Hissor Fortress

Hissor Fortress is about a 30 minutes outside of the city, and with taxi's being so reasonable It was as going to be an easy trip. Kaori was game, as well as Qamil, who was from Albania, was going to join. He packed his umbrella because he had a massive fear of the sun. I don't know about the younger generation and their absolute fear of everything! There were a group of Four Danish guys who were friendly around the hostel and when they heard about the Fort they immediately were ready to head out. I had met them at the Salom hostel in Panjakent and it was cool to run into them again. They were all positive, friendly and full of youthful exuberance. Something that generation usually lacks. (see snide comment above).

A cute photo of two little girls

The Fort Wall was impressive

Me and Kaori getting read to climb

The Fortress itself was very impressive. You can check the history here. The entire place drips of history but with a modern twist of souvenir and food vendors. They were not obstructive in any way and yes, the ice cream and cold water were a relief. Wandering through the main gate into the fort was a personal victory for me. This was a personal victory as visiting the Fortress was a high priority for me when I started to plan this journey. The high walls had a "China Great Wall" feel but as I went through the main walkway past old buildings and shops the rising street came to a gate. If you looked left, the remains of what appeared to be an ancient Roman Amphitheatre stood out on full display. This was an oddity because the Roman Empire did not invade Tajikistan. Tajikistan was not part of the Roman Empire's sphere of influence, and there is no historical evidence of Roman military campaigns or territorial control in that region.

A well preserved amphitheatre

Inside the main gate

The view from the top of the fortress

The climb up to the top of the Fortress was easy enough. You could take a steep set of stairs (I passed on this) or a winding road build of stone, that was how I rolled. Fuck you stairs! The main part of the Fortress at the top was more of a ruins. It was not in bad shape but oddly unkempt. The views were great proving that the fortress was build here for a reason. You could see well into the distance at 360 Degrees. You would think that would prevent any invasion, but our friend Genghis Khan did what Genghis Khan did. He invaded, killed everyone and destroyed the Fortress. It has be rebuild multiple times over the centuries. We spent about three hours here just exploring and wandering. It is not a large site but well worth the effort. As with all things historical I try to imagine the place in all it's historical glory and the fear the citizens must have felt when Genghis Khan rolled up.

Back in Dushanbe there was still a lot of time to wander and explore the parks and monuments and have a look at the outstanding buildings. It was dusk and with a bit of patience everything would be lit up in all it's historical glory.

After exploring Dushanbe, it has become one of my favourite world cities. I love the pageantry without the attitude. (yes I am looking at you Paris). I am so far behind in writing the blog that I am not giving it the love that it deserves to tell my story. If you are reading this and tend to follow along, bear with me as I catch up. Until then, I will just add more photos.

Exploring Dushanbe

Dushanbe is undergoing a significant redesign, transforming from its Soviet-era identity to a more modern, globalized urban landscape. This involves the demolition of older Soviet buildings to make way for new commercial and administrative high-rises, a process driven by a desire to establish a new national identity and project a contemporary image. The redesign of Dushanbe reflects a complex interplay of factors, including the desire for modernization, the assertion of national identity, and the challenges of balancing development with the preservation of cultural heritage. - Wiki

Well said wiki. This city is expansive, clean, modern and thankfully not all the old former soviet buildings have been torn down. They are dotted throughout the city, mostly apartment buildings and refurbished hotels and government buildings but they do stand out against the modern steel and glass. I woke up refreshed and I was raring to go. One of the largest mosques in Central Asia is in Dushanbe and a major landmark is the Dushanbe Imam Abu Hanifa Cathedral Mosque. It was already getting hot at 10 AM so myself, Thomas and a Chinese girl named Snow (the Chinese give themselves the greatest English names) jumped in a cab and off we went. It was only as we were arriving that I realized that today was Friday and a quick googlie told me that the first service of the day was 11:00 AM. Well that wasn't planned out so well.

