how to fake being a local in ashgabat without looking stupid

woke up at 6am after 48 hours of playing host to a travel group. ashgabat’s sun looks angry. they ask if the city is ‘like a movie set.’ i say, watch your step. then i panic. my suitcase’s full of hiking boots. ashgabat’s a desert masquerade. it’s not madrid. it’s not dubai. it’s a glittering mirage built on soviet rubble. here’s how to not look like a tourist. or a lunatic.

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