Former Turkmen President Niyazov decided that citizens of Turkmenistan need to be healthier, and he created a long, paved path with railings that goes for miles, is lit, and is called the health walk. Let me preface this entry by saying that I have not been on most of the health walk, nor do I know exactly where it ends up. This, instead, is about my small experience on it and my amusement with some of it, and me talking about the Hash. But there is, actually, a health walk created for the citizens and visitors to Turkmenistan.
I went to the Hash on Saturday, and we walked from a small, walled community to the President Hotel area. We were told that this would be about a thirty to forty minute walk. For those reading this not familiar with a Hash, it is a running or walking activity where someone lays a trail for people to see parts of an area that are usually not explored by the group, and it ends at someone's house or a restaurant/bar where people enjoy a drink or two. I really enjoy it and the people who participate are really nice.
So we started out in a small community and were directed onto the walkers' trail. We went around the block, and then lost the trail, which is marked by bits of shredded paper. In the two hours since the trail was laid, busy workers had laid down more of a block of new road-- right over the trail. So. . . we ended up a little lost right off of the bat. Only here would a new road be laid between 3 and 5pm on a Saturday. So we went in another circle and refound the trail.
Did I mention that there are two trails? And a longer one is for runners? Yeah. . . so we missed the walking trail and our brief, three mile, forty minute walk extended for more than an hour and a half. It was a nice walk, but in the heat at midday, a little warmer than we were expecting. We followed a dirt road through the middle of a field that felt more like the desert than anywhere else I have been in Ashgabat. It was towards the outskirts of the city, and we were quite distant from buildings for most of the time.
On my left were the mountains, and as I walked through a stone strewn road, it was nice to see something that was not artificially maintained to be green and with fountains, unlike the majority of the city. I walked along this road until I reached a paved walkway. I climbed over the railling, and the person with me told me that it was part of the health walk that was built some years ago. It could hold about eight people walking abreast, and was paved with marble insets that list years every so often. It's kind of weird. It apparently goes for miles up into the mountains and is supposed to be for people to work on physical fitness. Someone told me that it's the long tail of lights that you can see on the side of the mountains at night, but really, it goes for miles.
Anyway, we walked along this path for about a mile or so, then we finally got back to the main road and headed in for the ending part of the Hash. I've since realized that this entry isn't as interesting, more just me being like "I went on a very long walk in the desert and was an idiot and didn't bring water", but oh well. It was a nice walk-one I enjoyed very much, and now I can say that I've been on part of the health walk.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Annau
Last Saturday a group of us went to a pilgrimage site right outside of Ashgabat, which is known as Annau. The Annau ruins are those of an old mosque that has been destroyed by an earthquake and other natural events.
We all loaded into the van that was rented for the day and started the drive outside of the city. The fields outside of the buildings are completely flat except for a few strange bumps that seem to rise out of nowhere. There are fields of stunted trees and green wheat fields. Though the Turkmen are determined to make some type of forest, the fields of trees better resemble a Christmas Tree field with stunted trees in straight rows as far as the eye can see. There are also irrigated fields of wheat and other products, that make it seem less like a desert and more like a farming community.
The first stop on our trip was to what looked like strange mounds poking up from otherwise completely flat field. The area ended up being an ancient settlement that lasted from 5,000-3,000 (or thereabouts, I forgot the exact dates) BC. The funny part is, however, that there is a trench dug through the center of this mound. An archeologist in the late 1800s decided that he was going to look at these settlements (there are mutliple) for precious objects and dug a trench straight through it. He didn't find anything, but there are thousands of years old shards of pottery that you are walking through as you go through the trench. I could just reach down and pick up shards that probably should be studied.
We also passed a wheat museum, which is why this particular mound had so much importance. During the Niyazov era, a 5,000 year old grain of wheat was found in the mound, which prompted the museum to be built. We were told by our guide that any mounds that we saw in the otherwise flat territory used to be something that was manmade, from whole settlements to watch towers.
