I took advantage of one of the long weekends recently to explore the country of George. While we only had four days / three nights, I think we got a fairly good impression of what is a beautiful country.

I’ll split the trip into three instalments: driving up north to Stepantsminda with the backdrop of gorgeous Mount Kazbek, the wine region of Khaketi and finally the capital city of Tbilisi.

We landed in Tbilisi early on a Thursday morning and were picked up by our driver for the next two days, Irakli. A friend had recommended him. He did not disappoint and neither did his car:

Irakli’s ride.

We immediately headed north and after some time stopped at a gas station for drinks. Yes, that’s a wide range of vodkas on offer.

Vodka selection in Georgia

We continued following the Georgian Military Road up north and stopped at Ananuri, a castle complex on the Aragvi River.

Ananuri

It was built in 1689.

Ananuri

Ananuri

We made good progress – there wasn’t much traffic and the roads are in good condition. After about an hour we reached the Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument.

Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument

Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument

The views of the surrounding mountains are gorgeous:

View north from the Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument

View north from the Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument

Just a short drive up north we reached the Jvari Pass at 2,395 metres.

Jvari Pass

We had then almost reached Stepantsminda, at the bottom of the might Mount Kazbek. We had booked the Rooms Hotel Kazbegi, probably the poshest place in town. Apart from the large group of young Russians that were on a company retreat, we really liked the hotel and highly recommend it.

The lovely terrace the the Rooms Hotel Kazbegi.

Rooms Hotel Kazbegi

The next morning we chartered a 4×4 Lada to drive us up to the famous Gergeti Trinity Church. Situated at 2,170m, it was built in the 14th century (just imagine…) and one of the most famous landmarks of Georgia.

Mount Kazbek (5,047m)

Gergeti Trinity Church

Gergeti Trinity Church

Gergeti Trinity Church

Gergeti Trinity Church

Photography inside the church is forbidden.

After enjoying the views thoroughly we drove back and made it to the hotel in time for a sumptuous breakfast buffet. It would have been nice to stay a day longer and hike in the region but we continued our road trip through Georgia onwards towards the wine region of Khaketi…

We first stopped at the dunes of Maspalomas. I was pleasantly surprised – right next to an overcrowded beach are these big dunes and if you crop the photo right, it really looks like you could be somewhere in a desert (unless you see the ocean in the background):

Dunes of Maspalomas

Dunes of Maspalomas

Dunes of Maspalomas

Dunes of Maspalomas

About a 20 minutes walk from the dunes, we stopped for lunch at Playa del Ingles. Wow. That was bad. Really bad. Dozens of stalls, all with identical menues, consisting of pages and pages of junk food translated in about six languages. Apparently the predominately English, German and Scandinavian guests prefer spaghetti, lasagna, fish and chips and other similar dishes over local cuisine. While the beach was decent, it really wasn’t a place where I’d want to spend much time, save for my entire vacation.

Playa del Inglés

We headed back to our rental car and started driving towards our hotel. A quick word on hotels. When I booked the trip, based on the fact that flights were cheap and school holidays were over, I guessed that high season was over and hotels should be readily available. Wrong. Everything was sold out and the few places that were still available charged outrageous amounts for what they offered. I have no issue paying a bit more for a hotel but if its a crappy hotel for a four star price, I am not down for that. The solution ended up being the Sheraton Salobre Golf Resort on points. 10’000 points got us a standard room at this very nice resort.

Sheraton Salobre Golf Resort

Sheraton Salobre Golf Resort

Sheraton Salobre Golf Resort daybeds

While it was chilly because of the strong winds, we nevertheless enjoyed an afternoon in the sun.

The next morning we continued our drive along the coast and first stopped in the town of Puerto de Mogán. While definitely very picturesque, it was at the same time also extremely touristy and more or less devoid of any local life. Nevertheless worth a small detour for the views.

Puerto de Mogán

Puerto de Mogán

We again faced the same issue of overpriced accomodation with little choice. One of the few decent options was an apartment hotel, the Cala Blanca. For some reason, they two-bedroom apartments were cheaper than their one-bedroom units and we ended up staying at large unit for less than 100 Euro per night. The hotel is located in a bay called Taurito. I have never seen anything like it. The whole bay was covered in hotels. There was no local house or anything but just the entire bay covered in hotels, most of them ugly, some abandoned. While the views were beautiful, it just felt somewhat wrong staying in a place with such a lack of character.

Our apartment in the Cala Brava hotel

This is Taurito…

…and because it is so ugly, here’s another one.

