Pamir Mountains, Ishkashim to Khorog - Tajikistan

Stream, Trees, Mountains - Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan

Having spent a couple of days in the car driving along the Wakhan Valley, we wanted to spend some time outdoors enjoying the weather and scenery. A search for the perfect picnic spot yielded these views near the hot springs town of Garm Chashma in Tajikistan. Perfect. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Pamiri Women - Garm Chashma, Tajikistan

Notice how the woman on the left has blacked in the middle part of her eyebrows to form one long eyebrow (or unibrow, if you like). We also saw this in Uzbekistan, where it was considered stylish or attractive. Taken in Garm Chashma, Tajikistan. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Focused Women at Market - Ishkashim, Tajikistan

Ishkashim, Tajikistan. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Dan and Pamiri Old Man - Ishkashim, Tajikistan

This man took a liking to Dan, insisting that they had met a few years prior...here in Ishkashim, Tajikistan...Although we tried to explain in our broken Russian that this was our first visit, he didn't understand. In the end, he was happier thinking we were long, lost friends. We suppose that in a way, we were. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Pamiri House - Garm Chashma, Tajikistan

Although it doesn't look like too much from the outside, the inside of a Pamiri house is really unique and is loaded with symbolism. Outfitted in wood, traditional Pamiri houses feature five pillars (representing the five main prophets and pillars of Islam), 13 roof beams representing the seven imams and six prophets of Ismailism, and a lone skylight formed from four concentric squares representing the elements (earth, fire, air, and water). Taken in Garm Chashma, Tajikistan. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Pamiri Men on Motocycle - Ishkashim, Tajikistan

This group had stopped on the road to help move giant concrete slabs onto a truck. It must be uncomfortable for the guy in the sidecar, going over some of the worst roads in Asia. Taken between Ishkashim and Khorog, Tajikistan. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Hot Springs at Garm Chashma - Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan

The hot springs in Garm Chashma, Tajikistan provided a place for relaxation and bathing for locals...and ripe tourists who haven't bathed for days. The white cliffs reminded us of the calcium deposits in Pamukkale, Turkey. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Pamiri Woman Herding Goats - Garm Chashma, Tajikistan

A woman herds her goats back home for the night. Taken near Garm Chashma, Tajikistan. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Lost Goat - Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan

This goat looks like he's lost his way home. Garm Chashma, Tajikistan. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Pamiri Young Women - Garm Chashma, Tajikistan

These two girls invited Dan and Hugues to see their Pamiri home. Without any common language (the girls didn't speak Russian and Dan didn't speak Pamiri), it was a bit difficult to communicate, but obviously still fun. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Beekeeper - Khorog, Tajikistan

We passed this beekeeper one morning on our way into town and asked whether we could buy some of his honey. That evening, we stopped in and picked up a pound of fresh honey. Dark, strappy and delicious, especially with the homemade yogurt from our guesthouse (Pamir Lodge). Taken in Khorog, Tajikistan. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Lenin Statue Looking at Mountains - Khorog, Tajikistan

Khorog, the regional center of the Pamirs in Tajikistan, is surrounded by mountains on all sides. Here, Lenin dons a cape and looks ready to plan his escape. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Pamiri Woman Selling Plov - Khorog, Tajikistan

When eating some plov (rice, carrot and meat dish) at this woman's stand in the Khorog market, we asked her about where we could find nahud sambusa (a supposedly famous Tajik chick pea dish). We couldn't find any at the market. She promised to cook some and bring it the next day, but forgot...for good reason - one of her relatives had died the night before. She never forgave herself though and apologized the whole time, as we ate another plate of plov. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Flowers in Pamir Mountains - Khorog, Tajikistan

The beekeeper had a beautiful garden full of bright flowers. We figured these are the key to his tasty honey. Taken in Khorog, Tajikistan. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Pamiri Man and Boom Box - Khorog, Tajikistan

This peaceful Pamiri man looked a bit out of place sitting next to a boom box in Khorog, Tajikistan. He was (figuratively) just begging to have his photo taken. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Autumn in Pamir Mountains - Khorog, Tajikistan

We were blown away by the range of colors - reds, oranges, and yellows - of the trees in Khorog, Tajikistan. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Young Pamiri Boy - Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan

Pamiri Boy. Taken in Khorog, Tajikistan. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Autumn Trees - Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan

A row of poplar trees lines our way back to our guesthouse in Khorog, Tajikistan. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.

Plane With a View - Khorog, Tajikistan

A grandmother watches the mountains go by at VERY close range on the flight from Khorog to Dushanbe, Tajikistan. We hope the pilots still get danger pay for this route, as they did under Soviet times. Not only do they deserve it, but the passengers do, too. We were told afterwards that the maximum elevation of the flight was 4,200 meters (but some of the mountains around were 5,000+ meters!) with a speed of 350 km/hour. The pilot swore the closest we got to the mountains was 300 meters, but it sure looked and felt A LOT closer than that! Read more about and see the video from this beautiful and terrifying flight.

Tajik Airplane - Khorog, Tajikistan

This Tajik Air AN 28 is ike a lunchbox on wheels with wings. When we first saw this plane, we thought "Phew! Glad we're taking a car to Dushanbe." When none of the drivers were working during the holidays (end of Ramadan), we had to resort to flying on this plane from Khorog (Pamir mountains) to Dushanbe in Tajikistan. Read more about and see the video from this beautiful and terrifying flight.

Tajik Air Plane Passengers - Khorog, Tajikistan

We read in our Lonely Planet guide that this route - Khorog to Dushanbe in Tajikistan - was the only route that Aeroflot paid its pilots danger pay during Soviet times. Completely justified. Take a look at the video at this post to see why. Read more about and see the video from this beautiful and terrifying flight.