We all scrambled back down the hill and headed on to the ruins of the mosque in Annau. We arrived and climbed out of the van, and went up a hill to a grave site. It was covered with tiny, crude stone constructions that represented offerings and wishes that people traveled to give. From money to hair pins to string, there were various personal items that were left in tribute and supplication. They covered the low walls and the grave, and many of them contained items that were rusted or faded with time, giving visitors an idea of how old this site was and how many people have traveled to be there.
From the grave site we moved to the main ruins, which still stand fairly tall. There is light and dark blue paint on various parts, and a sign reminds visitors of what the mosque looked like before an earthquake caused most of it to crumble. I was told that light blue represented the sky and dark blue, water, both important to people in Central Asia. There are still two pillars that mark the entrance to the mosque, with hills and fallen stones marking the outside. When you look to the right of the entrance, there is still a lower part of the building partially intact. There is a wooden post alongside of that lower structure, and there are about thirty colorful handkerchiefs waving gaily in the wind, left there by pilgrims who wanted to leave an offering asking for good luck.
I walked up the little hill, through the two sides that remained of the entrance. Most of the back of the mosque is totally ruined-- just tumbling stones down a hill, but you can climb a little bit and there are still some walls that give you the feeling of how it must have been before it was destroyed. The outline of an arched window, the pillars with worn carvings, and smaller "rooms" that hold offerings from people traveling to the mosque to ask for blessings.
Central Asiam Muslim tradition is far different from any I have heard about around the world. There are far more shamanistic traditions and superstitions incorporated into their culture and way of worship. It is facinating to hear how previous religions impacted Islam in this area. There was Christianity and ZionAstricism (or however you spell/pronounce it), amongst many others, that already had a footprint here, and all of these traditions can be seen in some within Central Asian Islam. It also can be seen in the artwork found in and on the old ruins there. The guide showed us a photo of the old artwork from the arch, and told us that it is the only mosque in the world with dragons depicted on the outside. In Muslim tradition, architects and artists do not portray live beings. Instead, words, flowers, and geometrics are used. Not so much in Central Asia, which makes them even more unique. There is apparently another temple further away that had a carving or painting of a tiger, also unique in the world.
Before a visitor reaches the two pillars, there are two old sarcophaguses (sarcophogai? I don't know and can't seem to spell today). They are the most sacred parts of the site, or one of the most important, and have little altars in front of them with stones that, when spun on a finger, are supposed to tell the pilgrims something about their life or how they've been living it. Our guide was skeptical of its properties. We saw people approaching the ruins and coming with items to tie and leave as we stood there, a group of foreigners trying to understand these traditions.
I don't know if I have done these ruins justice with this description and will try to add photos later to help, but it was a beautiful trip and one I would strongly recommend for anyone who visits here.
We all loaded into the van that was rented for the day and started the drive outside of the city. The fields outside of the buildings are completely flat except for a few strange bumps that seem to rise out of nowhere. There are fields of stunted trees and green wheat fields. Though the Turkmen are determined to make some type of forest, the fields of trees better resemble a Christmas Tree field with stunted trees in straight rows as far as the eye can see. There are also irrigated fields of wheat and other products, that make it seem less like a desert and more like a farming community.
The first stop on our trip was to what looked like strange mounds poking up from otherwise completely flat field. The area ended up being an ancient settlement that lasted from 5,000-3,000 (or thereabouts, I forgot the exact dates) BC. The funny part is, however, that there is a trench dug through the center of this mound. An archeologist in the late 1800s decided that he was going to look at these settlements (there are mutliple) for precious objects and dug a trench straight through it. He didn't find anything, but there are thousands of years old shards of pottery that you are walking through as you go through the trench. I could just reach down and pick up shards that probably should be studied.
We also passed a wheat museum, which is why this particular mound had so much importance. During the Niyazov era, a 5,000 year old grain of wheat was found in the mound, which prompted the museum to be built. We were told by our guide that any mounds that we saw in the otherwise flat territory used to be something that was manmade, from whole settlements to watch towers.