The view from our balcony.

We were glad to be moving on to the northern coast the next morning.

While the scenery in the south is stunning, it is remarkable how the coast has been sacrificed to mass tourism. I’m sure it has created a lot of jobs and is currently doing extremely well with all the uncertainty ongoing in Turkey, Tunisia and other “competitors”. But it just wasn’t my cup of tea really.

The route would take us along the Tajikistan-China border, through a pass and then beyond into Kyrgzystan towards the country’s second-largest city, Osh.

We started the day early at 6am (Murghab is on Kyrgyzstan time, one hour ahead of Khorog and the rest of Tajikistan).

We first passed the Ak-Baital Pass (4655m), followed by the Kyzyl-Art Pass (4282m) where the Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan border post is located.

Back on the road in no-man’s land

Driving up the Ak-Baital Pass

It got colder and colder

And it was snowing on the Ak-Baital Pass…

…no surprise at that altitude.

Back at (slightly) lower altitude

A yurt offering homestay somewhere in the middle of nowhere between Murghab and Karakul. Probably popular with the many cyclists on the road.

Shortly before Karakul

Driving towards Karakul

On the way from Murghab to Karakul in Tajikistan

Not too much traffic on that day

At one point we were just 8km away from the Chinese border. On the Tajikistan side it was secured with barbed wire.

Barbed wire securing the border between Tajikistan and China

We then drove past Karakul, a lake situated at 3’960m above sea level, slightly higher than Lake Titicaca (3’812m).

Karakul

Karakul

View from Karakul back towards the mountains

Next stop: Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan border

The Tajikistan border was located at the top of the mountain at over 4’000 meters. I could not the most popular spot for a Tajikistan border guard. I was waiting to get stamped out while a Swiss cyclist who has been on the road for a year was waiting to enter the country.

The road then continued for 20km in no-man’s land until we reached the Kyrgyzstan border. I’d like to congratulate Kyrgyzstan for being a role model when it comes to immigration:

• No visa needed at all
• No useless immigration form/card to be filled out
• No stupid questions asked

Just a quick scan of the passport, a stamp and I was in.

Mongol rallye car with four Australians inside, driving on a spare tire with a broken suspension.

Meanwhile other cars were a bit more suitable for the road…

…which wasn’t always in great shape.

Kyrgyzstan border

After a quick lunch in Sary-Tash, we buckled up for the remaining 3-4 hours to Osh.

The scenery changed as we descended into lower pastures

And changed again

Passing truck

We were slowed down by a few road blocks

Can you spot the horse hiding?

We finally made it to Osh at around 4.30pm and I was certainly looking forward to a day without driving. The Pamir Highway was absolutely worth it and I found the people and nature fascinating!

The road condition on the M41 (Pamir Highway) was way better than expected and for the next 300km we cruised along while admiring the scenery.

Pamir Highway (source: Wikipedia)

Also known as the Heroin Highway because of the amounts of drugs smuggled on the route, the highway was built by the Soviets to facilitate quicker movement of troops. It is the second highest altitude international highway in the world (going up to 4655m) – the Karakoram Highway connecting China and Pakistan is higher. Back in 2008 I traveled on the Leh-Manali Highway. While not international, it was significantly higher, going up to 5’328m.

Early morning Khorog-Murghab on the M41 Pamir Highway

Early morning Khorog-Murghab on the M41 Pamir Highway

Early morning Khorog-Murghab on the M41 Pamir Highway

Early morning Khorog-Murghab on the M41 Pamir Highway

“Pedestrians” crossing the M41

Early morning Khorog-Murghab on the M41 Pamir Highway

Early morning Khorog-Murghab on the M41 Pamir Highway

Public transport for people and livestock on the M41 Pamir Highway

Signboard on the M41 Pamir Highway

Ascending to the first pass on the Pamir Highway between Khorog and Murghab, the Koi-Tezek Pass (4272m)

Koi-Tezek Pass

Statue along the M41

Driving towards our lunch stop in Alichur

Driving towards our lunch stop in Alichur

The highest pass we crossed was about 4200 masl. We stopped briefly for pilav in Alichur in the middle of nowhere. It is really a harsh environment these people live in, even during summer. I don’t want to imagine what it is like in winter. We (there was a Japanese tourist driving in another car) talked to a young man from Alichur who spoke very good English. I asked him how they survive the winters there?

