I Visited The Strangest Country On Earth
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The video starts off with Bald explaining that, 35 years after witnessing the collapse of the USSR, he is finally visiting his 15th and last former Soviet republic: Turkmenistan. He begins in Uzbekistan with his friend Joe, heads toward the border, jokes about how little they know about the itinerary, and talks about needing to travel as “regular tourists” because Turkmenistan is strict about journalists and YouTubers. After crossing in, they meet their guide and driver, stop at a surprisingly nice supermarket/coffee shop, pass through Dashoguz, visit a park with a statue of Turkmenbashi, and continue through the desert toward Darvaza.
Then he visits the Darvaza Gas Crater, the “Gates of Hell,” before spending the night in the desert and continuing toward Ashgabat. Along the way, he stops in Erbent, visits an old Soviet memorial, chats with friendly locals, buys snacks, and contrasts the poor rural villages with Ashgabat’s strange white-marble grandeur. In the capital, he checks out giant monuments, a presidential museum area, a massive indoor Ferris wheel, a local shopping center, and a pub where he meets locals and a Russian man named Sasha. The video ends with Bald reflecting that Turkmenistan may be run by an eccentric, controlling government, but the ordinary people he met were friendly, relaxed, and just trying to live their lives.
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5 timestamped locationsDashoguz is a northern Turkmenistan city near the Uzbek border, known as a gateway to the ancient ruins of Konye-Urgench. Surrounded by desert and agricultural land, it offers travelers a quieter look at everyday Turkmen life while sitting close to one of the region’s most important Silk Road heritage sites.
Darvaza Gas Crater, often called the “Gates of Hell,” is a flaming natural-gas crater in Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert. Formed after a Soviet-era drilling accident, the crater has burned for decades, glowing brightest at night and drawing travelers to one of Central Asia’s most surreal desert landmarks.
In: Derweze
Ashgabat is Turkmenistan’s capital, known for its striking white-marble architecture, broad avenues, and monumental public spaces. Set between the Karakum Desert and the Kopet Dag mountains, the city feels both grand and unusual, offering a polished contrast to the country’s remote desert villages and ancient Silk Road sites.
Erbent is a small desert village in central Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert, often visited along the route between Ashgabat and Darvaza. Known for its yurts, camel herding, and wide-open desert scenery, it gives travelers a glimpse of rural Turkmen life far from the capital’s marble avenues and monuments.
Hotel Mizan is a polished hotel in Ashgabat, offering a comfortable base for exploring Turkmenistan’s capital. With its formal architecture, quiet atmosphere, and convenient city setting, it fits the capital’s orderly, marble-lined feel while giving travelers a more relaxed place to stay.
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