ALMATY - Beset by economic hardship, enterprising Turkmens have found a way to supplement their incomes - smuggling towels and bed linen into neighboring Kazakhstan.
Dressed in traditional Central Asian garb such as headscarves and long skirts, these women arrive on almost every flight from Ashgabat to Almaty, Kazakhstan’s biggest city. Turkmenistan, where president Kurbanguly Berdimukhamedov rules with an elaborate personality cult, is one of the world’s most closed countries.
“My daughter trades at a bazaar and I bring her goods little by little... which I buy from our stores,” said a Turkmen woman picking up bags from the luggage belt in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s commercial hub. “There were parcels weighing over 50-60 kilograms each,” said Marina Zabara, a complaints inspector at the airport.
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It's like the 'Cuban Hat Trick' The communist government of Cuba had huge restrictions on goods being brought in by tourists, but not the clothing they wore. So, people visiting family would wear 4 or 5 shirts and oddly enough several hats, one right on top of the other!
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Source: MarketWatch - 🏆 3. / 97 Read more »