Tajikistan Travel Blogs

It's unlikely ever to get better than this
Sep 25, 2009 (10 photos)

I speak to Subar, my friendly and helpful homestay host, about registration and return to the OVIR office. It's closed until 11.00. I read another bit of the LP and interpreted it that I can register in Murgab but get no stamp but then must register ...

Crossing Tajikistan
Aug 18, 2006 (23 photos)

... every afternoon. Some sections of the road were damaged, and we had to travel across the riverbed. Throughout my travel in Tajikistan, I was travelling in a UAZ (YA3 in Russian) - a very basic Russian jeep. There are not seatbelts. There are no ...

Dushanbe
Oct 1, 2009

I'm away early and enjoy the rest ride to Dushanbe. I book into the Vakhsh Hotel which, the LP solemnly informs me, was occupied by bearded mujaheddin rebels during the civil war. Perhaps that is why the president is busy issuing edicts! I spend the ...

The mysteries of the internet
Oct 2, 2009

I couldn't update the blog yesterday from my laptop but the helpful owner of the internet cafe said if I got a USB cable I could transfer the data through their computer so off I wander to find a USB to USB cable. In Dushanbe? On my tour meet a ...

Second Stop: Tajikistan
May 10, 2007

I've never even dreamed of visiting Tajikistan, but hey, while I'm over that way...I have a very dynamic, and super-intelligent, friend I met through church, Chris Whitsel, who is actually studying in Tajikistan.  Chris is doing his PhD through IU ...

Never ask a local the way
Sep 23, 2009 (8 photos)

 Never ask a local the way... ...essentially because they want to be helpful. I spend an unprofitable morning going backwards and forwards along what turns out to be the road to Dushanbe being variously told yes, this is the way, no it's back to ...

Got my visa
May 21, 2008 (38 photos)

... $10 fuer ein ziemlich schlechtes Dormitory:-) Der Lada Niva verfuegte natuerlich auch ueber ein Videosystem, die Musik hier in Tajikistan gefaellt mir nicht besonders (habe jetzt so zehnmal "Mustafa, Mustafa" gehoert und mein Jeepfahrer auf dem Pamir Hwy ...

3 Cultures, 3 Languages, 3 Beautiful Countries!
May 27, 2007

... .  I then made my way to Ukraine, and it was so nice to meet up with the group.  Chris took great care of me in Tajikistan, then Istanbul I was alone.  We now Vera to help us all along the way.  Vera met Susan, the director of our post- ...

Hissar
May 21, 2008 (13 photos)

Salam, ich habe heute nachmittag noch einen Ausflug nach Hissar, 30km von Dushanbe entfernt, gemacht. Dort gibt es die Ueberbleibsel eines Forts aus dem 18 Jahrhundert und wurde 1924 von der Roten Armee zerstoert um einen lokalen Warlord zu besiegen. ...

First Days
Nov 15, 2006 (4 photos)

... for lack of a proper visa. But at 4 AM on Friday morning I arrived at the airport in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. I immediately met Angela, also a new ACTED employee, and we started our 2.5 hr push to the little booth housing the one man issuing ...

Finished my trip
May 19, 2008 (49 photos)

... , ueber diese Grenze kommen ja die meisten Drogen (Afghanistan ist ja der groesste Opiumproduzent der Erde). Tajikistan ist der drittgroesste Beschlagnahmer von Opium, aber ich nehme an, dass der Drogenschmuggel dennoch ganz gut zum BSP ...

Here Comes Winter
Dec 4, 2006 (19 photos)

Wow, the last week really flew by. Last Saturday I attended a Tajik concert, traditional music from the Pamir mountains where a group of 5 musicians played on their handmade instruments. People in the seats got up to start dancing the traditional ...

Betreten der Baustelle verboten
Aug 26, 2007 (6 photos)

... sich uns der Blick ueber einen tuerkisen Gebirgssee in die gewaltigen Fan-Berge, der zweiten groszen Gebirgskette in Tajikistan und entschaedigt fuer die Hoellenfahrt der letzten Nacht. Der weitere Tag, nachdem wir noch kurz einen gewaltigen Wasserfall ...

Leaving Tajikistan
May 22, 2008 (8 photos)

... gar Pausen, weil gerade gearbeitet wird...). Dafuer ist die Strasse auch nicht ganz so spektakulaer wie die Strassen bisher in Tajikistan, auch wenn sie auch nicht haesslich ist:-) Am spannendsten war noch der Tunnel auf dem 3300m Pass, fast 10km, noch ...