It really is impressive

Honoring Allah with a nap in the AC fuelled Mosque

Not all was lost. We went to the main gate fully aware that we were not going to be let in, but I asked if we could step through to take a few photos. That was not an issue, in fact the security guard walked us through the gate and showed us the best place for a distance photo, as late worshippers sprinted past us. he told us to come back at 12:30 and we would be allowed in without issue, even though I had shorts on. We took a stroll to a nearby park, which thankfully had a shop that sold drinks and ice cream and it was well shaded. We chatted and sugared up. In hindsight, my partners for the day did not realize what they were about to get into. 

Cool guy security guard

We walked the 20 minutes back to the mosque and it had cleared out! This place can hold tens of thousand of worshippers and the lots surrounding the place were jam packed. The exit plans to clear out was obviously well designed. We walked to the same gate and the guard opened and called over a casually dressed guy, who would be our "handler". We were taken into a side door and Snow had to put on a long robe to cover he legs and arms. Thomas and I rolled in as is, short be damned. The wait was worth it as the place was massive.

We entered into the main room and I was taken aback, and I think my teammates were as well. The place was ornate, beautiful and massive. Data online says it can hold 200,000. I asked our "handler" and he said 25,000 inside, 75,000 outside in the courtyard, and unlimited in the parks and fields around the mosque, so 200 000 it is. There were quite a few worshippers still laying around, my guess was that the AC was blasting and there is no better way to show your faith to Allah, than to lay on the floor of the Mosque and catch an afternoon nap. 

We spent about 45 minutes under the watchful eyes of our handler. He was careful to point out if we got too close to the Iman's speaking area, that was off limits. Yup, that podium sure looked sacred to me, but it was his tour. Regardless, he was kind and polite and allowed us lots of space to wander around. We exited the way we came in. Snow wanted to keep her robe and it did look cool on her. Very Star Wars. We left and entered into the now searing afternoon head and thought the 45 minute walk to the Istiqlol Square with the Indepence Tower. That was not a well thought out plan only because it was so freaking hot. We managed well enough by walking in the shaded areas and stopping a few times in shops to buy water and take in the AC. I am no hero, but after my time in Dubai, Afghanistan and Pakistan, I was getting kind of use to the heat. Yes, you needed to take care and as we arrived at the square the gardeners had the sprinklers going. Yes siree, I walked right into them. The boys all laughed and showed me the "good ones". 

Independence Tower

East View from the Tower

West view from the Tower

There was nobody there. The poor guy at the ticket counter said we were the first tourists that day, and it was now going on 3PM. We headed up the elevator the the view platform and yes, the views were very cool. I had my eyes on a Green Mosque just outside the complex, but I was mosqued out. Thomas and Snow decided they wanted to take a taxi, which was a good idea. I decided to walk the hour so back to the hostel. They thought I was insane. However, it was on this walk back that I discovered the various parks, monuments and government buildings which all lined a few large tree lined boulevards. I wandering about the parks, took some photos and made a mental note to return and get some great evening shots.

The Tajiks sure do love their fountains and monuments, but that was for another day. Now I needed food, drink and to get out of the sun, I could feel myself getting worn down. As an aside, I really like Capital cities. The hustle and bustle, the busy people, the traffic, all of it. I feel that the capital is the heartbeat of the country and you should take advantage of the chance to explore it because there are always hidden secrets that reveal themselves. You just need to take the time to find them.

Dushanbe

Dushanbe is an outstanding example of an emerging Soviet era capital that has spared no expense in redesigning, rebuilding and redefining itself. Getting here from Panjakent was an inexpensive 5 hour bus ride that scared the crap out of me at times. We were entering the Pamir Highway so there were the standard winding switchbacks, up and down mountains with the death river flowing about 500 metres below. This just added to the list of sketchy bus rides that I have enjoyed here in Central Asia.

My Panjakent to Dushanbe Limo

I ordered a Yandex (Uber) from the bus station in Dushanbe and both my partners commented that the 4 dollar ride was too expensive and wanted to negotiate with the driver.  Have you ever negotiated an Uber fare? Their portion would have been $1.33.  Regardless, they jumped in when the cab arrived and paid their share. I have come to the conclusion that the whole "it is to expensive" is just a Pavlovian response and is a part of their psyche now. That being said this is not uncommon in the "budget travelers world". Sure, over the course of 6 months you might save a few hundred bucks, but I have no energy or patience for it. Regardless, we got to the Green House Hostel easy enough, and what hostel it was.

