Visa for Turkmenistan

The complications of arranging my trip along the Western part of the Silk Route are gradually disappearing. The difficulties I suffered in July are behind me and the original routing through Turkmenistan and Iran is possible again.
My application for a Turkmenistan visa is now in the Embassy for processing and I am keeping my fingers crossed that everything proceeds smoothly.
I'm beginning to look forward to arriving in Ashgabat and starting my journey. The weather should be pretty good and much better than what I would have experienced on my original schedule for July, the Lonely Planet reckon that only the insane or deeply unfortunate find themselves in Ashgabat in July and August, when the temperature can push 50°C.