The Anniversary Post

Vivian from the Tarmac

Pamirs from Above

Khorog from Above

Vivian and Students and Gulya

Today is our 31st anniversary. Vivian taught classes while I wandered around Dushanbe. Above is actually a picture of her classroom in Khorog.

In Dushanbe, a huge rainfall filled the open sewers and even backed-up to the point that at the central intersection, in front of my favorite coffee spot, water started spurting forth from underground and out the large sewer vents. It was a glorious sight in a terrible sort of way.

Central Park Beach

Back to Khorog, there is a stone pool filled with diverted river water in Central Park downtown.

Khorog Market

Vivian and I have spent the last several days eating mostly bread and water. Well, water as the main ingredient of soup with ripped pieces of this delicious bread floating around in it.

Lenin and His Flags

Gulya and I spent a fun hour in the Khorog museum. Gulya was our minder in the Pamirs and she is coming with us on the plane to Khujand tomorrow morning. In the FSU, one’s host often supplies one with a minder. In this case, the host is the American Embassy and the minder is not in the usual post-communist mold. Vivian asked me not to flirt with her and seeing it is our anniversary, I’ll behave.

Mine Field Warning

In the former Soviet Union, one should take heed that there could be danger at any step. Above is one of the warning signs of minefields that dot the Tajik/Afghan border. Below is a sign from a distance with an Afghan sentry house across the Panj River from where we were driving back from the Pamirs.

Minefield

Afghan Village

Tomorrow we go to  Khujand, a 2500 year old city that is not supposed to be beautiful. Beautiful cities are not my specialty so I am looking forward to a visit while Vivian spends a couple of days giving seminars. I feel like Guy Delisle, the guy who writes those fabulous graphic travel stories while his wife works for Doctors Without Borders. I’ve got to refine my storytelling arc a bit, but I’m working on it. Next post I’ll try not to mix and match words and pictures.