by Calvin Sun | Aug 24, 2018 | August 2018: Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come
After a week with Ben and the YPT group, I was alone again, getting only 4 hours of sleep before having to wake up and be picked up by a random driver at the hotel for a 6am flight to Mary.The check-in and flight went without a fuss, and I arrived in Mary,...
by Calvin Sun | Aug 23, 2018 | August 2018: Turkmenistan, Crisis, Turkmenistan, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
After a morning driving through the splendor of Yangykala Canyon, we arrived at the city of Türkmenbaşy, named after Turkmenistan’s first president. Satellite dishes are banned in Turkmenistan due to its potential for receiving feeds from outside...
by Calvin Sun | Aug 23, 2018 | August 2018: Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
After camping out overnight at Darvaza, we returned to Ashgabat in the afternoon for a few hours at ultra-hipster and swanky Berkarar Shopping Center.Presenting itself as such a stark contrast to the rest of the country, Berkara holds itself up to international...
by Calvin Sun | Aug 21, 2018 | August 2018: Turkmenistan, Camping, Turkmenistan, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come
After taking a naked dip and lunch at Kow Ata, we headed into the desert to visit the infamous gas crater of Darvaza/Derweze, arguably the country’s most famous tourist attraction.Approaching the gas craters, we first stopped by a desolate village to grab some...
by Calvin Sun | Aug 20, 2018 | August 2018: Turkmenistan, Flying Fancy, Getting that VISA, How Did You Do That?, Rules Are Meant To Be Broken, Travel Warnings, Walking Tours, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come
How do I begin? When people ask what I found to be the most fascinating countries in the world, my usual reply would always have been “North Korea and Myanmar.” 5 hours in Ashgabat was enough to shoot Turkmenistan to the very top. Known as...