We all scrambled back down the hill and headed on to the ruins of the mosque in Annau. We arrived and climbed out of the van, and went up a hill to a grave site. It was covered with tiny, crude stone constructions that represented offerings and wishes that people traveled to give. From money to hair pins to string, there were various personal items that were left in tribute and supplication. They covered the low walls and the grave, and many of them contained items that were rusted or faded with time, giving visitors an idea of how old this site was and how many people have traveled to be there.
From the grave site we moved to the main ruins, which still stand fairly tall. There is light and dark blue paint on various parts, and a sign reminds visitors of what the mosque looked like before an earthquake caused most of it to crumble. I was told that light blue represented the sky and dark blue, water, both important to people in Central Asia. There are still two pillars that mark the entrance to the mosque, with hills and fallen stones marking the outside. When you look to the right of the entrance, there is still a lower part of the building partially intact. There is a wooden post alongside of that lower structure, and there are about thirty colorful handkerchiefs waving gaily in the wind, left there by pilgrims who wanted to leave an offering asking for good luck.
I walked up the little hill, through the two sides that remained of the entrance. Most of the back of the mosque is totally ruined-- just tumbling stones down a hill, but you can climb a little bit and there are still some walls that give you the feeling of how it must have been before it was destroyed. The outline of an arched window, the pillars with worn carvings, and smaller "rooms" that hold offerings from people traveling to the mosque to ask for blessings.
Central Asiam Muslim tradition is far different from any I have heard about around the world. There are far more shamanistic traditions and superstitions incorporated into their culture and way of worship. It is facinating to hear how previous religions impacted Islam in this area. There was Christianity and ZionAstricism (or however you spell/pronounce it), amongst many others, that already had a footprint here, and all of these traditions can be seen in some within Central Asian Islam. It also can be seen in the artwork found in and on the old ruins there. The guide showed us a photo of the old artwork from the arch, and told us that it is the only mosque in the world with dragons depicted on the outside. In Muslim tradition, architects and artists do not portray live beings. Instead, words, flowers, and geometrics are used. Not so much in Central Asia, which makes them even more unique. There is apparently another temple further away that had a carving or painting of a tiger, also unique in the world.
Before a visitor reaches the two pillars, there are two old sarcophaguses (sarcophogai? I don't know and can't seem to spell today). They are the most sacred parts of the site, or one of the most important, and have little altars in front of them with stones that, when spun on a finger, are supposed to tell the pilgrims something about their life or how they've been living it. Our guide was skeptical of its properties. We saw people approaching the ruins and coming with items to tie and leave as we stood there, a group of foreigners trying to understand these traditions.
I don't know if I have done these ruins justice with this description and will try to add photos later to help, but it was a beautiful trip and one I would strongly recommend for anyone who visits here.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Turkmen Wedding
Last Thursday I had the opportunity to attend a Turkmen wedding. It was the brother of a friend of a group of people I was with, and it is apparently tradition to invite large numbers of people to the reception portion of the wedding, so I was able to go with. It was one of the most unique experiences I have had so far, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.
We first took a gypsy taxi across town to the event hall. We walked past the ribbon and bow festooned car and into the entrance to a large hall draped with red and orange fabric decorations. To our immediate left was a raised dais with the bride and groom, and a huge picture of the current president behind them, proudly framed by matching wedding colors. It is a very elaborate display, and relatives and friends were going up all night to take pictures behind the bride and groom.
To the right of the dais was a music area with a full Turkmen band that began playing and singing. The music was very loud, and we all became rather good at "telephone" and sign language, even though we sat near the back. One of the other women in my group and myself were the only two not wearing full Turkmen dress. There was color everywhere, from the beautiful, hand sewn dresses with their elaborate embroidery, to the head scarves and colors from the wedding itself.
