Day 1 & 2 in Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is the next country on the list. We are not allowed to cycle here but are escorted by a guide in a jeep through the country. Turkmenistan is one of the least visited countries in the world. Obtaining a visa that is available at a high price is fairly difficult because of the country’s isolationist policy. There are no reliable numbers but according to estimates, the country has 10.000-20.000 tourists annually. This is related to the president‘s anti tourist policy.
If you want to find out more about the dictatorship and some ridiculous laws that exist here, you can do the research yourself.

Our first stop is the capital city Ashgabat. It is by far the cleanest and most impressive city I have ever been to. You can feel the strong propaganda influence. The roads are almost empty and there are very few people around. It feels surreal, as if I were in a computer game where humanity was wiped out. It is such a strong contrast to Iran because the few people we meet do not talk to us. We assume that it is the local’s fear of talking to strangers as this can cause serious problems. And for tourists like us, the chances are high that we are being observed non-stop. Unfortunately, it is also strictly forbidden to take photos of pretty much everything. So, I just have very few and bad snapshots.
To our luck, we had some connections and were able to change some money on the black market which is also strictly forbidden for tourists. The official exchange rate is 3,5 Manat for 1 dollar and on the black market 19 Manat for one dollar. Ridiculous!!! Just don’t get caught!Read more