More Trains

We took a train from Alma Ata to Shymkent. It was a classic Soviet first class, or „soft“ as they used to call it, two berth cabins, samovar at the end of the wagon, endless supply of tea, resto, ambulant service selling food, beer, water, soft drinks. From Shymkent a taxi to the border, walked across, took another taxi to Tashkent, train to Samarkand, then to Bukhara, taxi to the Farap border, walked across the Uzbekh border and then about 1 kilometre through a barbed wired corridor over to the Turkmen side. The temperature was 50° in the shade, we were not. A taxi to the Turkmenabad train station.
The night train to Ashgabat was crawling with cockroaches. It took an hour of fumigation to rid ourselves of the vermin. It was the first time during the trip that we encountered cockroaches. The train was different in many ways. There was no restaurant, there was no ambulant service, selling drinks and/or food. One could get tea from the wagon attendant and late in the evening he brought out bottles of vodka as well. Private enterprise. Otherwise uneventful. Price 12$.
Leaving Turkmenistan we took a taxi to the first check point on the Turkmen side, we had to wait for a minibus to take us the 25 km to the second checkpoint. There our passports were checked four times before we were allowed to proceed to Badgiran on the Iranian side. Smooth transition from Turkmenistan to the Islamic Republic and no regrets.
Travels in Iran differ from the rest of the trip, as most is done by car. The train from Mashhad to Yazd is undoubtedly the best train yet. Four berth cabins, but bigger then the ones we have traveled with so far. Plenty of head space, even with the upper berths down, broad corridors, broad berths, good linen and service. A first class night train. We were told by local people that it is the best train in Iran, made so by the government for pilgrims to Imam Rezas Mausoleum in Mashhad, the second most holy place in Islam after Mecca. I don‘t really care why it is good, I just enjoyed the fact that it is. The only train ride left is Tehran-Istanbul and I just hope it will be as smooth.
Cars.
THE car in Iran is Peugeot. I don‘t know why, but somehow the French car industry has made it‘s mark her. Renault and Citroen can be seen, usually old, but Peugeot is the CAR. Of course there are some BMW, Landcrusers and the occasional Porsche, but as exceptions from the rule. The rule is in imported cars is Peugeot.