Tag Archives: Turkmenistan
2018 Gone, 2019 Beckons
Travels in Europe, Asia & The Americas It is the time of the year to reflect back on the year’s adventures and look forward to what 2019 may bring. There is something different for me this year however. A recent nine-day hospitalisation has given me time to think about what the privilege of travel really […]
Wilbur’s Travels is Four Today
Those nice people from WordPress have just informed that my first post was published four years ago. That first post told the tale of my 1995 visit to the Chinese city of Guangzhou by boat from Hong Kong. 710 posts later I am still enthused and planning much more. Here are a selection of photos […]
Friday Photo – Colourful Turkmen Pilgrims, Ancient Merv
In the complex of the Mosque of Yusuf Hamadani there lies a tomb of an unknown 12th Century dervish. As is a tradition throughout Turkmenistan, ladies use their holidays to make pilgrimages to important tombs. The ritual is that the ladies, dressed in their finest clothes and jewelry, walk round and round the epitaph asking […]
Carry On, Follow That Camel!
Camels of the Middle East, Africa & Central Asia The unusual title for my blog post is actually the title of one of my favourite films in the long running series of comedic ‘Carry On’ films that became a much loved staple of UK cinema in the ’50s, ’60s & ’70s. This one had our […]
Bordering On The Ridiculous – Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan
Border Crossing Between Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan Our short stay in Turkmenistan was coming to an end. It was the morning we would be heading for the border with Uzbekistan from the Turkmen city of Mary. We had wanted to get the train to Turkmenabat but were told that the times we not convenient, either arriving […]
Mary & Merv
Ancient & Modern Turkmenistan Cities No this isn’t the name of a US sitcom or Australian talk show hosts, but modern & ancient cities a few kilometres apart in Turkmenistan. We arrived in Mary, one of the largest cities in the Central Asian country, by slow train from capital Ashgabat at around 1 in the […]
Turkmenistan Trains
Trains in Turkmenistan I recently returned from 17 days in Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan and of course train travel featured along the way. First up Turkmenistan. The nation is covered 80% by the Karakum Desert, which is now home to much of the train track in the country. Capital Ashgabat is the hub and journeys seem […]
The Gate to Hell – The Darvaza Gas Crater, Turkmenistan
Karakum Desert, Turkmenistan 80% of Turkmenistan is made up of the Karakum Desert and 270 km northwest of capital Ashgabat there lies one of the nations gas fields. In the late ’60s gas was discovered near a small oasis settlement called Darvaza, with drilling commencing in order to tap the fuel for commercial gain. Whilst […]
