Tajikistan - 2017

I’m so glad that my final full day in Tajikistan was yesterday rather than today.  According to my theory of Tajikistan’s spring weather cycles, today was scheduled to be a wet day, and so it was.  The three of us who were catching the China Southern Airlines flight to Urumqi left the hotel at 8:00am, with the luggage and one passenger in a Land Rover, and the other two of us in a Lada.  The dark grey skies and constant rain suggested that this would not have been a great day for exploring Dushanbe on foot.

Passing through Dushanbe Airport was an intriguing experience.  There were no less than four security checks, and at one of them, one of my travelling colleagues was relieved of 100 somoni by the officer, who simply removed the banknote from my friend’s very limited remaining cash, placed it in his own pocket, and offered the simple explanation “coffee money”.

Our flight to Urumqi was in a new China Southern Airlines Boeing 737-800.  Unlike the flight from Urumqi to Dushanbe, this flight was somewhat turbulent, and for most of the journey the mountains below were obscured by cloud.  When the mountains were visible, there was notably more atmospheric haze than the previous week, and also noticeably less snow on the ground.

Upon landing in Urumqi, a China Southern Airlines staff member was waiting to meet me at the exit gate with my name on a pink skeet of paper, apparently because my transit time was fairly short for a transfer that had an international connection.  While she was helpful, it didn’t get my luggage off the plane any more quickly, and she gave me quite a few frustrated glances that seemed to suggest it was my fault that my bag had not arrived on the conveyor belt more rapidly.

I had a three hour transit at Urumqi Airport, followed by a five hour flight to Guangzhou and then an eight hour overnight transit in Guangzhou, which was enough to secure another free night’s hotel accommodation courtesy of the airline.  Tomorrow I take the final leg from Guangzhou to Sydney, a nine and a half hour flight.

It’s sad that this trip is over.  I loved every minute of my time in Tajikistan, which has risen to the top of my ‘favourites’ list of Central Asian countries, Central Asia in turn being one of my best-loved travel destinations in the world.  With the exception of one security officer at Dushanbe Airport, the people were among the most hospitable, generous, welcoming people I have ever met, and the scenery was simply sensational.  The air was clean and fresh, smoking was banned in public places because the President’s son doesn’t like it, all except the smallest backroads were sealed and in excellent condition, the food was natural and additive-free, and the whole place had a Soviet-retro feel that I love.  The cultural events were unique and, in the case of buzkashi, awe-inspiring.

My only regret is that at this time of year, it was not possible to visit the Pamir Mountains in the east of the country because the roads were still closed due to snow, but I have made a mental note that I MUST return in summer some time soon to explore this region, which I understand has mountain scenery that is ten times better even than the amazing mountains I encountered on this trip.

I’m ready to start saving up right now because, quite simply, Tajikistan is a gem of a place.  And I am very grateful to Rich Beal of Koryo Tours, who led our group, for providing me and the rest of the group with the opportunity to visit this fascinating country.  Rich was an excellent tour leader (and no doubt still is!), exercising great attention to organisational detail, adding wonderful insights to help our understanding, displaying great flexibility, and keeping us entertained with his great stories and reminiscences.

Day 11 - Leaving Tajikistan

Sunday 2 April 2017