November 28 -- Last day in Turkmenistan

Old Nissa

 Probably got the best night’s sleep since we have left home. Must have been the good food and great company for dinner last night. There are some clouds in the sky today but doesn’t look serious. We will meet Laurens for breakfast this morning and say goodbye. We have late checkout confirmed with registration so we will leave the hotel about 2 PM for the airport. After breakfast we will finish packing things up and then maybe go to Old Nisa this morning to get in the last sight seeing of the trip.

When we were on a walk the other day in Ashgabat we came up on a fruit tree that I had never seen before. The fruit is green, hard, and bumpy. Looking on the Internet today I found it is osage orange. The tree, bush, is native to Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. I had never seen it before but according to Wikipedia it has been “naturalized” throughout much of the lower 48 and southern Canada. It seems strange that I had to come all the way to Turkmenistan to have my first sighting of this U.S. plant.

Old Nissa

Old Nisa was very impressive. Laurens went with us. The ruin is still under excavation but you could
walk in and among the walls that have been restored as well as some to the corridors and doorways. It is difficult to describe but it was in its heyday about the 3rd century BC. According to a gentleman in the hotel it was first conquered by Alexander the Great and later became the capital city of some of the Parthian Kings. We took a taxi there and the driver waited for us to finish our “tour”. If it had not been that the taxi was waiting for us we could have spent many hours there but most would be in and out in less than 45 minutes. A yellow cab from the Hotel Nusay round trip plus the wait time was 50 manat, $14.50. It cost almost that much to go from the Anchorage airport to our house and that is only a 10 minute drive. There was a 41 manat ($11.75) entrance fee for the three of us plus a fee for taking pictures. Certainly was very reasonable. We did enjoy our short time there.

Old Nissa

When we got back from the hotel Laurens got a call from Natavan and off we went to the Russian bazaar. Natavan thought I wanted to buy a Turkmen hat but I really wasn’t interested. However, we had a wonderful time watching Laurens try them on and eventually he bought one. Bonnie picked up a couple of souvenirs and we were off to the silver market. Here we purchased a small silver cross the an onyx stone in it. Then is was back to hotel after saying goodbye to Natavan. We had just a few minutes to get ready to go to the airport and then Maral called and we talked with her for a short time. We told her she was welcome in our home any time and we finally said goodbye. We will certainly keep in touch with her through email and the occasional phone call. We did not have much time with he but we did enjoy the time we had with her.

The taxi ride to the airport was a little bit of an adventure with closed streets and limited access to the terminal. We did get there.

Buy your souvenirs in the bazaars or at shopping centers outside the airport. The prices are at least twice as high in the airport. As you go into the boarding area at Ashgabat there is a cafe a the left end of the boarding area. The prices should be quite reasonable by U.S. standards but much more than outside the terminal. They will let you into the boarding area about 2.5 hours before you flight departs. That is when you get your visa stamped for exit.  Be sure they stamp it. If you ever go back there improper processing on your way out could prevent you from getting back in.

When you use a taxi in Turkmenistan be sure you have small bills, 5s and 10s. Agree on a price before you get in the taxi and only pay the agreed price when you get out. They will try to take advantage of the tourists at every turn. They thing because we don’t know the language we are easy marks. In many instances that is true but there are people that will help you if you let them.

Turkmenistan is a difficult country to be a tourist. If you are outside of Ashgabat you must be accompanied by a travel agent. Rejep, our agent was very resourceful and tried to save us money at every turn. Be sure to let your agent know if he is being too frugal. It is cheaper by about 75% for a country resident to fly or ride on a train than a tourist. So don’t go on the cheap if you would rather fly for an hour than ride in a car for 6. Let your agent know if you want to spend more on a good hotel instead of going cheap on a second rate outfit. Your first duty is to yourself and your comfort.

We had to wait around for about three hours to board the aircraft. All went smoothly except for a little seat mix-up. We watched most of a movie from Ashgabat to Dubai and will probably finish it when we get to Seattle. Bonnie will probably sleep much of the way to Seattle. We are hoping someone will not show up again at the Camlin so we can check in early and go to bed. Sunday has just begun but it will be an extra 12 or so hours longer than usual. We leave Dubai at 3:15 AM and arrive in Seattle at about 5:15 AM. I so wish the flight was only 2 hours long instead of 14 +.
  

