November 27 -- More in Ashgabat

Sunrise in Ashgabat

There was a beautiful sunrise this morning. We went to breakfast with Laurens about 8:30. Had a nice conversation and made a date to get together for dinner this evening. When we were done with breakfast we made a Skype call to Kitty’s and chatted with her and our daughters for about an hour. They were just finishing their dessert from Thanksgiving dinner and we had just finished our Friday morning breakfast. Time zones make for interesting calling times.

The Carpet Museum is about a 10 minute walk from the Nusay Hotel in downtown Ashgabat. The admission is 21 manat, about $12.50. There are three floors of beautiful carpets. Most have the year they were woven and the knot count. The designs and sizes look to be infinitely variable. Specific designs were done according to areas of the country and there is a map that describes the areas of Turkmenistan and another for most of Central Asia. We were given an explanation of one of the main thematic designs in the carpets and I was amazed at the intricate detail that is woven into these masterpieces. Most children would not be interested in this attraction but if you have any interest at all in Asian carpets this is a must see. There are small carpets for sale her that are actually made in the museum. This is another facility in this country that is under utilized. We saw no only other than staff in the about 2 hours we were here.

When we got back to the room we decided to go and get something for lunch. We walked up to a mall about a half mile up the road. We shared a beef, potato, and tomato dish that we very good. We were served a glass of tea after we had finished our meal. The place we ate was in a food court on the third floor. This first floor of the maul was mostly a grocery store the second level was what look like upscale shops. It was laid out pretty much the same as a small mall in the U.S.

Getting back from the mall we just relaxed in the room and watched the BBC World News and Euro News. Pretty much the same things that were on this morning. The Internet has been unavailable much of the afternoon. There is supposed to be a problem outside the building somewhere but that is all the information I was able to get. Hopefully it will be up later this evening.

Solton Restaurant

We had dinner tonight with Laurens and Natavan at the Restoran Soltan in the Berkarar Mall. This place was very crowded and most of the people were locals. This is a good indication that the food is authentic and delicious. Indeed it was both of those things. I ordered lamb and my wife had chicken. Both meals were great. The portions are large so be careful when you eat here not to order too much. We had ice cream for dessert and was very smooth and excellent quality. Tea after dinner just hit the spot. While locals might thing it was expensive I don’t think 140 manat was very much for four people. The mall looks like it has everything you could ask for in a mall. It is brand new just opening in January of 2015.


Got back to the hotel just before store closing. The mall is about 10-15 minutes from the hotel by taxi. If you go you should definitely take a taxi it would be a long hike. One more part of a day in Turkmenistan and then off on the trip home.