This smooth character in his tall kalpak (traditional Kyrgyz felt hat) and sunglasses eyed the table at a billiards hall in Murghab. Tajikistan. Kyrgyz in Tajikistan? Odd borders (which are rife throughout the former Soviet Union) in and around Murghab and Tajik-Kyrgyz border areas are heavily populated by ethnic Kyrgyz. Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
This recycled metal tanke-cum-cafe typifies life in Murghab, Tajikistan. This is a barren town in the high desert of the Pamir mountains. The altitude and dry climate mean that nothing grows here, not even potatoes. And, the only animals able to withstand the altitude are yaks and donkeys.Life is difficult, people are poor and the market is filled with reused Soviet containers like this one. Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.