We all sat down at the table after easing our way through the forty or fifty tables that were set around the room. Food already filled the table, and waitresses, also in traditional garb, began pouring juices and sodas for each person. We all started to fill our plates with the salads and vegetables in front of us. The next couple of paragraphs are mainly about the food, because I can't believe how much there was.
Next came these little crystal goblets, and they were filled with vodka for each person around the table. What one does not know when you first sit down is that these are never ending goblets. You will quickly see how this can become a problem. Everyone makes a toast for the bride and groom, you drink the voda, waitress lady fills up the glass before you realize it, someone else at the table proposes a toast, you drink the vodka, repeat. I learned very, very quickly that a quarter mini glass per toast was preferable, especially with the "helpful" waitress filling it up when I wasn't looking. Good thing I like vodka. And began pouring water in my glass.
Anyway, back to the food. So there are a lot of salads on the table, and then they start bringing out more courses. There is the meat/fried potatoes course, the shashlik course, and more that I can't remember because there was so much food. It is all delicious, and I was able to try more dishes from Turkmenistan. They use a lot of produce, which is really, really good and they have lots of natural flavors, that I'm not sure I can describe.
While we are eating, dancing started. Turkmen dancing seems to involve a lot of people standing in a circle while moving back and forth to the side and putting their hands up. One or two people enter the circle and dance a little more energetically. I'm not trying to be funny, I just am not particularly good at decribing dance (you should hear me describe ballet). It's actually beautiful because of the colors, but there is no partner dancing. We were brought up to the dance floor (I'm not much of a dancer) and asked to participate.
But first, speeches. One of the women in my group was asked to give a speech for the bride and groom. She was friends/co-workers with the groom's brother. She said a few words on camera, as they film everything, and then we had to participate in a special dance. I was confused, but then an older lady came around giving us towels. Someone explained that the towels are meant to provide good luck and positive emotions to those who receive them. Towels are handed out, hundreds of them, to all of the guests on the dance floor. Guests then keep them and bring that positive energy home from the wedding.
The dancing, speeches, and recording went on for another couple of hours. We kept eating, toasting, and being brought back onto the dance floor. Kids ran around, just like any wedding reception, and folks looked on. I did find out that this was an arranged marriage, which was interesting. Both seems content with everything, though, and the family was very happy, if the speeches were any indication.
We actually left fairly early, before more courses were brought out because it was late and all of us had to work the next day. By fairly early, I mean 10pm and it started around 7. I did not give the wedding justice with this description, but I hope it gave you glimpse as to what it's like.
We first took a gypsy taxi across town to the event hall. We walked past the ribbon and bow festooned car and into the entrance to a large hall draped with red and orange fabric decorations. To our immediate left was a raised dais with the bride and groom, and a huge picture of the current president behind them, proudly framed by matching wedding colors. It is a very elaborate display, and relatives and friends were going up all night to take pictures behind the bride and groom.
To the right of the dais was a music area with a full Turkmen band that began playing and singing. The music was very loud, and we all became rather good at "telephone" and sign language, even though we sat near the back. One of the other women in my group and myself were the only two not wearing full Turkmen dress. There was color everywhere, from the beautiful, hand sewn dresses with their elaborate embroidery, to the head scarves and colors from the wedding itself.
We all sat down at the table after easing our way through the forty or fifty tables that were set around the room. Food already filled the table, and waitresses, also in traditional garb, began pouring juices and sodas for each person. We all started to fill our plates with the salads and vegetables in front of us. The next couple of paragraphs are mainly about the food, because I can't believe how much there was.
Next came these little crystal goblets, and they were filled with vodka for each person around the table. What one does not know when you first sit down is that these are never ending goblets. You will quickly see how this can become a problem. Everyone makes a toast for the bride and groom, you drink the voda, waitress lady fills up the glass before you realize it, someone else at the table proposes a toast, you drink the vodka, repeat. I learned very, very quickly that a quarter mini glass per toast was preferable, especially with the "helpful" waitress filling it up when I wasn't looking. Good thing I like vodka. And began pouring water in my glass.
