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High Desert Desolation - The Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan
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Parameters: 1 Russian UAZ jeep, 1 Kyrgyz-Tajik driver, 2 American and 3 French travelers, 1 awfully desolate little path through the high desert.
These components frame the first segment of our journey through Tajikistan's Pamirs - from the Tajik-Kyrgyz border near Kyzyl-Art Pass (4282 meters) through alpine lakes and the Ak-Baital Pass (4655 meters) to Langar, the unofficial starting point of Tajikistan's Wakhan Valley.
A note for the curious and detail-oriented: Although in Tajik territory, the town of Murghab and the surrounding areas are still mainly inhabited by ethnic Kyrgyz.
Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
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Crossing into Tajikistan
The statue of the Marco Polo sheep marks the entrance into Tajikistan from Kyrgyzstan. The official border crossing and passport control is a few kilometers away...in an even more remote corner of the universe.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Tajik Border Controls
To describe the Tajik border control at the Kyzyl-Art Pass (4282 meters) as desolate would be an understatement. This photo gives you a feel of what it would be like. Young soldiers emerge from these cylinders in order to collect water by breaking ice in the nearby stream. They supplement their diets of tea with bags of potatoes given as gifts by drivers making their way over the border. Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Welcome to GBAO!
Two Tajik border guards carry plastic jerry cans full of water in wooden basket-packs. Meanwhile, a sign welcomes us to GBAO - Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast - in Tajikistan. We felt very welcome, indeed!Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
First View of China
The barbed wire fence on the left marks the border between Tajikistan and China. It was unmanned, but menacingly stretched for miles and miles.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Multiple Generations
Grandmother, mother and son wait for their car to be repaired at a remote cafe outpost near the Tajik border.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Apprehensive at the Door
A shot of an ethnic Kyrgyz girl at a remote roadside cafe in Tajikistan near the Kyrgyz border, close to Karakol Lake. .Although this is region is technically Tajikistan, it is still heavily populated by ethnic Kyrgyz.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Rusted
Snow-capped peaks frame this lonely landscape in Tajikistan's Pamir mountains. The area near the Kyrgyz-Tajik border is the epitome of high desert desolation...Taken en route to Murghab, Tajikistan.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
All Aboard
Everyone prepares for a departure to Murghab, Tajikistan after a quick lunch break at Markansu, near the Tajik-Kyrgyz border.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Outhouse in the Most Beautiful Setting Award?
A lunch break just after the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan brings us to a cafe outfitted with a lonely but beautifully set outhouse. Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
A Kalpak and a Smile
An older Kyrgyz man in his kalpak (traditional Kyrgyz hat) waits for his ride at a remote cafe in Tajikistan...Taken en route to Murghab, Tajikistan.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Waiting Impatiently
A woman and her son wait for the tires on the car to be pumped up (once again), so that their car may take them a few miles before the process starts all over again. ..In Tajikistan near the border with Kyrgyzstan, en route to Murghab, Tajikistan.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
A Yak for You, a Yak for Me
Yaks graze near Kara Kul Lake (3941 meters) in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan. The region near the Kyrgyz border is at high elevation, so yaks are the animal of choice. These stout animals can withstand cold temperatures and high elevations.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Roof of the World
The region of the Pamir Mountains is known as the roof of the world. Just looking at this photo, you can understand why...Taken at Karakol Lake, Tajikistan.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Road Trip, Pamir Style
Once all the tires (plus the spare) were equipped with some more hand-pumped air, this packed-to-the-brim Volga would take off. ..That is, until all the tires would go flat again after a few more kilometers...Taken in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan en route to Murghab.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Crossing the Pass
The packed Volga guns its engine to make it up the Ak-Baital (White Horse) Pass (4,655 meters) in Tajikistan on the way from the Kyrgyz border to Murghab. ..The sky and clouds take on a different look from the Roof of the World Pamir Mountains.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Patiently Waiting
As the tires go flat once again, the women squat and wait patiently on the side of the road. ..Taken en route from the Kyrgyz border to Murghab, Tajikistan.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Murghab Market Street
Rows of used train cars other recycled metal containers compose Murghab's market area. The metal market seems oddly suited to its high desert environment. Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
After School Fun
School boys ham it up on their way home from school in Murghab, Tajikistan. We thought they looked quite snazzy in their suits.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Murghab Still LIfe
One door, one window, and countless stories to be told. Taken in Murghab, Tajikistan.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Hippest Cafe Award
goes to this cafe in a long, recycled metal tanker in Murghab, Tajikistan.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Kyrgyz James Bond?
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.
Close Friends
These men kindly put their long discussion on hold so that we could take a photo of them. They seemed like long and dear friends. Murghab, Tajikistan.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Friendly Smile at the Market
While we couldn't understand everything this woman said, she had a light and happy spirit to her...Taken at the market in Murghab, Tajikistan.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Bored Already?
Murghab, Tajikistan.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
