Finally the moment arrived and the Afghan counterpart came
and opened the gate for us. Finally we were in Afghanistan. A dream comes true.
For further reading wait for the next part!
Farhad Badaksh who arranged for us the Afghanistan Wakhan
part of the trip was waiting for us in his white car on the Afghan side of the
border. Due to bad voice reception on mobile, SMS communication came to our
rescue and we coordinated the border crossing timing etc via SMS with Farhad.
After the customary formalities of stamping the passport / immigration
etc at the Afghan border we sat in Farhad’s car and started driving towards the
Ishkashim village which is 4 km from the border. Finally in Afghanistan and
enjoying the rough roads and the beautiful Hindukush mountains. Farhad knew
exactly what we wanted out of this trip and that we had less time to be in
Afghanistan due to possible border closure on 6th Sept. He suggested
that we try and finish most of the formalities of Wakhan Permit today only. So
first we met another person who first took us to the tourism office, then to
the Police for getting the necessary permissions. It was like a small tour of
the Ishkashim village. It was nice to interact with the locals all the while
though language was a problem since most people only understand Dari (Persian),
only few understand basic English. We met our friendly driver Sayeed Masoom at
the Tourism while we were waiting for the permits. I would strongly recommend
services of Farhad Badaksh and Sayeed Masoom if planning a trip in the Wakhan.
Please reserve minimum 4 hours for obtaining the Wakhan
permit and bring at least 8 passport size photographs and equal number of
passport copies, and though possible to obtain it yourself it’s much better to
give it to an agent who will know where exactly
to go. The running around for the permit doesn’t end here. You will have
to do some at Khandud (Wakhan Headquarters), submitting one copy at Qala-E-Panja
and lastly at Sarhad-E-Broghil. All the permits are in Dari language so forget
about reading them. It was already 4:00 PM so we could not get permission from
the border police so we decided to do it the next day.
After all the permit running around, Farhad finally drove us
to Marco Polo guest house, one of the best in the village. It had a very beautiful
garden with lots of Sun flowers and other colourful Lillies and also lots of
vegetables growing all around and to top it off with fabulous views of the Hindukush
mountains. We were served tea outside our room and was the most beautiful setting
with cold evening chill setting in, the beautiful garden and the mountain views
all around. Safar – a small boy at the guest house then took us to a nice ½ hour
walk around the village through the golden hue rice farms with nice views of
the Hindukush all around.
We came back to the guest house at around 6 PM and
Farhad came to discuss the further plan and costing. We were happy to hear that
we were the first Indian tourists in the Afghanistan Wakhan, and also the first
to cross over to Afghanistan from Ishkashim (Tajikistan) but I never believe in
these firsts and neither travel to try and break such records :). I later found out that an Indian had travelled
with the all female expedition group to Afghan Wakhan in 2011 to climb the difficult
6500 meter peak – Baba Tangi.
Afghanistan Wakhan – Driving into the Afghan Wakhan - Khandud Jinx
Next day after completing the permit formalities and some
shopping we bade Farhad good bye and started our drive deep into the Afghan
Wakhan with our very friendly driver and friend Sayeed Masoom, listening to the
amazing Afghan music.
It was difficult to believe that finally we were driving in
Afghan Wakhan – a long pending lifetime dream.
The scenery was mind blowing as usual with from the high
barren mountains to colourful fields and small villages with joyous kids
bidding us goodbye or sometimes asking us to stop and click their photographs.
The Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan visible to our left and the Afghanistan
Hindukush Mountains to our right. The infamous Pamir winds made its first
appearance before Khandud throwing up a huge dust storm almost covering the
whole valley and blocking the amazing landscape views.
Finally we reached Khandud at around 2:30 PM. Sayeed took us
to the Guest House there for lunch but there was none. We were very hungry but
had to be satisfied with just tea and bread. After this our Khandud Jinx would startJ. That day being a
Thursday, is a official half day so all the permit related offices (Police
Station, District Magistrate, Border Police) were closed by 12 PM. Sayeed was
insisting that we stay here for 2 days and continue on Sat since Fri is also a
holiday here. That was not acceptable to
us and we said – forget the permits lets just go ahead. Maybe looking at our
madness he panicked and finally we started hunting for the relevant
officials in the village.
It was very kind of Sayeed to accommodate our request and
went out of the way to trace the officials. We had a 2 hour walking tour
through the village while finding the officials.J
The most interesting part was the police station. It seemed that the old
building was not cleaned since ages and was full of dust and weird posters of
women empowerment. The police officer was very kind to come in-spite of holiday
and gave us the permit papers by taking some trouble to get the electricity on
so that he can print it for us.