Anyway, back to the food. So there are a lot of salads on the table, and then they start bringing out more courses. There is the meat/fried potatoes course, the shashlik course, and more that I can't remember because there was so much food. It is all delicious, and I was able to try more dishes from Turkmenistan. They use a lot of produce, which is really, really good and they have lots of natural flavors, that I'm not sure I can describe.
While we are eating, dancing started. Turkmen dancing seems to involve a lot of people standing in a circle while moving back and forth to the side and putting their hands up. One or two people enter the circle and dance a little more energetically. I'm not trying to be funny, I just am not particularly good at decribing dance (you should hear me describe ballet). It's actually beautiful because of the colors, but there is no partner dancing. We were brought up to the dance floor (I'm not much of a dancer) and asked to participate.
But first, speeches. One of the women in my group was asked to give a speech for the bride and groom. She was friends/co-workers with the groom's brother. She said a few words on camera, as they film everything, and then we had to participate in a special dance. I was confused, but then an older lady came around giving us towels. Someone explained that the towels are meant to provide good luck and positive emotions to those who receive them. Towels are handed out, hundreds of them, to all of the guests on the dance floor. Guests then keep them and bring that positive energy home from the wedding.
The dancing, speeches, and recording went on for another couple of hours. We kept eating, toasting, and being brought back onto the dance floor. Kids ran around, just like any wedding reception, and folks looked on. I did find out that this was an arranged marriage, which was interesting. Both seems content with everything, though, and the family was very happy, if the speeches were any indication.
We actually left fairly early, before more courses were brought out because it was late and all of us had to work the next day. By fairly early, I mean 10pm and it started around 7. I did not give the wedding justice with this description, but I hope it gave you glimpse as to what it's like.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Turkmen Music
Last Sunday was International Children's Day. I decided to attend a concert that was being held at Magtamguly Drama and Music Theatre that featured performers from five different music schools within Ashgabat. The ages of the students ranged from little boys who had to have been no older than seven or eight to university students who were eighteen or nineteen.
The musical talent in this city is amazing. I can only compare to similar age groups that I saw in my hometown and that I saw when my siblings were performing, but these groups are very advanced. One teacher said that they spend half of the day in regular school and then half of each day in the music school. Instruments ranged from Turkmen guitars (no idea what their real name is) to classical violinists. Before the concert began, there were two groups in the lobby area that moved between a brass band and a group of violinists. Both had a unique sound and provided quite the contrast.
The musical choice was just as diverse. The concert started out with a traditional Turkmen song, and I'll do my best to describe it. There are a few vocalists, and the vocal part is rather nasaly (not in a bad way) but with less tonal changes. It kind of is a series of notes strung together-- I couldn't make out, really, individual words. Kind of like Native American music from some parts of the U.S. There are four or five types of instruments used. A miniature cross between a cello and violin, Turkmen style guitars, a mouth boingy instrument thing, a hammar harp type instrument, and a larger guitar like instrument. Together it's rather haunting and a very unique sound.
The other music consisted of a mix of Americana and classical (it was a joint Turkmen-American concert). One of the most interesting and entertaining moments was a rendition of "Oh Susanna" sung by two adorable Turkmen girls. They did an incredible job, and it was interesting listening to an old American classic sung with a Russian accent.
My favorite part of the concert was the youngest choir. Little girls in sparkly green dresses, with big white bows in their hair filed out on stage. Then came the maestro and violin soloist-- both little boys about six years old. The maestro even had the full coat tails of a director. He bowed to the crowd, signalled the violinist to bow, and then raised his hands and signalled for the girls and other little boys to begin singing. They sang a lovely song about the ABCs. When they were done (and the violinist played in concert with the vocalists), the conductor told them when to end, and they all turned and bowed again to the audience. By far the best act :).
