Dashing through the snow

I woke too early around 0500. It ws raining , just as it had been forecasted. After much waiting, I finally got up to use the dreaded toilet. It didn’t turn out too badly. I must have been the first person to use it since it was cleaned yesterday. The seatless rim was clean and I lowered my thighs onto the cold porcelain and I won’t bore you with the rest.

Walking out at 0730 it was light rain rather than drizzle. The eatery nearby was still closed so I skipped breakfast. I crossed the road in an attempt to get a mashrutka to the bazaar and shared taxi rank. I waited in a shady spot to keep dry and hailed a few but none stopped. I shifted a little further along since I had seen a couple stop there (in case there were designated stops). Waiting in the rain, one bloody stopped where I had just been waiting. But the driver stopped for me again in my new possie.

It was a very short ride and I managed to get a ride to Dushanbe pretty quick as the driver only wanted to fill one more seat after me, leaving the centre free. It was still raining as we left. Soon after we left town, I noticed the rain looked “fluffy”. Sure enough it was starting to snow as we snaked through the countryside even though we didn’t appear to be that much higher than in Istaravshan.

Eventually the countryside was completely white.  Pity that all I could managed were some bad shots through the dirty car window (no winder so couldn’t open it) with my phone.

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I couldn’t believe that yesterday I was in t-shirt and shorts and today I’m dashing through the snow!  Some trucks had stopped on the roads and their drivers have lit fires on the road. Not sure if they had broken down or whether they didn’t have heating (looked like pretty modern trucks).

We crossed a few tunnels along the way, the longest being a JV between Tajikistan and Iran, and another with China.We descended into a non-snowy area where the landscape was just amazing. There was a swift river flowing in the deep rugged valley with snowy mountains in the background. In the river valley there were golden poplar trees and small homes made out of stacked rocks.

We must have climbed again as it snowed some more before we descended into the outskirts of Dushanbe where we had the car washed. It might be a requirement before entering town as there were lots of vehicles taking up the service.

Dushanbe was dusty. It was a 4h30 beautiful ride including police checks and carwash.  I mentioned to the driver that my place was on Husseinzoda near Ayni Park. He stopped and asked me to catch a taxi/mashrutka from a nearby corner. I hopped out and paid him TJS100 as agreed.

Taxis weren’t easy to find but I finally caught one. He seemed to be heading out of town. I turned on Google Maps and noticed he was taking me away from my destination. I corrected him; as it turned out he took me to another Ayni Park whereas mine was Ayni Park with the Opera & Ballet hall in it and it would have been better to say “Opera Ballet”. Big detours included, the ride was TJS10 (just over USD1).

My Sunrise Hostel turned out to be a hostel located within a posh hotel. As I had booked the private room, combined with a slight upgrade, it was like a 4-star hotel! Yes, it was a bit pricey for Central Asia at USD35 but it was such luxury after last night.

I dropped my bags and went out for some lunch. Having skipped breakfast, a kebab place was handy. I then worked out my money situation … I had nearly nothing left and reckoned that USD10 would see me through the next 1.5 days with meals, incidentals and taxi to the airport. I found a bank and joined the queue and changed that.

I relaxed in my sumptuous room till an early dinner in a fairly nice and new restaurant. I was afraid that I’d overspend but it was OK at TJS22 (USD2.50). Isn’t ridiculous that I’m not living it up here when it is so cheap? It’s just that if I had cashed USD20 instead, I’d have so much money leftover. It is bloody hard to spend an extra USD10 in the 1.5 days ahead.

I retired to my room early and did plenty of reading, writing and admin before sleeping quite late (considering my early wake up).