1 to 3 June - Darvaza Gas Crater and at Khiva(Turkmenistan to Uzbekistan)

We were a little late leaving Ashgabat as Gary was not feeling well but at 12.40 in the afternoon we left for a five hour drive to camp near the Darvaza Gas Crater. The tents were set up in dusty conditions and I think most of us will have to clean out our tents the next time they are used. Near the gas crater were other craters of water and mud, and water, all being man made by the Russians when they were looking for oil in the 1950's. A Range Rover (4- wheel drive)was used to take us to see the gas crater at night as the track was so sandy/dusty that the truck would not have been able to climb the dunes.

Poor Yorick, the food took too long

Bubbling mud and water crater

Views of the gas crater

In the morning we left the camp site for Khiva requiring that we leave Turkmenistan and enter Uzbekistan, at the same time leaving one guide at one border and picking up a new one at the Uzbekistan border. Crossing both borders took 90 minutes, apparently a good time for this sort of thing and both sets of border staff were quite pleasant.

On arrival we booked into the Hotel Arkanchi (hot water only three times a day) and then all went out to dinner in a local restaurant. We were told that it is the custom in Uzbekistan that no-one started eating before the eldest male at the table and once finished eating no-one was to leave until the oldest male stood up. Being the oldest here I like that custom!

The following morning was a walking tour round the walled city, a city that has existed in some form since the 6th century and was a slave market for many years. An area inside the walls has been conserved and with the walls being 650 metres north to south and 400 metres east to west it was quite easy to walk around the town. In the evening some of the others went to see a free film (they are all free each day) in an open air cinema. The films were all Russian from the 50’s and had English subtitles in very good English.

Town views from the Jame Minaret

The Western Gate

A town view

The main street to the Western Gate

Mosque with 218 wooden pillars, six from the 6th century.

Pillar carvings

The right side of the Western Wall

The left side of the Western Wall

I climbed to the top of this minaret to photograph the town

Fur hats

Knitted slippers and dolls

Al-Khwarizmi (Said to have invented algebra)

A happy family

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