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.

November 26 -- Not going out today

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. I am having my normal Asian difficulties this morning. Seems to never happen when I go to Europe but Asia always gets me. That includes Egypt since it’s partly in Asia as well. I am just happy it didn’t happen when we were at the canyon. That would have been really bad. Hopefully things will come under control with the medicine. If not it will be a very miserable day. The morning and afternoon activities have been cancelled. I hate being sick. Rejep is returning to Balkanabat to escort another group of English speaking tourists. He has been a wonderful host. Bonnie and I wish him long, healthy, and prosperous life.

We do have internet here. It costs $6 per device per stay. So I got it for my laptop this morning and for my phone this evening. My brother Ed has an old Mac and it wouldn’t Skype so we used FaceTime on the phone to talk with them since it’s over the internet. We could get any video because of the bandwidth but the voice worked just fine. Some day all calling will be voice over internet protocol (VOIP).

Sunset in Ashgabat

I am feeling much better this evening and hopefully we will be able to get out to do tomorrow what we were scheduled to do today. Only time will tell. Had chicken soup for dinner. Not much to write home about but thought I would be able to handle that for the evening. We are trying to download a couple of movies from iTunes but they are taking forever. There are two English channels on TV, one is BBC news and the other is Euro News. Both pretty much the same and the same format as CNN. The same stuff is repeated over and over.

Hopefully tomorrow with be a better day.
 

November 25 -- Back to Ashgabat

Breakfast today was French toast, boiled egg, sausage, cheese, and oatmeal. Not my favorites but all very good. Plenty of black tea was available so I was happy. There were actually other people in the dining room at breakfast so there are guest besides us. Don’t care much for the coffee here and may just start drinking tea at home.

We have a couple of hours to kill before we go to the airport. We all will probably take a walk on the beach and finish packing up the last few things. There are three people running lawn mores and cutting the grass. It is interesting to watch people run mowers that have seldom done it before because the natural state here is no grass, it’s a desert. There were three cutting and two supervising. They had their faces covered with masks I assume because of the dust (there was not dust) but no ear protection and the mowers were very loud even 75 feet up in the air.

Another little interesting thing, the airfare from Turkmenbashi to Ashgabat is $85 if you are a foreigner. If you are a Turkmen the fair is $20. Airline is run by the government and it seems reasonable for the there to be a difference but i have never encounter this circumstance.

We went for a short walk on the beach. It was quite cool. The air temperature is about 40 F but there is a stiff wind that makes it feel close to freezing. We snapped a few pics and then came back to the hotel. The manager then arranged for the balconies on the 8th floor to be opened for us on each end of the building. We were able to see all of the hotels in both directions and the construction across the street from the hotels. It looks like they are trying to build some kind of theme park there for tourists. I think they are using the philosophy that if you build it they will come.

The flight to Ashgabat was pretty much like any other flight. It took 55 minutes flying and about 20 minutes taxi time. This trip was much better than 6 or more hours in a car.

We are staying at the Nusay Hotel this time and it is far different than the AK-Altyn. The room is spacious. We have a view of the president’s palace. (no photographs allowed) There are government buildings all along the street. There are fountains everywhere. All of the buildings have white marble facades. Quite a lovely sight. We have a corner room at the hotel. Essentially we have a view down the length of two streets. The room was spotless. The bathroom was especially nice to see after the other three places we have stayed in the country. It is more expensive at about $165 a night but I think worth the price. The staff is very helpful. Also they take Visa so you don’t have to pay cash, there is a 3% service charge for Visa. You can change dollars to manat on the lower level and there is a rug and art dealer on the same level. There is a spa with a sauna and steam room, an indoor pool, and a gym. The use of the spa is 30 manat for hotel residents and 100 manat for others. There are two massage rooms as well. A one hour massage is 100 manat, $35, a bargain. Oh, by the way, breakfast is included in the price of the room. All of the meals we had in the hotel were excellent, 4 breakfasts and 2 dinners. Breakfast is included in the rate other meals are extra.

We ate in the restaurant at the hotel this evening and the meal was very good. The cost was almost triple of the restaurant in Balkanabat.  Food at both the hotel and at outside restaurants were probably just as good as at the Nusay. I still think the better all around stuff is worth the extra money.

