Sunday 14th August
A short but weary drive away from the still
barking cockerel led us to the Denau border with Tajikistan. When we got there
it was deserted and we were first in line to be served. As usual the sheer
incompetency of the border guards meant we were waiting in the sun for 3 hours for
a single passport stamp and a payment of $25. No matter, we erected a tarpaulin
between the cars, hooked up the camping stoves and enjoyed some lunch in the
shade. Rich managed to lose his trusty Nike Total 90 Omni mini football that
had stuck by him since childhood. Offering greater geometric precision than its
predecessor, revolutionary curved stitching and an asymmetrical high-contrast
graphic, it was a real loss for the team and Rich was distraught. Nevertheless,
we ploughed on past the border and into the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe.
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| Uzbekistan/Tajikistan border |
Like any British tourists anywhere in the world,
our first port of call in Dushanbe was an Irish Pub. Much to our delight, they
were showing Everton vs Tottenham on the big screen as the opening round of
fixtures got under way in the Premier League. Beer, football, wifi and an
actual sit down toilet, you couldn’t really ask for more. Though the joy was
slightly short-lived for the drivers who to their disgust had to settle for a shandy,
a concept that the Irish Pub couldn’t quite grasp.
After our food and Internet fix we set about exploring the impressive sights of Dushanbe. One of the major attractions is the Dushanbe Flagpole – the largest freestanding flagpole in the world at 165m tall. Atop this magnificent flagpole flies a majestic 30 m x 60 m flag of Tajikistan.
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| Dushanbe Flagpole, the tallest free-standing flagpole in the world |
Towards the late afternoon we
continued out of Dushanbe and made as much ground on the M41 road towards the southeast
corner of Tajikistan as possible. By nightfall we deviated off the main road in
search of a suitable camping spot but the immediate surroundings were largely
wet underfoot. Up stepped another kind local gentleman who offered us his house
for the night. He took us to his rural abode where there waiting for us were 8
beds lined up ready. Speaking no English whatsoever and armed only with a
Russian phrase book we set about engaging in a heavily disjointed conversation
about him and his family. As the night went on, more family members and half
the village turned up to sit with us, drink tea and learn about each other’s
stories.
Having sampled their traditional chai, we felt it only right that they experience some of Britain’s finest tea. Emerging from the darkness came Isaac brandishing a packet of Tetley’s instant tea. Its reception was more of a polite acknowledgment rather than an excitable lust for more but we figured this was probably because we forced them to sample it without any sugar – something unheard of in Tajikistan. The moment we turned our backs they were shovelling heaps of sugar straight into their mugs and as if by magic they couldn’t get enough of our Tetley brew.
Having sampled their traditional chai, we felt it only right that they experience some of Britain’s finest tea. Emerging from the darkness came Isaac brandishing a packet of Tetley’s instant tea. Its reception was more of a polite acknowledgment rather than an excitable lust for more but we figured this was probably because we forced them to sample it without any sugar – something unheard of in Tajikistan. The moment we turned our backs they were shovelling heaps of sugar straight into their mugs and as if by magic they couldn’t get enough of our Tetley brew.
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| The homestay, Tajikistan |
Posted by: Rich