1. Travel from Dushanbe to Khorog and back
It feels so good to take a refreshing shower after a long, exhausting ride, and hide under a blanket…
I was told I was going to Badahshan on quite a short notice. Right away I recalled my previous trip to
Pamir back in 2007, our overnight in Darvaz, and incredibly delicious mantu prepared by our hostess
who treated us with the magic of Tajik hospitality. But that’s another story.
We started on Monday 18.07.11 at 7 am, which to me meant to get up latest at 5:45 – in my standards it
is equal to Heraclius’s heroic deed
My first observation on the trip was, of course, terrible road conditions outside Dushanbe. Even the fact
of ongoing road construction works was of no relief.
We made the first stopover in Dangara, in
the tea-house with a promising name
“Rahmoniyon” located on top of the hill
with a good view over the town. I was told
that the tea-house was presented by Sugd
oblast to Dangara on the occasion of a yet
another remarkable date. I should say the
panorama reminded me of the view over
Dushanbe from the cozy café in the Victory
Park. OK, a kettle of green tea, brief photo
session and we go ahead. Baljuvan, Kulyab,
Shurabad, and opposite, right along the Panj River are our Afghan neighbors. Interestingly, parallel to
our road the Afghans have laid a pathway along the river, which never breaks off regardless of neither
the level of water in the river nor the soil structure. At times a ton-up guy riding a moped would show
up and disappear, or Afghan women would be doing laundry right on the river. Although to say that the
river water was dirty is to say nothing. Nevertheless, this might be normal there.
At some point I got so much exhausted from the road
that I fell asleep, which is not like me. But my phone
rang - it was my brother who worried about me. We had
already entered Darvaz. Darvaz, darvoza means gates.
Local residents call their district the gates of Badahshan.
The difference between Khatlon and GBAO is obvious.
Here you immediately notice green trees, thick grass,
and the air different, somewhat purer. We arrived in the
district administrative center at 3pm, where we were
cordially met by the MSDSP District Project Director Mrs.
Mohijahon. And here the whole fun started. I should say
from the very beginning Mrs. Mohijahon was talking so
much that I associated her with a radio, a good one which you don’t feel like switching off. That’s
because she was talking about really interesting things. I even mentally gave her a definition - dynamic. I
have never met women with such energy, motivation, zest for life and obsession with one’s work.
Mrs. Mohijahon telling about results of building and
maintaining the greenhouse
Mrs. Mohijahon telling about results of building and
maintaining the greenhouse
Mrs. Mohijahon telling about results of building and
maintaining the greenhouse

2. But let’s go with things in their order. First we went for having lunch as we were starving. At lunch Mrs.
Mohijahon was enthusiastically responding to our questions related to both her work and the program
as a whole, and the life in Darvaz. She had all the answers. I even thought, it happens when you come
across a person who outpours yards of information mistaking you for “free ears”, or just because there
is no one else to talk to. Anyway, that was not the case with Mrs. Mohijahon. From the very first minute
I got an impression of how much motivated and proud she was of all accomplishments of her program.
And a thought “I wish I had it too” slipped through my mind. She was happy to demonstrate to us a few
ongoing and completed projects. Among those was a greenhouse, where they grow eggplants, cabbage
and incredibly tasty, juicy tomatoes, the taste of which we have almost forgotten because of fake
vegetables all over the markets in Dushanbe. But the main pride of hers is a bridge connecting Darvaz
and Afghanistan. We assumed that she might like her job, to which she exclaimed “I adore my job! You
don’t imagine how it feels like to be supportive to
my folks”. We learned that migration is quite a
big issue for them as well. However she sees one
positive thing about this situation: before, local
women never cared about nothing but domestic
routines; now, in the absence of their migrant-
husbands they are keen on getting to know
what’s going on in their neighborhood, and taking
active part in the community life.
It was unusually hot in Darvaz, and this
inconvenience was a little bit compensated with
our overnight in the picturesque recreation zone.
Early next morning we headed towards Vanj. The air in Vanj is completely different. Throughout the
entire trip I felt like pulling my head out of the window and get wound with invisible purity and
freshness. It took us two hours to reach our destination, although it was not that easy to find our friends
working in the local office of Caritas, who are running construction works on building houses for victims
of the last-year terrible earthquake. We had 40 minutes to go before
we resumed our trip towards Khorog. However, it was enough for
these hospitable people to rapidly arrange a beautiful, ecologically
pure breakfast. I suppose any traveler who has covered a long,
exhausting trip would be tremendously happy to be offered hot
tea and normal fried eggs. But what we had been offered was just
wonderful, especially apricots. I’ve never been very much into this
fruit, and used to think the most delicious apricots grew in the
north of the country; now I changed my mind.
Next, we were on the way to Rushan, where our project partners were supposed to meet us halfway.
The first thing that caught my eyes was a wider bed of the Panj River with smooth course, and also lots
of trees growing on both sides of the river. I was particularly impressed by the so-called Rushan Gate,
which is a gateway for airplanes flying from Dushanbe to
Khorog. From this breathtaking picture back to reality I was
taken by the look of a decaying medical point. It’s quite
hard to control one’s emotions at seeing such
impenetrable misery of people and the state. It is beyond
my understanding what kind of assistance could be
rendered in such conditions. I only hope that the
Bridge connecting Darvaz with Afghanistan
This man saved us from starvation :)
Bread for the long road

