Clearing customs from Uzbekistan to Tajikistan was fast and simple, and we were soon off in search of local currency, food and drink. The first night we camped on the edge of a farmers field, it wasn't easy find a spot soft enough to drive tent pegs in, I actually half propped my tent up with rocks, and windy too (not baked beans), slept well! Then a couple of days, riding huge v-shaped gorges, a river for company, thrashing noisily as we followed it's course up hill. There we did an overnight stay on the floor of a mud hut for the princely sum of 3US dollars for the 2 of us. The noise and sight of the gushing river was staggering, had the owners left the valley maybe they'd find the silence strange. Fantastic spot.
The Anzob Pass 3370m
Having left Samarakand 3 days earlier, this is a fast gain in altitude and we suddenly found it hard going. Having cycled here from London we are reasonably fit, have good energy and pace to tackle the climb ahead, however, the altitude really hit us, kinda suddenly. I had lots of 2 minute rest stops, standing astride my bike, head flopped on the handle bars, not out of breath but waiting for my heart rate to go down.
The road above was visible from far below, 'scarring' across the side of a mountain, I could see dust trails from the odd truck, high above. Didn't let this put me off, had a few hours of daylight, plenty of time. Soon, I was cooling off in glacial streams, splashing cold water onto the back of my head, at one point the a glacier crossed the road, a path had been cut through, at one point we waded through ice cold melt water. Pretty soon, the goal was to reach the next road bend, splitting the task into a series of goals. Rounding each road bend, we hoping to find the top within our grasp, when it finally came, the view was completely stunning. A range ice encrusted peaks before us, nearly a tear in my eye.
At the Waltons - Tajik Style
After the high pass, we had a good downhill to the next town, easy in comparison, braking most of the time, steering the best path downhill across the bumps - bump, rattle, bump, slam, bump, thump, bump... all the way down to the next town (and beer). We asked a family for the whereabouts of a hotel, I kinda had an inkling they would put us up, and so they did! Lovely extended family, grandpa, 2 sons, 4 daughters and the grand-children living in lovely big country house, apple trees, orchard in the garden. The Waltons Tajik style. They wouldn't let us pay, so we all entertained each other, got the royal treatment, food/supper etc... a little tiring, but rewarding and a lovely family experience, I left them my coffee supply as a parting gift. Sometimes after a full day in the saddle I like to cook and greedily gobble enough food for 3 people, drink beer, lie back, fart and burp. I guess they enjoyed it too, 2 dusty cyclists/aliens from the west, in a remote mountain village, we did manage to communicate, explaining our cycle ride across Asia, etc...
Dushanbe
We're here in the pleasant town of Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, our 3rd 'stan' so far. Gosh, and a stunning high altitude bike road to get here, crossing the Anzob Pass at a stonking 3370 metres altitude (high!), amazing & very satisfying on a heavily laden bicycle.
It's a rest day now, actually more like an 'administration' day. Very excited to have found 'boil-in-the-bag-rice' here, as this is easy on our non-simmering petrol stoves, a welcome addition to our noddle/pasta regime. Have put on my spare heavy duty mountain tire, should make the dirt tracks easier to cope with. Bla bla bla, torch batteries, jam/squeeze/force everything into the bags, lots of food to carry! The internet is slow as usual, too slow for hotmail, but fast enough for updating this journal. Hellos to Simon (enjoy the wedding in Singers), Mum/Dad/Sister (summer in the garden, hope you all well), Gavin (hope you had a good holiday), Lindsay (enjoy the northerly route, keep in contact), and everyone else!
Fantastic French steak last night, melted cheese & mushrooms on top, good draft beer, will be doing the same tonight. Off to meet Keith now, for some bears, a great big beer garden with surrounding water fountains, and just outside the hotel. See you later, the next internet connection may be far away, the Pamirs will take about 3 weeks, next email spot in Kyrgyzstan / China ?
So, this was just the northern road down to Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, and our final luxury resting place before we ride the Pamir Highway, a rough high altitude track through the western reaches of the Himalayas. If you're interested here are some notes from another cyclist. Very happy to get the special permit for the 'Pamirs', today from our agent, who met us at the hotel. We need to show these at check points along the route, if we miss a stamp, we risk being sent back to get it! The final piece in the visa/permit jig-saw puzzle(!), too easy & everyone would be here.
Stans Summary
If you are curious about looking at new places, untouched by big tourism, going in-country then this would be a good choice. Lots of mixed ethnic groups here too, no tension detected by myself, there are Koreans, lots of western people (ie Slavs/Russians), Chinese features, Mongol, etc... The religion is Muslim, but doesn't seem to get in the way (so to speak), ie the countries are secular and state comes first. The 'stans' are a huge cultural shift away from Iran, so to me, its like there's a kinda Berlin wall separating these 2 areas.
Having recently gained independence from Russia, these are young countries and changing fast. You can read about it on the web, but I think you have to see it, or speak to someone who's just been here. The lonely planet guide book, lists this town, as one of the best in Central Asia, especially since the bullet holes have been plastered over - a macho description, but really its all fine here in the 'Stans'.
The of 'stans' of Central Asia, ie Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan & here in Tajikistan. They are not like how you expect from back home, it's pleasant and surprisingly western, truly east meets west. They're not geared up to western tourists, the infra-structure is basic because, visas are a pain, as is independently finding your hotel and checking-in etc... But it is cheap and pretty friendly.