We woke up at 5:30 and were on the road from Ashgabat to Mary by 6. Temperature was a cool 86 ... but got to 110 by 11.
We rode right next to the border with Iran ... interesting ... stopped by a lake (yes, a lake??) and ate amazing fried fish caught right there. As always, a crowd gathered around the bike, we took some pictures ... nice people everywhere.
We also ran into our first GS rider (solo) going the opposite way. Peter from the Czeck Republic was going all around also and on his way to Iran ... in 110 degree weather.
The sole of both of my boots became unglued because of the heat ... made it to the market in Mary where a couple of mute shoe cobblers (Batyr and Tablet) fixed them and the whole market came to chat ... amazing how you can really communicate without speaking each others language ... and the goodwill, handshakes, hugs ... nice.
We visited the ancient city of Merv, another UNESCO World Heritage site, a very important oasis in the Silk Road, and allegedly the largest city in the world in the 12th century. Amazing does not begin to describe it. Amazing to realize that this was one of the main cultural centers in the world from the 6th century BC to the 12th AD. And, that Genghis Khan was here (and killed 1 million people and took him almost a year to take the city) and Alexander the Great's army. Vast archaeological site, mostly unexplored ... made out of mud bricks... many religions have passed through here ... Zoroastranism is still embedded in many of the customs and the interpretation of Islam in the country. Dimitri's passion (our guide) about the history of the site was contagious ... Alex again was in heaven.
Tomorrow, we cross the massive desert on the north part of Turkmenistan on our way to the Uzbekistan border. We hear good things about Uzbekistan. We are excited.
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