The district magistrate was also kind enough to meet us. He
was very excited to meet us Indians and wanted to have a long chat with us, but
once we told him we were going to Qala E Panja for the night he did not hold us
up for long.
The sun was almost down when we started our journey from
Khandud. It was super exciting to reach a army check post in the middle of
no-where with a lone soldier guarding the barricade. We stopped and got our
permits checked and off we were to Qala E Panja. Just before Qala E Panja there
was yet another checkpost.
Finally at 9 PM in pitch dark we reached Qala E Panja guest
house. Apart from us there was a big group of trekkers at the guest house. They
were from the UK based Untamed Borders travel agency. I had already known when
in Mumbai that we would bump into them since I had by coincidence checked on
their itinerary while doing online research and our dates almost matched. It
was for the 3rd time we were bumping into them, first being on the
flight to Dushanbe, then at Qalai Kumb and now.
We had an amazing dinner with the Pakistani helper staff of
that group. Post dinner another person came to greet us. And I thought that I
had seen his face somewhere. He greeted us with warmth and told us that he was
the guide for the Untamed Borders group who would be trekking in the Afghan
Little Pamir’s for 15 days. I finally
recollected that he must be Malang Daraya – the Afghan hero mountaineer, he was
the first Afghan to climb the Afghanistan’s highest peak – Mount Noshak. I had
seen his documentary “Walking in the Himalayas” where we along with another
foreigner, trek through the Afghan Wakhan and finally cross over to Pakistan
from Irshad Pass. I took a chance and asked his name – and he said yes, I am
Malang. I was so happy to meet him that I gave him a big hug. It was a tiring
day so we finally went to sleep in the guest room for the night.
Afghanistan Wakhan - Going till the end of Road –– Last moment decision and
worth it
Our plan was a bit conservative while in Afghan Wakhan due
to the supposedly bad road condition and water crossings ahead and also due to
the fact that the border closing date was not fixed and we did not want to get
trapped in Afghanistan till the border opens post Tajik Independence Day. So
with this we decided we won’t drive all the way to the end of road to Sarhad E
Broghil but just chill out near Qala E Panja.
So we had decided to chill for one more day at Qala E Panja.
We had a nice relaxed breakfast and were just chilling in the eating room
chatting with the knowledgeable and eager Eilomudin who managed the Qala E
Panja Guest house. The weather was cloudy so we were also in very lazy mood
(Time stands still moment – I yearn for such moments during my travel where the
mind is blank – in the moment – and no thoughts at all). After a short nap we
decided to check out the Qala E Panja fort which was 10 mins walk away on a
small hillock.
The overcast weather actually was a blessing in disguise. It
was giving amazing colour to the landscape full of rice fields in their yellow,
light green autumn colours, and to add to this the occasional sunshine made for
some amazing landscape photography with the Pamir Mountains in one side and
Hindukush on the other and the mighty Panj river in view. In this amazing
environment we were enjoying the views from the Qala E Panja fort and also had
some dry fruits and snacks at the fort. The fort was in complete ruins but it
was a humbling experience to witness the ruins which was once a major strong
hold around 5 BC.
After coming back we visited the Apple Orchard in the back
yard of the guest house. It was so amazing to see the extremely fertile soil of
this otherwise arid and high altitude region. There were 20- 30 apples on
shoulder height trees, and also some other trees of Peach, Pear, tomato plant
and creepers of Pumpkin.
Now we had decided to have local lunch and were expecting
something spectacular but instead we got ghee poured in a big Central Asian
bread which in turn was kept in a metallic bowl. Even with my strong guts to
digest any food this was difficult for me. Tarun did try some and the results
would show up at night. Read On!
We had decided to stay one more day at Qala E Panja but
Eilomudin suggested we go further to Abgarch or Sargas and stay there since
these were also scenic villages. We took his suggestion and quickly packed up.
This was a total change of plans day (COP) which you will realize later on.
Even with overcast skies the scenery was simply mind blowing
when the road takes a right turn following the logical direction of the Afghan
Wakhan Valley. At this point the Pamir river from Tajikistan and Wakhan river
from Afghanistan meet to form the Panj river.
All this while a thought was coming every now and then that
should we just try our luck and go till Sarhad E Broghil where the road ends,
but I did not mention it to Tarun. Just when the road turned right into the
Afghan Valley Tarun mentioned – “Zen lets just go all the way”. Now there was
no turning back. We discussed the additional costing with Masoom and suddenly
we were in a hurry to reach Sarhad E Broghil.
