The 'Stans - Pamir Highway: Khorog to Langar (11 August 2019)

Today's leg is Khorog to Langar which is one the more brutal parts of the journey:



We had breakfast and left early doors to climb the mountains leaving Khorog behind:

We continue to follow the path heading to the Panj river, against straddling the Tajik - Afghan border for the remainder of the day. Again, the views are breathtaking:

We reached one of the shallowest part of the Panj River, just a small stroll across into Afghanistan. As we were travelling in the height of summer, the water levels were particularly low:

After a number of hours we reached Ishkashim, which has a bridge connecting it to the Afghan town of Eshkashim. There is sometimes a border market on the island in the middle of the Panj river, but it was unfortunately closed.

We reached a small town and our driver went in search of food. We would stop by groups of locals asking for the nearest restaurant - and by restaurant I mean a family house that will also sell hot meals. After circling this small village for a substantial amount of time, we ended up in the ground of a large farm, with day beds scattered around.

Eventually an old Tajik man appeared with his grand kids and told us that his wife/daughter would be able to knock up some Plov. This may have been the most tranquil lunch I have ever had, in the remote Tajik countryside and the Plov was outstanding - especially after many hours in a 4x4.

After lunch we continue to Kakaah Fortress which overs a vantage point across the Wakhan Valley in Afghanistan. The fortress is a stone ruin at the top of  a hill, which is a fairly tiring climb due to the altitude.

At the top you get spectacular views, so much so that Tajik border guards still use this fort as a vantage point across the river.

 The Wakhan Valley was definitely one of the best views that I had in the trip around the Stans. Truly awe-inspiring.

At the bottom of the fort there was a for gift show, or at least a selection of goods being sold by an entrepreneurial Tajik family. There was one souvenir that I had been looking for and finally found - a Pakul. An Afghan hat. If you don't know what I'm talking about, google it now and it will be instantly recognisable. I bartered a reasonable price for two Pakuls, for the Belgian and I, and we set off again. Not too long after we stumble across a Tajik volleyball game in a small village:

Our final stop of the day was at the Bibi Fatima Hot Springs - a sulfur spring, which from the outside looked like two porta-cabins perched onto the mountainside. We made our way in and were greeted by a number of bollock naked Tajiks, include our driver getting in money's worth from the spring. I joined for a relaxing dip, but called it a day as the number of bollock naked Tajiks grew by the minute.

We finally make it to our accommodation for the night - although reminiscent of the fort ruins from the Wakhan, it turned out be comfortable enough for the evening: