After two and half months travelling in the hot and dusty Middle East, I drove 150km off the Iranian Plateau to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan – what a different world.
Turkmenistan is the 4th largest producer of natural gas in the world and a former state of the former USSR. Driving into Ashgabat was like stepping into the western world in a desert. The streets were wide, white marble buildings twenty stories high, no dust (women brushing the streets by hand), massive monuments , sports/cultural buildings and green grass everywhere.
Former President Niyazov ruled with an iron fist from the USSR disintegration where he siphoned off billions for himself. The capital had no vibe or lively feel but a newly beautified city. I was taking a photo a monument and an old man gestured where I was from, the reply of Australia brought a smile to his face but my half hearted gesture of ‘great monument’ brought a frown from him.
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