The more we go inside the Wakhan corridor the vast contrast
in the mountain terrain becomes more and more obvious. The Tajikistan Pamirs
and to an Extent the Afghan Big Pamir range are more gentle in their slopes as
if inviting us to climb them. This view is to your left when travelling to
Sarhad. Now you look to the right and you see the rugged Afghan Hindukush. This
mountain range is so steep and rugged that you need to look at the photos to
believe. Pencil sharp cone peaks and steep glacial slopes of 80 degrees. They
seem to say – if you have the guts come try and climb. In short, Pamir’s invite
but Hindukush challenge the climberJ
Every 5 minutes we used to stop for a photo of the amazing
landscape, small villages in the valley, joyous villages coming to greet us,
and the best was seeing almost 10 -15 Double Humped Bactrian camels in the vast
pastures of the Wakhan River valley.
Now we see the wall. The huge mountain wall of the Little
Pamir mountains of Afghanistan which extend east all the way into China. As we
come nearer to Sarhad, the wall due to which the road ends at Sarhad appears
bigger and bigger full of snow capped peaks. But it was getting dark too since
we had not planned for Sarhad – so we left very late at 1 pm. Masoom was
worried about the 2 big rocky river crossings we would have to navigate in
darkness. We assured him that we would extend him all the help if we get stuck
and would stay together whatever happens.
The river crossing did trouble us and we lost our way in the
middle of a stony river bed in the middle of
nowhere not sure which way to go. I got out of the jeep and carefully
looked for tire treads of other vehicle. With lots of patience we were back on
track but now Sayeed was close to panic. We reached Sarhad at 9 PM and wasted
another hour in searching for a guest house. Finally we found the not so good
Zarik Guest House. We were very tired and gulped down whatever dinner we were
provided and went to sleep – little knowing it would be the worst night on this
trip.
Taruns stomach was not too well after having the traditional
Ghee and Bread at Qala E Panja. It got worst and it was full blown food poisoning
at night. It was a constant cycle of puking and loose motions every 15 min.
Tarun was out of his mind – I had never seen him so low ever. At the end I had
to almost lift him and take him to toilet waking up every 15 mins. Finally with
nothing left and giving him loads of ORS he settled down albeit with bad
stomach ache.
But there is always light at the end of a dark tunnel !
Afghanistan Wakhan – Clear Weather and chilling out at Sarhad E Broghil –
fishing in Wakhan river and drive back to Sargas
Next morning was the best weather we got on this trip.
Crystal clear blue sky and nice cool breeze in the mellow early morning
sunlight. Just perfect! The Little Pamirs to the east, Big Pamirs to the north
and the Hindukush mountains to the south with the snow capped peaks shining
bright in the background of the blue skies. The lowest depression in the rugged
Hindukush visible from Sarhad is the Broghil Pass by which you can trek couple
of hours to reach Chitral in Pakistan.
Tarun was fine but lots of weakness so he was sleeping. Even
Masoom was very tired due to the drive last night so he was also sleeping.
So I went out to enjoy the nice scenery and weather alone
for a while just sitting out in the sun and looking at the villagers going
about their daily chores. Little later Masoom also came and he was ready to
accompany me for a short hike nearby. But before that we had to meet the Police
officer at the checkpost to show our permits. With this started a nice guided
tour of this beautiful village. We also visited another very good guest house
“Chaqan Boye” and had very nice tea, bread and milk cream. The owner was very
kind and amazing person. He even gifted me the detailed hand drawn laminated
map of the Afghan Wakhan. Later we went for a short hike to a small hillock,
enjoying the amazing views of the Wakhan river and chatting with a local man
and sharing my snacks with them.
At this time of the year – the wide Wakhan Valley in Sarhad
was full of green and yellow grass. A very beautiful setting indeed. Masoom
suggested we try some fishing in the Wakhan River the local way. So he created
a small stone barricade on the downward flow of a small stream. From the other
side he disturbed a school of fish and
guided them towards the stone barricade but the fish were smart and changed
their course anther wayJ.
Next Masoom called out to couple of village boys with their baskets to help
him. Masoom carried the 2 baskets and told the boys to direct the fish towards
the basket. This did work and he was very happy. The true happiness similar to
a small child gets when he accomplishes something. We seldom get this feeling
when in the stressed out life of the city. The fishes caught were very small so
we released them back in the water rather then having them for lunch.
