belson

Turkmenistan really took me with surprise I wasn't really ready for Asia I think. 

Intense but I had a great time.

Because the ferry was a bit delayed I only had 2 days left on my transit-visa when I arrived in Turkmenibashi. After sorted out the custom and papers I walked to the taxi stand and got attacked by 100 taxi drivers. I picked one I liked and agreed on 20 dollar for what I believed was a private taxi to Ashgabat. Then the taxi filled up with 3 happy Turkmen and we took off. 

Turkmenistan is about 90 % desert and the rest some kind of semi-desert. In the roads fancy jeeps driving and beside the road goats, cows, sheeps, camels and donkeys strolling around. My taxi company was "talking" at a level that almost made me deaf and I most say the turkmenistani language could be the funniest language I ever heard. Number 1 is brr, sounds like somebody freezing. 

Anyway, after 2 hours screaming we stopped for food. They force-fed me some strange food they brought in cans and camel yogurt. The 3 gentlemen also drank about 1 1/2 liter vodka in 15 minutes. Then we left and their screaming was now a bit slurred, also from the stuff they put under their tongue (some kind of tobacco).

One hour before Ashgabat one of the men dragged me out of the car and introduced me to his 20-persons family as his future wife. I escaped after some smiling and quickly locked the door to the car. 

We left the other 2 gentlemen and the taxi driver (who was a non-drinking good Muslim) asked me if I wanted to sleep at his house and I gladly accepted. I got more food and a lovely bed on the floor and his family was so sweet to me. His 10-year-old daughter spoke a little bit of English and I could have translation for the words I learned in the taxi.

Next day I took a taxi to Turkmenabat with an ugly, fat Russian who scam-ed me by put me over in another taxi instead of taking me to the border as agreed. In the other taxi was a little family with a lady who spoke perfect English. 

Sometimes it is so hard to travel when people "taking care" of you because it's a fine line between having great experiences and being ripped off. Anyway, we talked about the price for this taxi trip while they were driving and the lady told me all the lies she could come up with, like:

-It's 180 km to the border

-We're gonna get back at midnight

- It's very dangerous there in the dark you're gonna get killed (okey she didn't say killed)

After a while I flashed my wallet and told her: "this is all I have" it was 10 dollar in it and actually all I had (except for a 100 dollar bill I couldn't change). They accepted this money and keep on telling me how nice people they were, and then she told me that the border is closed now. I just got soo tired, maybe it was because I hadn't eaten or drinked since breakfast and hadn't taken a shower in (let me see, the ferry-shower was just not usable, the family in Ashgabat shower was a big project to start and I did'nt wanna cause trouble, so that makes...) 6 days...  so this is were I started to cry. And then I couldn’t stop. The little boy in the backseat with me whispered to his parents "look! the tourist is crying" and then they suddenly transferred into nice people. We arrived at the border ( it might have been a 16 minutes drive) I try to escape my new friends and went to check if it really was closed (it was). Everybody is running after me I'm still crying and it's a lot of people there in some kind of café. The lady is trying to convince me to go back to their place with them and I would get a free ride back and she insisted it was very dangerous to be here at the border at night, but I didn't really wanna go back with these people. A woman offered me to sleep in some kind of shack and I accepted. She gave me soup that I cried in and ate, then I collapsed and slept very good for not having a blanket and nearly a madras. 

Next day I woke up in a brilliant mood, crossed the border in the rain and haggled so hard with the taxi men that I got a public of laughing soldiers.

I had such a great day in Kazbegi!

But first I had a terrible morning. 

I went to chinese embassy in Tbilisi and tried to explain that I need a transit visa, just for going to Pakistan, 3 days is enough, can I please have that without LOI?

But the people working there did'nt speak english and when I found a guy who translated he was saying first that the city (Kashgar) I want to transit through, does'nt exist, then that I don't need a visa for flying over China (and I nicely explained that I want to go over land, that's why I need a visa) and then he said that  it is not possible to go by bus... and last of all ... that Pakistan (and he was laughing when he was saying this) is close to India, not at all close to China, there is no border between China and Pakistan. 

I asked for a map (because I wanted to show them that the Karakoram highway actually is going through their country!) but of course the chinese embassy did'nt have a map so I gave up and left.

So what have I learned?

Always get your visa before you go!

Have a LOI for China.

