Admittedly one of the strangest hikes I’ve ever done - Ashgabat’s “Walk of Health” is a 37 kilometer concrete staircase in the Kopet Dag Mountains on the Türkmenistan/Iran border built by former President Suparmurat Niyazov in order to improve the health of his citizens. On this hot May day I opted for the shorter 10K trail - which happened to be strewn with gold plated, life-sized animals that would have once been found in these mountains. Niyazov ordered his ministers and Parliament to hike the entirety of the long trail once a year. Ironically, he never hiked the trail himself. #hiking #turkmenistan #ashgabat #walkofhealth #