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A man who is on a mission to visit every country on the planet has revealed what “the strangest place on Earth” is like.
Chris, who goes by the username Authentic Traveling, has been documenting his progress online as he continues to travel around the world.
Most recently, he visited Turkmenistan, which is his 159th country to date, leaving him only 56 to explore.
The content creator, who has amassed more than 717,000 followers on Instagram, discussed some of his strange findings, including that the internet is banned and that driving dirty cars is a crime.
Chris, whose username is Authentic Traveling, has been documenting his progress online as he continues to travel around the world.
Chris toured the deserted scene as he visited the monuments and attractions of Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan.
Exploring the space, Chris observed, “To call this place strange is an understatement. The capital is full of grandiose and utilitarian monuments and practically devoid of people.
The explorer explained: ‘The country was recently opened to tourism after being completely closed since 2020’
In his clip, which he uploaded to Instagram last week, Chris began: “This is what it’s like to travel to the strangest country on Earth.
“I’m going to Turkmenistan, an isolated, landlocked country in Central Asia.”
He continued: ‘The first thing you need to understand is that there is no Internet here. Basically all websites are banned and I had to tell people I wouldn’t be in touch for my entire trip.’
Chris later clarified that although “the Internet” technically exists, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, news sites, and even airline websites for booking tickets out of the country are completely banned.
He said citizens often use VPNs in an attempt to circumvent the ban, but these are periodically shut down.
The explorer also explained: “You cannot travel here without a pre-approved visa and a pre-arranged tour guide throughout your stay.”
“In fact, the country recently opened to tourism after being completely closed since 2020.”
Chris toured the deserted scene as he visited the monuments and attractions of Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan.
The content creator, who has amassed more than 717,000 followers on Instagram, opened up about some of his strange finds.
Chris said that although ‘the internet’ technically exists, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, news sites and even airline websites for booking tickets out of the country are completely banned.
Exploring the space, Chris observed, “To call this place strange is an understatement.
‘The capital is full of grandiose and utilitarian monuments and practically deserted of people.
‘There is an eerie feeling when visiting these buildings with dozens of empty shops inside, almost like a ghost town.
“I felt like something was wrong and couldn’t tell exactly what it was.”
He reflected on his findings and said: ‘The government of Turkmenistan has used its vast wealth of resources to construct these buildings, but it is clear that the majority of the population lives a significantly lower quality of life.
“It seems like they want to impress the world with these monuments, but for a country that averages only 25 international visitors a day, you wonder who they are really for.”
In the caption of one of his videos, he noted that he had “many questions” about the way of life in the country, but admitted that he “didn’t feel comfortable” asking them among the locals.
“Virtually everyone who visits notices a strange lack of people around all the monuments and government-built apartment buildings, but the truth is that most people live in poorer, older Soviet-era apartment buildings in a different part of the city,” he wrote.
‘Why are government workers given such luxurious apartments that they never seem to visit and the rest of the country lives a much lower quality of life?’
“I had a lot of questions, but I definitely didn’t feel comfortable asking them in Turkmenistan.”
He also added: “Ashgabat is known as the city of marble and every car has to be white or silver and it is a crime to drive a dirty car in the city.”
However, one of the places he enjoyed visiting was the “gates to hell”, a gas crater that has been burning continuously since 1969.
While driving down one of the city streets, Chris also pointed out something incredibly strange about the variety of vehicles on the road: he revealed the strange reason why every car he saw was white or silver, and also shiny.
“Ashgabat is known as the city of marble and every car has to be white or silver and it is a crime to drive a dirty car in the city,” he said.
However, one of the places he enjoyed visiting was the “gates to hell”, a gas crater that has been burning continuously since 1969.
‘It’s incredible, it’s very hot. You can feel these massive heat waves coming. Sometimes the wind blows it away and makes your face incredibly hot.
“It’s absolutely amazing to come here and see this really cool natural wonder.”
Chris concluded: “This is without a doubt the strangest trip I’ve ever been on.”
Formerly under Soviet rule, Turkmenistan remains one of the least visited countries in the world.
More than half of the population is under 30 years old due to the high birth rate that in the decades after independence caused a demographic boom.
Its economy, 70 percent desert, is based on cotton cultivation and the extraction of oil and natural gas.