Dushanbe is the jumping off point for many of the Pamir Highway tours heading to Osh, Kyrgyzstan. It has become somewhat of a meeting point and the place has been designed for all types of Travelers. Overlanders like myself, hitch hikers, cyclists (which were many), and motorbikes. The entrance was a garage filled with gear with people coming and going. The place was constantly buzzing with positive energy, most of which was about the Pamir. People sharing experiences, tours being organized, laundry being done, a lot of laundry being done, mine included. There were kids of 20 and a few bikers in their 70s. It was a great place to just cook, drink, talk and share experiences. Really, an old school hostel experience.

We took a walk to the main street and found some food, a supermarket and some cool buildings and statues. I had no idea this was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to city beautification. It did not take long to see that this was a very walkable city. On the way in we drove down long wide tree lined boulevards that were clogged with Green and White Chinese made electric taxis, which to find out later were metered and stupid cheap.

This was a long day. The "bus of death" left at 6:30 am so wake up was around 5:00. The Salom hostel owner pre-ordered a cab for us to pick us up at 5:45. The drive itself, with a few stops was about 6 hours. Toss in a hostel check in, a bit of walking and shopping, a few beers to get to know the neighbours and my eyes were wobbling around 10:00 PM. This was a town to be discovered but with the temperature hovering around 40C with no end in sight, walking was not out of the question, it just meant hiding during the midday sun was mandatory. Thank you Mexico, I get it now.

The 7 Lakes Of The Fann Mountains

After a bit of a stressful travel day, it wound down with a cold beer and a near picture perfect mountain sunset over the Marguzor Lake. The Fann Mountains came to life with color  with hues or deep red and orange, making it appear as if the mountains were bleeding. The various people in the hostel were friendly and in the end I became friendly with a couple from Czechia, Iiona and Umi, and we shared travel stories while watching the day brilliantly fade away.

Lake and Mountain view from my room's patio

The next morning it was "go time". We all got up early and prepared for the 12 - 15 KM day. Kiori had the bum ankle that was not getting any better but was ready to give it a go. The quest? Heading out of the hostel we were to walk to the opposite end then through a little village. From there we were to steadily hike up towards lake number 7, with another village that we could explore, then off to lake 7. Well that was the plan. The trail was easy enough, a bumpy roadway which meant we had to keep an eye and ear for oncoming vehicles. They could not go over 20 KM so we were going to be fine, unless I tripped over a rock and bounced down the 10 feet to the lakes edge. I stayed on the inside track because.

Setting off..

Kaori started strong, but found a car to give her a ride back

We covered the first half of the hike, to the opposite side in about an hour and a half. Hikers were blowing past us as if they were going to win a cookie to reach Lake 7 before us. Aside from Kaori's bum ankle, going slow and taking it all in is what was appealing to me. Sure, taking excess photos is fun but there was no reason to go fast. We had all day to enjoy ourselves. As we wound around the lake we started to separate. Thomas was a bit of a speed walker, I was doing my thing and Kaori started to lag. We stopped, slowed down, met up, took photos and I was really enjoying myself. Next to diving in clear water, going for a long scenic hike really puts me in my happy place.

We passed through a small village of about 5 houses on the road with plenty more tucked back in and on the mountains. There were two guys watching us until I waved, then with big smiles they came over and offered to give us a ride, for a fee of course. No worries, they see a tourist and figure there is a few coins to be made. We declined, and after a bit of a rest we continued on our way.

A funny kid collecting spring water

This kid was fighting with a very stubborn donkey

A small village home

For whatever reason, we were told that there would be a small market at one of the villages where we could buy some food. Well that did not happen. He did find a tap that the locals were using to get cold glacier water and so without hesitation I filled up my bottle, and drank deeply. It was delicious and if there were parasites waiting to invade my colon, well I would have to wait to see how that went. There were a few fishermen and a group of about 8 guys that were having a BBQ, who paid us no nevermind. We crossed a small bridge where a kids was having a hell of time with a donkey and headed to the next village, where the trail/road started to ascent. Kaori tapped out and I put her under a tree. When someone came by she was going to try and catch a ride back (she did). Thomas and I continued onto the next village in the hopes of finding a bit of food for dinner. (We didn't).

