---

There is a weekly flight from Munich to Dushanbe which saves a transit in Moscow, and if you have a letter of invitation, you can get a visa on arrival.

Dushanbe is a peaceful city in the trees; everybody walks, street sweepers are out in the early morning to brush away the leaves. The cars are mostly Lada's, a perfect car for the environment since you can fix it yourself. Electric powered buses cruise the main streets stopping only to pickup passangers and put the electrodes back on the wires. Red, white and green blinking flags light up the streets.

Men wear suits and ties, occasionally long soft fabric coats. The ladies wear long dresses, headscarves, sparkly shoes and have a gypsy appeal.

Since Walmart and McDonalds have not penetrated this market, there are still unique restaurants and bazzars. The amusement park comes complete with a statue of Lenin, old bumper cars and ferris wheels.

The Antiquities museum is well worth the visit and three dollars for admission. The charming lady at the door insists you put the hospital style foot covers over your shoes to keep the museum spotless and immaculate. The show piece of the museum is the 11M reclining buddha.

There is not a lot of english spoken here, but the people are friendly and considerate, and they serve cold draft beer in large mugs. Smiles show the golden teeth.

Tajiks use large handleless teacups; it is tradition to pour the first cup back into the pot. The local round bread comes in 3 sizes and has a slightly different taste in different parts of the country.

In Dushanbe, there are apartments or hotels for rent - upcountry we would just sleep on someones floor. In the fall, the roads would be lined with people selling fresh fruit and produce. In the spring, the dry countryside would turn green, grass in the fields, daffodils, birds, cherry and almond trees blossom.

---