“Wandering Weiss”: 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!