A 15 minute hike up a steep winding trail led us to a fork in the road. To go left, and way up was the way to the 7th lake. To the right was a large village to explore. There was a car parked at the entrance and after a chat he said he had picked up a few tourists from the border crossing who had come to the lakes for a day, and paid $100 each to do it. I met them in the village, along with about 8 others who were hiking and these two could not compute that all of us had walked around the lake. Of the 6 others 4 had come from lake 5, and 2 from lake 4. We done indeed. The village offered nothing but a few photos and a very animated lady who was waving for us to leave. I was not going to argue with an angry local villagers. There were plenty of kids around, and quite a few ladies doing chores, but there were no signs of any men. Later I learned that the men head out into the countryside to farm, fish and do whatever it is they do.

The journey back begins

Photo taken from the hostel of us heading back

The intrepid others headed out of the village and onwards, up the very long inclined trail towards the 7th lake. I did not have the ambition and decided to head back. We set off at 8:30 AM and it was now around 2:30. With a 90 minute hike back I did not want to add another 2 hours. It was a good choice. When we reached the picnic area and filled up with water again, I had an idea. The picnic crew were now fast asleep under the shade of a tree. I figured I could buy some food from them. I walked over and was spotted by one of the guys who sat up. I pointed at the tomatoes, cucumbers and bread, them showed him my money. He just waved it off and made the jester to take some of the food. I again offered money and he smiled and declined. Just like that, I found our food.

food and vodka with fellow travelers

In the end we were greeted by Kaori, who was sitting with Umi and Iiona and we joined them immediately. There was cold beer, warm vodka and Umi had prepared kebabs. I pulled out the break, tomatoes and cucumbers and the feast was on. It turned out Umi was from Afghanistan and he shared some crazy stories about his life and we bonded a bit since I had spent two weeks there. Later on we were invited into the camping area where a local family was having a picnic and asked us to join. There was so much food along with the mandatory vodka and they were incredibly hospitable. The sun went down and I hung around as long as I could. I was tired and dirty from a long day and the 20KM I walked was having a battle with the vodka and beer. I said a small thank you speech to the family (many of whom spoke English) and headed off to bed. An excellent ending to an excellent day.

Clear clean glacier water

My New Travel Mates

The primary reason to stop in Panjakent is the access point to hike the Seven Lakes of the Fann Mountains. I had a vague idea of the challenges and was looking forward to talking to any fellow travelers willing to share their insights and experiences. I was in luck at the Salom Hostel as it was filled with people of all ages coming and going. It was an eclectic crew of travelers who were adventuring by riding bikes, hitch hiking and in one case, a young German who was walking around the world. He was eager to share his mental health challenges but the seemed to put most people off in the immediacy of it, and his constant interruptions of other people's conversations. I wish him well on his journey of recovery.

Unless you were going to hitch hike the entire route, which some people did, the best way to get to your destination and by that I mean which lake you were going to stop at, was by the infamous Marashtuka or a shared taxi. In order for this to happen, you need to go to the main bus station which was near the main Market but you better be locked and loaded for this experience. There were so many people fighting for your business in the mayhem. Public buses, Marshrutkas, shared taxis and even dudes on scooters. I was headed to Lake Four with a Brazilian dude named Thomas who had gone to the station the previous day and failed to get a ride. It only took a few minutes to find out why.

Welcome to Shein

The Lonely Outpost of Shein

The Marshrutkas were 40 Somoni, or about 5.75 Canadian. As we entered the parking lot my eyes caught the very wide eyed stare of a Japanese girl who seemed comfortable in the element but was ready for some help. Bearing in mind that that Marshrutkas only took you to a very remote town called Shein, which was still 10KM from the actual trailhead we agreed to share a taxi, for 100 Somoni each. We loaded in and the driver said we need to wait for 2 more people to have a full taxi. This is standard practise, even for Marshrutkas. My new "travel buddy" decided this was unacceptable and demanded we leave right away. Robert decided to walk over to a Marshrutkas and jump in because it was "cheaper and was leaving right away. Bear in mind, the taxi would take us directly to our destination where as the Marshrutkas would drop us off in the middle of nowhere town. Kaori followed him "because it was cheaper" and there I sat thinking, "I made a mistake with these two". I have met so many "it is to expensive" and "we can get it cheaper" travellers in my day, and they are fucking exhausting.

