Turkmenistan

The third day of my 5 day Visa just started. As the number of dunes of the Karakum Desert increased so did the number of the cotton fields decrease. The wind was blowing harder every minute and my average speed got down to 14kmh. As the night started to fall my stomach ached quite frequently; usually this ends with diarrhea. As the heat is unbearable during the day, the next day I launched in the dark and catch the sunrise on the road. 122km on a straight line in the desert.

The late president of Turkmenistan, Niyazov, got to power during the Communist era. After the fall of the Soviet Union he continued to lead the country. It is unbelievable what personal cult he build for himself. He was self elected Father of all Turkmen, and he demanded to be addressed as Turkmenbashy. His golden statues and portraits are all over the country. But ones in an interview he said:  “Personally I do mind, that my portraits and statues on the streets. But this is what the people want.”