Trajik Air

To say I wasn't looking forward to this flight is a bit of an understatement. I'm typing this on the folding down seat table which is both broken and uncompromising in its dislike of fat people. My iPad is skidding towards me with the constant vibration of the terrifying propellor blade that is in perfect line with my face and all things being equal, I'd rather be on the ground.

That said, the service is great and the food (a quarter of a roast chicken) was actually quite nice and much better than some airlines I could mention. I've a sneaky suspicion that the 6' 5" steward prefers larger aircraft but watching him try to traverse the plane whilst holding trays of food is better than the inflight movie which, as you might imagine, doesn't really exist.

The view outside is phenomenal and since writing this I've passed over the Fan mountains, skirted Khojand and now seem to be turning towards Kyrgyzstan and my destination Bishkek. My friends Simon & Linda are already there having flown from Tashkent 3 days ago and we've promised to meet up and find a way to celebrate bonfire night without getting deported. 

I'm so behind on documenting this trip that I'm not sure how to approach it but so far I've wandered around the marble clad spotless streets of Ashgabat, been chased by Turkmen Militsia, stood at the edge of the Dvarza gas crater, walked across no-mans land on both sides of Uzbekistan and driven through the tunnel of death. I've suffered from pulled muscles, fatigue, exhaustion, a cough & cold and yes, the shits, but it's been worth every second. Low points include losing my iPhone and rushed goodbyes to new friends but on the whole, every day has had it's own special memories.