Tourists in Tajikistan
on Shane Stevenson (Tajikistan), 14/Aug/2010 09:25, 34 days ago
The tourist season is upon us, yes people visit Tajikistan out of choice, in fact, there were 3300 tourists in the first three months of 2010 (Tajik Times).So what do you need: a letter of invitation, a visa and dollars! Stan tours which operates out of Almaty, Kazakstan, is benefiting from his sole advertising in the Lonely Planet and of course you need a copy of LP because it has a brief section on Tajikistan, written say four years ago, and published three years ago. It is now dated so throw it away and wait until the new version is printed next year. So the key info is that you no longer need to register if you have a T (for tourist) on your visa, prices are a little steeper than you expect, and there are absolutely no signs for any of the tourist attractions.Tajik Tourist Boards' last sign: Hissor Fort - Circa 6th Century.So, in true Aristotle fashion lets put the tourists in a box...Family Member / Friend– due to an obligation to some wayward sibling or friend, who decided to apply their trade in the far flung reaches of the world; they arrived bemused and bedraggled with care packages of marmite and chocolate under each arm. Thankfully, the transition is smoother due to airport pick-ups, expat houses, and a low down on the decent restaurants. However, the adventurous outcast has been patiently awaiting their arrival ready to drag them to even more basic and far flung reaches of the country for a truly earthly experience.Cyclist– they are in abundance, these soul searching types with fat legs in stretched lycra and matted beards, venture along the dirt tracks in search of water, nourishment and salvation. Laden down like pack mules they venture in to the high altitude expecting utopia over the next brow only to find another steep dusty track and oxygen deficiency.Toe dippers– these are cautious ones, visiting the delights of Uzbekistan and dipping their toe into the historic Tajikistan town of Penjikent and the impressive Fan mountains and Allauddin lakes. They can legitimately tick the Tajik box in their passport without exposure to the Tajik Tummy syndrome.Farsi Students– due to strained relations between the Iranians and the US, there is a plethora of young America’s calling their Tajik counterparts Apa and Aka (Sister and Brother) a few decibels louder than required in the name of world unity.Package Tourists– there are rumours they exist, like ghosts they are apparitions.Mongolian Rally Enthusiast– a dusty Ambulance, a low riding Toyota Yaris, an A-team van, and a Seat with the exhaust strapped to the roof contribute to the gun-ho rally drivers that circumnavigate half the world in old bangers for charity. However, they naively assumed the roads were paved, the benzene is clean and policecheck points are a formality.We have just returned from a two week trip around the Pamirs so repartee is imminent and some stunning photos of life in the Gorno-Badakhsan Autonomous Oblast await the persistent and patient.