Teheran - Turkmen border route

Hi,

in summer 2006 it took me one day from Mashad to Ashgabat via the closest crossing near Ashgabat, I guess it was Bajgıran. I arrived with the night bus from Yazd, visited the mosque and left afterwards. Transport was first in a bus, then two cars. Travelling was easy, the crossing took a while, as a bus had to come up from the valley to pick me up.
I stayed in one of the recommended hotels, can´t remember the name and don´t have the guide around, but it was one of the worst hotels ever, maybe if you post the names I´ll remember.
I had a transit visa as well and went to Merv and then to Bukhara and had to "go back" to Chiwa. Merv wasn´t worth it, I would head to Urgench instead.

Enjoy your trip.

hi siel, check your pm pls. thanks d.

So this is what I finally did for the first part from Teheran via Sari to Mashad:
- train from Tehran to Sari leaves at 8.30 daily, takes 7 to 8 hrs, nice scenery. Make sure you are at the station a little in advance as you have to go through passport control.
- Taxi to Istgah Gorgan in Sari, continued to Gorgan by shared taxi 25.000 (2hrs)
- Gorgan: mosaferkuneh Pars (after Razi, with showers in the rooms, refused me). 100.000 for a very basic room with 2 hard beds (if you combine both beddings sleeping is not entirely impossible), 3 toilets and 1 shower shared between more than 20 rooms. To be avoided. If I would do it again I would rather stay in Sari and only change transport in Gorgan.,
- The next morning I took a shared taxi to Istgah Gonbad in Gorgan (1000), from there a shared taxi to Gonbad (10.000), again a shared taxi (2000) from the drop-off point to the Mil-e-Gonbad (3000 - worth it if you like architecture, incredible how intact it still is). The men at the ticket booth kindly watched my luggage while I visited the tower and around. I found Gonbad a town with a nice and relaxed atmosphere, lots of Turkmen women in colourful dresses.
- Getting from there to Bojnurd was less obvious: I took a taxi to Istgah Bojnurd (5000) to discover there was only one direct bus at 8 in the evening. So I took a private taxi to Minudasht (30.000) and a savari to Bojnurd from there (100.000 but this guy really overcharged me, should be rather 60.000). I don’t remember the exact timing but I left Gonbad around noon to arrive in Bojnurd between 3 and 4pm – and that includes waiting time for the savari to fill.
- Bojnurd: Guesthouse, nice ensuite (squat) twin for 150.000 + 10.000 for breakfast, friendly staff but little English is spoken. There is a restaurant as well. Do contact Ali from TT if you are around, he will be happy to invite you to his English class and he and his colleagues are great company.
- 2 days later I took a savari from Bojnurd to Mashad for 60.000 (+-3hrs). The taxiride to Vali’s place was another 25.000.

Will comment on the part from Mashad to the border later on. A Japanese girl that left from here this morning paid 25US$ for a private taxi from Vali’s place to Bajgiran, leaving at 6.30 to make sure to arrive in Ashgabat before dark.

S