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Published: October 16th 2009
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Boarder crossing was smooth. We walked across the no mans land, an abandoned cotton field from Uzbekistan to Turkmenistan. Even as an18yr old soldier with WWII issued AK47 stared at us full of curiosity, immigration and customs were relaxed. But I suspect without a tour group, getting visa would be difficult, especially given Turkmenistan governments extreme xenophobia.
Momentarily after the crossing, we hopped onto a Boeing 717 to fly from the boarder city of Dashoguz to Turkmenbashy (eastern shore of the Caspian). The 1hr flight costs $27, alleviating much of my concern that it costs only $2, like the guidebook says. The flight itself was smooth. With the countrys deep petro dollar well, it can definitely keep a well oiled flag carrier. But the pestering flies inside the cabin made me think the cargo was full of livestock instead of luggage.
The difference between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan is stark. There are much more industries (mostly petro and construction related), name brand cars (mostly 2nd hand Toyotas and BMWs from Dubai), and foreign workers (mostly Russians) here. With heavy government spending, a few major cities appear to be modernized.
We visited Awaza, a planned city next to Turkmenbashy that
Turkmenbashy/Awaza
would you fly here for a resort style vacation? is still under construction and resembles Dubai 20 years ago. The current president aims to create a world class resort city, where no visa is necessary for visitors. Like Cancun, a row of "luxury" hotels hug the Caspian shore, except that they are all empty, and oil storage tankers glisten in the backdrop. It is a city out of place, given that the majority of the country is decades behind in development. If you can swallow the political risk, it would be a great place to invest in real estate. You have to go long though, since the city won be finished for another 10 years.
As for police state, Turkmenistan is on another level, almost comparable with North Korea. Per government regulation, we have a guide with us from the moment we cross the boarder until the moment we leave. Ex president Niyazov literally established a cult for himself when in power. He changed his name to Turkmenbashy, or "origin of Turkmenistan." He placed golden statues, photos, and quotes of himself throughout the country. The running joke is that there are more Turkmenbashy statues than Turkmens. He wrote a book about the countrys mythical past and code of
Here he is, Turkmenbashy
Imagine the great leader himself watching you every step of your day daily conduct (Ruhnama, or Book of Soul), and one has to study it from grade to grad school. It has been sent to space and will orbit earth for 150 years, and it is also a compulsory section of the driving test.
Propaganda and forced coercion aside, government did place programs to woo the public. Until 2030, natural gas, electricity, and salt are free for families, and personal vehicles receive 120 liters of free gas per month. No worries if you run out; gas is 80-90 cents per gallon. Unfortunately even free natural gas (which one can smell everywhere, as matches are not free, so people leave stoves burning all day) can buy loyalty, as people have negative feelings about the current condition.
Our experience confirmed the suspicion of bugs in hotels. There are bugs everywhere, and peoples true feelings can only be expressed in private with trusted friends. Most people think of Soviet times as heaven on earth, as the current political state destroyed lives. A local womans husband was the deputy minister of foreign affairs, appointed suddenly by Turkmenbashy to work on getting permanent neutrality for the country. After he succeeded he was dismissed, a common
Turkmenbashys Mosoleum
This and the mosque next door costed the country $500 million to construct. practice for the government. Him and his family can no longer be employed anywhere in the country.
On a lighter topic, by decree, people have to march, dance, and sing everyday to praise the government, celebrate new public constructions, and rejoice the many miracles that occur in Turkmenistan. In reality, one can feel the governments invisible hand squeezing the vibrancy and energy out of a high potential emerging economy, especially one that sits on the 3rd largest gas reserve in the world. Every local we saw had a dull, lackluster, and lethargic look on his/her face. One positivity of the regime is that smoking is banned outdoors, since it is a public location.
The Vendetta like policy breeds snitches, and people spy on each other daily. We took a sleeper train from Turkmenbashy to Ashgabat, the capital. A passer by saw us bringing on board a bottle of vodka, and 5 minutes late we where confronted by a policeman, since drinking in public is illegal as well. Later in the evening, we had another surprise visit from another policeman to check if we were behaving.
Ashgabat is a desert city full of neo-Gothic high rises, glitzy monuments,
Reality Hits
Snapshot of everyday Turkmens everyday life and forced grasslands, resembling Las Vegas full of Mormon temples, and with Turkmenbashy as god himself. Structures are covered with imported white marble, costing $8mm per building. But with 59% unemployment rate (official rate is 4%), the marbelous Orwellian city is a decadent fantasy land with its planners living in delusion. In a nice suburban park, Turkmenbashy constructed two stair trails called Path of Health, one 8km and one 25km. Government workers are forced to "enjoy" the path, and after one sick person died on the trail, it was called Path of Hell.
The countrys reality is revealed in the desert bazaar, where a maze of shacks and metal frames the size of a small city caters peoples daily needs, ranging from spare car parts to wedding jewelry. The fragrances of food, refuse, and leather, and smoke blend into a concoction that is as unique and unbelievable as the countrys state of affair. Perhaps the saddest story is that US, UK, Germany, Turkey, and China have close government relations with the regime, as the country needs infrastructure and natural energy development.
With energy deposits that rival the Middle East, and with a strategic geographic location, Central Asia will
Daily Trades
Women trading homemade crafts undoubtedly be the next chess board of the world, where US, Russia, China, and Europe will try to influence and decide the regions future. The time period has changed, but given the repeated history, the region will again attract the interest of the next Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, or Timur. While the conquest will now occur in the economic arena, the impact on everyday lives will be of the same magnitude.
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