Murghab, Tajikistan August 8th There has been a rumour floating up and down the Pamir highway that a horse festival is to be held in Murghab. Nobody knew for certain exactly when nor what it entailed. We arrived in Murghab yesterday and asked around in the bazaar, the usual conduit of all information. “Yes of … More Kiss the Girl
FROM KHOROG TO MURGHAB Travel lore says that the Pamir Highway which winds through mountains in Tajikistan utterly beautiful and by all accounts, not to be missed. There is also a southern road which hugs the banks of the Pyanj river that many travelers rave about. But this is no new road and it has … More Pamiri Paradise
Unwitting Terror Alert! August 2, 2015 Starting at the ungodly hour of 6 am, we drove to Ishkashim. I had photos that I had promised to send to the villagers in Afghanistan and had added a few things to the parcel. I just had to figure out a way to do so. We stopped at … More Playing Postman
Leaving Afghanistan July 28, 2015 It was the news report I watched while at one house in Qala-i-Panja that first made me aware of the current situation in Afghanistan, fairly close to where we were. The television this family had was powdered by a solar panel. With no electricity, no internet, no wifi, no newspapers … More One Step Ahead of the Taliban
Along the Pyanj in the Afghan Wakhan July 25, 2015 We were up early to get our permits but it was still noon by the time we got going on the road to the Wakhan valley. The town of Sultan Eshkashim and its outlying fields soon fell away and we entered the stark moonscape of … More Same Same But Different – VERY different
Sultan Eshkashim July 24, 2015 I am in Afghanistan! Duly stamped out by a bored young guard on the Tajik side, we walked over to the Afghan side. A grizzled veteran bid us welcome and asked us to put our packs down. The men were given a short lecture about their lack of chivalry in … More In Afghanistan
Khorog July 20, 2015 I have been dithering about going to Afghanistan all along this trip. Talking to other travelers, some days I am convinced that I should go and other days I think it is not the best idea. Most uncharacteristic of me, but now that I am in Khorog, I have decided to … More I Need A Man
Khojand July 11, 2015 A long, long time ago there flourished an ancient civilization called Mesopotamia. It is so called because it lay between two rivers – meso (middle) and potamia (waters). Further east from them are two other rivers that also nurtured an ancient kingdom. A kingdom so powerful that it controlled virtually all … More In Search Of Sogdiana
From Batken (Kyrgyzstan) to Khojand (Tajikistan) July 10, 2015 The marshrutka crossing the border was a museum-worthy minivan that can likely recall tales of the last world war if machines could talk. But peeling upholstery held together with duct tape and door handles tied with bits of twisted wire notwithstanding, it was packed. Most were … More So This is Tajikistan
Son Kul Lake 3025 m June 29, 2015 Rumor has it that there is a lake in central Kyrgyzstan that surpasses all in beauty and grandeur. Its name is Son Kul and the gateway to this lake is from a town called Kochkor. There is no public transport and I needed to find other tourists … More Son Kul
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 