Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan, a secretive and tightly controlled country, was one of the hardest places in the world to enter. Many travelers, especially influencers, had been denied visas, including some who had otherwise visited every country on Earth. After weeks of work, my fixer finally managed to secure mine, and I crossed the border overland from Uzbekistan.

We started in the northern part of the country, visiting several ancient historical sites before continuing on to the Darvaza Gas Crater, often called the “Door to Hell.” It was a five-hour drive across a desolate stretch of highway, with our driver constantly swerving around potholes as though he were playing a video game. We arrived just before sunset, and as darkness fell, the giant crater glowed with flames that have burned continuously since 1971, when Soviet engineers accidentally ignited a collapsing natural gas field. It was one of the most dramatic sights I’ve ever witnessed. By coincidence, another traveler I’d known through Instagram for years, but had never met in person, Nabil, happened to be there with a different tour group. That our first meeting took place beside a burning crater in the middle of the Turkmen desert felt like the perfect example of the travel community, and the unlikely places where our paths can cross.

Later that night, I continued on to the capital, Ashgabat. Entering the city after midnight felt like driving into a dystopian movie. Nearly every major building was clad in white marble, while brightly lit monuments and neon lights illuminated eerily empty streets. Everywhere I looked, the state’s presence seemed inescapable. I learned that former president Saparmurat Niyazov renamed the month of January after himself, required his book, the Ruhnama, to be taught in schools, and filled the country with lavish gold statues celebrating his rule. Turkmenistan is an odd place, and I suspect it will stay that way for a long time.