By the time we reached the guest house Tarun was better and
we started our drive back towards Ishkashim with a planned night stay at Sargas
village to enjoy the hot spring there. The drive back was very scenic due to
the nice weather spell. We took lot of breaks to enjoy the amazing landscape
and greet the local Wakhi people. Just before sunset we reached the beautiful
Sargas village with the 6500 meter Baba Tangi peak glowing in the orange
sunlight. But the guest house there was a total disappointment. It was full of
dust – not cleaned since ages, and food was also average. I would suggest
Abgarch village further ½ hour drive away for a more comfortable stay.
Afghanistan Wakhan – Sargas Hot Springs and drive to Pegish – Khandud Jinx
again, car break fail
In the morning me and Masoom went to the Sargas hot springs
while Tarun was resting to recover from the food poisoning episode. The hot
spring water besides a stream was diverted to a small hut with a small 5 * 5
feet pool inside. The pool was drained after every person took a dip in it. On
this trip I never missed a chance in the hot spring water since it is very good
for bone related problems, and with my back and left knee being bad it made
perfect sense to take a dip.
The drive back from here was a little monotonous since it
was the same road we were travelling on the way back. With a quick stop at Qala
E Panja we proceeded to Khandud. While at Qala E Panja we met up with a US
based travel blogger Matthew Karsten with his guide Yar Atthai. They had
trekked in the Afghan Little Pamir range for 12 days and were also back on the
way to Ishkashim and then to Tajikistan.
The Khandud Jinx would come againJ. The last one was a 3 hour
wait for the permits due to it being a half working day. Just before the
Khandud Army checkpost our Car brakes failed. First when the driver told us we
thought he as joking, but as the checkpost neared he steered the jeep to the
left since it was upward slope in that direction and got the jeep to a stop. Again
we wasted ½ hour trying to fix the brake fluid leak in a very dust storm prone
area but no success. The next plan was to somehow drive till Khandud and get
the jeep fixed there with the only mechanic in the Afghan Wakhan apart from
Ishkashim. Again we spent 3 hours in Khandud while the mechanic did the
temporary fix on the brake fluid leak. It was very windy and cold evening but
was fun to interact with the locals and village kids while we were waiting for
the brake to be fixed. I was very impressed with one kid ‘Abdul Khan’ in
particular. He talked in impeccable English and had the vision to dream big at
this tender age of 12 years. We had a nice chat for around 15 minutes.
With the brake fixed just before sunset we were back on the
road and drove till Pegish village where there was a nice guest house. Matthew
was also staying there so we decided to call it a night at Pegish after a
hearty dinner.
Afghanistan Wakhan – Fire Worshippers Quazdeh Fort and Drive back to Tajik
Border
Photo Link:
Afghanistan Wakhan – Fire Worshippers Quazdeh Fort and Drive back to Tajik Border
We woke up to a fine morning in Pegish. Today our plan was
to leave early so that we cross the border back to Tajikistan before it closes
4 PM local. Post 5
th September the border might be closed for Tajik
independence day till 12
th September. We did not want to get stuck
in Afghanistan all this time and hence the hurry.
Even Matthew changed his mind to stay back a few days due to
the uncertain news of Border closure.
Enroute to Ishkashim we stopped by at Quazdeh to trek to the little known
Quazdeh fort by the mountain side – a trek of 45 mins through the sharp morain
type rocks. Yar – who was the guide with Matthew gave us nice details about the
history of this little known fort. It seems that it was an old Zoroastrain fort
from what he mentioned as “fort of the fire worshippers”. Local’s say that
there is lots of gold buried beneath the fort remains but no one has been able
to find it till date. The Quazdeh fort is in total ruins with only the basic
structure of rocks remaining giving an idea about its size and the number of
rooms it had. The fort gave an impressive view of the whole Wakhan valley with
the Hindukush behind and in front the Panj river valley and the Tajikistan
Pamir mountains.
After reaching Ishkashim we stopped by at the Wakai guest
house managed by a person of the same name. We had our best lunch of fried
chicken legs and rice.Wow
J
The chicken was so tasty that I sneaked in and took another leg piece even
though they had cooked only one per person. All the while we were travelling
with Matthew gathering useful travel tips from him as well. You can read more
about him at
http://expertvagabond.com. Post lunch we met up
with Farhad at Sayeed Masooms photography shop and did the costing and payment
for the trip to the Afghan Wakhan. I would highly recommend the services of
Farhad Badaksh as a coordinator and Sayeed as the driver for your trip to the
Wakhan. We truely enjoyed the Afghan hospitality while on this short trip to
the Wakhan and I got a Diary as a gift from Sayeed.
