Monday 31 May 2010
plätzlich ... and are at the first Turkmen control. It shares a border plant somehow. The two terminals, we are like a mirror to a common courtyard arranged. Let's see what awaits us on the Turkmen side. First, almost the Turkmen border guards, an elderly, it seems very respected police officer on the sleeve of my very modest-looking, black caftan and just says, laughing: "Iran." Then we go to the customs house, here are two young officers at a counter, protected such as a bank clerk in the 60-Ziger years in Germany. The conversation is only a small hole in the thick disk. The two spoke very good English, what can be said of the woman in the bank. The Bank is a windowless room with a table and a chair on which sits a woman in her Turkmen dress and colorful headscarf. They collected $ 22 , but we get in return not in exchange of the Turkmen manat bank but a note for us to go back to the passport inspectors. Here we will
handled together. Then we are separated. Matt has a driver and owner of the car through customs with me, only the passport control. After an unexplained delay to get to the tax collectors. You can not read the visa on their own message and I declare that my residence is not Berlin, but the issue of the visa. After some back and forth I may go, escorted by a young soldier into the open. There I get assigned a garden bench on the I should wait. Matthias, however, must be separated from me make another 167 $ locks for diesel tax, road tax, form, processing fee and motor vehicle liability insurance. When I see him the next time I will remind him again to the currency declaration that we want to always complete. But my guard dog leaves me no further than 10 steps away from my garden bench. He whistles me back. So wait again. Meanwhile I am also aware that the 5 days are not waiting for the truck driver's account of the Iranians. The Turkmen take all the time.
is finally finished everything and we drive off. Once in Ashgabat direction. We come to the southern boundary of the city and are killed. The capital of Turkmenistan is like a phantom, all buildings are white, shine it and flashing domes mainly gold, there is no waste or debris on the street - and not drive cars and there is no man in the street!
We make us first to look for a hotel. Right here on the periphery Matt asks for a room. The first hotel will also call out no one. The second one said to be fully booked, but we should inquire at 17:00 clock again, maybe he would have something for $ 100, but we would have to check out early time. That sounds like black earned $ 100, rent the room where the management has made a day and throw them out the guests the next morning without breakfast. So next, we want to see the great, great mosque in the Super 10 km east of Ashgabat. Even the air-conditioned underground parking for coaches is huge. Here are 120 buses safely Place. The garage is guarded by armed soldiers who salute us. The park surrounding the mosque is beautifully laid out, splashing fountain and the mosque next to the water runs down the steps. We must, after we have taken off his shoes to enter. The interior is huge. There are a total of 30 000 people here will have room, explained by a man walking next to us suddenly. He explained very quickly in Russian and incited against already before us. It's in the basement, where the rooms are, where often the faithful Muslims to prayer before the ritual washing. Exquisite lamp hanging from the ceiling, the taps turn off automatically, everything is covered with marble. Here we are told that this trip will cost a little, and already we are 20 again by the 22 Manat going on, we had exchanged our remaining Iranian Rial at the border. We are nearly bankrupt, at least in the nation's currency. Then exchange money once. A building in the style of Dubai built with the neon sign: Bank, makes us hope, even in a small counter area on the ground floor with a switch of the Western Union and above which a plaque with the exchange rate for $ is, can and hope. But the lady leaves behind her voice grated hole rebuffed us without a word. Somewhere down the road and turn right, we would get $ exchanged in Manat. We drive only go once. Ashgabat is not mehr ganz so weiß und glänzend. Es ist wie eine Erleuchtung: das Einkaufszentrum!! Und wirklich, im Erdgeschoß, wieder sicher hinter Gitter verwahrt, sitzen zwei Frauen an einem Schalter und tauschen Geld. Wir kaufen noch etwas zu Essen ein – das erste Brot seit Wochen, das diesen Namen verdient zum Beispiel.
