Well, the Uzbek border officials certainly didn’t disappoint! The drive from Samarkand to the border is down as 5-6 hours. For some reason it took us 8 hours and it was 5:30 pm by the time we arrived at the border. The sun was low in the sky and the border closes at 6pm. I hasten in and complete my declaration form quickly having had some practise already. I know that the Uzbeks are dynamite on the currency declaration and I have my US dollars addded up to perfection and am ready to go. I hit a snag. My last entry into Uzbekistan was my day trip from Afghanistan. I only took $200 across and back. I am leaving the country with $1700 how is this possible? I explain it over and again through an attractive female customs officer who speaks some English. There is lots of head shaking and grimacing as they wave me to one side and take my passport away. More questions and I explain that I did declare over $2000 USD on my first entry so they go off somewhere to download a copy. Amazingly they do eventually find one and after a cursory search I am allowed through an hour later.
It is now after 6pm and as I walk through no mans land past the trucks stranded there I wonder if I will have to sleep out on the ground. At least I have my sleeping bag but no food or water it will be a long night. The door is still open on the Tajik side but it looks deserted inside. I wander through until I find an occupied office. The nice Tajik man happily hands me the forms to fill out and I am through immigration and customs in 5 minutes! Next hassle is what is at the other side. I am mentally prepared for having to hitch as the nearest town is 12 km away. My luck is still in for there is one car left and after some taxi negiotiating argy bargy I am on my way in the darkness for the last 66 km of my journey to the capitol of Tajikistan, Dushanbe. This journey is supposed to take 45 minutes. It takes us over 2 hours along road that is more dirty corrugated, construction zone potholes than main road. I am oh so grateful to arrive late at night at my guest house.
Dushanbe is actually quite a pleasant leafy, green capitol. The main avenue, Rudaki Street stretches for kilometres with well established elm trees lining the way providing ample shade from the late summer heat. There is nothing historic here and up until a few years ago nothing of modern significance to see either. This has changed with the changes to the Bag i Rudaki parkland that is a magnificent green oasis literally gushing with kilometres of fountains and as its backdrop the new Presidential Palace which cost more to construct than the annual national health budget of this nation of 7 million. A pleasant day is had seeing as much as possible of this pleasant green central Asian city.
Gardens
Presidential palace