The amazing views we saw while on this drive with ever
friendly Sayeed and the amazing Afghan music for background in our jeep would
stay with us for lifetime. Then it was the customary 20 mins drive in Farhad’s
car to the border and the formalities of land border crossing with which we
were reasonably comfortable. The only small mishap was at the Tajik customs. We
missed the customs area and started walking ahead and ignored the customs
officer calling us, thinking he was calling out to someone else. He was not
pleased at all. But after some talking he was Ok and let us go without any fine
or checking our bags. We as Indians definitely had an edge over other
travellers due to the good relation we share with both the countries.
Our new Tajik driver Kubat was waiting for us on the Tajik
side. We met up with him and waited for Matthew also to cross over and gave him
a lift to the Tajik Ishkashim home stay. He decided to stay with us for the
night and would part ways next morning taking a shared taxi to Dushanbe ending
his trip here and we would continue our Tajikistan exploration which had just
started nowJ
We had Beer in the evening along with Matthew to celebrate
our successful Afghan trip.
Driving across Tajik branch of Wakhan Valley – Silk route fortresses, hot
springs and Rock Petroglyphs
Photo Links:
- Back in Tajikistan – Driving Parallel to Afghan – Silk route fortresses, hot springs
- Tajikistan – Trek to Rock Petroglyphs at Langar
Today would be a typical sightseeing day with lots of
historical sites to view on the Wakhan Valley branch of the Tajik Pamir
Highway. It was my dream to travel this road mainly due to the fact that the
fort and Stupa ruins found here maybe of Zoroastrian origin. And of course, who
can deny the pull of the Pamir Mountains. After sorting out the money issues
and mobile recharge at the beautiful Ishkashim town market we started our
smooth drive in the Tajik Wakhan valley (compared to the dirt road on the
Afghan side). Of course the drive was very wobbly due to the off balance Jeep
which our Tajik driver had. It was good to see the Afghan side of Wakhan valley
from here and think that yes – we were there. Most people just dream about it
without actually executing the plan.
First we stopped by the Namadgut Fort where the Tajik
soldiers stay put to guard the Tajik Afghan border. You must always ask them
before climbing up on the fort. I was a bit afraid since I was alone but the
two soldiers stationed at the top gave me the green signal to come up. The
views from the top were amazing as well as the remains of the walls and
bastions of the fort. Just besides the fort we found a traditional clothes
seller with his family in their traditional clothes, all having typical
Zoroastrian facial features and wearing very colourful clothes which gave a
very good contrast to the otherwise bleak and barren terrain.
Next halt was the highlight of the day. The amazing Yamchun
fort 7 km off the main road up the hillock detached from the main mountain range of the Pamirs.
This fort was in very good condition compared to the other ruins in the area.
The origin of the fort is not clear. Some say it might also have Zoroastrian
roots. Amazing views of the Tajik Pamir mountains and the Afghan Hindukush to
be had from the top along with the sweeping views of the Wakhan Valley. Further
1 km away is the best hot springs in the area known as Bibi Fatima hot springs.
Not to be missed. I would strongly recommend a night stay here at the hotel
overlooking a scenic mountain view. The hot springs flow through the carven in
the mountains and a big hut has been built over it for privacy. Gents and
Ladies timings alternate every half hour and you are expected to bathe
completely naked so be prepared J
After enjoying a full hour in the hot springs and a nice
lunch we started our drive to Langar, enroute visiting the Wakhan museum and
the Vrang Stupa at a hill top again giving some amazing views of the valley.
The Vrang stupa is also called a fire worship place with probable Zoroastrian
roots. Both should take around half an hour each but worth a visit. By evening
we reached a very good homestay suggested by Kubat. The homestay was full of
costly Persian carpets with nice view of the fields around Langar and Afghan
Hindukush mountains in the background.
We had a nice evening chatting with a group of European
Tourists in the guest house and called it a day.
The next day was again planned for Langar stay since we
wanted to visit the rock Petroglyphs (ancient rock paintings) which is up in
the mountains and is a 3-4 hour round trek. It was an amazing but a tiring trek
almost reaching 4000 Meters altitude. The views of the rugged Pamir and
Hindukush was at its best. The Petroglyphs were also worth a view but now
locals have started spoiling it by writing names or repainting some of the
faint paintings not in a very elegant way. A quiet evening spent by a walk in
the village.
