Tajikistan
From Samarkand in Uzbekistan I crossed to Penjikent and went to the Fan Mountains for a few days staying with a local Tajik family there. The scenery was really nice and the homestay was really relaxed and comfortable… with apricot trees growing around the house, so very fresh fruit every day!
From there to the pleasant but not inspiring capital of Dushanbe, where I tried to get a Chinese visa… no joy so on to Khorog in the middle of the country and at the start of the Pamir region. The drive took us along the border with Afghanistan with some good views of Afgan villages across the river.
From Khorog I made a trip up to the lovely Geisev Valley and then a tour of the Wakhan Valley – a beautiful part of the country with small villages, remnants old forts, and great natural hot springs. We were also lucky to be in Ishkashim on a Saturday so could go to the Afghan market…. Most Saturdays there is a market that takes place in the no-mans-land between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. You technically leave Tajikistan, handing over your passport at the border gate (of the bridge crossing the river to Afghanistan), cross the bridge and enter the market. You can stay for the duration of the market then head back across the bridge and (hopefully!) retrieve your passport and re-enter Tajikistan – no stamps required. The produce is nothing special (except the Afghan hats!) but it’s interesting to meet the Afghan people and see their traditional wear etc. The dramatic mountain backdrop makes for an extra special experience. This was the highlight of the Wakhan valley for me.
Finally on to Murgab… a fairly edgy town with a tough feel to it. It sits at about 3,600 metres and has no piped drinking water (all trucked in to the town), but the scenery is fairly dramatic and the drive out to Kyrgyzstan is pretty special.
I’m currently sitting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan wondering how I can get a Chinese visa … I’m still hopeful, but if it doesn’t work out I could be taking a random plane journey to somewhere else….