I was well prepared to sit in the taxi and wait but thought, whatever, let's see how this goes and jumped on the bus. In hindsight against my better judgement. Robert was a 64 year old Brazilian and Kaori was about 55 and although they said they were seasoned travelers they shared a few of the same qualities. The first being the constant need to try and get everything cheaper. They actually tried to negotiation down the Marshrutkas set fare from 40 Somoni.The second is the constant state of panic and anxiety they both seemed to have. I figured it will be a short term thing with them so whatever and off we went to the town of Shein, wherever that was.

Rest stop on Lake 1

Lake 1 and the road ahead

I counted 5 buildings in the dusty rocky town, but it did have a very nice "I love Shein" sign, that Kaori immediately ran to for a photo. It was then that I noticed the limp. This girl rolled her ankle about two weeks previous and her movement was limited. She did not want to go to a doctor because "It costs money". Oh man. We dropped our bags in an abandoned storefront and waited, for what I was unsure. Robert was staring into his phone, which I noticed as time went on was his life blood. Now, I would have been happy to hike the 10km to the first lake. Each lake has it's own guesthouse/hostel and that is what many of the hikers do. From our exact spot they head out for a 3 or 4 day excursion to lake 7 about 30 KM way. That was not going to happen. 

I asked my new friends, "what is the plan?" and they both looked at me as if I was from Mars. "I think we hitch hike" chriped Kaori, always the clueless optimist. Well this is not the 401 roaring through Toronto. This was a dusty track in the back mountains of Kyrgyzstan and when a random car or truck did come up the track it was pack with travelers. Remember, the taxi would have cruised past this stop and dropped us directly at Lake Four, but here we were. Various town people came by to "chat" and Robert was in complete meltdown because he was not getting signal for his phone.

I am going to cut to the chase here. We were stuck in Shein for about an hour and I was having none of it any longer. Robert walking in circles staring at his phone and Kaori limping around talking about hitching a ride with all her imaginary cars that were coming up the road. I notice that a building up the road seemed to be a meeting point for the various local cars that did come through. I walked over and negotiated a deal to have one of them take us to lake 4, for 300 Somoni, about $43. Regardless of our situation and the blazing heat my partners balked. "That is too much, try and negotiate". It would have cost each of us 100 Somoni, or $14.50 to get us out of this jam and on the road, and they wanted to negotiate. Fuck me, what did I get myself into.

I just told them I am leaving in the truck, you came come if you want and off I went. I was happy to splurge and pay the $43 because that is the player that I am. They quickly followed, which became a theme but even as we were loading into the truck Kaori started to try and negotiate a better fare, it was exhausting. I paid the 300 to shut her up and said to both of them, if you want to pay your share great, if not well that is OK because I know "it is so expensive."  They paid.

You have to know that these were remote mountain roads and the drive was bumpy and slow going. The views were excellent and I was happy to settle into the ride to the Lake Four Hostel, the agreed upon stop which was about a 45 minute ride. We were 15 minutes in to the trip when Robert started to complain that the old truck we were in did not have AC and the open windows were bringing in the dust. At the same time Kaori decided she wanted to go to Lake Six. I just held on for the ride because I knew where this was headed, and I proved to be a prophet.

We stopped at Lake one for a few photos and everyone seemed to be at ease. We continued to our destination and we were dropped off right at the door. It was then Kaori announced she wanted to be taken to Lake Six. The driver was happy to oblige and as it was another 30 minutes drive he asked for another 100 somoni from her. She was incredulous. I will not re play what I remember of the conversation but it was "You drove us here so why not a little bit further for free." He said no and told us to get out, which I happily did. Robert was looking at his phone and Kaori kept arguing for a free ride. "What the fuck did I get myself into?"