Into the remote south eastern Tajikistan high altitude Pamir plateau
avoiding the Pamir Highway – Mashaly, Jarty Gumbuz, Zorkhul, Shaimak
Our drive started from Langar after which the altitude increased
with the typical desolate and barren high altitude plateau terrain. The Pamir
river was our constant companion on the right till we reached Khargush Army
check-post. Past the Pamir River is Afghanistan. It was an amazing sight to see
the migrating Shepherds on the other side with their double humped Bactrian
Camels, going to a place which would be more comfortable for winters. There was
a very old Caravansarai on the Afghan side which was a sight to behold. A big
dome like structure in the middle of nowhere giving shelter to the nomadic
travellers since a millennia.
Our first disappointment came when we reached the big Army
Base of Khargush. We were not allowed entry on the direct dirt road to Zorkhul
Lake due to it being close to Afghan Border and a joint exercise going on with
Afghan and Chinese army. Any ways the round-about route which goes to Pamir
Highway was equally stunning with desolate but very colourful terrain (maybe
due to high mineral content of the rocks in the region) inter-spread with few
high altitude lakes giving us company. Finally we reached the famed Pamir
Highway and little further ahead the scenic Sasykul Lake. The drive on the
Pamir Highway was a bit boring after seeing such mind-blowing remote
landscapes. Alichur was just a lunch stop with nothing else to do. Of course
for fish lovers there is a small pond called
as Ak-Balik little ahead of Alichur. The pond has countless fish which a
local hotel gives it to travellers for a price. We also took the fried fish to
enjoy it on the way once we were in the wilderness.
The fun again started once we took the right turn from the
Pamir Highway towards the pasture grounds of Mashaly. The true navigation
skills of our driver Kubat came into picture after this. Now for the next 3
days we would not see a single vehicle while driving through the remote dirt
roads of the Pamir plateau averaging 4200 mts in altitude. The dirt roads
sometimes branch in all directions and if you don’t know where you want to go
you are truly lost with no help in sight for days. The landscapes were very
desolate but mesmerising and colourful beyond imagination. Only seeing it in
person would do justice. An occasional sighting of graves, ruins is the proof
that this barren and bleak landscape was once thriving with civilization when
the silk route from China to Europe was most active. The best part for the day was a nice break by
the steep cliffs by side of the dirt road and enjoying the amazing fried fish
which we had got from Ak-Balik. Finally we reached the grazing grounds of
Mashaly and stayed put with the Nomadic family there in their Yurt – a
traditional dome shaped tent which the Kyrgyz nomads stay in this region.
The very cold evening was spent walking around the Yurt camp
and observing the nomadic way of life of the family here which totally revolves
around taking care of their herd of sheep. The sun finally set on this
beautiful Pasture and we were huddled inside the yurt waiting for dinner and
getting comfortable and trying to communicate with the host family.
Next morning in sub zero temperature we decided to trek till
the snow line which seemed to be just 45 mins walk up a gradual slope. Believe
me – the mountains nowhere are as deceiving as in Tajikistan Pamirs. The
seemingly 45 mins walk took us 3 ½ hours of laborious walking with end nowhere
in sight. After a couple of breaks we did manage to reach the snow line start
and a huge ice wall, very tired but satisfied with the amazing views towards
the east of the Mashaly grasslands, the multi colored barren mountains as far
as you can see. In fact we could also spot the fully snowed Muztag Ata (7500
mts) which lies towards the east in China in the Kunlun Shan Mountain range.
After coming back to the Yurt we had some rest and started
our short drive to Jarty Gumbuz, which supposedly was a very remote place and
hunting grounds for Marco Polo, Snow Leopard etc.. But it was a total
disappointment apart from the very luxurious hot springs in the only hotel
there. The place seemed more like an old industrial ruin with broken down truck
and machinery lying all around.
Next morning it was a very bumpy drive to the Zorkhul lake.
The scenery was mind-blowing as usual but I was not comfortable on such a bumpy
road due to my bad back. I have never seen so many Marmots in such a short
time. We easily saw 200 marmots in the Zorkhul Area. Apart from Marmmots we also saw Eagles and
lots of other bird life. It seems Zorkhul Lake would be off limits to tourists
in few years due to its proximity with Afghanistan border and ever increasing
army presence in the area. In fact even we stopped just short of reaching the
lake in case the army folks catch us and extract a heavy fine for trespassing.
