Meet My Travel Partner.

Say hello to Pat, my travel partner for this trip. When I had decided to do this trip,  I wanted a seasoned traveler by my side as I knew that traveling through Central Asia would not necessarily be easy.  There was only one person that I thought who would be even remotely interested and capable in coming with me and that is this lady.

She is an experienced traveler who has been to more than 70 countries and counting.  Her travels have taken to all corners of the globe and even in her younger days, when money was tight, she and her husband (now deceased) figured out how to stretch their money to enable them to travel.  They were budget travelers before the phrase ever even existed!  Her husband's love of foreign languages took them to non-English countries that most people would never dream of traveling to - like Mali.  I find it amusing to think that off all the places that she has never been to but wants to go to, the UK tops the list.  

Last Views of Tajikistan.

Hissar Fortress.

I felt great this morning! I woke up bright and early at 6:30a. After days of not sleeping well, I finally got a good night's rest. Last night, I caved in and took a nightime flu medicine pill. It worked!

Qurutob. The National Dish of Tajikistan.

For our only dinner meal in Tajikistan, Kai had promised to treat us to a uniquely Tajik dish - qurutob.  Kai described it as a special bread that is torn up and mixed into a yogurt sauce with some other ingredients.  It's served in a special wooden bowl and eaten with your fingers.  Sounded VERY intriguing.

Roadtrip to Dushanbe. Iskander Kul, the Anzob Tunnel, & a Car Wash.

The photo was too gorgeous to display in any other format than its original panoramic width.  Use the scroll bar to pan to see the entire photo.

After lunch at a small roadside restaurant, where truckers outnumbered everyone else, the plan was to continue our drive towards Dushanbe where we would spend the rest of the day seeing the city sights. But something came over me as I walked back towards the van. It said to not go to Dushanbe. It said to go to Iskander Kul. Earlier, Kai had said that it would not be possible for us to go to Iskander Kul because it would take us too far out of the way. Well, I wanted to go. It was such a glorious spring day and I hadn't had enough of the spectacular mountain scenery. I thought to my self....what if we gave up our sightseeing afternoon in Dushanbe? Could we then go to Iskander Kul?

Roadtrip to Dushanbe. Heading Into the Mountains.

Tired. I'm so tired. So, so tired. I didn't sleep well last night. In fact, I haven't had a good night's sleep since I've been in Central Asia and it's beginning to take a toll on me. Last night, I kept waking up. I finally got to sleep at 2a but woke up at 6a. I tossed and turned until the alarm on my cell phone went off at 7a. Pat's alarm clock rang a couple minutes later. We both got up and got ready for the day.

Khujand. Arbob Palace.

Ceiling detail.  A fusion of traditional Tajik and Russian design elements.

Zarif stopped the van and we got out. In the distance - past a series of water fountains, was a large building.  A yellow colored building with a green roof.

A domed shaped fountain, with a garland of stars atop, now stands where a statue of Lenin once stood.

Khujand. Panjshanbe Bazaar.

Sharing a moment with a pair of friendly vendors.

After visiting the park around the citadel and going to the museum, we finally got to Panjshanbe Bazaar, the main market in Khujand.  I am in my happy element.

Khujand. Around the Citadel Walls.

We spent the rest of first day in Khujand seeing some of the city's sights. Khujand is the second largest city in Tajikistan, after Dushanbe which is the capital of the country.

Khujand is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, dating back about 2,500 years. It is situated on the Syr Darya River at the mouth of the Fergana Valley and was a major city along the ancient Silk Road.

The Road to Tajikistan.

My eyes opened at 6:15a.  For whatever reason, I've not yet been able to get in a good night's rest since I've arrived into Tashkent. Somehow, I still feel a bit jet lagged which is surprising since I don't ordinarily suffer from it. In any case, Pat and I had agreed to wake up at 6:30a so the moment I opened my eyes, I decided I might as well get ready for the day.

The Markets.

Photo From International Mission Board (imb).

With a legacy imbued by centuries of trade, it does not come as a surprise to me that Central Asia is famed for its markets.  Contrary to what the name implies though, the Silk Road was never a single road.  Instead, it a loose network of routes, linking together the major trading centers of East Asia with those in the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Europe.

Tajikistan. The Majesty and The Danger.

Fann Mountains (Photo from KE Adventure Travel)

Although the independent Republic of Tajikistan is just about 24 years old, Tajik civilization dates back as far as 3,000 years.  Archaeological finds identify settlements dating back even further, all the way to the upper Paleolithic period (15-20 thousand years ago!

Like many of the towns and cities of its sister nations, the other *stans*,  many of Tajikistan's towns and cities were also located on strategic points along the Silk Road and so its national identify reflects the influence of multiple civilizations through the ages as well.