My second trip here. I
don't know why that seems so important to me for people to know that. Guess I must like being well traveled and
know something that others possibly don't.
So off I am to Istanbul where I have a long layover. Gatwick was not spectacular as when I walked
into the business class lounge, she immediately sent me downstairs to a
different lounge. No one was at the door
so I went in and started getting some snacks.
Just as I was getting my second dish as they had nothing but tiny bowls
and I wanted some cheese, a lady asks me for my "card". opps. This lounge was a card lounge for people who
have paid to get a card to get into the lounge.
I argue with her as I tell her the lounge upstairs is closed (that's
what the lady said when she sent me downstairs) and I was told to come
here. The downstairs lounge lady is
having none of it but to her credit, she says I will take you upstairs. So I get my bag and leave my food and up we
go, back where I was, and she goes to
the desk and tells that lady that I am a business class passenger and should be
allowed into this lounge.
Well, what a difference now.
The business class lounge lady is all apologetic and takes my boarding
pass and apologizes profusely for sending me downstairs all the while exclaiming
that she thought I was a "card" person and not a business class
person, as if a "card" person is not as good. geez. Do
I look like I am poor and not able to buy a business class ticket or perhaps I
look shady and will buy a card to get into a lounge, any lounge, rather than
sit out in the main airport with the masses???
Hard to tell but now I am in and the lounge is quite nice. They have just reopened it and there are food
stations everywhere with drink corners everywhere and internet passwords
everywhere as well. I find a drink but
am not hungry so I just sit down in front of a flight board and read and email
my hubby. And then off to Istanbul and
into their lounge as I have nothing I need or want at any of the shops.
My flight doesn't leave until 1 a.m. but as I am sitting
there, I realize it is 12:10 a.m. and then 12:20 a.m. and my flight has not
come up on the board. Then I think that
possibly it is on a board out in the main section so I'd better start
walking. At 12:30 I am leaving the
lounge when my flight comes up on the board at gate 504 which is a ways to
go. But as I am nearing my destination,
I can see a large group of people in front of me and it appears that they are
in front of gate 503 but I can see then that they are being blocked and are
being let into the area around 504 just a few at a time and there also appears
to be a lot of people shouting and running around and the officials are going
through bags and carry-ons of the Turkmens.
Gosh I had forgotten how boisterous and loud and pushy and colorful the
Turkmens are.
I get in the queue but the trick to being in a Turkmen queue
is to just keep inching your way forward.
You don't have to stay behind the same person, just keep inching. They are running in and out of the line and
each time someone leaves the line, I inch forward a bit more until they come
back and find me in their spot and then they inch into the line. A man
approaches me and asks me to carry something on board for him. Excuse me but while the business class lounge
workers may think I am a yokel and not worthy of their lounge, I was not born
yesterday and I am not carrying anything on board for anyone.
Before I have gotten to the front of the line, a woman
pushes past me and yells at the guy holding up the queue. He tells her something and suddenly a bunch
of people are going around the queue and in the other side. The lady standing next to me is kind and
tells me that the new fast line is for transit passengers of which I am one so
I get in right away and also meet the lady from Amsterdam whom is traveling
into Turkmenistan on the same flight. It
now only takes us a few minutes to get checked into the area and we go past the
people who are still wrapping up packages and getting them unwrapped by the officials
and so forth. But that just puts us on a
bus which eventually goes out to the plane.
Amsterdam and I talk and she thinks I have just come with my carry-on
bag but we assure each other that we have checked luggage.
Onto the plane and the business class seats are much
smaller. The Turkmens are crowding on
board and the women in their colorful dresses and bright headscarves are yelling
down the aisle whenever anyone takes too long putting away their luggage. The men are barely smiling but I see several
that have the solid line of gold teeth across the front. What a colorful country.
Finally we are off and I try to sleep for most of the flight
and get a bit of sleep. We are late
landing as we were late leaving but once we are down, people are up and getting
stuff out of the bins before we have left the runway so they get yelled at and
sit back down. Once we are parked, they
are up and pushing to get into the front of the plane and get off but I am good
at blocking.
We pile off the plane and have to climb steps, walk down
along corridor, down steps and into the area which I recognize from before but
they have expanded. Before, I believe
there was one common area for foreigners and nationals alike. This time, the foreigners went to the left
and the nationals to the right. Since I
was close to the front, I went right to the cashier to pay my entry fee and
also I had my visa. Then back to the
immigration officer with my passport and visa and he looked at the receipt for
my entry fee and he stamps me into the country.
I go to the baggage claim area and nothing is happening, not
even a squeak. Several times, men open
the door and look in but nothing. I
notice that the columns are marked 3 and 4 whereas last time, all the luggage
came into this room and it was a mess.
