Update: Thu 20:55

First a quick note about timezones, not that it makes any difference to any of you, dear readers, but it does to me. Tajikistan is GMT+5 except the Pamirs which generally runs on Murghab time which is the same as Kyrgyzstan, say, at GMT+6. Khorog, where I am now, is on Dushanbe time. So coming here to Khorog and going back into the Pamirs I get an extra hour or an hour less depending.

As I'm heading for Dushanbe over the next two or three days at least I get to keep one timezone in my head.

Wednesday, 17 August

The Wakhan (LP) aka Vakhan (pronunciation and my Reise Know How map) Valley is simply a nice run up a river with the added benefits of Afghanistan being as litle as a (girl's) stone's throw away and the valley is on a much grander scale than your average.

The Panj river is narrow and quite furious lower down and becomes wider and clamer higher up. None of the rivers in this neck of the woods are slow, mind. Either side, wherever water flows down the mountain sides small communities perch precariously on the slopes. Hamlets for the most part, if that. The TJ side has a metalled (initially) road and slightly more comprehensive communities but not large by any means. There is a track on the Afghan side though precious few people on it. I managed to get a wave from some Afghan boys playing by the river so I feel I've communicated.

It would have been much easier to have communicated had I been here on a Saturday when the borders (ie. bridges) are opened and Afghan traders pile over to flog their wares.

The Tajiks are a very friendly bunch and seem genuinely pleased to see me bumbling through. The women are a good looking bunch too, I, um, noticed. Caucasians with long straight black hair and a ready smile -- or maybe they were laughing at me -- perhaps rivalling the Iranians for top totty spot.

Stayed at lat/long: n37 1.787 e72 36.992

Mavluda Homestay, Zong

Indigo-T gave me a perfect signal again in Zong. Which meant I couldn't send any text updates. The homestay did rustle up some hot water and pour it in the tank on the roof of the toilet block so I could have a shower/wash for the first time in four days and a shave after a week. Top!

The delightful A has been managing my affairs again -- long may this continue! -- and has found that the Dushanbe Russian consulate should be able to provide me with a visa without any mucking about. She's now off cajoling her travel agent friend into producing some totally legitimate travel voucher/booking confirmation/letter of invitation thing which is required.

So much is being done for me it'll seem something of a drag that I actually have to turn up to the consulate myself!

Thursday, 18 August

Well, a good job I chose to get as far up the Vakhan as I could yesterday as the road beyond Langar (5km up the road) becomes "a bit rough." Not that that seems to stop any cyclists! Most of them (usually couples in 20s, 30s or 60s! or, bizarrely a girl and two boys -- lucky for someone, I guess) seem quite nice and ordinary people just cycling rather than backpacking. I expected them all to be mental heads to be cycling way out here.

A bit harder to observe the scenery under these conditions though concentrating on the road and a metre either side will often include a 150m drop down to the river so all was not lost. What has lost is the zipper to my tank bag. It was bungeed behind me today making taking photos even more of a rigmarole.

The guard at the checkpoint looked as thugh he needed a litre of petrol -- it's a bit inhospitable up here -- though as I'd not seen a petrol station for a while I was taking a small chance myself.

Another thing lost was my sheepskin seat cover. Bugger! I quite liked it though I never found a way to secure it properly. I think the wobbling action of the tank bag must have worked it loose while I was stood up on the rougher sections of the southern Pamir Highway. No point in going looking for it somewhere in the last two hours riding as I've barely enough fuel to get to Khorog and the next known petrol. Ho hum. I'll have to see if there's any endangered Marco Polo sheep skins on offer somewhere.

Currently at lat/long: n37 29.417 e71 32.634

Lal Hotel, Khorog

I've changed to the Lal Hotel from the Pamir Lodge as the thought of more backpackers was too much. It's also somewhat closer to town.

Cue the Phantom Bog Blocker of this trip who reared his head again shortly after I arrived (it'd been a few days, apparently). Some 30 minutes after I raised the alarm the entire toilet was being manhandled down the hall to be relived of its contents.

I'm not sure I'd want to be a hotelier.

I couldn't figure out how to turn the shower on either and then the door came off in my hand when I got in. I don't suppose I'll be invited warmly back!

Future plans: into the moontains again. I was going to go on the main road back to Dushanbe but the LP is enticing me with the idea I can follow the Afghan border even further round. Either way, tomorrow night I'll be in the boonies with, I guess, Indigo-T for company which means no updates. Depending on how far I've got, it could be another night after that before Dushanbe and visa time! Yeah!

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