Eventually she got out of the truck and the driver pulled away, I am sure without even looking back at the ignorant and disrespectful tourist he had to deal with. We here we were, Lake Four Hostel. 230 Somoni ($33) which include dinner and breakfast. What do you think the first thing that I heard? If you guessed "That is too expensive." In the end we decided to head to Lake Six because the hostel had an epic view of the lake. So we started to walk the hour so which I was happy to do. My blood pressure was rising and I need a hike to get a break from these two.

Fifteen minutes in, Kaori started to struggle on her ankle so I took her pack and we kept going. I love it. The views were outstanding while the glacier river rushed past us on the right hand side. We reached Lake Five which had a few nice hostels beside the rushing river. I am not sure what you think, but the idea of sleeping beside a rushing rivers sounds great in theory, but in reality it sucks. We kept going and 45 minutes later (after a few Kaori stops and some photos we reached our destination, Base Camp Marguzor and what a view.

You would think that this was the end of the journey. We Forrest Gumped our way to an excellent hostel that overlooked arguably the most beautiful lake of the group of seven which gave us the option to hike the two hours to lake seven if we wanted to. Cool Beans right. NOPE. The hotel owner greeted us warmly and gave us the "cheapest beds" available which were about $25 Canadian per night, no food included. The sliding glass door opened up to a patio with an unobstructed view of the lake. How did my travel mates respond you ask. "It is so expensive, food is not included, food is so expensive." I paid for two nights and told each of them that I did not spend the day getting here just to turn around and leave in the morning. I put my bag in my room, paid 30 somoni for a beer ($4 resort pricing so I had 3), immediately heard it was too expensive and walked to a comfy chair, took a long drink and enjoyed the view. Yes, my partners decided to stay for two nights.

Here is the rub of it all. First Robert did not bring enough money, or so he said and asked to borrow some from me. I said NO without even looking at him. Oddly enough he found some US dollars but he did not want to use them because the hostel exchange rate would not be good. Bummer dude! Kaori figured she could just use Uzbek Som that she did not want to change at the border because the money changes did not give the best rate. Now, here we are, in the middle of nowhere Tajikistan. The owners decided to accept her Uzbek Som and she started arguing about the rate. I opened a second beer and put on my ear buds.

In the end, everyone grabbed a beer to celebrate the day. I was happy to be here but the voice deep inside me kept sending warning signals that these two were going to be a challenge to hang out with. Mind you they were both very nice and fun to chat with, but I would need all my patience and understanding to ignore their need to do everything "as cheap as possible."

Onwards To Tajikistan

I loved everything about Uzbekistan, well except the long train rides with no AC. Now it was time to move onto the mysterious Tajikistan. I was in Nukus and I had a bit of a journey ahead of me, not complex by any means, plus I was now familiar with a few of my stops. First things first, the train from Nukus to Bukhara. It was going to be a 7 to 8 hour journey in one of the stuffy sleeper trains that has no AC, there were NO other options. I took a Yandex to the train station and as usual found my train, boarded and had my seat easy enough. The seat converted to a bed but as it was morning I just left it as it was. The trip was as boring as the views I was given. Hours of empty desert wasteland punctuated by electrical transmission towers and wires. Random railroad workers in the absolute middle of nowhere would appear and disappear just as quickly. The various nomads that were wandering in the middle of this wasteland caught my attention and I let my mind wander as to what their lifestyle was all about. In the end, Bukhara could not get here fast enough.

The old train had its charms

Nothing but scrubland to look at for 7 hours

I booked a single room at The Old Palace Hotel without even looking at it's location. I was only going to be in town overnight so no big deal. Well surprise surprise surprise. It was located in the same area I had stayed in previously and that only meant one thing. Find that great little restaurant with the fridge full of ice cold beer. The owner was out front and actually saw me walking towards him. He greeted me with a smile and waved me in. I just walked to the fridge and helped myself. These were my people. His English was non existent and he did not even try. Leaving me to my devices, I had a second and paid and found myself wandering the back alleys of the area looking for my hotel, again. My $10 a night palace appeared and I checked in, paid cash and was reminded of the free breakfast. I tossed my bag into my clean room and headed out for a bit of wind downtime. As I mentioned, I now knew the area and after a bit of a wander I found a patio serving mugs of draft for about $1, so I relaxed easy enough. Thank you Bukhara.

