Travel. Certainly that was the name
of the game when I decided to spend a year halfway around the world in Tajikistan,
and now, with my 8-month language program rapidly coming to an end, “travel”
will again, for two brief weeks, be important again. The only question, it
seems, will be where to go.
Tajikistan unfortunately finds
itself in a tough neighborhood. To the south, the on-again-off-again nightmare
that is Afghanistan is a…less than desirable travel locale. To the west,
Uzbekistan, our less-than-friendly former Soviet counterpart, is to put it
lightly, a bureaucratic nightmare to try to enter, and even worse to stay in.
And while the east offers the great expanses of western China, I can’t take the
land border. So that leaves (and say this as dramatically as possible, out loud
if you can)…
What is the Pamir Highway? Well,
supposing you aren’t terribly lazy and bothered to click the hotlink I provided
(and if you are, shame on you), it should be self-explanatory. It’s a road that
stretches from Khorugh in Tajikistan up north to Osh, the second city of
Kyrgyzstan. In doing so, it cuts through the Pamir Mountains, also known as the
“Roof of the World”. Needless to say, I do expect this to be, if nothing else,
absolutely stunning.
Do I have a plan? Shockingly, yes!
Starting from Dushanbe, the plan
will be to find a jeep/mashrutka heading east to Khorugh. This is anywhere from
13 hours to two days. In a car. With God knows how many people. In May. After
reaching Khorugh, a day to recuperate will pretty much be in order. Luckily, the
city itself isn't particularly big, and the fact I know several Pamiris has
gotten me a few offers of where to stay, so I’m looking forward to that.
Following Khorugh, things get fun.
The Pamir Highway is, luckily, just one road going east than north, so I know I
need to find a car/truck/something going to the town of Murghab. Since Murghab
(which translates to “Chicken/bird water”, a reference to the fact it’s on a
river in the mountains) has a population of about 4,000, the real reason I need
this place is to get a ride north to Kyrgyzstan, and into the only country in
Central Asia I don’t need a visa to go to.
In Kyrgyzstan, the hope will be to
visit the two largest cities, Osh and Bishkek. Osh, which you may recognize as
the name for one of the national dishes of Tajikistan, is the site of Central
Asia’s largest bazaar, as well as the site of some major riots back in 2010.
And Bishkek is the capital, with all that entails, including a university
(AUCA) where I've considered doing at least part of a Masters.
I've got two weeks between the end
of my program here and the (planned) start of work. Seems doable right? And if
not, there are always…options.
As always: Ташаккуру Худо ҳафез
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