Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away. --P B Shelley, "Ozymandias"
Not even a giant self-portrait in sculpture can assure immortality, as fans of the late president of Turkmenistan are discovering. Saparmurat Niyazov's reign as president for life abruptly ended in 2006 with his death, and now a 246-foot-tall tower with a rotating gold statue of him at the top is facing exile from the center of the capital city of Ashgabat, says Reuters.
The new president's rationale for moving the tower, known as the Arch of Neutrality, is that it belongs on Neutrality Avenue, in the south of the city. But it's hard not to see the symbolism of removing a very prominent statue of the man who called himself "Turkmenbashi," or "Leader of all Turkmen," marking the final chapter of his 21-year reign.
Last month we pointed you to Knife Tricks blogger Paul Karl Lukacs' report on Turkmenistan Airlines. The airline is/was subsidized by Turkmenbashi (Saparmurat Niyazov), Turkmenistan's nutjob dictator. As a result, most of its internal flights cost $10 or less for locals, and just $20 for foreigners, according to Lukacs.
Well, news just broke that Turkmenbashi bit the dust yesterday. What that means for travelers isn't entirely clear yet, but it could affect the cabin environments on Turkmenistan Airlines planes (which display framed photographs of Niyazov). The airport in Turkmenistan's capital of Ashgabat is named after him, as is most everything else in the country.
Air Koryo planes also carry pictures of their home country's leaders, though Kim Jong Il is no fan of flying. No word on how Turkmenbashi felt about aviation himself. Either way--good riddance, and here's to hoping Mugabe is next.
Knife Tricks blogger Paul Karl Lukacs is back from a whirlwind tour of Turkmenistan, and alive or at least in enough pieces to tell about it. He describes Turkmenistan Airlines as being "not as bad as advertisted," which is just the sort of compliment everyone loves to hear. Except Turkmenbashi, that is...he will crush you no matter what. Lukacs flew from Beijing to Ashgabat; TA's other international destinations include Bangkok, London and Dubai.
For those of you with a Tupolev phobia, a bit of comfort might come from knowing that Turkmenistan flies 757s, and 717s on its dirt-cheap domestic flights. But you might want to buy one of those USB fans, because there's this problem:
The planes weren't bad. The seats were maintained, and the cabins were clean. The same cannot be said of all Turkmen travellers, and avoiding an aromatic seatmate is key to a pleasant flight.
Yum. Lukacs goes on to describe highlights of the TA experience, including "standard" food, "unenthusiastic" flight attendants, "nonexistent" baggage limits, and of course, pictures of Turkmenbashi everywhere. Click through to Knife Tricks for the rest of his funny-yet-informative wrap-up.
0 Comments - Add Yours
by egw