We went for a walk after dinner along a busy street that was lit almost like it was daylight. Fountains lined the first 150 meters of the walk. They were very pretty. We walked down to the next major intersection and then turned right. We found a little shopping area with a grocery store so we picked up some water, coke, tea, and tissues. No one in the store spoke English but they helped us find what we wanted anyway. Total cost for the bag was 11.3 manat. That is about 33% more than we would have paid in Balkanabat.

So all is well in Ashgabat on this evening before Thanksgiving.
 

November 19 -- Off to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Woke up about 5 AM and did all of the morning things. We went over to the City Center Mall to find a place to have breakfast. Most of the stores were not yet open so the mall was very quiet. We decided to eat at Paul.

Paul, is kind of upscale for a mall. Since we were there before most of the stores opened so it was quiet and not very crowded. The menu was limited for breakfast but my wife and I ordered different breakfasts and both were tasty and served promptly. A basket of bread was served with the breakfast which was kind of unexpected. We had no idea this was a “chain” until we saw one at terminal two in the Dubai airport. I would recommend this place for breakfast.

After breakfast we went back to the hotel, check-out, and took a taxi to the airport. We were already checked in so we just had to go through security and on to the gate. the flight to Ashgabat was just under two hours.

 Flying from Dubai to Ashgabat we were on a “discount” airline called Fly Dubai. The seats were comfortable the legroom was pretty average and on this flight you paid for everything from drink to the entertainment system. Fortunately this flight was less than 2 hours and we used my laptop as our entertainment system. We only got to watch part of a movie before the flight was completed. Turns out you can get manat, the Turkmen currency, at any of the hotels. The exchange rate is pretty much the same all over and agrees with what I found on the web at 3.5 manat for each U.S. dollar.

We got our visas at the airport. All we had to do was present our letter of invitation, pay for the visa, and get it stamped. We then went through passport control, back claim, customs, and then we were greeted by Rejep when we went through the doors.

Rejep drove us to the hotel and got us situated. He brought us some manat, local currency, and was off for the night.

The Ak Altyn Hotel is showing age. The door lock is still with a key and it does not lock automatically when you close it. If you leave the room you much take your key to lock the door or have someone that is still inside lock the door. We were given a room with twin beds. Oh well it’s only one night. The room smelled strongly of smoke but then there are no non-smoking rooms. The furniture is worn from much use. The rooms were clean except the bath has black mildew on the tile grout. The rooms was very dark even with the lights on and the drapes open in the morning. Not what I would call cheery. The hotel could certainly use an upgrade. Didn’t seem to have any English channels on cable but then I’m sure they don’t have too many English speaking people (as their first language) staying here. Wifi cost is $1 per day and is only supposed to be used in the lobby though you can see the network in your room. I did us it in my room in the morning until 7 AM when my time ran out. If you can afford it, stay somewhere else.

From the sixth floor you can see much of the city in one direction. The windows were quite dirty on the outside so the view was some what restricted. That is pretty much that way most windows are in hotels in the desert that I have stayed in so this in nothing out of the ordinary.

Had dinner in the Continental Restaurant in the hotel. The salads we had were excellent. The menu has pictures of everything and the salads looked exactly like the picture and were very tasty. We ordered “roasted vegetables” to go with our entree. These looked like they came from a can and were only warm when they arrived. Carrot, potatoes, peas, a few mushrooms, and something else I wasn’t sure what it was were in the mix. The entrees we ordered came in huge portions. Wife said her fish was good and I ordered the mixed grill. There were five different preparations including, white fish, ground meat patty, beef steak, chicken, and a lamb chop. The lamb, fish, and meat patty were tasty. The steak and chicken were over cooked. Didn’t have dessert. The meal was 150 manat or about $43.

We did have wi-fi here but I was not prepared to post any information. We mostly checked out email. Social media is blocked in Turkmenistan so I couldn’t look at Facebook. Not sure I will be able to post anything to the blog while we are here either but am writing things up as I go along so they can be posted when we get back to Dubai or Seattle.

We will have wi-fi in Awaza so will try to post from there or at least send emails. Plan to post some reviews to Trip Advisor as well but will probably wait to do that until we get to Seattle.