A thick jacket and some vodka will save your ass

After lunch we started seeing the first yurts – a sign of the increasingly Kyrgyz population

Yurt along the M41

Soon after we started passing about a dozen Chinese trucks

A very clear “pond” with fish along the M41. We were offered fish for lunch in Alichur but didn’t trust it… turns out, it would have probably been very fresh fish

And for my dear readers I also took an underwater photo

Another yurt

Continuing along the M41 Pamir Highway

Finally in Murghab

We reached Murghab at around 4pm. The town is not scenic at all. I doubt many tourists stop here for more than one night. Together with a Japanese roommate I set off to explore what little Murghab has to offer.

Entering Murghab

The bazaar in Murghab, made up of old containers

Murghab bazaar

Two Kyrgyz men (ethnic Kyrgyz but Tajikistan citizen)

Mosque in Murghab

Building in Murghab reminding me of Greek islands

Truck in Murghab

Locals playing volleyball in Murghab

Car in Murghab

Petrol station (obviously) in Murghab

Our destination for the next day, Osh. Another 417km of driving to Kyrgyzstan.

I initially contemplated spending two nights here but quickly made up my mind to continue the next morning bright and early.

Pamir shared taxi stand in Dushanbe at 6am

An die Herren der Michel + Jenni AG aus Belp: falls sie einen ihrer LKW vermissen, er steht am Pamir taxi stand in Dushanbe

All cars going to the Pamir are four-wheel drive Mitsubishis, Land Rovers or some other similar brands. While prices are fairly fixed (based on which seat you choose), there is no cooperative. And in this case I think it would actually make sense. Because here every driver tried to fill his car. I just chose the car that had the most luggage already on top, figuring it would leave first. But while I was passenger 5 out of 7 and we quickly had number 6 as well, we waited and waited. And then for some strange reason which I never understood (again due to my lack of Russian language skills), we waited some more. We finally left at 8.45am. Other cars did not leave much before us, so it was clear that we’d arrive in the dark for the last part of the journey.

Preparing the car for a long drive

We followed the A385 south with beautiful scenery. Unfortunately I sat in the very back with tinted windows and was not really able to take any decent photos. The car had a 2-3-3 “seating configuration”, so there was the driver and a passenger in the front, three passengers in the middle and three in the back. Yes, it was very cramped. Apologies for the bad photos that follow, its the best I could do.

Nurek Reservoir

Old fortress somewhere along the A385

After about three hours we stopped at Kulob for some very good lunch.

Lunch stop in Kulob

We followed the A385 east and then north, joining the river separating Tajikistan and Afghanistan. For the next several hundred kilometers we drove along the border. Afghanistan at times was just 20 meters on the other side of the river and it was interesting seeing how much simpler houses and roads were on the other side. Eventually the road also got very bad on the Tajikistani side. At this point the drive started to get annoying and the mixtape of Tajik love songs and Reggaeton (which for some reasons seems to be very popular in Central Asia) started to repeat.

One of the countless checkpoints

And another checkpoint. Not sure what they check because nobody ever wanted to see my passport or permit for Gorno Badakhshan

View from the back window. Afghanistan on the other side of the Panj river

A day later I talked to some Germans participating in the Mongol Rallye. Appartently a day before we passed the region, they were doing road construction on the Afghanistani side. This was doing using explosives. The Germans’ car was hit by a fist-sized rock, fortunately on the roof. At least it was just a rock flying over from Afghanistan. I guess you could say they were just a stone’s throw from Afghanistan.

After a long six hours since the lunch break, we stopped again for a snack. It was a beautiful terrace overlooking the river and the Afghanistani shores. But by this time I was completely exhausted and we still had three hours ahead of us. Fortunately the road got slightly better. And without anything further worthwhile mentioning, we made it to Khorog shortly before 9pm. Finally. A “taxi” dropped me off at the homestay “Lalmo’s” where I was greeted with a filling and tasty dinner and met several other travelers.

Panj river

View from our last stop – Afghanistan on the other side of the river

Few hours to go to Khorog

Another roadblock, at least this time no police

While Uzbekistan was full of over 50s tour groups from Italy and Spain, it was nice to meet some individual travelers in Tajikistan, most of which are on epic trips and have exciting stories to share. Over a bottle of Tajik wine, I learned about some of their adventures.

Tasty meal after a long day on the road

While the two countries are neighbors, they don’t have a particularly good relationship. Tajikistan plans to build the world’s largest hydropower dam, the Roghun dam. It would make Tajikistan energy independent but at the same time Uzbekistan is worried about the effects on its country. There are several other factors that have deteriorated relationships between the countries.

