Underground lake and national mosque

We enjoyed a lazy morning waiting for the cave to open. There were 170 steps down to the lake where we swam in the water enriched with sulfur and other elements. The cave was huge and the "lake" about 40' wide and 80' long. The swim was refreshing.

Meeting the highway we headed for Ashgabat stopping halfway to view the new national cathedral built in 2006 as well as the tomb of the first president since the 1991 independence. We arrived in Ashgabat early afternoon for a shower and some free time wandering the capitol city. Tomorrow we will meet 14 new family members, tour the world's largest city market and flea market, and explore the modern city with its unique and modern architecture. Whew! Getting a bit tired. Down 18 pounds..sigh...still look and feel huge! :-)

Karakum Desert to Kow Ata

We woke to sunshine and a WARM morning. Our restful sojourn found all in good moods anticipating a beautiful day. Our drive today was six hours over dramatic desert terrain to reach the underground lake of Kow Ata.

We left Balkanasbad, enjoying the magnificent rock mountains that border the city. It only took us a few minutes to get lost. We eventually found the main highway toward Ashgabat. Ferrel camels grazed in numbers along side the road.

Pipeline and oilfields were scattered as far as the eye could see. The desert scrub and sand seemed endless and had an unique beauty. There were often stretches of purely flat parched earth. The road was another rock and roll journey as we were tossed back and forth. Fine times from our guest DJs helped to pass the time.

After lunch we reached the Koppe Dag mountains to our south and the Central Karakum Plateau to our north. We were nor paralleling the Iran border once again. This time only ten to twenty miles away.

Massive cultivated wheat fields lined both sides of the road. At one point we crossed over the Trans-Caspian Railway. We reached our desert wild camp a few Kms from the National Park and set up camp.

And...then the finally the finale to the day...Dave and Frenchy are cooking goat curry AND camel liver, heart, and kidney kabobs on the barbi...ah shit, I promised I'd eat whatever they cooked!

Oh, AND, our guide informed us during dinner that we are camping within a mile or so of the Iranian border. Nighty-night!

Oh,oh,oh...and we had homemade grappa left over from Georgia, so-o-o, OMG, Dave and Diane, where are you when I need a friend to help me so NO!! Hangover city here we come and...we are in the middle of bump my toe Turkmenistan. God help us.

PS: Ok, actually ate the icky stuff...not bad, won't do the kidney again!

Ha-ha...this is Overlanding!

PSS: It's a full moon tonight. So all of this "faldurau" is Alex's fault!

Turkmenistan

After some further discussion our guide suggested a hotel instead of camping. With our memorable crossing behind us and the promise of sunshine and warmer temperatures ahead, we opted to leave the coast for a two hour drive inland and a different hotel and town.

Rising above the coast we traversed vast desert and scrubland; the sun attempting to break through at any moment. It was still quite cold; 40 at its best. A few camels dotted the landscape. Oil pipelines crisscrossed the desert endlessly. With the truck's heater finally on, It was a pleasant drive.

Turkmenistan five states and five major tribes. The people have a distinctly Mongolian appearance mixed with Russian, which probably accounts for their slim builds and height. All Turkmen get free water, gas, electricity, and basic health care. Each family is allowed 1400 liters of free gasoline annually. The country's flag is interesting. Their economy is booming.

Our drive today and tomorrow parallels the Iranian border, often within a few miles to the south of the highway. Unlike other desert countries I have visited, there are few small villages or Bedouin encampments along the road. The towns have modern buildings and lots of parks being build amount the existing soviet block style apartment buildings.

We reached the modern town of Balkanabat and a surprise 4 star hotel. A quick shower and we were off to find a lunch spot. Then it was back for rest, free time, and a great night's sleep. Amen!

Crossing the Caspian Sea - Part 2

It's probably good to point out that the Caspian Sea is actually the world's largest lake-and saltwater too! It's also one of the most polluted bodies of water on the planet. That being said, it's an absolutely brilliant turquoise in color! At least that's what all the travel sites say. For us it is grey and wet, just like the sky.

We stayed up last night well past 4am drinking and laughing. We were joined by a Ukrainian trucker and his cheap bottle of vodka. Somewhere in the conversation he decided it was time to discuss gay marriage. That certainly livened things up!

One by one we eventually fell asleep waking to the ship rocking on the open "sea." We were by now in the middle of the storm that blew into port last night.

Water, water every where. A stirring chess match owned the afternoon. Another 15 hours of sailing was ahead of us. Scrabble, Yahtzee, and solitaire kept the lazy day going. The rain and rolling sea kept the boat rocking.

