After Eight. Ashgabat

Viva Las Vegas, sang Elvis, and a lot of folks wax lyrical and have likened Ashgabat to Vegas; well it isn't to be honest, walking the strip in Vegas was far more illuminating, bright, hectic dazzling with plenty of them street gals. (though they may have disappeared in the last 20 years).

It was bordering on being a boring night trip around the city; not just because there was a distinct lack of dancing girls but everything was spread out. The trip was crammed into just over half an hour and only saw a couple of things close up, most of the time was taken up being on said fucking bus.

There is always a positive though, in this case , back in the bar by 9pm imbibng the local beer and the weird experience of an amateur stand up comedy evening. Well everyone else was laughing except me, I didn't scowl either. Just my resting face.

Alem Cultural and Entertainment Center, the big wheel we visited during the daylight hours. Even more spectacular lit up

The Wedding Palace is a unique 11-story building topped by a large, 100ft diameter globe representing the Earth inside an eight-pointed star.

It serves as a civil registry building with ceremonial halls for marriages and was inaugurated in 2011. Some of the halls that can hold up to 1,000 guests at once.

Unique to the Wedding Palace, it is mandatory for couples marrying here to have their photo taken in front of a portrait of the President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow.

The Ashgabat Shopping and Entertainment Center set in landscaped gardens has 240 different shops and stores, complete with underground parking and garage servicing facilities and a car was for all those sparkling white cars. There are also gyms, beauty parlours hairdressers and gaming zones

Skylines with lots of stuff

The teardrop shaped Yyldyz Hotel we looked at in daylight

The Turkmenistan Tower, looking down at all before it.

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