Radio personality Randy Williams finally gained entry Turkmenistan — the final country on his mission to visit all 193 recognized nations in the world
When I last talked to Randy “R Dub” Williams, he was on a wait list to visit Turkmenistan, the Central Asian country that declared its independence in 1991 after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
After all, he is a radio programmer and radio DJ at Magic 92.5 and has a small radio syndication business as host of the syndicated show, “Sunday Night Slow Jams.” He signed up with several agencies. Finally, in March, one contacted him to say the travel ban had been lifted. They were letting him know first because they wanted him to stop bugging them to ask about it.The city, a landscape of glistening white marble buildings, was so clean even the black asphalt streets seemed polished. Only white, gold or silver vehicles are allowed to drive in the capital and dirty cars are forbidden, adding to the Disneylandesque aura.
Seventy percent of Turkmenistan, which sits on one of the largest natural gas deposits in the world, is desert. One of its biggest attractions is a hole in the desert that won’t stop burning. The Darvaza gas crater has been nicknamed the “Door to Hell” and the “Gates of Hell.” He wrote a book titled “Ruhnama” and, in addition to mandating that it be required reading in schools, launched a copy into space to continually orbit Earth.
It was a Central Asian rendition of a Norman Rockwell painting. There were no tattoos, body piercings or pink hair, and no one was talking on a mobile phone or taking selfies.
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