Turkmenistan from Istanbul Airport

Well, one better get out of the way of the ladies boarding the flight from Istanbul to Ashgabat. They have been formidable so far, pushing me out of the way and boldly stepping in front of me. Wearing long dresses, trimmed with braid around the neckline and down the front placket. And the head dressing-similar to the Rastaferians. Will have to find out what is in there. Must be long hair. Not seen this style before. Found out it is single women have the largest style and it is a plastic pot like amendment that goes under the head scarf.
I am now surrounded by another language I do not know.
Airport: man comes to me stating the hotel name. Yea, it is my transfer. I am glad he waited as I the last one after paying $95.00 to enter which was
not mentioned in my preparations. I go to get money and he says at the hotel. Off we go. Then he stops at some low rent housing place for me to change money, I refuse. Got a funny feeling. Arrive at the hotel and he wants money. Huh? I paid for this transfer already thru the hotel. I take him into the hotel and now he reveals that he is a taxi and I agreed to taxi. Many words later , after I say again. 'you lied to me, twice' in anger he leaves. Now I have no money because he lied about that too, no exchange at the hotel. It is 8AM, cannot check in until 1PM.
I have managed to get a free cup of coffee, reception said I could buy it with $2.00, restaurant was not aware. So, they gave it to me. I hope it roll keep me awake until I check in as I am falling asleep.
Welcome to Turkmenistan.
Next day: I meet Sheker, Hospitality Club member. She and her friend take me out to buy underwear because when I unpacked, the magician had been busy again making things disappear. My nightdress and underwear is in the drawer in Paros. I did not listen to the friend that asked if I had done a 'dummy' check. Was sure I had. I was blessed with many visitors that day and got distracted. An opportunity for shopping local. Not my best talent.
Also found out that on the 4th floor of my hotel is an American Embassy facility that does have Internet. I was just there for a local women's craft fair. Sure I can use the Internet, today from 1-8pm today, I will be out. And, tomorrow closed. Of course, I asked the reception why they did not tell me yesterday, and for her it just is not there. Ce'st la Vie. This city at night is more than Las Vegas. HUGE buildings lit with up lighting, white marble, many change colors. They are Soviet big. If there are so many huge hotels, and the country does not like visitors, how does that compute? My jaw dropped many times on the city bus ride my hostesses took me on. There is an enclosed ferris wheel, spinning inside a lollipop colored glass like building. Grand entrance reminding me of the entrance to the tomb of Hetchepsut. I'm telling you, this city is grand on a very big scale. Fantasy like. White with fancy gold trim.
There is a permanent circus across from the hotel and, I went. It was so much fun. Like the Russian circus of my childhood on TV. Horses, whips cracking, acrobats, trapeze.No phone except local SIM. No Internet and public places were bugged. My Hospitality Club hostess was wonderful. Took me shopping for new underwear as I left all that in the drawer on Paros.
The city is all new, soviet/Arab huge, white marble trimmed in gold, lights on par with Las Vegas, more fountains than one can imagine.
On to two nights of bush camping. First night was OK, then next day we pulled off for lunch, went a bit too close to the river and got stuck. I don't mean sand stuck like those travel shows, wet clay up to the axels, and on a very precarious angle. Very hot, no shade, could not access the water tank from the angle the truck was leaning. Four attempts at pulling us out by some very big dump trucks. Then they had to be pulled out by each other. Then... A huge back hoe on tracks came. We saw it way up on the road back off it's trailer, slowly amble down the hill. First it tried to pull us out, no way. The wheels were turned, a sand mat was jammed up on the axel and air tank. Then it hooked onto the rear bumper with its bucket and lifted the truck up and then pulled it backwards. What a sight and relief. It pulled it quite far up the hill. Then we had to carry everything thru the mud and powdery sand to load the truck and get out to our camp site down the road. Next day, many were sick, probably a bit of heat exhaustion and a bug going around. Then, in the morning we had to cross the border into Uzbekistan. Lordy. Three hours, hot and cumbersome. At one point half were laying on the floor like a bunch of puppies or refuges. We were so dirty, and sickly. This is why I travel. Adventure travel at it's best. We camped in the bush so we could see the Darwasa Gas Crater. If is so much more than the pictures I looked at, and muchore than mine. A burning hole in the ground the size of a football field, burning thru the soil, flames licking upwards to get out. So dark was the night and so bright the fire, hard to look at it, felt like I could not see the edge well. Worth the bumpy road.