• Adventures along the Silk Roads
    Early rise at the camp, next door's generator started up again at 5am 😬
    Early rise at the camp, next door's generator started up again at 5am 😬Sunrise at DarvazaRather basic facilities, glad we brought plenty of wet wipesBreakfast is served ...... I had a cup of coffee instead of the offered UPFThe mud crater with just a few gas flames at the bottomMud craterEveryone listening to our tour guide ShelbyThe water crater with methane bubbles in the water. At least it doesn't stink1The road condition is still the sameAnd so are the other road users ...I call this 'the dance of the road'Finally we reach the end of the desert

    The road out of hell

    September 12 in Turkmenistan ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    After a sleepless night on the rather hard camp bed in the yurt, I am up early to catch the sunrise ...

    After a quick and unhealthy breakfast and a rudimentary wash at the facilities, we start early to cover the remaining 280 km across the Karakum desert on the way to Ashgabat, the capital of TM.

    On the way stop at two more craters, these are also collapsed drilling sites from the Soviet era, each with distinct features — the mud crater emits a strong odour and bubbling gases, while the water crater is filled with liquid where gas bubbles rise to the surface.

    The road conditions are pretty much the same as yesterday. So we are shaken around again but we are promised an improvement of the road.

    And hurray, after about 1.5 hrs when we reach the end of the desert and start getting closer to Ashgabat it's getting better!

    Glad that's over!    Read more