Crossing the Caspian Sea to Turkmenistan wasn’t included in our original plans.
We had initially wanted to go through Iran. Sadly the time we would have had there would have been short & by the time we added the cost of the Carnet du Passage, the guide & staying in hotels along with a fixed date to cross into Iran it all seemed a bit hurried & expensive. There were only two other options; drive around the Caspian through Russia (which meant a multiple entry business visa for Russia) or go across the Caspian Sea from Azerbaijan.
We boarded the ferry around 10pm & the cars were eventually allowed on around 2am. By the time the cars were loaded, the gangway had been raised above the shore. Poor John & another rallier had to climb up the side of the boat to reach the steps so they could get back on-board. From all accounts it was quite a funny sight.
We weren’t entirely sure what time we would be leaving Baku but as we were both tired we headed to the cabin & caught up on some much needed sleep. We half expected to wake up in the morning & be somewhere across the Caspian Sea. Alas, when we woke we were still at the port. Would we ever leave Baku?
We eventually set sail around 10am.
The crossing timings appeared to be a bit of a lottery. Research had led us to believe the crossing could be anything from 10 hours to 5 days. It all depended on the ferry & the ports. If a ferry was allowed to dock upon arrival at the destination then we could be lucky & be in Turkmenistan this evening. Fingers crossed.
The ferry & our cabin was great. The added benefit of the en-suite with a shower made the long crossing even more comfortable. The ferry was full of Turkmen’s going home or truck drivers taking their goods to many destinations across Central Asia. All of whom were friendly & happy to chat.
The crossing took around 9.5 hours & we arrived at Turkmenbashi in darkness with no idea of what to expect. We were all told to wait in the reception area of the ferry until we were told we could go down to the cargo decks. It took a while but soon we were being ushered across the top deck & down some stairs to a deck full of trucks & trailers.
The trucks & cars sit on 2 levels below the main deck. The lower cargo deck where Minty had been put is not accessible until most of the upper cargo deck has been emptied. The unloading of the trucks took a few hours due to a trailer getting stuck right next to the opening for the lower cargo deck & other trucks not being able to get past. It was fascinating to watch the skill of the truck drivers get the 40ft trailers out with gaps of less than a few inches either side of them. We are not entirely sure of the contents of some of the trailers but rumours were rife that a number were carrying American supplied armoury to Afghanistan. At least nothing went bang on the ferry!
Nearly 3 hours later we were reunited with Minty. We were finally entering Central Asia & one of the most repressive & secretive countries in the world.