Turning back towards Jarty Gumbuz again we headed north east
for another route to Shaimak via Cheshtebe and
Tokhtomish. There is a route parallel to Afghanistan border too but due
to the army presence there we decided not to take that one. This was one of the
most remote routes we drove through in whole of Tajikistan with some
mind-blowing scenery and we were lucky to spot the elusive Marco Polo sheep as
well. The mountains here were as colourful as it can get with shades of grey,
blue, green, orange and yellow due to the high mineral content in the rocks. It
felt as if we were driving through the Martian landscape with no people,
animals or villages in sight for miles
except the Cheshtebe village en-route to Tokhtomush and some ancient
ruins for company. Kubat had the GPS in his mind J.
He always knew the way in the confusing mosaic of dirt roads branching in
various directions.
After reaching Tokhtomush it was a straight smooth drive to
Shaimak, road going parallel to China border to the east. The Afghanistan
border is to the south. Shaimak is at the intersection of the China, Afghan and
Tajik border surrounded by the high snow capped mountains in all 3 directions.
The only home stay at Shaimak was an amazing comfortable
place, a traditional Tajik house structure. We had a nice time playing with the
smallest of the 3 kids. He was full of energy and even with the language gap I
played lot of games with him remembering my own son Yohaan.
Next morning after taking a stroll around the village and
viewing the amazing mosque by the mountain side we decided to try our luck and go
to the Hot Springs which are further south of Shaimak and at the intersection
of China, Afghan, Tajik international border. There is a huge multi building
Chinese Army base coming up here within Tajikistan territory. With this we were
not sure if we would get to visit the hot springs. Kubat was the hero of the
day. He had an army commander friend posted here so casually he took out his
cell phone and gave him a call saying that 2 Indian tourists wanted to visit
the Hot Springs. The Army commander came out and gave a big hug to Kubat. Wow!
We were just seeing our dream come true in front of our eyes. He greeted us
with a smile and gave us permission to bathe in the hot springs. In return we
would drop him and his wife to Murghab. The deal was done with a smile on our
faces and firm handshakes J
The drive to Murghab was monotonous, the only thing worth
mentioning was the view of the Qualma Pass road to China and the surprise Beer
treat by the Army commander. We took a much needed rest day at Murghab staying at
the Pamir Hotel and just taking small walks in the deserted town, trying out
new places to eat and doing some general shopping at the unique shopping centre
with all shops being in the truck shipping container to avoid construction
costs J.
Around Murghab – Shakthy Caves, Shorbulok Observatory, getting lost on
Pshart Valley Trek
The last of our exploration in the South East Tajikistan –
Shakthy Caves and Shorboluk Observatory around 150 km round trip from Murghab.
We drove on the main Pamir Highway towards Khorog and after a few km took a
left turn off for Shakthy Caves and Shorbulok Observatory. After the left turn
off the dirt road was desolate with Martian landscape for company. Both these
locations would be tough to find without a knowledgeable driver or accurate GPS
markings.
Shakthy Caves were discovered by chance by Russian Explorers
when they took shelter in this cave at night and in morning to their surprise
they found very old paintings on the cave walls. Shorbulok is a Astronomical
observatory like Hanle in Ladakh. The location selected due to high altitude
and very clear skies. Again we could see the peaks in China – mainly Muztag
Ata. The final route to Shorbulok was interesting with no fixed route but just
using 4*4 power and going up the steep hill. It was fun.
We were back in Murghab by 2 PM so rest of the day was spent
resting and chatting with the other travellers at the Pamir Hotel.
Tajikistan - Getting lost on Pshart Valley to Madiyan Valley Trek
Next morning we left early for the trek from Pshart to
Madiyan Valley. The plan was to drive to Pshart Valley and start our trek from
a nomadic yurt stay there. Our driver would meet us on the other side at
Madiyan Valley after 7 hours. As per the Lonely Planet guide book this would
not be a very difficult trek so I was pretty chilled out and relaxed and did not
see a need to hire a guide from the Yurt camp. Read on for an interesting story
J
We reached the beautiful Yurt camp in Pshart valley
surrounded by barren but beautiful shaded mountains in colours of brown,
yellow, red etc by 9 am. After a brief
prep and route briefing by Kubat we started our trek in a relaxed way. The
terrain for the first 3-4 hours was simple and not at all confusing, since we
just had to follow the valley and the gradient was gradual. There was a
beautiful stream partly frozen flowing past the trek route. Our troubles
started once we reached the pass which was approximately towards the left. But
surprisingly there was no fixed path visible to go on the top which was at 4800
meters. But looking straight we could see footsteps in the snow leading to the
top so we thought lets follow that. The route now was very steep and full of
glacial morains, and due to the altitude each step was very tiring. The views
all around were mind-blowing but now we were worried about the time. It was
already 2:00 PM and if this route was not correct we would not even have enough
time to retrace our steps back to the Yurt camp and would have to spend the
night in the open. And to our disappointment the footsteps which we could see
in the snow was of some animal like Yak or Marco Polo Sheep and not of humans.