The concert just cemented how similar families are in any country. Mothers and fathers took pictures and recorded, and raised their cell phones to get their newest background picture for their phone. Kids sang, some shuffled in their seats, and flowers were given to the performers in the end. It was a very good concert and impressive with the talent it displayed.
The musical talent in this city is amazing. I can only compare to similar age groups that I saw in my hometown and that I saw when my siblings were performing, but these groups are very advanced. One teacher said that they spend half of the day in regular school and then half of each day in the music school. Instruments ranged from Turkmen guitars (no idea what their real name is) to classical violinists. Before the concert began, there were two groups in the lobby area that moved between a brass band and a group of violinists. Both had a unique sound and provided quite the contrast.
The musical choice was just as diverse. The concert started out with a traditional Turkmen song, and I'll do my best to describe it. There are a few vocalists, and the vocal part is rather nasaly (not in a bad way) but with less tonal changes. It kind of is a series of notes strung together-- I couldn't make out, really, individual words. Kind of like Native American music from some parts of the U.S. There are four or five types of instruments used. A miniature cross between a cello and violin, Turkmen style guitars, a mouth boingy instrument thing, a hammar harp type instrument, and a larger guitar like instrument. Together it's rather haunting and a very unique sound.
The other music consisted of a mix of Americana and classical (it was a joint Turkmen-American concert). One of the most interesting and entertaining moments was a rendition of "Oh Susanna" sung by two adorable Turkmen girls. They did an incredible job, and it was interesting listening to an old American classic sung with a Russian accent.
My favorite part of the concert was the youngest choir. Little girls in sparkly green dresses, with big white bows in their hair filed out on stage. Then came the maestro and violin soloist-- both little boys about six years old. The maestro even had the full coat tails of a director. He bowed to the crowd, signalled the violinist to bow, and then raised his hands and signalled for the girls and other little boys to begin singing. They sang a lovely song about the ABCs. When they were done (and the violinist played in concert with the vocalists), the conductor told them when to end, and they all turned and bowed again to the audience. By far the best act :).
The concert just cemented how similar families are in any country. Mothers and fathers took pictures and recorded, and raised their cell phones to get their newest background picture for their phone. Kids sang, some shuffled in their seats, and flowers were given to the performers in the end. It was a very good concert and impressive with the talent it displayed.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Shashlik and the Bazaar
I keep being asked what type of food there is in Turkmenistan, and decided that it would be good to start out with what seems to be kind of a national phenomenon, shashlik (pronounced shaush--leek).
Shahlik is very much like kabobs, but it can be any type of barbequed meat with marinade put on it. It is very good. The ground beef shashlik is probably my favorite, as it is basically like the kabobs I've had in the U.S. Most of the meat, chicken mainly, still has the bone on it, but it's no different than just always having the bone on in the U.S.
The food here uses a lot of produce, which is grown in the surrounding areas and is very fresh. The tomatoes are particularly excellent, which I'm told is due to the amount of sun that they receive. The cucumbers are also very popular, even put in the fried rice at the local Chinese restaurant, which made for an interesting flavor. The national dish of Turkmenistan is Plov. It is a rice dish which some form of meat mixed in along with onions and carrots. It has a very mild flavor, as some of the Turkmen have explained that they prefer using the natural seasonings found in the vegetables and meat. It does mean that is I want stronger spices, it can be a little more challenging to find.
I love the food here, generally, because it is so fresh. There is no such thing as a fast food restaurant. Instead, you can go to the local bazaar and pick up fresh made bread packets that have potatoes, spinich, meat, or other types of food in them. Though Coke products are commonly found everywhere, tea is also really popular, and can be served in various levels of ceremonies. While at the bazaar, you can purchase a variety of things, but let me describle what it's like to walk in to.
