Turkmenistan

Location:	Ashgabat
Mileage:	4,496

Turkmenistan is an oil rich nation still steeped in the old Soviet empire this is a proper police state. The locals are curious but nervous and so are the police. Is the group to be feared or trusted? It’s a long straight desert road from the port to the capital, Ashgabat. We narrowly avoid being wiped out by suicidal camels and then it rains (in the desert?!).

Max manages to snap his chain and then the rest of the F800 group end up taking the old road?!! How does that happen? So about 20 miles before the capital, we get an unrequested police escort. Maybe they have seen the mayhem! 

Ashgabat is a weird city, all clad in white marble, with gold roofs and golden statutes of the old leader Turkmenbashi. It’s artificial, lacks personality and its people look on at us cautiously. Ann’s ankle was still giving her gip (from the tumble on the river crossing in Turkey), so she had it checked out here and we find out she’s broken a small bone in her foot. She decides it’s best for her to go home and we’ll try and fly her out from Uzbekistan. It’s a real blow for Ann who last year broker her other ankle riding the Trans Labrador in Canada.

We set off the next day for Erbent and the burning gas crater of Darvaza. A few of the team seem to have got the squits, so they bung themselves up with Immodium, we all do a quick national TV interview outside the hotel and head north for our first spot of desert camping.

The crater is best seen in the middle of the night and as its located well into the dunes we take a couple of 4WDs, who are intent on racing against each other. The crater look as if a meteor has struck the earth but in reality it’s the result of incompetent Russian gas drilling. The locals call the place the “Mouth of Hell” and it’s an apt description; it certainly looks more impressive than its reason for being.

Is this the gateway to hell?  It feels like Hollywood have created this set!

Kevin Sanders