Turkmenvino is potent stuff. I bicycled south of the main city to visit the infamous row of hotels. It was about 90 in the shade and on a gradual incline all the way. One after the other, cheek by jowl, less than 20 rooms in any one of them and all nearly empty.
Houses of assignation is more like it.
I agreed but argued that they would still be losers since the same accommodations could be had at a more reasonable cost and that cross subsidies were a bad idea. This I had to say to an American. And of course, the oil and gas exports did not work out as planned. On the pleasant downhill trip back to the city, I investigated the dozens of fountains along Turkmenbashy Street. There they were, pouring, spurting, dripping and spraying water in the air.