It was time to leave the white city of Ashgabat and head deeper into Turkmenistan. Our destination was Mary (pronounced Mahree). Althoughit is a sizable town there is not much in Mary itself. It is more of a commercial centre. However a visit to the local market provided an insight to local life. The stall holders were happy to engage with us, let us sample their wares and hopefully make a sale. So far the Turkmen hospitality has been front and centre. They are happy to stop and make conversation, requests for photos are numerous and where help is required they are more than obliging to do so. Language does not seem to be a barrier. A pleasant walk home after dinner again put on full display their fascination with illuminating everything they possibly can.

The following morning it became clear that it was my turn to experience "the bug" that seemed to be working its way through our group. But more of that later. Today was going to be a long one on the road as we crossed into Uzbekistan, but first stop was Merv. This city was a centre of power on the Silk Road in the 11th & 12th centuries. Very little remains of it today but those structures that remain are impressive, and fortunately Jabba our guide was able to provide a vivid picture of how the city looked and functioned. It was a memorable last stop in Turkmenistan before we headed north to the Uzbek city of Bukhara.