The road heading from Krasnovodsk (currently called Turkmenbashi) towards the west is at first quite decent. On the right, one can see Turkmenistan’s biggest refinery and a road leading to the airport. On the left stretches the Krasnovodsk Bay. After crossing a causeway which cuts through a small harbour one sees a huge building. The five star hotel “Serdar” is said to be the most modern facility on the Turkmen sea coast. This is where important meetings and conferences are held, it is allegedly also visited by foreign tourists. To me the hotel looks grim and dreary and I’m sure I would not like to spend even one night there.

Right before the “Serdar” (meaning the “leader”), which owes its name to the late tyrant Saparmurat Niyazov, the road suddenly turns right. After several metres the asphalt abruptly ends. Our car bumps over the rutted road and falls into crater-like holes. There is virtually nothing around, not a single tree, just dry grass. But after a while from the clouds of ubiquitous desert dust emerges…

… Tarta, the village which is the part of Avaza - the most popular Turkmen seaside resort. The village made up of houses inhabited by local people and of the so-called turbazas, i.e. holiday centres located at the sea coast. Both parts - the one inhabited by local people as well as the tourist one - look awful. Piles of partially burnt rubbish everywhere with cows, goats and stray dogs wandering around (also on the beach).

The turbazas have no running water (shortage of water is a big problem in the whole Krasnovodsk). Luckily, their resourceful owners have built special reservoirs where the water is supplied by tank trucks, so it is possible to take a shower. I will refrain from describing the toilets, as this blog is not meant for masochists. It is difficult to get to Krasnovodsk. A clapped out bus goes once a day, so the only solution is to hitch-hike or make a deal with the not always pleasant taxi-drivers who upon seeing a foreigner automatically triple the price, claiming that since Avaza is a European-standard resort, prices must be higher.

A couple of words now about holidaymaking in Avaza. There are many options. To name just a few: romantic strolls along the beach in the company of hordes of barking dogs; an evening walk to the vodka stall located on the beach and lit with a kerosene lamp; drinking vodka with people living in a nearby house; a disco in the darkness to the rhythm of the Russian pop music; banging on a piece of metal sheet till 3 o’clock in the morning (the favourite entertainment of local teenagers); finally (for the bravest ones), a battle with mosquitos or bugs. So as you see, the choice is enormous.

Fortunately, there are also many ordinary Turkmen people coming to Avaza with whom one can make friends and chat at dinner. They do not really have many possibilities to spend their vacation elsewhere. Except for Avaza, there are almost no seaside resorts in Turkmenistan and a trip abroad is practically impossible due to visa restrictions and high cost.

In one of my next posts I’m going to write about the Turkmen president’s plans for Avaza and their possible consequences.