I will try again in Baku, wish me luck.

Anyway, after this I went to Kazbegi by marshrutka.

Kazbegi is in the Caucasus in the north, close to the russian border. The journy there, by the Millitary highway, is going through the mountains passing a ski resort and a lot of nice scenery. Kazbegi is on 1700 meter and the main reason for going here is the very famos church Tsminda Sameba situated on a hill above the city, on 2200 meters.

So I arrived and the driver was cousin to my homestay so he drived me there, it was a very nice little house like this:

Then I started to walk, aiming the church high on the hill. I walk up into the village, got lost and talked to some cows (it's hard to be a lonley traveller) found the way with some help (not from the cows) walked and walked ... and it was snow, very deep snow.

I stopped every 50th meter resting, finally I was at the higher slope on the mountain, and the church seemed to be close now, this is were I decide to take a shortcut (but I should really just stop and think of all the other times I been out self treeking and got lost and walking around in the jugle forever, but someway my brain does'nt work that way) so I started to climb this very steep snowy steep and stopped every 10th meter to breath. This is me resting like half way of the last "killing" part:

The shortcut took me forever but finally I was in the top.

Beautiful!! It was.

And I'm very sorry but my picture uploader does'nt work but here is link to a picture of the church somebody else took:

http://viaterra.net/photos/2005trip/2005-GEO-kazbegi.jpg

I won't even tell you about me going down, but I took another way down, it was snow everywere when I finally fell (yes fell, like in from above) down on the main road. 

After I got food from the lady in the house, it was sooooo good. Maybe the best food I ever had. A soup and some bread things with cheese in, I forgot the name of this now but it's famous food for Georgia.

Anyway, I wirite about Azerbaijan next time. I'm hungry now!

It's fog over Istanbul when the sun, wich I never saw today, disappears. I feel so much better today and I have written 2 pages and only drank one coffee on Starbucks. Hamdullilah.

The guy in Turkmenistan embassy sounds like he just woke up everytime I call and he does'nt speak very much english and put me on hold with this terrible polophone, and false(!) melody in my ear. But today he said my papers has arrived from Turkmenistan (Hamdullilah!) but unfortunately they are closed tomorrow so first on thursday I can go there for my visa. I just hope it's working now, I hold my tumb, as we say in swedish.

I got an email from a friend who said I need to focus, and he's very right. I need to practise my routine and long-term-commitment things. So now, I will eat my cake I just got without ordering (someones birthday I think) and then... I will write - Inshallah.

x

And also!

Obama was here today, but I missed him (but I did see a lot of the roadblocks around Topkapi and the Blue Moske).

Here's the dog - CUTE! Much better then Obama.

Well. Now I'm in Istanbul on a roof terass in the sun, listening to Bob and writing on my novel (that I hate). This is my view over the Blue moske:

My last days in Syria was great. Sam and I visited Homs, Hama, Crac des Chevallier and another castle called Musayaf. 

Crac des Chevallier was very nice but even better was the other castle except for that we could'nt enter because they were closed on tuesdays (of all days) and we didnt know that. Anyway we saw a lot of the green beautiful contruside of Syria, eat good food and we also met an interesting general (because someone left his passport in Damascus and without passport - no hotel) so we went to the policestaion and had an entertaining experience with the byråkrati (swedish) and the hierki (can't even spell it in swedish) of Syria. It was fun! 

I did'nt really do all the turistic-thing I decided to do before I left Damascus but some of them are checked of the list:

-Walked up on Jebel Quasion and got ripped of on one of the kitshy cafés on the top (but it was nice view and nice company so that did'nt matter)

-Visited some art-galleries and was very impressed by the artist called Anas something, who has an exhibition in the Operahouse-lobby. 

-Drank a lot of tea with a lot of nice people, miss you all!

Next time I will visit the National Museeum, yes I will.

Here in Istanbul I spent the wekeend with my swedish friend who was here visiting. We had a great time, walked around, drank coffe on Starbucks, walked around, drank coffe on Starbucks, walked around...

And also we ate a lot of nice food and drank fine wine, so now I have a lot of fat to use for my central asian trip (russian food is not my thing).

Now I will wait here for my Turmenistan visa, and then try to sort out the Uzbekistani one as fast as possible. 

Hate visas, and I hate waiting. 

Well, that's life and life is good...

xx