We spotted land at sunset. It was the northern coast of Turkmenistan. The rind and rain had died down, the sea was calmer, and we estimated landfall by 11pm. That would get us in a few hours earlier than planned. However since you can't drive after 10pm and our hotel is set for tomorrow night, all was up for grabs

As predicted (and promised), nothing is as it seems. We were told to get ready around 10:30pm. Some of us had just gone back to bed. It then became a hurry up and wait scenario.

The Turkmen army showed up to secure the ship. Having been kicked out of our cabins, we waited in the dining hall. At midnight a lady from immigration came in and reviewed driver destinations and passenger manifests. And we waited.

With our warm and comfy hotel rooms waiting for in us town, shortly after midnight we moved down to the truck and then waited as they took off a couple of trucks before us. By the time we got off the ferry it was past 2am. We were escorted to passport control where it took two more hours to get our paperwork complete. Our rooms were still waiting.

Then it was on to customs. There we met our guide/escort. His name is Shavkat. A pleasant young man in his 20s, he was able to get things moving. By 5am it looked like we were ready to go, just one more signature...AND...that belonged to some official not in yet. So it was back to the VERY COLD truck and several more hours of shivering in our sleeping bags. Our rooms were still waiting.

By 9am we were still not cleared. We broke out the stove and made hot coffee and tea. It's was still quite cold and we had no end in sight. We were now well into our 40th hour of "crossing" the Caspian Sea and still locked up in the customs yard. The Turkmen sure do know how to welcome visitors to their country! And our rooms were still waiting.

It took 41hours to officially cross the border into Turkmenistan. This is "overlanding!" Gotta love it!!

Now 10am, we opted to stink for two more days, get a head start with wild camping, and left our warm and comfy hotel rooms behind. The open road and the marvels of the Turkmen awaited.

Crossing the Caspian Sea - Part 1

Our alcohol induced stupor wore off near noon and we headed out to prepare for a suspected evening departure. The lads purchased our tickets earlier and we were scheduled a day earlier than planned. We'd be leaving the comfort of our lumpy hotel beds for two-up-two-down berths on out bucket of bolts cargo ship.

Some last minute sightseeing was paired with shopping lists and repacking our bags for the ferry. Everything we have been told-Drago crew and passengers alike-was promised to change at any moment.

Poor Aussie Joe's visa issue had not been resolved by the time we left so he had to stay behind to sort it out. He'll fly from Baku and meet up with us in Ashgabat in a few days. The tattooed Kiwi departed the group today as his tour ended in Baku.

With food to cover the next day or possibly two, we took taxis to the port, loaded up the back locker with our bags not needed on the boat, prepared a food prep box for what we would use on the cruise and waited...and waited...and waited. Sorry, snapped one photo and got spanked. Will try again later.

It was now 6pm. The ship was docked, there were drivers lined up with their trucks, and the immigration office was staffed. And we waited, being totally ignored with our big orange truck parked ten feet from their window.

Around 8:30pm the immigration agent came out and processed Dave, Frenchy, and Sura. Then one by one we waited to get processed. The agent must have gotten an "A" in the "mean" class at agent school as he was quite stern, took his time, and both made and answered numerous personal phone calls. It was amusing to watch his demeanor change as he would finish a friendly call and once again turn on his official composure. The processing taking a good hour, we now knew nothing more about our boarding time than before. The Turkish drivers asked if we had food and were prepared to sleep in the parking lot. And then it started to rain, lots of rain. Past 10 pm and we started to claim our corners in Sura.

At 11:00 pm there came a knocking on the bus telling us to go find the boat. Dave drove out over the breakwater and lined us up for loading. As John said, "we're now 150 meters closer to Turkmenistan. And then we waited...and it was still raining.

One by one the big tractor/trailer rigs drove on. And we waited...and waited, being relocated with every staging. We were now 160 meters closer to Turkmenistan.

Update 11:40 pm - cracked open the ghivino (Georgian) jug! It might be a long night. John and Frenchy imitated Gene Kelly in front of the ship.

Post loge: 12:41 am. We're loading. It's been a blast watching the whole loading process, the cool elevator that lifted trucks to the second deck, etc. good news...last one on may mean first one off! Next stop, our "luxury" accommodations. What an adventure!

Post-post loge: 1:26 am Winding up grimy stairwells coated with crude oil, we ended up on some upper deck meeting a lady who was surprised to see us. "You have cabins?"

Stay tuned for Part 2...