While there has been an expansion of modern supermarkets in the capital, the majority of the population still depends on the bazaar to do their shopping. And you will too.

They are a vibrant affair abound with colourful turkmen women smiling full sets of gold teeth. Tables spread with vegetables, fruits and nuts; boxes and tubs brimming bulk dry goods with basically anything from sweets and biscuits to pasta and instant coffee. The bakery section is to die for after a few cycling days in the desert!

Outside of the bigger cities, you won't find anything much besides the small local shop, so it is best to stock up when you can.

Turkmenistan cuisine is similar to that of other Central Asia countries and while they use plenty of rice and vegetables the flavouring of the meal heavily relies on the meat component. There are very few traditional dishes that will be suitable for vegetarians, so be prepared to self cater. In fact the concept of not eating meat is not really understood at all.

Meals quite often start with chorba: a soup from meat and vegetables. Plov is the national dish and while the carrrot, raisin, pea, quince and spice elements sound great, the mutton bit does not. This doesn't leave much over for the non-meat eating person.