Dann raus aus der Stadt – aber die Gegenden werden immer ärmlicher bis vom Glanz der großen weißen Stadt im eingetrockneten Schlamm der Straße nichts mehr zu sehen ist. Es liegt zwar immer noch kein Müll auf den Strassen und Wegen – dafür aber in den Höfen der ärmlichen Häuschen und Huts.
We do, after the fuel tank, according to the way we set our prescribed transit road north. At a police control station, we ask whether we can stand here overnight. We sleep in the protection of state power quiet, although it strongly scented at night and raining. Tuesday 01 June 2010
around 09:00 Ur we make well rested on the road. Along the route are several craters lie in a lake is in a different burns escaping natural gas. 4 tracks. But we prepared well before the expansion to twice the width, although no vehicles on the road are. But often are police checks because they are all good at the first upstream stop sign, stop, then drive up to the officials and get off slowly.
The road is well marked and would be in Germany with room for four tracks. The long road runs parallel to the railway. The light blue train stations with their relatively new, cute station buildings in pink or are looking but still very far away to the related sites.
The water crater is impressive and locals throw the stones. Pieces of wood and other swim already on the green water. We also make snack.
Then we move on and find the clearly visible slope on which is the crater in which the escaping gas is burning. This is at once ahead of us. The immediate area has a gray, even though we drove all the time through the most beautiful dunes. Then pass several trucks to place the driver kindly greeting and our last doubts vanish if we were here alone pass her. After all, are in the area of natural gas or oil well pumping stations.
We are looking for a quiet place in the dunes where we want to sleep. This awakens the life. Small mammals, a mix between mice and squirrels frolic. The entire dune ist mit ihren Gängen durchzogen, überall sieht man die Eingangslöcher, die die possierlichen Tiere immer wieder frei buddeln und wohin sie Teile der Sträucher schleppen, die auf den Hügeln über ihrer Behausungen wachsen. Abends mit Einbruch der Dunkelheit, wollen wir noch einmal an den Krater.
Das wollen auch die drein Fahrzeuge mit Insassen, die zu dieser Zeit ankommen. ES sind portugiesische Touristen, die eine geführte Tour hierher gemacht haben. Wir genießen erst die Aussicht von einem Hügel und gehen dann doch noch einmal hinunter an den Schlund. Wenn der Wind in unsere Richtung weht, wird es wirklch richtig heiß. Immer wieder the cicadas and other insects fall magically attracted by the light of the flames to their deaths. It is a fascinating spectacle. The second time on this trip, we return virtually the volcano.
warn the drivers of the Portuguese are only of snakes are scorpions that occur in place, which is rolled flat, do not have, but on our small tamarisk-covered sand dune. But we sleep well, with a group of tourists with local guides in the neighborhood can not be harmed.
Mittwoch, 02. Juni 2010
Heute wollen wir über die Grenze nach Usbekistan. Wir besichtigen erst Könurgench. Die Nekropole ist auch von Einheimischen gut besucht. In einem der Mausoleen kommen wir gerade dazu, wie eine größere Familie andächtig dreimal um den Sarkophag schreitet, sich dann rückwärts gehend aus dem Grabraum entfernt und Geldstücke am Mausoleum niederlegt. Irgendwie kommen wir uns störend vor. Die Sonne steht sehr hoch, kein schönes Fotolicht, die Stadt gefällt uns auch nicht besonders und wir haben noch einen weiten Weg. Wir fahren zur Grenze, sind13:10 dort, aber hier is clock to 14:00 for lunch. Which lasts until 14:20, then we may retract. The border post is being rebuilt. Vermutlicht surprised by the end of the Soviet Union at the time one uses a former gas station for customs clearance. The soldiers who do work here, have probably never seen a foreign passport. were investigated Like our passports, we would not have been surprised if the young men had also sniffed and licked. Only the names could not read them. After a thorough investigation and this free time, we can leave. We only have one sign a customs declaration (blank) that will be withheld. So it was on entry.
0 comments:
Post a Comment