Should we really be flying this close to the mountains? Peering out the left and right windows of the plane I can see the barren mountains surrounding us. They are all around. We’re flying so close you can almost reach out and touch them. I’m sitting in an old 17-seat Tajik Air propeller plane as it hovers over the Pamir mountain range, at times passing over the Panj River that separates Tajikistan from Afghanistan. The buzz of the twin propellers echoes the excitement I feel as we pass the varied mountainous landscape. I have finally escaped Dushanbe! After two weeks of impatiently waiting for my visa extension and my permit to visit the Badahkshan region I finally received the good news yesterday.
I rushed to the airport just after 8am this morning in hopes to catch the next flight to Khorog. “Are you coming?” asks my friend Emily who is already at the airport with her mom, both of whom are also going to Khorog for a visit. “There’s one ticket left! I‘ll try to save it for you.” Why is there never a taxi when you’re in a hurry. I run down Rudaki street trying to flag down a cab. They’re all occupied. I see a bus coming. The airport is about 20km away so I decide to hop on and see how far I get.
I get three-quarters of the way before an old man sitting next to me starts speaking to me in Russian and pointing eastward. I have no idea what he’s saying, but I assumed that he saw my bag and thinks I want to go to the airport. Right he is! On a hunch I get off the bus at the next stop and frantically flag down a cab in front of Hotel Dushanbe. Seeing the eagerness in my eyes the driver quickly takes me the rest of the way.
I run to the airport terminal and see Emily and her mom. “Is this the guy?” asks the ticket lady. Emily nods. I can’t believe my luck, I actually managed to get the last ticket.
My face is pressed up against the window and I’m snapping away with my camera. We come up to a dip between two mountain peaks and the plane steadily navigates through the gap at what looks like just 100m above the ridge. As we lurch over the ridge I find myself wanting to lift my legs up just so I don’t clip the mountaintop with my feet. The planes only fly when the weather is completely clear as the pilots fly by sight and must be able to navigate through the mountain passageways. As we pass the last ridge and quickly descend towards Khorog I am very glad we had a smooth flight.
Nicknamed ‘The Roof of the World” the Pamirs is one of the hardest places to access and is home to some of the highest mountain peaks in the world. Ismoli Somoni Peak towers at over 7400m. It is fall and three quarters of the peaks I see are bare. However, there are still some white mountain tops and glaciers. I can imagine the entire range covered with snow in the winter.
About an hour after we left Dushanbe we land in Khorog, a beautiful town nestled along the turquoise-coloured Gunt in between two mountains. At approximately 2200m, the scenic town is situated at an elevation just slightly above the highest peak of Whistler mountain.
As we exit the plane the air feels crisp and clean, while the warmth of the sun is comforting. I already feel much more at home here than in Dushanbe.
3 comments:
Well written! Although I think lifting your legs to avoid the mountains is a little over the top. Now whose the exaggerator?
Never knew that point about Khorog being higher than Whistler. Nutso.
Wow!! It is incredible reading about your experiences Adrian. Your writing is excellent and, as always, your photos are exquisite. I must say that I'm a bit envious. To me, real travelling is defined by language barriers and exotic customs. While NZ is paradise, it is far too much like home in some ways. Still enjoying my adventure, but will travel vicariously through you as well!
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
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