After a couple of days in Baku, and a night
in a hotel there, we were summoned to be at the port at 2am on the second
night. There was no obvious reason for this, but a lot of things about the
process of trying to get on a ship across the Caspian Sea don’t make a whole
lot of sense!
Having got through immigration, we spent a
while watching trucks loading trailers onto the ship and tried to grab a couple
of hours sleep on our own truck. Then, around 8am, we were told we could board
the ‘Bastakar Qara Qarayev’ ourselves. Next was the waiting game as to when the
ferry would actually set off! …
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| Penelope and our group arrive at port at 2am for immigration and the long wait to board our ship |
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| Our ship, Gara Garayev at port... at 3am |
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| The ladies (and our ship, named after a famous composer) |
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| Waiting for departure |
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| Finally time to board! |
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| Dave, Amanda & Emma enjoy the sunshine on their makeshift bench |
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| Angela & Emma enjoy their cider by the sea |
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| Victoria & Chris out on deck as we wait to leave port |
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| Dave cleans the ships windows for a better view |
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| Amanda wins the end-of-sector quiz! |
By 7pm that evening (after around 17 hours
at the port), we left Baku behind us and headed east across the Caspian Sea,
towards Turkmenistan.
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| A tugboat arrives... maybe we will leave soon? |
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| Well it's almost 7pm and the engines finally start... yippee! |
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| Oh, the boat is moving... and it's super windy!! Jodie and Angela sport new hair-dos! |
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| The group are happy to be finally on their way |
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| Sunset over the Caspian Sea |
We kept ourselves (and also some of the
local truck drivers) amused on the voyage with activities such as origami
lessons, photography workshops and various games, and our group also had to
time to read, relax and enjoy the voyage. On our particular ship, we found out that
they included basic meals, which was a bonus (as long you liked chicken!).
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| Time for origami lessons |
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| Great fun was had by all as shown by Ruth, Jodie & Lindsay |
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| Amanda and Juan love the craft making! |
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| Our lovely teamwork |
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| Kathie catches up on writing |
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| UNO challenge with the 3-tiered winners! |
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| Cosy and comfortable cabins |
After being at sea for approximately 23
hours, we arrived into Turkmenbashi port. We had to wait a few more hours to
disembark before heading to customs and immigration. We met our local guide,
Slava and completed our entry procedures into Turkmenistan. It can often take several
hours to clear through Turkmen customs, but we were lucky this time and able to
leave the port before midnight. We drove a short distance out into the desert
and found a place to camp for the remainder of the night.
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| Being helped into Turkmenbasy port by a tugboat |
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| Dave and Mark sport examples of this year's 'smart-casual' collection as we approach Turkmenistan |
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| Emma rings the bell... we have arrived! |
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| Chris and Jodie ready to disembark and begin the Turkmenistan customs fun! |
The next morning, we continued east, stopping
at Balkanabat, the first large town on our route. We changed money and bought
lunch then continued along the desert road towards Ashgabat. Seeing colourfully
dressed locals, the hot temperatures and arid scenery, and seeing the first
camels of our trip, all made us feel like we were really on the Silk Road now.
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| Our basic rough camp in the desert after a late arrival on the ferry and border |
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| Balkanabat market |
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| Silk Road camel "caravan" |
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| Paul and the camels (is that the name of a band?) |
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| Gokdepe Mosque, on the way to Ashgabat |
Having reached Ashgabat, the group went on
a tour of Turkmenistan’s unique capital city and its many white marble
buildings and monuments. We had two nights in a nice hotel here to recover from
our Caspian crossing exploits and ‘freshen up’ before going camping again.
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| Turkmenbashy's mosque and mausoleum in Ashgabat |
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| Victoria at Turkmenbashy's mosque |
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| Sight-seeing in Ashgabat |
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| Turkmenistan flags |
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| Emma checks out the sights |
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| The "Arch of Neutrality" |
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| Jonathan at another funky Ashgabat monument |
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| View from our hotel overlooking the circus |
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| Turkmen ladies in Ashgabat |
Leaving the city behind, we headed out into
the Karakum Desert to bush camp in the area of Darvaza, where failed gas
exploration in the 1960’s has left collapsed sink-holes that allow gas to
escape. We visited a bubbling and flaming mud crater before setting up our camp
then, after nightfall, we were driven by 4x4 to the highlight of Turkmenistan –
Darvaza gas crater. This spectacular, blazing caldera looks like the gates of
hell, but makes all the bad roads and bureaucracy of this country well
worthwhile.
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| On the truck ready to leave Ashgabat |
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| A village in the Karakum Desert |
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| Not a mirage - the rare sight of water in the desert |
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| Penelope at the mud crater |
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| Our desert bushcamp |
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| Jonathan enjoys sunset! |
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| Desert sunset |
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| Darvaza gas crater |
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| No health and safety regulations here! |
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| I am the god of hellfire! |
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| Louise enjoys the blaze |
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| Steven's in Saturday Night Fever mode |
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| Christine loves the crater! |
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| Everyone loves the crater! |
After a brief celebration of balloons,
music, tooting horns and a card in honour of Steven’s birthday, we headed back
onto the bumpy desert road for a full day drive. Camels were everywhere so we
stopped for some photos of them as well as of the dung beetles rolling their
dung across the baking tarmac and stones. Pot-holes, ruts and dips made for an
adventurous ride for us all…including Penelope who unfortunately broke a spring
leaf en route.
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| Happy Birthday Steven! |
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| Caution, camels ahead... |
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| ...see, the sign was right! |
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| Cheeky grin |
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| It's a dirty job... dung beetles at work |
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| Karakum Desert Highway... vehicle graveyard |
We arrived into the city of Dashoguz and our
local guide found a lovely bush camp by a river just outside of the town at
which to spend our last night under canvas for a while. Our ‘Animal Rescue’
team, led by Amanda, went into action on arrival and managed to revive a young
donkey that they spotted looking rather dehydrated.
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| Animal rescue team, Christine & Amanda |
As it was Steven’s birthday, and as it was
so warm in the desert, we finally had a chance to have a barbecue! Lamb kebabs,
veggie skewers, hot dogs, bread and salads were served as the sun set in the
distance over the river. We enjoyed our campfire as we set Steven off on a
‘treasure hunt’ to find his funny gifts hidden around the truck, tents and next
to our built loo! Swiss roll and cream were presented as his ‘cake’ as his
personal favourite but it ended up more on his face! Drinks flowed and dancing
begun… it was a fabulous evening of celebrating and also a wonderful last
evening in Turkmenistan.
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| Our last bush camp in Turkmenistan |
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| Preparing the feast |
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| The crew love lamb kebabs! |
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| BBQ master Jonathan at the helm... er, grill |
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| Happy feast, happy group |
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| Ruth & Victoria enjoy the campfire |
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| Jodie, Paul and our local guide, Slava, jump for sunset |
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| Steven starts his "treasure hunt" for his birthday pressies |
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| Angela and Steven and his... tin of corn! |
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| Birthday cake, cream and horns... a fun celebration by all! |
The next morning, Penelope had her spring
fixed so the group had a few hours to explore the local markets of Dashoguz.
Some found a nice bakery where they were encouraged to help out! Others enjoyed the warm hospitality of the
local shops and restaurants. Then we set off to the Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan
border, hoping for a smooth crossing.
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| Not exactly a Formula 1 pitstop, but Penelope got fixed eventually! |
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| Local transport |
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| Meanwhile, the group enjoy ice cream in the Dashoguz market |
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| Angela and others help out at the local bakery |
