed with the tips i'd read anyway, because it painted a scary picture of a police state, bad cops, lots of suspicion and such like. But having been to Sudan and Niger and places like that in Africa that have gotten a bad rep I was sort of prepared for the worst.
So wasn't i absolutely surprised to find it to be very safe, remarkably clean and orderly, with great food, cosy cafes and the luvliest people u'd find anywhere! And a lot to see n do behind the gleaming marble facades you see in the city. Yes maybe it was only 2 days for me here so far, but you know what they say. First impressions count!
Of course, there were bits that were a little bit intimidating, like the visa-getting when we landed, meeting the govt folks who were very serious during the meeting (but pleasant when the meeting was over) and going through customs when we left. You can tell there's still some heavy bureaucracy going on possibly, but what new transitioning economy isn't going through that sort of thing? And all this foreigner critic about the former President's cultish book... nonsense. I read the book and it was more patriotic than trying to impose anything on the people there.
Actually the worst bit of the whole trip? There were some awful expat oilmen, real roughnecks, on our plane. And they ended up in the queue behind us waiting to get visas. Properly drunk after boozing their guts out on an 8-hour flight, THEY were the scariest things in that country. Slurring and cursing their stupid opinions, crudely, rudely, loudly in English so the locals wouldn't understand, that was just base and unnecessary.
So yes, it may be a little long and tedious trying to get in and out of the country, but it's worth going in there to have a look! Don't let that stop you. There are worse immigration officers elsewhere in the world! Leave a Comment
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| | | | Second Impressions About Turkmenistan | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Wowww... hard to pick one favourite thing when you're still discovering all its different facets. This time round we had a longer wander around the markets and areas in the outskirts of the city... and we discovered that some of the folks, especially the kids, are actually very keen to have their photos taken! And some of them were really very serious about posing for the camera, which was great! But do be careful and let them come to you rather than snapping them without permission... mainly the older generation in the villages and outskirts were very uncomfortable with the camera for they believe that the photographer 'takes' away part of their soul with each picture and so when they die, they believe they won't completely move to the other side u know? That parts of their soul are still on the earth, being seen by those still alive, through those pictures that were taken of them... I felt very moved at this story, and must say that though I'd never thought about it that way, it kind of makes sense doesn't it? You see the point anyway... I still do think sometimes that a camera is one of the greatest inventions of all time, and so surreal! Being able to capture a living moment in time in a shot. It's bewildering!
Oh, so many great memories in just 2 days. We tried to go on the cable car ride up those beautiful mountains which is the backdrop of Ashgabat. Unfortunately, on Mondays they close for maintenance. This is one country serious about their maintenance, i totally salute them on this! Their streets are polished and shiny, their markets spotlessly clean, their greens watered and irrigated with tender loving care.
So then we went to another hill to these beautiful "Health Roads". You can see them beautifully lit up at night looking like gold necklaces on the mountains. There are 2 of them, an 8km "baby" road and a whopping 25km "mother" road... and if you think that the Great Wall of China is steep (which it ISSS!!!) you may think about skipping this one... but the way the locals throw themselves up those stairs... they are seriously fit!!! We met a 75 year old grandpa who just underwent an operation that was keeping pace and then overtook us up those stairs. Phew!
Then we went to the Canyon Road, a narrow strip wedged in between two mountain ranges. Beautiful!!! With a spring running through it... I couldn't believe we were in a country that was 80% desert, everything was so green here!
We also managed to stop at the ruins of Nisa - one of the last remaining ancient cities in Central Asia - and I was ecstatic because, of course, i managed to do my Lara Croft tombraiding thing *tee hee* and took my shoes off to run barefoot in the sand amongst the ruins... which may not have been so wise since the kids we met excitedly brought me to little caves where snakes apparently lived... indeed we saw the dead skin shed by 2... *eek*
I'll be writing more about the history and background of these places in other tips, if you just give me a chance, so bear with me ;) Leave a Comment
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Be prepared to carry a bag full of it around! As about 30,000manat equalled 1 USD and often you'd end up getting 30 1,000manat notes!
Of course the modest president celebrates all the Turkmen historical people by only putting himself on all the notes! Leave a Comment
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| | | | Check out the Talchouka... | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Check out the Talchouka Bazaar, and buy a Turkmen Woolen Hat! These are woolen, but they sell all sorts of fur, please be careful, some of the furs are from endagered species! Rugs, Jewelry, traditional clothing, hardware of all sorts,animals and just about anything can be bought here. It is the modern day silk road. The vendors are very agressive but things are so cheap and the people need the money so buy! Be careful of pickpockets, and remember everything is priced too high in expectation of haggling, it is expected! Leave a Comment
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Local food in some places may not fit the western taste. have some canned or dried food with you for such cases. Leave a Comment
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The hardest thing about Turkmenistan it to get a Visa. There are many embassies scattered all around the world. In Europe(15 days to be issued!): France Germany UK Belgium but not in Italy. If you're travelling in Central Asia you can get the Visa in Bishkek(Kyrghystan), Dushambe(Tajikistan), Astana(Kazakstan) and Tashkent(Uzbekistan). Transit Visa(Maximum stay 5 days ) takes some 8 to 10 days to be issues and cost 31 US$. If you want to stay more than 5 days in Turkmenistan you should apply for Tourist Visa which require a LOI(Letter of Invitation). It's impossible to have one unless you have some friend here. Many travel agency(In Central Asia but also in Europe) can issue the LOI.
At the Airport there is no Bank. Just pay some dollars(3-4) to the Taxi driver for a 15 minutes drive to the center. Don't Change Money in the Bank but only in the Market(Russian Markets give the best rates). The official bank rate is 1US= 2400 Manat. Street Moneychanger rate 1 US= 24000 Manat
Police Stops are at every corner. From Turkmenabat to Ashagabat(BUS 650 KM) i counted 15 Checks!! Be gentle and smile every time. They don't ask any bribe and dont give any hassles. Leave a Comment
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