Saturday 22nd June 2013
Atle and Hilde have to get out of Iran today. We are 500m from the border with Turkmenistan, but don’t know how long it will take to get through. Then a long day’s drive, out the other side (if borders open) and on to Samarkand. Very mythical city from the old Silk Route, we can’t wait. Realised last night, the desert we drove through yesterday was the great Salt Desert, one of the largest in the world.
Potentially we lose another one and a half hours today. I am not coping with heat very well.
Two minute journey to border crossing. Six and a half hours to get through. Iranians checked us out in one and a half. Hilde and I take our headscarves off. Change our Iranial rials, get right royally ripped off by woman with bad teeth and big smiles. Ho hum. At sheepdip, guard barks at us – realise he is asking if we have a dog on board. Turkmen border procedure long winded, hot and had one hour break for lunch. Talked to Turkish biker who planned to do Nord Cap from Russia next summer. Hilde and I were kept apart from the men. We kept seeing them scurrying about to different buildings clutching forms. Then they searched the cars, pulling most things out and opening boxes. Think they were looking for guns. TIR lorries were being searched underneath. One driver got very agitated when he thought we were being dealt with before him, he had a very loud voice. Soldiers just laughed and ignored him. Eventually put everything back in, drank copious amounts of water and drove off. We know people who have been to Iran, but not anybody who has been to Turkmenistan.
Stopped at the first services to catch our breath and have a bit to eat. Drew a crowd. Long drop squat toilet. Peed on trousers. Knew we would never make the border today, so planned to stay in Uchal. Didn’t get there. The roads were full of pot holes and craters. At road block we were pulled over. Tim’s tilley blows off, he chases it down road. Had to show passports and insurance papers. Cheeky soldiers asked for cigarettes, cologne and to look under the bonnet. I couldn’t reach across. They laughed at the steering wheel on the wrong side. Asked where we had come from, would love to have had a map of Europe to show them our route.
Every time Tim shows his passport, every policeman, border guard or soldier says Manchester United – you like? No, Manchester City, and they laugh. They all support United.
Turkmenistan is supposed to be the most soviet like of all the Stans. Certainly, all the house are the same, one storey brick built. People were growing vegetables. Women wear brightly coloured long dresses and headscarves. This country is 90% desert, and the wind was blowing most of it into our car. People spend 90% of their life sweeping off streets and out of their homes. The irrigation system has caused an ecological disaster, and 40% of the water evaporates before it reaches the intended crops. Rivers are being drained and seas depleted. Spotted bee eaters and avocets.
Atle and Hilde have a couple of electrical issues with the car, but we continue. We don’t want to be driving on these roads in the dark, so decide to stay at Mari. Several bridges have collapsed, so the road goes around them. Why did they need the bridge then? Several holes are so big, even we may disappear forever. We can hear everything thumping down as we crash land, and stuff from the cargo net flies free. Need to rearrange when we can. Atle especially disappointed we won’t get to Samarkand today, but we placate him with the thought of a beer.
Roads improve as we approach Mari. Then, as so often has happened, there is a detour on the edge of the town. Sat nav has no idea where we are and our maps are not detailed enough. Once again, people come to the rescue. Two lads point we are going the wrong way. (How do they know where we are heading?) As we turn around, a whole family come running out of their garden. Welcome. They understand we are looking for a hotel and point the way. Get stuck again, go into a garage and a pump attendant jumps in a car and escorts us, lights flashing all the way. We pull up at a swanky hotel (we are getting wise to this). Hilde runs in, and out again. Good news. They have rooms, dinner, breakfast and BEER!!! All run in, sign in and down the best ice cold bottle of beer ever.
Over dinner of soup and goulash we talk to Canadian. He is here on business. Amazed by our journey. Should we have air con installed. Skull caps and fur hats for sale in foyer. Sit in bar and chat. Hopefully, long transportation days will be over soon. We all look forward to stopping for a picnic lunch and making a coffee or tea. But we still pinch ourselves and can’t quite believe what we are doing. Glad we doing the blog – I have finished my Moleskin book – because sometimes we don’t know what day it is or what country we are in. Put neck scarves in fridge overnight.
Cornwall crew spent last two days hiking in Transylvania.