NOT ONLY CAN’T YOU GET THERE (ASHGEBAD) FROM HERE (Dushanbe), you can only get there from anywhere on certain days. Lately we have been returning to Bishket to make connections but for Turkmenistan we have to go all the way back to Almaty and wait until Sunday.
At least the biplanes are no longer in service
We have flown on a variety of little known airlines in the ‘Stans, none of which would make our FAA smile. But the most lax of the bunch is Turkmenistan Airlines, aka Insha Allah Air. There are no safety cards, no one cares much if your tray table and seat are in their full upright postition — of if they even have such a position. A family of five occupied one row of three and year-old Sulieman was wandering in the isle during takeoff. “Insha Allah,” for the uninitiated, means “God willing.” Amen!
