If underground swimming isn’t something you have experienced before, then I recommend you try it at least once. Whether Kow Ata encourages you to try again or not is an individual choice.
Just over an hour (or roughly 100km) from Ashgabat you will find Kow Ata, a subterranean lake with water temperatures in the mid 30’s. The site itself is probably a 20 minute drive from the main road. You do wonder if you are driving into the middle of nowhere. It is said locally the water in the lake has healing properties, I somehow believe these are just stories made to encourage people to visit & pay the extortionate entry fee (USD$15 per person). The lake itself is roughly 60 meters under the mountain, approached by a never ending slippery narrow concrete staircase. The deeper I went, the more the light faded & the smell of sulphur took over. The humidity rose & by the the time I reached the makeshift changing rooms I may as well have jumped into the lake fully clothed. Not to be deterred, I changed into a pair of swimming shorts & a t-shirt & made my way down some more steps to see the underground lake.
From what I could see in the dim light, the lake appeared to be about 40 meters long. It was probably much longer but a marker was across the lake to stop people going deeper into the cavern. There were people sitting around the edge chatting & some swimming. It was busy but not crowded. Using the steps & following some locals I ventured into the lake.
As I stepped into the water, a local offered to help me. Oblivious to the possible reason why, I just thanked him & assured him I would be fine. A few moments later & after one too many stares, it occurred to me why. I had worn a t-shirt & long board shorts so not to offend anyone (the Turkmen’s are predominantly Muslim) but I somehow completely forgot that many Muslim women don’t swim & I had very quickly become the centre of attention swimming in the warm water. To avoid too much attention I sat at the side of the lake on a rock for a short while, taking in the surroundings & enjoying how refreshing the warm water was from the humidity. The water was surprisingly clear.
Not knowing if I would ever have an opportunity any time soon to swim in an underground lake again, I decided to swim for a little longer & gradually make my way out of the lake. As soon as I stepped out of the water, the humidity hit me again. It was time to walk back up the steps & out of the cave.
To gauge an idea of how hot & humid the cave was, the outside temperature was around 45 degrees. As soon as I stepped outside, it was like walking on a cool breezy day in the UK in Spring (if only for a few minutes). It was then I felt like I had run a marathon. At the time I was unsure if it was the water in the lake, the humidity of the cave or the sudden change in temperatures but I found myself drinking 2 litres of ice cold water from one of the nearby vendors. Thankfully, very shortly I felt I was back on this planet.
Whilst I was swimming somewhere below the mountain, John was wandering around taking in the sights, some unexpected. The surrounding area is mainly mountainous but by the entrance to the lake is a car park with traders selling shashlik’s & drinks. There were also some rundown buildings which is where John probably had the biggest surprise of the trip so far. In a room in one of these buildings the doors were wide open & inside were a group of men playing instruments. What John didn’t expect was for the men to be completely naked! John quickly retreated to the cave entrance & waited at a Majilis for me to return.
Would I try underwater swimming again? Probably yes. Even though the smell of sulphur was strong, you soon don’t notice it & start to enjoy the actual experience. Would John go wandering around a mountain with run down buildings playing music again, probably not on his own 
Now to push on to the Gates to Hell
