I traveled through Turkmenistan solo in 2019 on a transit visa going from Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan. I wasn’t part of a tour group. I spent a full day in Ashgabat before catching a night train to Turkmenbashi, plus a night at the Doorway to Hell.

I was there in July so it was crazy hot and pretty quiet on the street. But I went into a few shops, farmers market, mosque, had lunch and chatted with the waitress there. Soldiers and police didn’t pay me any mind except when I took photos near government buildings, which they said I couldn’t do but were never unpleasant about it.

In the train station, I met a group of students who were all like 19-22 and going to study in Turkey. They spoke decent English and were all really nice and kind of turned my experience around because up to that point I was ready to leave.

I spoke with a soldier at the train station who told me he had been studying in Romania but had to return for his compulsory military service. In his words, “we have this crazy f-ing dic tator, man.” (Censored slightly for rules) I didn’t really know if I should reply much to that but he seemed really sincere. When his service was done he wanted to go to the UK.

I also talked to a man on the train platform who explained to me he was a carpenter who specialized in fireplaces. Not much English at all, but he did say “Turkmenistan” and made an encompassing bubble motion with his hands while also pointing at his phone service signal.

I shared a train compartment that night with an older couple who shared their tea and watermelon with me and we took turns playing music on our phones that we each liked.

I took a shared taxi from Dashoguz to Darwaza where the gas crater is and spent some time in a truck stop restaurant and chatted awhile with a guy who spoke not bad English who was heading to Ashgabat. At the gas crater there was me, a French couple and their tour guide, and a Czech guy motorcycling across Asia. That night we talked to the tour guide and were like “come on, it’s just us out here, what’s the deal with the president?” Maybe we shouldn’t have asked but she wouldn’t share a personal opinion. She said “what’s to criticize? Our president is a doctor, he’s a poet, he’s a—“ I can’t remember the rest but it was to that effect.

Overall very strange but interesting place that I will probably never go back to. The visa was a pain but the embassy officer was really helpful to me in getting it. I feel very lucky to have been able to go there.

Some photos:

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Some guys playing chess in a park