Anyone been to ashgabat, turkmenistan for their sins ?

traveling there on wednesday.

im expecting ukraine standards of soviet era left overs.

any advice ?

Well the google images look good 🙂

And some schweet ridgeline singletrack

yeah it looks reassuringly good in the mountains round ashgabat actually.

Ill have some time to kill but company policy and security restrictions in place prohibit fun…..

holy cow.

totally different world from what i imagined….

of course im probably just staying in a particularly oppulent part of town BUT

massive white marble buildings , everything impecibly clean and looks to be fully working , statues , fountains , meticulously planted roadsides , lines of treess , everything irrigated.

Couldnt be any futher from the ukraine which is what i thought this place would be like.

Only issue is its fairly restrictive for non locals – ie i am under a night time curfew by law.

Did see a local navigate a busy 4 lane round about in the inside lane on a bicycle with zero issues from cars today. even in the uk that would have caused chaos.

those mountains are a pretty impressive backdrop to the white marble buildings.

I’ve been in Azerbaijan on and off for the last 12 months, as well as previous trips.

My first thoughts off Baku were similar to yours Footflaps, but go round the corner and it all changes. I’m now mostly working out in the sticks on sites rather than working form an apartment in Baku.

I know what you mean about company policies killing fun… Our client is BP as we’re doing drilling investigations for oil pipeline replacements and I need to fill in about 30 forms before I’ve even left my accommadation…

Also being subject to the anti-corruption bill doesn’t really sit squarley with life out here….!

Have fun!
I might wave to you across the Caspian when I get back to Baku.

PS: If anyone gets the chance to go to Georgia, in particular Tbilisi, go!

Turkmenistan – my old employer refused to work there because it was too oppressive and too much hassle. FoF journalist was forced to go into exile. A bad place to be educated, uneducated, poor, gay, female… The hopes that the place would pick up after Turkmenbashi died were not realised.

Only issue is its fairly restrictive for non locals

It’s pretty restrictive for locals too!

yeah im about to fly out balkamabat – where ever that may be about 400miles away seemingly.

probably going to be the real place there.

although that said i thought ukraine improved once i got north out of kiev

Also being subject to the anti-corruption bill doesn’t really sit squarley with life out here…

yep having to quote , “my company and my country forbid me to give you unofficial payments so i cant ill just wait in this queue”

I found in nigeria just making a scene out of the fact they wanted money out of me made them back off , they were going to keep my company laptop at the xray machine. I asked for a reciept for them taking it 😀

Trail rat, small world!

I worked in the Burun field, 40km south west of Balkanabat from 2005 to 2011. Chances are that is where you’re headed today. I worked for Burren Energy then Eni. Too many stories to write here but:

– You will be safe in Balkanabat, less strict than Ashgabat, though still get in before 11pm curfew. The nightclub Tango is like going back 100 years. Try to get there buy be safe/polite/respectful.
– Try to get to Mulakara mud lake, about 20km direct west of Balkanabat. Actually, **** that it’s too cold now!
– Don’t get caught taking them but take as many photos as you can as you are prob one of .0001% UK citizens who will ever have a visa to TM.

Let me know if you are headed to the Burun field. I still have a lot of expat and local friends there.

This whole neck of the woods is like stepping back 100 years

pretty cool none the less.

only pain in my hoop is the fact that my company never thought to give me a 3g modem/local sim when i was in ashgabat so its now following me with the next person to come down. – borrowing other folks as my vodafone sim doesnt work here , my personal o2 sim does so at least the mrs knows i aint deed. But neither work for data in my laptops internal modem GAH

Still much better than the ukraine for my purposes konabunny how ever i did find the prospect of taking a 30 dollar including tax internal 400km flight on the national airline a bit disconcerting.

Lam field caspian , offshore – on a land drilling rig assembled on a platform ! – rig visit on monday and its more likely going to be a safety audit than a “can we do this job”

well , ive enjoyed my time here actually but its time to leave.

the rig wasnt that bad all things considered – id rather go there than to the tavrida in the black sea again.

People are friendly,food is shite, Its hard to get stuff we take for granted in the western world…. like co2 cannisters , canvas slings , ratchet straps :s

This week is the start of winter – its like someone just turned the heating off ! last week it was too hot to work hard outside , you sweated like a **** , this week its too cold to work outside without a jacket !