This is the first part of a six-part series recounting my misadventures on the Pamir Highway. Pamir Highway: Dushanbe-Kalai Khumb-Rushan
The Pamir Highway road trip- 10 days of wilderness and outdoor toilets. I travelled with three others, because we are friends, but really because of cost sharing:) We hired a 4×4 vehicle with a guide and driver through Caravanistan. I liaised with the boss of the tour agency, Khudoguy, via email during the weeks leading up to the trip; he was clear and prompt with his replies. It was towards the pricier range, but for the comfort and service (more on that in part 3), it was worth it. Pamir Highway: Dushanbe-Kalai Khumb-Rushan
Our journey started in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan and ended in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. Other travellers have said that this direction is better for acclimatising to the high elevations of GBAO in eastern Tajikistan, and none of us experienced any altitude sickness, so make of that what you will. We started off on 29 February, which was not exactly recommended because of the cold and icy treacherous roads, but somehow we managed (by buckling up in the car and worshipping heaters in the homestays).
Dushanbe
We arrived in Dushanbe during the coronavirus pandemic but before any confirmed cases in Central Asia. Three days later the Tajik government banned all Singaporeans from entering the country.
Bureaucracy aside, or not, metered taxis are a recent introduction to the city, so expect to haggle with the driver over the price at the airport. Ride hailing apps are not available in Tajikistan as of the date of this post. Have your accommodation’s phone number and address ready, preferably in Cyrillic. Our driver had a hard time following our Google Map’s directions, maybe because it is not as prevalent there, or maybe because he was chewing weed the whole time. Seriously our ‘Welcome to Tajikistan’ was a Grand Theft Auto car ride swerving other honking vehicles and circling the city multiple times because he couldn’t find our hostel despite our desperate attempts to lead him there. If all else fails, tell your driver to call your accommodation’s number; they will direct him in the local language.
Things to do in Dushanbe
We stayed at Pamir Hotel-Hostel in a private room for four. It was clean and spacious with a connecting bathroom, and inclusive of a traditional breakfast with tea, eggs and yoghurt, although not the sweet kind you are thinking of. The attractions in central Dushanbe are within walking distance from one another- Rudaki Park, Ismoili Somoni Monument, the National Museum etc. When we visited, the second tallest free-standing flagpole in the world did not have a flag hoisted, so we nearly missed it despite looking right at it. A smiling, benevolent Emomali Rahmon was plastered on every billboard and empty wall, while his presidency’s track record looms in the metaphorical clouds above.
Kalai Khumb
Happy Leap Day! Our driver and guide picked us up early next morning to leave Dushanbe. The next stop along the Pamir highway is Kalai Khumb, a small town in GBAO 370km away. As we ventured deeper into the mountains, we saw Chinese construction men and machines paving asphalt roads to replace the battered one built partially by the Soviets early last century. It was quite a bizarre sight to see in the middle of nowhere.
En route: Dushanbe - Kalai Khumb
We travelled further south until we reached the Tajik-Afghan border. From here on, the road followed the Pyanj river, and to our right for the next five days was Afghanistan. Over the course of our road trip, we would see Tajik border troops sporadically patrol along the river with rifles behind their backs. Amidst the remarkable Pamir mountains was a reminder of the infamously porous border where drugs and militants from Afghanistan threaten to spill over into Central Asia. Pamir Highway: Dushanbe-Kalai Khumb-Rushan
Arrival in Kalai Khumb
We stayed the night at The Homestay of Sangakov Bahrom, apparently made famous by Lonely Planet. We were utterly blown away by our first taste of homecooked Pamiri food, not just by its quality, but also its quantity. First off, already on the table were two drinks- tea and freshly squeezed cherry juice, and several stacks of bread. For the appetiser, we were served two kinds of salad- shredded pickled cabbage and carrots, and sliced tomatoes and cucumber. I thought the mutton with potato soup that followed was the main course. I was about to leave when we were each brought a huge drumstick on a plate filled with salted potato wedges. Let’s not forget dessert too, three plates of pears and oranges. Forgive me when I say, I can’t even. We slept blissfully with full stomachs that night.
Rushan
I could barely get up the next morning. If anybody has a sweet tooth like I do, you will absolutely love breakfast in this part of the world. They served bread with several kinds of jam- apricot, apple and condensed milk (the variations change depending on the homestay, but don’t worry, nobody asked yet I will update as we go). The best part is, the jams are all homemade from the fruits grown in their own backyard, preserved and mixed with a ton of sugar. I got to a point where spreading them on bread was not satisfying enough, so I proceeded to eat them straight from the glass vessel.
Ancient city of Karon
We were on the road again, but half an hour later we stopped at the foot of an unassuming settlement, from which we hiked up a steep incline to reach the ancient city of Karon. Our fitness levels have never been so cruelly exposed, while our guide trod up with ease. The ancient city was mostly in ruins, but the view was to die for. In early March, snow still blanketed much of the mountains despite the beaming sun.
En route: Kalai Khumb - Rushan
As we continued our journey, we started to see villages spring up on the Afghan side of the Pyanj river. From the distance the clay houses looked like clumsily stacked boxes clinging on to the side of the riverbank. Children played in the fields while women washed clothing in the Pyanj. Brightly coloured carpets were left on the rocks to dry. Our guide and driver shouted across the river attempting to converse with those on the other side. Both sides spoke the Persian dialect Dari, were ethnic Tajiks, had similar customs, yet an arbitrary border decided by Western colonialists in the form of a river separated those living on opposite banks forever.
Arrival in Rushan
It was another long and lazy drive to the next town, Rushan. There wasn’t much to do so we ended up going outside to chase sheep. Evening brought with it some interesting shower-time commotion. None of us were accustomed to showering in weather this cold; our dorm back in Almaty was always well-heated till balmy. Here, the frigid air outside seeped through the thin walls of our homestay.
After the undressing was a gingerly tiptoe into the tub, followed by an eternity of shivering the naked ass off while waiting for the water to warm. Following that, all the willpower in the world to turn the tap off while getting chilled to the bone running to towel dry and put clothes on. Then, a mad rush out the door back into the bedroom where I defrosted myself next to the heater. There were four successive screams every fifteen minutes, each signalling the end somebody’s turn. Pamir Highway: Dushanbe-Kalai Khumb-Rushan
Hi! I am Joey, a University student from Singapore, attempting to show my appreciation for the world’s most powerful passport by literally milking its visa-free benefits one country at a time. I describe my travel budget as shoestring and travel style as audacious.
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