I'm thinking that it makes much more sense for them to deliver the
luggage to the nationals side of things and as no nationals are coming into our
side, I'm thinking gotta figure out a way to get to the other side. Somebody with the language skills asks and
he directs him to the other side which means we pass by the customs exit and
then into a room exactly like ours with 1 and 2 on the columns and I see my bag
sitting on the belt. yea. My bag made it. Last time I was here, there was one flight a
week from Beijing and one lady 's bag didn’t make it. She picked it up in Beijing on her way home.
I go ahead and exit rather than waiting for Amsterdam and I
should have waited. As I exit customs, I
pass by a lot of men offering taxi service but I see a man with our names on it
and go wait with him but he doesn't speak much English or won't admit that he
does
In a few minutes Amsterdam comes out of the area but she
does not have a suitcase with her and she comes up to me and said she went to
the wrong side (the national side) and when she got to the front of the line,
they told her she had to go to the other side so that made her last plus she
didn't have a visa yet and had to get a visa which is an extra step. I ask her where her bag is and she doesn't
know because she thought it would be out here.
She never saw the entrance into the other side of the hall, past the
customs officers and just exited. Luckily,
for once, the customs people must have this happen more often than not so they
let her back into the area to retrieve her bag.
She comes out again in a bit.
To the hotel through a
bright and sun shining Ashgabat which looks familiar. If anything, there are more buildings of the
white marble. I see Independence Square
which looks the same but I cannot see any of the other statues that were so
famously identified with the Turkmenbasy in 2006. We get to the hotel before long and check
in. The lady tells us that breakfast is
being served so I dash up to my room to change shirts and clean up a bit before
meeting Amsterdam for breakfast where she is eating with a man from Argentina
who might be on our trip. I don't have a
complete list of participants. I thought
Amsterdam wanted to go out right away but she says she needs to sleep for
awhile so back to the room for a shower and some rest.
I did this for awhile and then got really sleepy too. Usually I do not take a rest when I arrive
somewhere as it really makes you more tired but not having any luck so fell
asleep. get a phone call to the room
around 11 and it's Simon, our leader with Koryo Tours and my roommate has
arrived. There is only one key so she is
coming up. she's from Vancouver and so
that's what I'll call her in this missive.
It's very good to see her even though we only spent about 5
or 6 days together in total on another trip years ago to DPRK and China and
Vladivostok. She has the magic code for
the internet and I am able to log in and get a facebook posted because I like
to do check ins so my friends know i am somewhere exotic. Able to get an email off to my hubby too but
that's about it. she freshens up a bit
and ten we go out because I need to get some Manet, the local currency and we
both need to get some water.
the hotel clerk tells us the bank is across the street but
to go around to the back. It's a big
magnificent bank building and what looks like an ATM at the front but we
dutifully go around the back which means walking into an alley which looks a
parking lot but there is an open door and we head towards it and it is an
exchange office. I go in and exchange a
couple of hundred which I’m sure will be diddled away in drinks and tips and
meals.
Next we are going to head towards the Russian bazaar and get
some water but we got distracted by the park.
it has a lovely water feature right down the middle of the park with
bridges over the water and then statues every 30 yards or so of some of their
founding father kind of people. we walk
up one side, stopping to take photos of each statue and then Vancouver spots a
couple of people that were on the flight with her, from Australia, who come over to meet me and we then cross the
bridge and head back towards the Russian bazaar. Luckily I do remember how to get there. It is bustling as usual and we walk in and
get some photos and then find some water after we have been stopped by a date
block vendor. Not exactly sure what it
is, involves dates, but sort of like maybe a date syrup that has been pressed
into a block. You need a knife to cut
anything off of it to eat it. Then some
water and we are managing to get some change as we go. a few people let me take their photos but more
people are saying no which I respect. We
figure we need a knife of some kind to cut the date block and Vancouver has
also purchased some lemons for her throat.
It is quite hot and I don't think I brought sun tan lotion so we hit
various shops and booths until we find both.
I'm a bit hungry so it's off to the British Pub which is the only place
I know around here to eat and drink. The
Aussies were already there with their first brew and some ciggies so we sat at
the table next to them. Vancouver rushes
over to give them a taste of the date block but no sooner does Aussie get it in
her mouth that they look at the block and see worms wriggling on the surface! ewwww.
I have Russian dumplings and Vancouver has an omelet and we
sit for a long time talking and catching up.
She finally says she needs a couple of hours sleep before dinner. It is 32C outside and feels every bit at
least that hot! We head back to our cool
room which luckily has a working AC.
Tonight we will meet the group for dinner
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