Turkmenistan is by far the strangest of the ex-soviet Republics. The late President Niyazov (aka “Turkmenbashi”) ruled as an absolute monarch, with a personality cult that would have made Stalin blush. Strange relics of his reign still dot Ashgabat. The Arch of Neutrality is a 75 meter tripod tower, adorned with a 12 meter golden […]
Browsing Posts in Travel
Ashgabat: Much Strangeness
October 2, 2008
Astana: Kazakh City of the Future
September 7, 2008
Astana is Kazakhstan’s new post-Soviet capital, in the Northern steppes. The faces on the streets seem mostly Central Asian, so it seems to have succeeded in attracting a large ethnic Kazakh population into what was formerly an ethnic-Russian part of the country. That may not have been President Nazarbayev’s sole goal, but it has certainly […]
Hong Kong’s Dark Tower
May 14, 2008
Hong Kong’s Dark Tower is one of my favourite buildings. It is officially called “2 International Finance Center”, but that seems very poor camouflage for such a mighty command post, obviously destined for World Dominion. I find it both wonderfully elegant and distinctly sinister. I particularly love the claw-like fingers gently cupping over its peak. […]
Karakoram Highway & Khunjerab Pass
May 3, 2008
Kashgar, April 30th 2008 The only road between China and Pakistan is the Karakoram Highway (KKH) which goes over the 4730 m (15,500 ft) Khunjerab pass at the border. It is a spectacular journey, over a wild road, across the Western edges of the Himalayas. The pass is closed in winter and nominally reopens on […]
The Mud Volcanos of Qobustan
October 31, 2007
I took a car and guide from Baku to the famed Mud Volcanoes of Qobustan (Gobustan). Despite their splendid name, they are actually only about 6 feet tall. They gently burp forth mud and methane from deep mud reservoirs. Sporadic trickles of mud run down from the small cones. If they are lucky the craters […]
Baku's "Fire Mountain" Yanar Dag
October 30, 2007
After the rather touristy Baku Atashgah, I took a taxi out to see a more modest, but more authentic natural flame, at “Yanar Dag” (Fire Mountain). The story is that several decades ago a wandering shepherd accidentally set light to a small natural vent. And to general amazement, that small vent has kept steadily burning […]
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