Tajik Towns

Getting around the "Stans" isn't always easy as there aren't any buses and only private cars will go once they are full.

We caused a small argument when the driver that we had agreed to the day before couldn't leave due to lack of passengers, so when we returned tne next day another driver tried to pull us into his car, which resulted in a punch getting thrown and some pushing and shoving from the drivers. Luckily it was broken up quickly and we slipped into the car with our driver.

The towns that we visited during our time here were:

• Murgab - The first town from Osh, where we did a homestay with Gulnara's family.  Drove deep in the Pamirs to Shakthy to look at cavemen drawings of a buffalo hunt.
• Khorog - The heart of the GBAO with lots of Aga Khan NGO work going on and a young population with good universities.
• Ishkashim - Village town, had a chance to attend a Tajik wedding.
• Langar - On the drive stopped at Khakka and Yumchun Fortress, Vrang, Bibi Fatima Springs, and Abrashim Qala.
• Namadgut - Did a wonderful home stay with Bibimo and her father Ivan and family.
• Darst - Neighbouring village from Namadgut where we often took our daily walks.
• Varzob - Neighboring town from Dushanbe with nicer people and better scenery.
• Takob - Took a nice walk from Varzob to explore the mountains and the many waterfalls.
• Dushanbe - Capital of Tajikistan with lots of Soviet style monuments, expensive restaurants/hotels, and nothing too extraordinary.

Arrival into Tajikistan

The arrival into Tajikistan was emotional with almost dying on the Pamir Highway, getting stranded at the border for 5 days, almost getting tossed out at the border, and having to push one very old Soviet car across the ice.

The people of the Badakshan have to be some of the most hospitable and generous people we've met so far.  We were invited into people's homes, stayed with local families, attended a wedding, volunteered at a school, all for starters.

You go to Tajikistan for the scenery and it is breathtaking with Afghanistan just across the raging Panj River, which provides a natural barrier between the two countries and of course the mountains, which are the Pamirs, Alay, Tian Shan, and the Hindu Kush.

Scary Pamir Highway

The Pamir Highway is one of those road trips that you're supposed to do before you die. Its simply raw scenery at its most beautiful with towering mountains bordering Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and China. The road is one of the highest in the world with many passes exceeding 4,000 meters.

We are on this road to get from Kyrgyzstan to Tajikistan by way of Osh to Murgab. Our trip to leave for Tajikistan was a bit of a scramble as at the last moment our friends from Osh Guesthouse arranged a car for us to head out. The car didn't induce any confidence building as it was an old Volvo but with visas in hand and time expiring decided to take our chances.

The trip started out unassumingly enough, communicating with hand gestures and our broken Russian sharing the car with us, the driver, and his friend. The plan is to head to Sary Mogul spend a night with the drivers friends and then make the remainder of the journey to Murgab to avoid traveling at night. A few hours into the trip, heavy snow started to come down on a narrow pass shared with a few passing Chinese trucks. Our driver tried to pass one of these trucks and in his haste got the car stuck in snow. That wouldn't have been so bad had it not been for the low visibility, night time, and the fact that the truck that he tried to pass was pulling something big. As the truck went by, the last few feet ploughed into the car and our car went careening off the side of the mountain. Our lives flashed by and I didn't even realize that I was screaming.

Some good deed paid off and the car ran into a huge snow bank that stopped its fall. The truck kept going. We were now literally stuck in one of the remotest places on earth with heavy snow falling, darkness, and not a shovel in sight.

After trying to flag down a few trucks one did stop and with a rope tied to the front of the car, it was finally freed from the snow's grip.

The house at Sary Mogul was warm, had lots of blankets, and a bed prepared on the floor. We were served a delicious meal of fresh butter, nan, chai, and biscuits after which we turned in for the night with the sounds of the family nearby.