Australia 2007 (4)
Europe 2006 (4)
Greece 2007 (2)
Beijing 2007 (1)
India 2007 (3)
Malaysia 2008 (3)
Mexico 2006 (1)
New Zealand 2008 (1)
Qatar 2006 (7)
Russia 2009 (1)
Thailand 2007 (1)
Turkey 2008 (1)
USA 2007 (4)
Subscribe to RSS
Subscribe to CommentsTurkmen of the Caspian
18 Jun 2009 23:14 Filed in:
Turkmenistan 2009
Turkmenistan 2009
Turkmenistan is
full of surprises. All is not what it seems.
The
city of Turkmenbashi was named after the late
autocratic leader Saparmurat Niyazov, whose rule
resulted in two decades of almost complete
isolation. Since President Kurbanguly
Berdymukamedov took over the running of the
country, it is working towards becoming a major
tourist resort on the Caspian Sea.
It still has a long way to go. This is what the airport will look like when it is completed.
This is what it looks like today.
Here is the Airport lounge.
As for the resort, the story is much the same. Here is what it will look like with the man made river that will snake its way through the area.
And here is the river being constructed and the view outside one of the few hotels that have been completed.
President Kurbanguly Berdymukamedov's face is plastered everywhere on every building. Not the happiest of chappies really.
He is there to greet you on the way in from the airport, in front of the huge gas and oil refineries that Turkmenistan's wealth comes from....does it remind you of anywhere (Dubai perhaps)?
Some scenic views of the surrounding landscape. Pristine streams, yes that is soap scum foam.
Beautiful lakes, whack down a towel and take a dip, if you dare.
Having said all that, this place does have potential. You can see the appeal of the developers to turn this place into something special. Here is the view of the Caspian Sea from my hotel room.
Some local Yurts on the beach.
And some shonky carpet sellers. DON'T TRUST THEM!
We were here to perform and help launch a new hotel opening.
But the real treasure of this place is its people. They are beautiful.
We also had a lovely stopover in Istanbul and it was brilliant. I totally loved it and want to go back and buy more carpets.
I visited the blue mosque along with some museums.
Fish by the river. They cook it on the boat and then hand it to you.
Along the Bosporus river there are some beautiful buildings and a boat cruise is a must.
A tram ride to Taksim, free for those brave enough to tram surf on the back and able to ignore a disapproving glance from the ticket seller.
And the Grand Bazaar that was never ending.
Over all, a memorable end to the trip, even with an evening of suffering an excruciating bout of food poisoning, thanks to Turkmenistan Airlines.
Lastly I was pleasantly surprised to see that Istanbul Airport is water conservation conscious and in an effort to save water these signs are placed over every toilet.
Not sure if there is a "lost in translation" moment happening here but surely if one flush does the job, a second flush is unnecessary?
Made me laugh at any rate.
Till the next adventure, all the best.
George
xxxooo
It still has a long way to go. This is what the airport will look like when it is completed.
This is what it looks like today.
Here is the Airport lounge.
As for the resort, the story is much the same. Here is what it will look like with the man made river that will snake its way through the area.
And here is the river being constructed and the view outside one of the few hotels that have been completed.
President Kurbanguly Berdymukamedov's face is plastered everywhere on every building. Not the happiest of chappies really.
He is there to greet you on the way in from the airport, in front of the huge gas and oil refineries that Turkmenistan's wealth comes from....does it remind you of anywhere (Dubai perhaps)?
Some scenic views of the surrounding landscape. Pristine streams, yes that is soap scum foam.
Beautiful lakes, whack down a towel and take a dip, if you dare.
Having said all that, this place does have potential. You can see the appeal of the developers to turn this place into something special. Here is the view of the Caspian Sea from my hotel room.
Some local Yurts on the beach.
And some shonky carpet sellers. DON'T TRUST THEM!
We were here to perform and help launch a new hotel opening.
But the real treasure of this place is its people. They are beautiful.
We also had a lovely stopover in Istanbul and it was brilliant. I totally loved it and want to go back and buy more carpets.
I visited the blue mosque along with some museums.
Fish by the river. They cook it on the boat and then hand it to you.
Along the Bosporus river there are some beautiful buildings and a boat cruise is a must.
A tram ride to Taksim, free for those brave enough to tram surf on the back and able to ignore a disapproving glance from the ticket seller.
And the Grand Bazaar that was never ending.
Over all, a memorable end to the trip, even with an evening of suffering an excruciating bout of food poisoning, thanks to Turkmenistan Airlines.
Lastly I was pleasantly surprised to see that Istanbul Airport is water conservation conscious and in an effort to save water these signs are placed over every toilet.
Not sure if there is a "lost in translation" moment happening here but surely if one flush does the job, a second flush is unnecessary?
Made me laugh at any rate.
Till the next adventure, all the best.
George
xxxooo