1. The Tolkuchka Bazaar on the outskirts of Ashgabat - best on Sundays when livestock are on sale
2. Locals are very hospitable, in their reserved, timid way
3. People strongly respect their traditions, but not in a bigoted manner
4. Ashgabat is full of splendid white marble
5. The Gypjak Mosque in Ashgabat with spectacular ornate tiles
6. The striking yellow colors of the dunes in the Karakorum desert
7. The imposing Turabek Khanum Mausoleum in Kony-Urgench in a surrealistic environment
8. To see, a flaming gas crater, known as the Door to Hell - reassuringly - without entering
9. Turkmen melon is divine.
1. Turkmenistan is ,,blessed" with a dictatorship - a (posthumus) personality cult almost what exists in North Korea, with the difference that there is no miserable poverty here.
2. Some bureaucratic regulations may hack tourists off
3. The tourist infrastructure is underdeveloped
4. The negative heritage of the 70 years under Communist, Soviet Union past
5. Few locals speak, understand English - we communicated in a language, called Gesticulation
6. Apart from some ruin monuments and mosques, Turkmenistan does not have many remarkable monuments
7. The exaggerated, exhibitionist opulency in the capital city
8. Turkmenistan is not an unforgettable tourist destination, except if accidentally something awful happening to you.
9. Exchanging our dollars at a bank was a big mistake (guess why)
10. If you are an individual traveler, then you are likely watched 24/7 by the secret police “for your protection.”
