The next day, we headed over and through the mountains to Gazza Village. We stopped at a beautiful area with a mountain river and lake, hiked out to a waterfall and had a picnic lunch by the shores of the lake. Our guest house, home for the next two nights, was on a family farm. We could watch the cows come home and listen to the children playing in the lanes. They served us a local dinner of stuffed peppers (delicious) and we slept like babies. The next day there were two challenging hikes. One to the village from our farm stay and then an even more challenging climb to a viewpoint above the valley. Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling very well this day and spent the majority in our little guest room but Steve enjoyed the morning hike and the village. For dinner, they served us their version of Plov (a rice dish with meat and vegetables, different in each area of central Asia….the name is of the same derivation as rice pilaf) and the next day, back through the mountains to Khujand, the second largest city in Tajikistan. Another pleasant town, we enjoyed wandering around the city in the evening and were ready for our drive to Uzbekistan the following day.
Mug Teppe, ancient cotidel sacked by Alexander in 3rd Century BCMosaics commissioned in Soviet era are found everywhere in Central Asia, this one at an industrial site on the edge of the roadPass at the top of the road out to our rural guest houseWe got the chance to take a beautiful hike along the riverBeautiful green mountain landscapeView of mountain lake from aboveBeautiful mountain riverSteve takes a rest along the side of the river hikeAfter our hike, we had picnic lunch by the side of the lake. After lunch, me and my ratty shoes found a swing to enjoy.Soviets stifled religious ornamentation but promoted and paid for tributes to the arts and artistsKhujand, Tajikistan’s second city, walking through the park at nightGroup photo in Rudaki Park Beautiful mosaic arch in Rudaki Park with statue of the poet Rudaki, for whom the park is NamedTraditional local rice dish with meet, veg and raisinsBeautiful and extensive park in Dushanbe You can see how impressive the city looks from this park picture Delightful Tajik dips at lunchThis reclining Buddha in the Tajikistan Antiquities Museum is supposedly the largest in Central AsiaCentral Mosque KhujandStrawberries and red and white mulberries in Khujand marketKhujand market where oour local guide explained that the market is 24 hours per day, wholesalers doing most of their transactions at night…never heard of that before…
Kathleen
