Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Much to Ponder, So Little Time
From Almaty, Kazakhstan, we arrived at our Pamir trip starting point in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. After weeks of very underdeveloped world travel, and fresh from a single day retreat in developed Almaty, it appeared we had landed in a cross between those two extremes.
We headed into the airport terminal to our passport and visa check (to which there was initially nobody for international passports). There was a sense of unease about this process with potential hidden “fees” or “complications” having been reported online by other travellers. Nothing of the sort occurred – we got our entry stamps without issue and off we went.
Our start was a little shaky, however. The arranged pickup was nowhere to be found in the arrivals hall, we had no way of contacting our hostel, and there were the classic off-license taxi drivers (I call them vultures) circling us. We decided to first change some money (tip: change USD/EUR, you get the best rate) and with some investigation eventually figure out that there are legit cabs at the terminal parking lot 20 yards away instead of being ripped off by an unlicensed driver. After a quick phone call to the taxi’s central dispatch from the driver for translation help, a price was agreed and we were on our way. Success!
15 minutes later (and a reasonable $8.50 USD) we arrived in City Hostel (which as an aside was the best hostel I have ever stayed at in my life) not far off from the major street in the city in a great location. We checked in, got into our room, turned on the air conditioning (it was already ~28°C), and calmed our nerves.
We mapped out our plan for the day, of which the first stop was Sugafredo, a pretty popular tourist spot (there were few tourists anywhere) in a good location. A light lunch and some good coffees was $11 total, which is pricy for Tajikistan, but nothing near western prices. Here we got a chance to take in our surroundings. Everyone dresses smartly, women dress with a modern modest style with western flair (a common theme in the rest of the country) some wearing headscarves, but no burkas or niqabs.
Men are clean shaven (it is somewhat government mandated), as facial hair is reserved for imams, but those beards must be tidy also. Shorts are acceptable for men, but modesty is the overall theme. No need to attract unwanted attention, like one particular female tourist we saw that walked down the street with short shorts and shoulders exposed. If you aren’t prepared to be aware of your surroundings, do some research, and respect other cultures, Tajikistan (or indeed true travel) isn’t for you.
Our next venture was to head to the statue of Ismail Somoni, a famous poet the currency of Tajikistan is named after.
We then headed to check out some of the very large government buildings and statues, which were hilariously playing what seemed like a government radio station over megaphone. In the middle of the park was magical free wifi (and was the best connection we had in about a month) leading to a short stroll to the now 2nd largest flagpole in the world.
The flag itself weighs 700 kilos (which would kill a bunch of people if it ever detached, surely) atop a 165m high pole. The whole thing was bizarre.
Shortly after that, we headed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clear up a minor issue we were having with our visas, which then involved getting the run around to the other side of the city. After that unsuccessful trip, we thought we’d go back and explore more of downtown. More about this later.
Next, we begin noticing that the Tajik president Rahmon has his face consistently plastered on posters and billboards and buildings everywhere. We knew from some research that there had been instability in the 90s, and that post-civil war was a stalemate and everything eventually calmed down. What we didn’t know is that Tajikistan has had the same president since then, and he keeps winning re-election. As president, he can sit in on any public or political meeting of his choosing. So many questions come to mind. More quirks of the country, it seemed.
We arrived back to the Main Street, but much to our surprise, vehicle traffic had totally disappeared and everything was eerily quiet. Merchants were standing outside of their shopfronts, pedestrians faced the road, and police were on every street corner – we had no idea what was going on. Everything had come to a standstill.
We waited in anticipation.
5 minutes later, in the distance, you could faintly see flashing lights from a motorcade barrelling towards our location. Either the president or a very high ranking civil servant is enough to officially close down this busy street for approximately 10–15 minutes in order to rocket a high security motorcade (8+ vehicles) either in or out of their official offices nearby. Again, bizarre.
Life returns immediately to normal after this distraction, and we searched for a TCell store (a mobile provider that covers the CIS for the most part). We bought a 1.5 GB+ SIM for 55 Somoni (approx $6 USD). To do this you’ll need your passport, Tajik visa, and proof of where you are staying. We spoke with a younger employee at the store who insisted that Dushanbe was a great place and that we should have no issues while we were here. Turns out he was right!
We later ventured to “Taj”, a well-rated Indian restaurant for samosas and vegetable curry, then had a delightful slow walk to our hostel with some blueberry ice cream as a reward, and prepped for the next morning.
An early start gave us some time for a 5k run, a shower, small repack, and a delicious breakfast complete with fried eggs, fresh bread and preserve, nuts, dried fruit, and unlimited clean water. Again, a superb hostel at a great price!
Khudoguy (Khudik for short) arrived at our hostel to began our journey to the roof of the world, the Pamir Highway – we were ready.
Or at least, we thought we were.
Next: Pamir Highway Part 1