Looking at some of the best scenery in the world
Sep 29, 2009 (23 photos)

It's a strange life being on the road, making new friendships and then parting almost immediately. I feel as though I put down a few roots when I stay in a place I like only to pull them up a fewdys later. I feel a sense of loss. As we say our goodbyes ...

Tajikistan, country 117
May 15, 2008 (55 photos)

Salam Aleikum, und viele Gruesse aus Tajikistan, Land 117 auf meiner Liste. Mein Fahrer sollte urspruenglich ja um 7:00 am Hotel erscheinen, um 8:00 begann ich mir sorgen zu machen und um 8:30 habe ich nach einem Telefon Ausschau gehalten (die machen ...

Karakoram Highway-Ghez River***
Aug 31, 2007 (45 photos)

Karakoram Highway-Ghez River

Shir Khan border - boat crossing into Tajikistan
Sep 16, 2006

Boat trip into Tajikistan... met some afghanis that study in Dushanbe - fortunately one of them spoke english and I was able to share a 3 hour taxi with them into the capital. the most exciting part of the journey was not the scenery, but the "pit ...

Buzkashi!!!!
Jan 2, 2007 (15 photos)

... there were concerts going on all night and huge fireworks display at midnight. Unfortunatley fireworks are EXTREMELY popular in Tajikistan, and they are sold everywhere for New Years, and everyone has firecrackers and roman candles that they are shooting ...

Cold, snowy Murgab
Sep 25, 2006

Beautiful drive from Khorog today... maybe 5 hours... the first part of the drive was through the Gunt valley, passing two salt lakes. Finally we went up switchback after switchback to get some altitude for the drive into Murgab (12,000 feet) Murgab is ...

The Pamir Highway
May 16, 2008 (51 photos)

... vertraut haben, puenktlich in Osh zu sein). Als das erledigt war, mussten wir uns bei der Polizei registrieren, hier in Tajikistan ist leider die sowjetische Buerokratie noch voll dabei (wenn auch das Land es geschafft hat innerhalb von 10 Jahren zu den ...

Shakhdara Valley - Wakhan loop
Sep 21, 2006

... the 120 liters of fuel we needed to start the loop route through the wakhan corridor - the bottom of the GBAO region of tajikistan where the country is seperated from Afghanistan by a small river. Since we left late, we did the loop backwards, and would ...

Enjoying a nice Tajik winter...
Feb 13, 2007 (14 photos)

so...I have not written forever.  So I am going back in time to give you an entry from February.  After Afghanistan, I was unfortunately stuck in Dushanbe for a few weeks, basically for meetings with bosses.  But I did have some time to do ...

Khorog
Sep 26, 2009 (6 photos)

The Pamir Lodge was full yesterday when I arrived so I booked into a peaceful and comfortable homestay across the road run by Laalmo Mubarakkadamova. Not having experienced what seemed to be the hustle and bustle of the Pamit Lodge where every backer ...

Yak Meadows and the Aksu Valley
Sep 26, 2006

Hired a jeep and drove south past Tokhtamysh, following a river for most of the way. As we got close to the Chinese border we saw lots of Yaks and Yurts - making for great pictures against the big mountains. even the dark clay road itself was photographic ...

M41 claims yet another victim
Sep 30, 2009 (10 photos)

I have a discussion with the bike to try and sort out the front brake. I prevail but in a fit of pique she blows a bulb. That I can live with together with the usual sidestand switch fault and gearl level indicator fault. That's just normal for BMWs isn ...

Making the best of my time, thus far!
May 21, 2007

What a whirlwind tour! I laneded in NYC with enough time to make it downtown to see my old friend, Kat, and have brunch.  We thought we had plenty of time, until we were catching up on the return and found we were on the Subway the wrong way, and ...

Wakhan Corridor - Langar
Sep 22, 2006

The Wakhan Corridor describes the river valley that seperates Tajikistan from the tiny "tongue" of Afghanistan that extends eastward. The border was created to give Afghanistan this narrow strip of land to serve as a neutral zone between the Soviet central ...

Kabul and Fayzabad
Oct 20, 2007 (3 photos)

The flight from Kabul to Fayzabad...

Leaving the Capital.....
Nov 25, 2006

... the circumstances, enter one. But take me outside of my home country, be it Dominican Republic, Peru, Bolivia, or now Tajikistan, and there I am...flashing strobe light, 12 bouncers, smoke machine, blaring European techno music, and exactly 6 well-dressed ...