The route was getting more and more steep and there was no guarantee that after
reaching the top we would be able to find our way down the other side which
according to locals is more difficult.
So after some more trying we had to take the hard decision
to back off and return back to the Yurt camp. This would mean that the driver
would keep waiting for us at Madiyan Valley and he would panic if we would not
meet him on the other side.
We reached the Yurt camp at around 4 PM and tried to
communicate with the family staying at the Yurt (Language problem – we don’t
know Tajik and they don’t know English) if there would be a transport back to
the main Pamir Highway. We spotted a truck far away while talking to them so we
hurried to see if we can catch up and take a lift back to the highway but no
luck. The truck started and went deeper in Pshart Valley. We decided to wait
besides the dirt road till night fall in
case the truck returns back. During this time we just chilled out enjoying the
amazing mountain scenery, taking timer photos for a change. The colourful
mountains were looking more beautiful in the mellow yellowish sunlight before
sunset.
The old couple in the Yurt was very helpful and made sure we
were comfortable. We did communicate in sign language and basic English and
also got the privilege to take Photo of the man in the traditional Kyrgyz coat
and hat.
Finally Kubat came back to search for us and he was very
worried. Once he saw us he was relieved. Poor fellow took his SUV up the
mountain partly to search for us and in return broke the steering shaft from
one side.
Our trip was coming to an end now and we were now satisfied
and tired too so no further exploration. Next day we would drive straight to
Karakul Lake on Tajik Kyrgyz border and then to Osh in Kyrgyzstan for our
flights back home.
Finally Karakul Lake and over to Kyrgyzstan – beautiful Osh city.
Photo Links:
After some early morning photography at the Pshart Valley
Yurt stay we started our drive on the main Pamir highway towards Karakul
Lake. This part of the drive was not so
interesting after spending days in the remote Tajikistan but yes – we were
driving very close to the China side No man’s land. The Chinese have moved the
no man’s land almost 10 km inside the Tajik border and fenced the border with
barbed wire. Now the border runs parallel to Pamir Highway for this part of the
route. On the Chinese side of the Barbed wire there is a dirt road for
patrolling the border with high check-post towers to keep a watch.
After reaching the beautiful home stay at Karakul Lake, we
went to the lake shore amidst bad weather on one side and clear skies on the
other. This gave us some dramatic cloud play photos of the landscape with clear
blue waters of the huge Karakul Lake.
Evening was spent chatting with the very lively cycling
group. They had just started their trip from Osh and would be travelling to
Dushanbe.
Next day we started early since we had to cover almost 300
kms to Osh. The drive was also exciting with super straight roads on the high
Pamir plateau running parallel to the Tajik China No Mans Land fencing with
gentle but high snow capped peaks of the
Pamir mountains. The mountains near the Kyrgyz border were amazingly colourful
with different shades of Grey, red, yellow, dark red. It was amazing to see the
slow change in landscape as we left the high Pamir Mountains behind. As we
approached the Kyrgyz border the mountains were steep but lower in altitude
with more of red stone type of colour more patches of greenery. After 2 hours
of delay at the border we were finally in Kyrgyzstan and slowly started loosing
altitude from 4000 mts to around 2000 mts.
I have never seen such bright red-brown coloured mountains
and beautiful villages by the road side giving a feeling as if you are driving
through a European country. Our entry into Osh city was blistering hot.
Temperatures hovering around 28 degrees Celsius and we directly coming from
near zero degrees was a big change in a day. Also on top of it the usual city
traffic- it was sickening to an extent.
But once we reached the Osh Nuru hotel and checked into our
very comfortable room, all tiredness was gone. The room overlooked a big hill
in the middle of Osh giving us dramatic views during sunset. Osh city as such
is very green and organized with nice roads and people follow traffic rules
here with very less honking. We had a nice lunch at a local eatery. It was fun
to struggle with language problems and finally ordering the dish we wanted by
using sign language, photos of food from cell-phone or using the translator
app.
