Turkmenistan (by Alicia, Dave & Nico)

Crossing the Caspian Sea

The Caspian crossing was shorter than we all expected. It only took 24 hours from embarking in Baku to disembarking in Turkmenbasy. So we arrived in Turkmenistan full of expectations and laden with another 4 days worth of emergency boat snacks. The boat was a great success with clean cabins, flushing toilets (once we worked out how to punch the button), and pot noodle and hot dogs to sustain us. Louise ran a pub quiz half way through to keep us all entertained and with a round of questions on 'who has done this in their past' we all learnt a little more about the individuals in our group. Who do you think was most likely to have done the Full Monty in their neighbors yard?

On the boat at last!

Luke gyming on the boat - what health & safety?

Dave's incentive program

Dave & Nico pull the boat in

Last views of Baku from the boat

Our boat, the Azerbaijan

The Caspian might have rules...

Alicia showing off her spacious cabin

Dave is a nutter

Border

This was just another border crossing. Or so we thought! A night in customs and a day waiting by the side of the road watching Turkmen life go by and we were “free” to proceed on our way across Turkmenistan. It only took us 20 hours and more than 120 stamps to clear customs.

Desert bush camp

We bush camped that night just outside the suburbs of Balkanabad, heading off the road and into the surrounding desert landscape. About 1/2 km off the road Calypso began to feel less firm on the ground and rapidly became stuck in the sand [it was our local guide's fault - Ed]. We all jumped off to lighten her load, but she was in too deep. The sand tracks and shovels came off and we all got stuck in trying to dig her out and turn her around before camping. As the sun began to set, without making any headway in releasing Calypso, we turned our efforts towards setting up camp for the night and getting dinner on. We were all exhausted from the border crossing and lack of sleep, so after dinner it was only one beer around the fire and off to bed.

Refreshed after a good night’s sleep we pulled all our strength together and with Nico's amazing driving and cool desert sand we got Calypso back on the road in about an hour and set off for Turkmenistan's super capital city, Ashgabat.

Calypso is stuck!

Luke, Jason and Nico getting the sand mats out

Cal and Luke know team work

Dave digging in

Even Doug and Dougles, our poo paddles, helped

T-Money doing her part

Get the mat in there - Jason making sure Dave keeps a good posture

And we're out!

The sand feels hard under foot, but Calypso is a big beast!

Dave & T-Money always ready for a pose

Ashgabat - 'The Super City'

The Turkmenistan president's vision of the city of the future makes Ashgabat a national showpiece. The pride oozed off our local guide as we drew closer and we were all apprehensive of what to expect from the country's capital. Calypso had to be clean and shiny to enter the city, so our first stop was a car wash on the outskirts of town. After no showers for 72 hours we thought we might have had to be subjected to the high-pressure hoses too!

After showering and bathing to remove the layers of grime most of the group hailed any car on the street to take us to the 'British Pub' for dinner. With an 11 o'clock curfew there was only time for 1 beer and a short game of pool before we relied on the locals to give us a lift back to the hotel for around 5 manats [less than $2 for a 4km ride - Ed]. Early next morning we headed off with our guide on a city tour. A vast array of marble clad buildings and parks with symmetrical layouts, numerous fountains and statues of important Turkmens were a feast for the eyes as our coach passed them at high speed! Tina, Dave and Alicia escaped half way through to the Russian bazaar to find some of the vibrancy of the local people, which were nowhere to be seen on the streets. We all made it back to the hotel after lunch to depart for our final bush camp and the gas crater before the border.

Manicured parks

Steve and Dave taking a break

The post who did not know it - this guy was the reason for the public holiday that affected us in Azerbaijan

Gas crater bush camp

As we arrived at our camp for the night we eagerly swung open Calypso's door to be greeted by a crunch as the top hinge of the door snapped off. This was a clear example of the state of Turkmenistan's roads (the worst we have experienced so far). Mikkel roped it securely in place while we made a quick dinner before heading off up to the gas crater by Land Rover. As it came into sight it appeared to us as a portal to Hell. Later we learned the locals call it the Doorway to Hell. It was accidentally created more than 50 years ago whilst drilling for gas when a cave collapsed allowing noxious gases to escape freely into the atmosphere. Setting it alight was the obvious solution and it now forms part of the few tourist attractions in Turkmenistan and a good spot for some great photography under the brilliant stars of the desert sky.

Dave and Nico were up at dawn the next day to start fixing Calypso's door and after some ingenious moving of hinges, drilling and riveting she was fully functional, although her paint job is now slightly askew with a blue hinge on the orange side wall.

Guys relaxing in the desert

Girls relaxing in the desert

Desert sunset

Bruce taking a look on the other side

Odyssey!!

Daniel running down the hill lit up by the crater's flames

Dawn at our desert camp

Fixing the hinge

Where does this water come from?

Tina doesn't look too impressed!

You can't fix anything without getting a hammer involved

Salty dam bush camp

A day driving in the intense heat of the desert made the sight of a salty mosquito infested stretch of water with a few trees entice us off the road to set up camp. Sweating uncontrollably after tent erection [hehehe, she said erection - Dave] a few of us braved the muddy silt on the bottom to enjoy the refreshingly cool salty waters of what can loosely be termed a lake. Steve treated us to one of his chicken recipes for dinner and then we all had an early night in anticipation of the border crossing the next day (and the swarm of mosquitoes drove us away from the camp fire).

Giving a hand to Richard and Eve from England to replace their fuel pump

Our last camp in Turkmenistan

Mark, Dave, Jordan & Jason making tea

Border

There was a slightly low mood in the group as we approached the border as fears grew that they would find something that would delay us from leaving, after our mega border crossing on the way in. However, our fears were unsubstantiated and after a thorough search of us and the truck and 6 checks of our passports we crossed into no mans land. Phew!  Next stop, Uzbekistan!