Tour Turkmenistan with Koryo Tours

The temperature difference between Thailand (where I'm currently situated) and Beijing right now is 30 degree Centigrade. Enough said on that.

Speaking of countries that begin with T, our friends at Koryo Tours manage to find one forbidden and obscure country after the other. Wtih their bread and butter tours of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, aka North Korea) temporarily suspended due to fears of importing ebola, they have turned their attention to Turkmenistan.

The most limited of the Central Asian countries and former Soviet satellite states, Turkmenistan is "the least visited, least understood, but most fascinating" country in the region, Koryo says.

Highlights of the two trips set for 2015, in May and September, respectively, are the Darvaza Gas Crater (pictured above), also known as "The Door to Hell"; the city of Ashgabat, described as a cross between "Dubai, Pyongyang, and Las Vegas"; Silk Road cities that had the honor of being sacked by both Chinggis Khan and Timur/Tamerlane; and Yangykala Canyon, which rivals the Grand Canyon in some respects.

More information on that at Koryo Tours' website. One road flat safe, 'til Tuesday.

Photo: Nature Wallpapers