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Showing posts from September, 2011

We'd rather go Fishing........

With rods poking at our backs (there are now 6 of us, we just picked up another vague relative along the road) and surrounded by fumes of diesel and dead fish we are squeezed in the back of an old Russian Jeep, no suspension to speak of, thundering over the potholed roads of the Pamirs as if there is no tomorrow. We have to be home before sundown. Don’t know what’s worse, the fumes or the pain in our butts but an experience it certainly is. Potential camping spot for future visitors So, here we are,   now in to our last month   in Tajikistan; delighted to report that we made it back to the region of the Murghab, with its incredibly barren vistas, yaks, yurts and lakes.   We were invited by a local Pamiri who is keen to develop a tourism product for the international traveller..... Murghab trout fishing.    We were picked up on Saturday, mid-morning by Shamir (the young nephew), AliJon (the elder nephew and coincidentally, our landlord) and 'Maki' (mr moneybags), 'uncl

A Presidential visit

Beautiful People - celebrating the President at Central Park  For the past few months, Khorog residents have been busy repaving roads, completing unfinished buildings, walls, park boundaries.  We’ve never seen such frantic activity, nor Khorog looking so ... spruced.  President Rahmon is on his rounds... he’s visited Penjikent, ........ and now it’s the turn of the capital of the Pamirs.  The response to this ‘State Visit’ is mixed.   Some people shrug their shoulders in resignation, others plan what they are going to wear and how they can finagle a ‘ring side seat’ for this parade.   And us?  We’re going fishing.  Well, we might wait until the weekend, when all the fuss is over. The Pamiris seldom say 'No' to a photo op. On his visit, the President opened the new Lycee, a gymnasium, amongst other notable activities.  The speechifying took place in Central Park, and of course, no-one but invited guests were able to get anywhere near the area.  The PECTA office, loc