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(Hitch)Hiking the Pamir Highway
Khorog – the Pamir region’s biggest “city” – deserved a few days. Not only were there a bunch of other cyclists to hang out with at the Pamir Lodge hostel, but it was the first time in months that we were in a place with both a) cool enough daytime Continue Reading
Hitchbiking the Pamir Highway: Dushanbe to Khorog
I cycled several kilometers out of Dushanbe and held out my thumb. Almost immediately, a Hyundai Porter—something halfway between a pickup truck and a flatbed, very common in Central Asia—pulled over, tossed my bike in the bed, and we set off. For the next hour and a half, the driver Continue Reading
Assault and Redemption
Unfortunately, Dushanbe was not my last experience with the Tajik cops. As I stayed in Dushanbe to deal with some stolen items and recover from an extra gnarly bout of diarrhea, Detti continued onward by bicycle alone. I planned to hitchhike to catch up with her in Kulob in a Continue Reading
Tajik police: a new standard of efficiency
Tajikistan’s police are rumored to be corrupt bribe-mongers, but my experience was different. They were ridiculously, over-the-top helpful, in the most inefficient way possible. Rumor has it that a couple years ago, some Romanian motorbikers posted a video on YouTube of Tajik cops extorting a bribe from them. The video Continue Reading
Central Asian Food
“Hey, let’s go to Central Asia because they have really good food!” said no one ever. The post-soviet countries often clumped together as the ‘stans (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan) have never been known for their rich cuisine, but there are, in fact, a few gems amongst the vats of Continue Reading