3. international aid reaches them sooner or later.
After lunch in a scenic place right beside the mountain river we visited the Rushan District Health Center
in which are working family doctors and nurses trained by the Community Based Family Medicine
project. According to the local family doctor (pediatrician specialty) 85% of cases they treat themselves
using the obtained skills and knowledge, and more severe cases are referred to profile specialists.
Speaking about migration and brain drain, over the last 10 years 4 medical doctors have left in search of
better jobs, and of all re-trained nurses – only 2 quit their job due to family reasons. Then there was a
meeting with community health promoters - so called activists in local communities that interact
regularly with the local population and promote a healthy lifestyle. They are chosen by the community
based on their integrity, responsibility and willingness to do the work for free. First, they get 5-day
training in basics of preventing the most common
diseases, including sexually transmitted and infectious
diseases, and HIV. Their affection for their fellow citizens
is genuinely sincere. In my opinion these people deserve
nothing but great respect.
Another indication of a sense of responsibility at the
community level is the creation of community medical
insurance fund. Residents of the community supplement
it on a monthly basis, and distribute funds as required to
the neediest in some medical assistance. For example, there
was a case when they urgently needed to transport a
patient with appendicitis from Rushan to Khorog. Or it could
be someone from the community who needs money for
primary medication care. I.e. that money does not go as a
payment for medical services as such, but only for
transportation needs or medications. In my opinion it is
simple and effective. After all, people have no choice but to
think and take care of themselves on their own, not pinning
hopes on the state. All they need is competent advice and a little bit of desire and will.
Khorog. Here we are in Khorog Serena Inn. In the hotel we were greeted by friendly staff that obviously
had been trained to hotel business abroad. This even reminded me of the Radisson in Ankara, less
pompous Casa del Pellegrino in Padua, or even carefree Bolero in Costa Brava. There is no point in
describing the suit. In a word everything was top level. In the evening we dined on the terrace, which
overlooks the beautiful lawn, and behind is seen the bridge connecting Khorog with Afghanistan. From
the river blew nice, fresh breeze. There is no better location for this hotel.
Unfortunately, the next day due to certain circumstances we urgently had to head back to Dushanbe.
The first half of the day we were busy with official meetings and presentations followed by hot and
fruitful discussions, after which we dined in the beautiful city park. And right in the same park, almost
over the river there is an open restaurant with a great gourmet menu, courteous waitresses who speak
mainly English, and calling it their duty to ask "Did you like the salad, Ma'am?"
The floor in the medical point

4. Immediately after lunch we set off back to the
road, which this time went through Tavildara.
Those who passed through this route know
what it is. And if we add the factor of night, then
it’s perfect for fans of extreme tourism. We
drove exactly 12 hours from 3pm until 3am next
morning. Roads, bumps, unlit road, mountains,
mountains ... I call it “a joyride”. Perhaps the
only memorable experience of this trip was the
sky in Tavildara, immediately after the pass. We
made a short stop to take breath, stretch our
muscles, etc. It was cool enough, I would even
say cold, and when I looked up to the sky I was amazed. There I saw the Milky Way, or maybe a sort of.
I’ve never seen so many stars of different sizes in my entire life. The smallest stars had formed
something akin to wool. Unfortunately, my camera capabilities were limited, and I was not able to
capture all this beauty, but you just have to buy what I mean.
Nevertheless, if I say I enjoyed the trip in general, that would be an understatement. After all, it is
foolish to reject an opportunity to go around the country, including the Pamirs, because every time it is
an amazing experience.
... And yet, it feels great to take a good shower after a long and tedious road, and climb into bed ...
home…