Tajikistan – The land
of mountains and snow cap peaks
A chance to go to Tajikistan arose after speaking to a couple
of travellers - Suly and Am from Malaysia. I applied for the e-visa which took
two days to arrive at a cost of 50 dollars and 20 for the extra GBAO
(Badakhshan area which has been nicknamed the roof of the world since three of
the four highest peaks of the former soviet union are located here). After much negotiation with the three guest
houses in Osh we found two other travellers (Matt and George from Berlin /Austria)
and managed to arrange a 6 day tour through the Pamir Mountains and Wakhan
Valley ($800 for Toyota Land cruiser and driver). The scenery varied throughout
the journey which along with the people was the focus for the trip. The weather
on the first day leaving Kyrgyzstan was snow but once past the border this
changed to blue skies.
Day 1 We first
visited a small shop to stock up on snacks and water since Tajikistan is much
more expensive than Kyrgyzstan. Then in the rain we visited Osh Animal Market
Me buying a horse (for the camera)
Local wearing the traditional felt hat
Me buying a cow (well at least for the photo)
Next to Sary Tash to acclimatize with a temperature down to
-5 and a height of 2339 metres. We spent the night by Karakul Lake which although
very windy was a lovely very blue.
Cooker / heater that was in our guesthouse
Dinner yak and potato
Bread oven
Guesthouse owners - both in their early 50's
Local bricks used for house building
Day 2 Karakul to
Murgab
Our journey took us over the Ak Baital Pass, 4655 metres
high. The only effect was when we got out of the car and tried to run down the
road, then you knew about it!
We stopped at the top of the pass for the driver to change a
tyre which had got a 2 inch nail lodged in it.
Our final night destination was Murgab one of the main towns
on route where we took a walk over the sandy hills .
Later visited the Bazaar which was a series of containers
each selling different items many were sourced from China. Money changing was
also best carried out at the Bazaar for a better rate than the bank!
Our group
Bazaar selling out of containers
Two boys selling sweets in the bazaar
View of the container market.
This was one stall! not sure how they made money from this
Day 3 Murgab via
Bulunkul Lake to Langar
This morning we found out that we were switching drivers,
our new one seemed more easy going. Both spoke ok English so that we could
communicate with them. Our first driver studied policing at university, when he
found a job he only earned 200 dollars a month so gave it up to become a tourist
driver which paid much more. Tajikistan is one of the poorest countries in the
world. Jobs for men are either Drivers, Military, Shepherds or Farmers. Others
work in neighbouring countries such as Kazakhstan which is much richer. Many
men seem not to have a job and can be found in the local bazaar.
Our first stop was to a cheese and yoghurt maker so that the driver could buy and we could sample the freshly made Yak products which were delicious and had a strong taste from the yak.
Children at the yoghurt maker
Georg eating cherry flavoured yoghurt
Shepherd on his mobile!
One way to transport sheep
Later we visited the Bulunkul which is a beautiful blue lake within the Taji national park. It has been described as the coldest place in Tajikistan. The surrounding slopes are ochre in colour and to me look like jasper.
Nearby we also drove past salt lake although this is not harvested.
Our final destination was to Langar on route we passed
through the Pamir mountain range to the Wakhan valley which overlooks the snowy
peaks of the Hindu Kush mountain range which borders onto Afghanistan and
Pakistan.
Day 4 Trekking in
Langar
We decided to amend our route so we could spend a day
trekking in the Wakhan valley our destination was a view of both Karl Marx and
Engle Peaks. We hired a guide to take us on the 4 hour each way walk. We passed
Petroglyphs including one of a horse caravan.
our final destination
Day 5 Bibi Fatima
hot springs , YamChun to Ishakshim
An early morning visit to the hot springs started our day.
Men and woman separate so I enjoy my bath with a local woman. The water was
around 42 degrees which was cooled slightly by the holes in the ceiling to let
the sun rays in. The pool I was in had beautiful calcite formations which are
believed to be womb like shapes and boost fertility.
Next was a brief photo stop at YamChun Fort which was one of
the original stops on the silk road.
After a hair raising driving experience from our rally
driving driver we arrived just before mid day to Ishkashim. The guesthouse
owner wasn’t there so we had to wait and drink Tea. Eventually our driver
called and she was also a teacher and was in class. After a picnic lunch of
some of our snacks bought in Kyrgyzstan we went for a walk around the town.
We first came across a group of schoolgirls all wearing cute
hair accessories which are common place on schoolgirls.
Then to a celebration taking place for a group of men who
were joining the military. I got asked to dance by one of the locals and with
the help of a local woman who I watched her movements like a hawk took to the
floor much to everyone else’s amusement.
Not long after a student started chatting to us and took us
on a guided tour of the village, first to a local shop where I bought locally
grown apples and delicious pears. Then to buy sweets. We later walked near the
river which on the other side is Afghanistan. Very little movement including from
the small airstrip just the other side of the river could be seen. We had been
warned that tourists are not allowed to go anywhere near the river and had to
stay beyond a house and military site.
My Whats App number has gone back to +447894080677