$1 Ice Cold Beer. Yes Please

Day two was a breeze. I took the mid morning fast train from Bukhara to Samarkand in a smooth 90 minutes. The last time I did this route was on the slow train and it took 7 hours, which I might have already written and complained about. It was worth the extra $5. The only real issue with the Samarkand train station is the taxis and ride shares all pile into the same narrow parking lot and "yes" it is a shit show. I could not find my rideshare and was getting very aggravated by the aggressive taxi drivers who at times actually tugged on my shirt or backpack. I left the parking lot, walked about two block and ordered my car. My hotel was a bit far from the centre which was fine. My plan was to get a decent night sleep because the next day I was on Tajikistan time. It was going to be a land border crossing, which I really like, plus everything I read said it was simple enough.

All throughout Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Republics there is a mode of transportation called a Marshrutka or shared taxis. They are many variations but are usually vans, many that will travel longer distances. They can be a bit cumbersome and slow as they are not direct as they pick up and drop off passengers along the way. The catch is that they are super cheap and reasonably safe. From Samarkand the Tajikistan border is about 45 KM and Panjakent, my final destination was another 15KM from the border. The plan was to take a ride share to the Marshrutka station and then off to the border I go. On the Tajik side I was re-assured there was ride shared to be had, plus the standard pain in the ass taxi drivers.

My rideshare got me to the station easy enough and then smartly offered to take me to the border directly, for about $6. It was an easy sell. Clean, comfortable and direct and the splurge of an extra $5 was worth every penny. I was warmed that at no time should I take any photos while in the border zone. I never need to be told twice and there is no need to "just sneak a quick photo", after all this is a major land border crossing between two former Soviet Republics. Social Media at your own peril!

Panjakent Bazaar

The main square with the standard war hero statue

I entered the Uzek immigration, and got stamped out quick enough. The thing to remember that at every hotel you need to ask for a registration card for your stay. They print it out easy enough. You need them if you are asked, I was not. One guy at the hostel in Panjakent was asked an he was missing one, which caused him a bit of trouble and he was delayed for two hours. I exited Immigration and started walking toward Tajikistan, completely missing the customs door. The guy smiled and waved me over ( I am sure I was not the first dumb tourist). I tossed my bag onto the scanner and off I went toward Tajikistan. I absolutely love the journey between borders, no matter if it is 100 meters or in some cases a bit longer. There is a palpable sense of excitement.

As usual, it was freaking hot plus this being a Sunday there were quite a few old Muslim dudes returning to Tajikistan. They were not carrying bags or anything for that matter, so I just politely joined the line and the first guy beside me offered up his water. I eagerly drank it. Customs and immigration into Tajikistan took a bit longer as a bus load of Foreigners (those damn  foreigners) pulled up and got immediate preferential treatment. A few of the lads around me motioned for me to join them but I stayed put. I was going to suffer in the heat with the dude that offered me water. Fuck those tourists.

I offered up my passport and was given a quick once over by a guy who seemed to have had enough of foreigners (works for me), and I was stamped through in record time. I walked to the Customs building, it was fairly obvious, and again was waived right through. So down the hall I went and stepped into the bright sun of Tajikistan, and the waiting hordes of "assistants". A guy yelled "Panjakent" to me as he was loading a few people in to his car and I joined them. I think I paid $2 and he drove me to town and I asked to be dropped off as we approached a huge statue in a nice clean town square. My hostel, the Salom was about a ten minute walk from there. I had exchange my Uzbek Som to Tajik Somonis on the Uzbek side of the border (I lost about $3) so I had money to grab a bite to eat in a cafe near the square. So here I was, in the Mysterious Tajikistan, eating a plate of meatballs and rice and having a look at the new stamp in my passport. Tajikistan, you're not so bad!

Hostel Entrance

All Ladas deserve a photo

Panjakent: She ain't pretty

If these old Soviet streets could talk