How long did the crossing take?
Well it depends what you count.
Do you count the walk in blazing sun of about 1 km? That separates Uzbekistan from Turkmenistan and there is no transport. Well there is if you count the man who suddenly appeared with a rusty trolley with sturdy frame and wide tyres [two] who offered to take all our bags for $USD 2:00 each, then increased it to $USD20 for the lot and finally reduced it to $USD 10:00. And off he went at a cracking pace.
But you walk.
Do you count the time filling in two forms with exactly the same information and both headed “welcome to Uzbekistan”. But you are departing.
And once you are over at the Turkmenistan side your passport is examined, passed through a window and you are sent outside a rather dilapidated building only to be called in about 10 minutes later, asked/told to stand in the corridor while the guide jumps between the window your passport went into, another window headed “bank” and a table further up the corridor where people are eating nuts, filling in the occasional form and sharing jokes.
And do you count the time spent watching the second person in the room through the window of which your passport went? With his back to you, you can watch over his shoulder as he plays a computer game. You can't however read the score.
And you remember back at the Uzbekistan border where a girl went into interview room, took a stringed musical instrument out of its case and played for all the customs personnel. Does that count?
And when you exit the Turkmenistan customs office you can watch one of the former nut eaters complete a form in duplicate stamp both many times, pass them to another former nut eater who also signs and stamps many times.
And finally the young soldier who asks to see the passport that disappeared through that window but has miraculously reappeared. He is clearly unsure whether he has seen you and your passport before so you have the option of suggesting to him that he has already seen you and it or you can assist him find whatever it is he is looking for in the passport. In either case it won't delay your entry into Turkmenistan.