The effect on travelers is that the closest border from Samarkand has been closed for some years now, requiring a big detour to the next land border.

The route is not particularly well traveled, so I was a bit worried about finding transport. Again, there are no buses and instead you have to rely on shared taxis. I was mentally prepared to charter an entire car but still made the trip to the shared taxi stand in hopes of finding someone to share the ride with.

Sunrise on the way to the Grebnoy Kanal/Betonka stop

Grebnoy Kanal/Betonka taxi stand

I left the hotel at 5.45am and caught a taxi to the Grebnoy Kanal/Betonka stop. I was the first passenger and was quoted USD35. I was lucky and 10mins later a grandmother and her granddaughter showed up, also traveling to Dushanbe. But then we waited…and waited. Shortly before 7am, the driver told me if I paid USD50, we’d leave. It was still too early for my bargaining skills, so I agreed. I asked him when we would arrive at the Sariosiyo/Tursunzade border and he said 1pm. The guy was an absolute pro as we arrived at 12.55pm. It was a long, uneventful drive with changing scenery.

Samarkand to Sariosiyo

Samarkand to Sariosiyo

Samarkand to Sariosiyo

Topping up on methane

The vast majority of vehicles in Uzbekistan run on propane, some on methane. Only very few on gasoline, which is very hard to find.

Donkeys on the road in the middle of nowhere

Samarkand to Sariosiyo

I’d say about 60-70% of the road was in decent state, the rest not. Nevertheless, we made good progress and arrived right on time as predicted. The driver seemed to know the road in his sleep. He even seemed to be buddies with most of the police guards along the road blocks on the way. He frequently made phone calls, and it almost looked to me as he’d call ahead to the next checkpoint to announce his arrival. I had to show my passport twice and my particulars were handwritten into a big book.

At the border we were dropped off. Vehicles are not allowed to drive to the other country. So we had to haul our luggage to the Uzbekistan checkpoint. First stop was customs. I had read some reports that they’d scrutinize everything – and they sure did. I had to unpack my backpack (at least it reminded me that it is about time to do some laundry). The customs officer went through all my medicine, looking for some prohibited ingredients. But what really annoyed me (even though I had read about it, I couldn’t believe it is actually true), they went through all the photos on my phone and laptop. One officer each. Apparently they search for pictures of military installations, terrorists or even nudie pics (not sure whether the latter would get you in trouble or they’d copy them). They even went through photos from way before Uzbekistan. Now, I am not sure whether they know but there is something called the “internet”. And this internet (or in Bushism, the internets) allows you to upload files to the cloud or send it to other people. So you can delete it on your phone, but guess what – it hasn’t disappeared from the face of the earth. So I honestly don’t understand their logic. At all. The whole process took about 40mins. Luckily I was almost the only person there, so did not have to wait in line. Oh, and nobody ever asked whether I have more than one phone or wanted to see what’s on my camera.

I was then stamped out of the country. A requirement is also to collect registration slips, accounting for your stay every night. Luckily you only need a slip every third night, so it did not matter that I stayed in an unofficial accomodation (AirBnB) for two nights in Bukhara. You also have to declare all your cash upon arrival and fill out the same paperwork again when departing – to make sure you don’t carry more cash when you leave. All in all a very strange system and I was happy to have passed the border.

We (my two fellow taxi passengers and me) then had to haul our luggage through no-mans land to the Tajikistan border. It’s always a strange feeling to walk through no-mans land for several hundred meters with heavily armed guards on both sides. I’ve done it previously between Thailand/Cambodia and several countries in Central and South America but it is still a unique experience.

Luckily the Tajikistan border guards were very friendly and efficient. As of June they have electronic visas. Another country that has realized how much more efficient this is if they are just after the money from tourists. I was stamped in quickly, we passed customs with no questions asked and met the friendly Tursunzade taxi mafia.

Now, I took a year of Russian back in 9th grade but except for reading Cyrillic script, I have forgotten just about everything (I don’t think it helped that classes started at 7.30am). I would have never been able to negotiate with these guys but the grandmother told them off. Wow. To the point I was almost worried that shit would soon hit the fan. I was actually glad I could just stand there like blur sotong. In the end, they drove us to the town of Tursunzade for 21 TJS each (SGD4). There the grandmother again organized us shared transport and we reached Dushanbe at around 3.30pm. Thanks again to her for helping me!

A long and exhausting day of travel but Dushanbe welcomed me.

Welcome to Dushanbe