Imagine a farmer's market in the U.S., which lines of farmers in the center of four walks without a ceiling, so completely open air. All these people have goods laid out at separate, semi-permanent stands, all food goods, including whatever fruits and vegetables are in season. Each of them gesture or offer samples of the fruits and vegetables to passers by, in hopes that they will buy from that stand. This extends to booths with meat laid out (just pick which part of the animal you would prefer your cut from) to small refrigeration units with milk and chesses. There are people roaming through the narrow aisles, looking for the best vendor for what they're looking for.
The walls surrounding this market are filled with small shops that hawk everything from cameras to clothing to shoes, and the shop keepers invite you in. There are small stands that contain newspapers and books in Russian and Turkmen, and it seems one of the few places where the ever-present portraits of the Turkmen President are not in full display. Instead, this is a place of shop keepers and those who want to buy various products. There are colors everywhere, with machine made carpets draping second story railings, and the men and women in traditional dress with children darting through the crowd.
Another, very different place to buy food in this country is a relatively new store, Yimpas, (pronounced Im-pash) which is a Turkish department store that is three levels high, kind of like a mini-mall, with a restaurant on the top floor. Prices there, however, tend to be a little more expensive and some of the goods are not quite as fresh. I still like going there when I'm not in the mood to bargain or can't make it to the bazaar.
Hope this gives a glimpse into eating and shopping in Turkmenistan. It's never boring and the food is quite good!
Shahlik is very much like kabobs, but it can be any type of barbequed meat with marinade put on it. It is very good. The ground beef shashlik is probably my favorite, as it is basically like the kabobs I've had in the U.S. Most of the meat, chicken mainly, still has the bone on it, but it's no different than just always having the bone on in the U.S.
The food here uses a lot of produce, which is grown in the surrounding areas and is very fresh. The tomatoes are particularly excellent, which I'm told is due to the amount of sun that they receive. The cucumbers are also very popular, even put in the fried rice at the local Chinese restaurant, which made for an interesting flavor. The national dish of Turkmenistan is Plov. It is a rice dish which some form of meat mixed in along with onions and carrots. It has a very mild flavor, as some of the Turkmen have explained that they prefer using the natural seasonings found in the vegetables and meat. It does mean that is I want stronger spices, it can be a little more challenging to find.
I love the food here, generally, because it is so fresh. There is no such thing as a fast food restaurant. Instead, you can go to the local bazaar and pick up fresh made bread packets that have potatoes, spinich, meat, or other types of food in them. Though Coke products are commonly found everywhere, tea is also really popular, and can be served in various levels of ceremonies. While at the bazaar, you can purchase a variety of things, but let me describle what it's like to walk in to.
Imagine a farmer's market in the U.S., which lines of farmers in the center of four walks without a ceiling, so completely open air. All these people have goods laid out at separate, semi-permanent stands, all food goods, including whatever fruits and vegetables are in season. Each of them gesture or offer samples of the fruits and vegetables to passers by, in hopes that they will buy from that stand. This extends to booths with meat laid out (just pick which part of the animal you would prefer your cut from) to small refrigeration units with milk and chesses. There are people roaming through the narrow aisles, looking for the best vendor for what they're looking for.
The walls surrounding this market are filled with small shops that hawk everything from cameras to clothing to shoes, and the shop keepers invite you in. There are small stands that contain newspapers and books in Russian and Turkmen, and it seems one of the few places where the ever-present portraits of the Turkmen President are not in full display. Instead, this is a place of shop keepers and those who want to buy various products. There are colors everywhere, with machine made carpets draping second story railings, and the men and women in traditional dress with children darting through the crowd.
Another, very different place to buy food in this country is a relatively new store, Yimpas, (pronounced Im-pash) which is a Turkish department store that is three levels high, kind of like a mini-mall, with a restaurant on the top floor. Prices there, however, tend to be a little more expensive and some of the goods are not quite as fresh. I still like going there when I'm not in the mood to bargain or can't make it to the bazaar.
Hope this gives a glimpse into eating and shopping in Turkmenistan. It's never boring and the food is quite good!
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