I've had the pleasure of spending 2 weeks in Turkmenistan very recently (work related) and it is actually not that bad. Providing of course you avoid the police, get off the streets by 11pm, only drink in the 3 bars that exist for us non-Turkmenistan nationals in the capital, and of course don't dare to take photos of anything if there is a police office/soldier near by. Just getting in and out of the country is an education - show your passport to 18 different people within the space of 150mtrs! And that was leaving!!!!