Blogs from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Asia

Day 2 Dushanbe Fast Facts Population 679 400 Elevation 800m Settlement- 5th century BC Dushanbe evolved in 1929 with establishment of a railway, aka Stalinabad- capital of new Soviet Tajik republic 1950's back to Dushanbe (which means Monday), Tajik immigrants from Uzbekistan, German POW's and Russian exiles 1990's civil war with the fall of the Soviet Union 2002 peace prevails, city transforms Wake up after not enough sleep with a cold, unfortunate timing but I can deal with it... My room in the daylight- big, white, spacious, old Persian rugs, big puffy curtains (hmm). white linen, navy privacy curtain into small ante room and bathroom, all very spotless, very, very spotless. I love it (with the exception of the puffy curtains), art on the walls-local eurasian, r... read more

This trip came about when a friend (Terry, met in Iran in 2014) sent me photos of his trip incorporating the "Stans", specifically Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It only took about 5 minutes to once again shelve Mongolia and completely switch destinations. I knew nothing at all, in any shape or form, about Tajikistan or Kyrgyzstan, I'm not so sure that I'd even heard of them before. Immediately I took to scouring blog sites (like this- Shane the Travelling Camel, Dancing Dave and Dave and Merry Jo in particular), independent blogs (The Adventures of Lill Nicki), info boards, forums, TA, IndyGuide, Caravanistan and Lonely Planet (etc, etc, etc.....) to construct an itinerary. It was a tough one as there were absolutely endless places to see, mountains to climb and things to do in these 2 incredible countries. ... read more

TAJIKISTAN with the Tajik Outlaws...Part 1. I'm really excited..replaced my computer...download my Tajikistan pics...like opening gold wrapped chocolate...hoping the wrapping indicates something special...nothing worse than stale and wretched. Cord...camera...USB...images like cards falling to the floor. Flashing...flipping...smiling...fist forming...yes...yes...yes. Relief rolling down my face...memories flashing before me...warm feeling of pleasure as chocolate drips from my lips. One of the most splendiferous road trips of the World...stunning landscapes...amazed by the people we meet. Let the tales begin...and what an adventure it was. ***** Shane The Travel Camel says he's leading a road trip through the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan in August 2017 and asks if we want to come...yeeka! Denise says it took 5 minutes to decide...I say it took about 6... read more

Tajikistan celebrates 26 years of independence from the Soviet Union on 9th September. Perhaps best known for its civil war and economic collapse of the early 90s, it has come a long way since then, however it remains one of the poorest countries in the world There is a large population of Tajiks in northern Afghanistan and also in the Uzbekistan cities of Samarkand and Bukhara. It was talking to the Tajik owner of the guest house we stayed at in Bukhara (Uzbekistan) last year that really piqued our interest in Tajikistan and the rest of the Stans. Tajikistan has strong cultural and military ties with Russia. It's economy is also heavily reliant on the paychecks of Tajik men who work away in Russia. It also has growing ties with China on its Eastern border with ... read more

Als Tourist in Dushanbe muss man sehr überlegt handeln. Denn sonst weiß man nicht, was man am Nachmittag tun soll. Also frühstückte ich erst ausgiebig und langsam. Nahm dann den Bus in die Stadt - womit ich wahrscheinlich der einzige Gast im Sheraton bin, der je den ÖPNV benutzt hat. Im Moment bin ich mir sogar nicht so recht sicher, ob ich nicht überhaupt der einzige Gast bin???? Busfahren ist easy. Kostet ein GELD, das sind so etwa 10 Cent. Und es gilt die feste Regel: Junge Leute springen sofort auf, wenn jemand älterer zusteigt, egal ob Mann oder Frau. Also habe ich immer einen Sitzplatz. Von den hiesigen Busfahrer könnten sich die in München was abschauen. Die Münchner warten genüßlich, bis der Fahrgast hergerannt kommt und fast die Türe erreicht hat. Dann wir diese zugeknallt ... read more