Next Time, huh?

This is the first time I find nothing to write for my blog entry.

I only spent 5 days in Tajikistan – 2 days in the capital city of Dushanbe where it was more like a dead city when I was there probably because it was weekends; 2 days in Fan Mountains where it took me some efforts to get there but I ended up disappointed by the so-called lovely Iskander-kul Lake; 1 day in Khojand where I found nothing to do except dealing with my diarrhea in a very not user-friendly filthy and tatty ‘open toilet’ of the cheapest hotel.

Statue of Ismoili Somoni in Dushanbe

Another unknown statue in Dushanbe

With Ryo in Iskander-Kul Lake

Sarytag, Fan Mountains

In between Iskander river and Fan river

M34 highway

Urmetan, Fan Mountains

Panchshanbe Bazaar, Khojand

So this is the Tajikistan I saw. (Damn it! I don’t even feel like I’m here!)

This is the thing I hate while traveling as I won’t be able to see a country well in such a short visit and yet, I have no choice. I felt more like trapped here rather than visiting. I can’t go to the Gorno-Badakshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) region. I can’t see the reputedly legendary M41 Pamir Highway where every traveler keeps talking about it since I was in Iran. I won’t be able to learn to what extent altitude sickness can cost me. I can’t have a glimpse on Afghanistan from Ishkashim to make up my miss for Afghanistan. I have to leave the country in Fergana Valley via one of the most bizarre borders in the world......

It’s all about the f**king GBAO permit! No! No! No! Sorry Tajikistan, please forgive me for my rudeness. Ermmm…maybe you share the blame as well. It’s all because of my passport – a legendary non-extended and non-renewable(at least in oversea) Malaysian passport. 

I got my Tajik visa in Iran but not the GBAO permit. The Tajikistan embassy there doesn’t issue the permit. I thought I can simply get one when I make my way to Dushanbe. Yes, it’s. It’s quite simple to organize one in Dushanbe according to other traveler’s account. But…it’s going to occupy a full page of my passport. I only have 3 pages left in my passport where I have reserved for China, Pakistan and India. What am I going to do? What am I supposed to do?

Yaya..I have no choice except contenting myself in the relatively smaller region to the west. No high mountain passes, no legendary highway, no altitude sickness, no pain no gain and that’s why nothing to write!

I told myself to come back here when I set my foot on Afghanistan one day in the future. One day in the future, huh? Next time, huh? HA! HA! HA! Nobody knows when it will be(next time?) and nobody knows what future is and of course I don’t know if I have a future.

(Don’t bullshit! There will be no next time! It got to be this time! God damn it! Arghhh…)

留得青山在，不怕没柴烧；青山依旧在，只怕柴(财)烧尽。