Note: Entry written on Juy 8 and uploaded on July 10. I will hopefully write about Istanbul Days 2 & 3 and Dushanbe in the near future.

On Tuesday, July 7, we departed our respective guesthouses/apartments and headed off to the airport. The plan had been to catch a helicopter from Dushanbe to Khorog, which would take about 1.5-2 hours. (Un)fortunately, “this is Tajikistan”; plans change.

Seeing as how we were the only 4 people headed to Khorog and that there would not be anyone heading back to Dushanbe from Khorog, we were unable to take the helicopter. Though the rationale behind this had not been explained, I would assume it is on account of the financial impact that stems from only flying 4 people via helicopter to Khorog and not flying anyone for the return to Dushanbe. Assuming this was the rationale, though an inconvenience, I totally can understand why that decision had been made.

So, following this decision, we began our 2 day, 11-18 hour trip to Khorog with our driver, who we lovingly referred to as “Maki” (Mister). Now, I should mention that, as opposed to the previous few days, Dushanbe on Tuesday was HOT! Whereas the weather had apparently been unusually mild for our first few days, these days seemingly better reflected the normal weather in Tajikistan. Coupled with no AC, the beginning part of the trip was, well, torturous.

At first, I think all of us interns were quite afraid. Afterall, we were traveling on some very iffy roads. However, a couple of hours into the trip, this all changed…drastically. Our fear subsided and our appreciation of Tajikistan grew. I must say, though I have not traveled extensively and therefore have no relative comparison, the landscape of Tajikistan is BEAUTIFUL! In the course of a single trip, we went from flat land with wide, paved, two-way roads to incredibly tall mountains with gravel or dirt roads. We passed by rivers and streams and cities situated between it all. We had to screech to a halt to allow chickens to cross the road (apparently they really do just want to get to the other side) and often had to do the same for sheep, lambs, donkeys, and cows. We (unintentionally) raced with random dogs sitting beside the road and (intentionally) prodded a donkey with our vehicle as its perhaps 8 year old master sadly frowned and shrieked (okay, I’ll admit this was kind of mean, but it was the driver’s action…). We joined the locals in drinking mountain waters but also saw numerous people drinking and washing up in gutter and run-off water from rain. Finally, we got caught in and drove through a herd of hundreds of sheep, with a young shepherd helping us maneuver our way out, and drove beside the Pyanj River for many miles, providing us with an extensive view of Afghan-Badakhshan. So in retrospect, I totally think driving to Khorog has proven to be the better option.

I wanted to take a minute to mention one particular component of our trip, which is our overnight stay at Darwuz. On our way to Khorog, we ended up spending a night at the MSDSP (Mountain Societies Development Support Programme) Guesthouse. Similar to Urdu and Hindi, Darwuz (darwaza) means very large door, or so we had been instructed in Dushanbe. The name was certainly fitting. I must say, the location of the guesthouse and Darwuz overall was staggering. Situated between mountains on all four sides with the freshest roses I have ever seen growing next to the house, Darwuz is certainly a beautiful and unique sight to wake up to. Indeed, it was perhaps the most beautiful stop on the way to Khorog. The owner of the guesthouse, Mirov Rahmatikhudo, is an incredibly kind fellow with great stories. Before we left for Khorog, he gave us Golden Jubilee pins (and also gave the female interns roses plucked from his rosebush) and we, in turn, gave him a Golden Jubilee Tasbih. So, if by chance you happen to find yourself in Darwuz (in Tajikistan, not Afghanistan), I strongly suggest you stay at the MSDSP guesthouse and lose yourself in the beauty of Tajikistan.