Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Landed early this morning and were met by our Intrepid tour leader. Four other tour members were on the same flight so we met them too: a couple as well as a single woman from England and a single woman from Scotland. The airport was palatial and ornate, living up to the stories of what a strange place Turkmenistan is. (We were advised to be careful taking photographs of any government buildings or military so no photos at the airport.)

The country is a land-locked dictatorship and Ashgabat, the capital, is famously known as the marble city. The buildings here are huge, ornate and white. Cars and busses are exclusively white, silver are gold. Monuments are sprinkled across the city. It feels surreal.

The country was an important part of the Silk Road. It’s also a former member of the Soviet Union and has been one of the most closed countries in the world to outsiders. It is rich in oil and natural gas. Its onerous visa process is well known; we required a Letter of Invitation along with $130 U.S. each in order to obtain visas upon arrival at the airport.

Two sedans brought us to our over-the-top hotel, complete with gold trimmings and chandeliers. Our room wasn’t ready for a few hours so we had breakfast in the hotel’s cavernous dining room and then went for a walk to a mall around the corner. It was equally opulent.

Once we got our room, we caught up on our sleep. Our meeting with the Intrepid tour group was at 6 p.m. to meet our fellow travellers who’ll explore The Stans with us. In addition to the four we met earlier, there is a single Australian woman, a single Australian man, a single man from New York State, and a couple from Indiana. That makes 11 of us together for the next three weeks. We had a group dinner to get acquainted and shared stories and laughter. It’s going to be fun!Read more