There are some ash trays (for the remaining smokers) and they have coffee powder for smell reduction
We set off at 6 a.m. under a dark, starry sky. I had a problem and hoped to postpone it until we arrived in Ashgabat, but after an hour and a half of driving, I heard myself say, “Please, can we stop here?!” I had wrestled with this decision for a long time and was surprised that something inside me had made the decision for me. Finally back in Ashgabat, we had to stop at three different places before we found something for breakfast since it was Sunday. The food was good, but there was no Wi-Fi, so Wayne couldn’t pay for the tour yet.
We made a stop at the hotel to drop off our luggage and get rid of the desert sand. Unfortunately, the internet wasn’t working properly. (But I was able to upload the report for “Day 76.”)
The afternoon was dedicated to a museum visit and sightseeing. First, though, we went back to the café with VPN and Wi-Fi, since Wayne still hadn’t managed the transfer for the tour. While he struggled, Guljan accompanied me to the bazaar to buy Turkmen chocolate and look at souvenirs. However Wayne was still having internet problems…
At the impressive museum, we had to get an additional guide. Her way of speaking was hard to understand—too fast, too monotonous, and with a difficult accent. Nevertheless, we were able to learn something and re-connect it to Merv and Alt-Nisa.
Afterward, we drove past the state buildings, took a ride on the largest indoor Ferris wheel, and visited the monument to the poet Magtymglary Pyragy. After dinner, Wayne could fix the payment at “our” café (we’d been there at least three times before), and before entering the hotel we took several dozen more photos.