Tajikistan > The capital of Tajikistan

It is warm in the room at night. The wide-open window provides hardly any cooling during the night. In the morning, it turns out that traveler’s diarrhea has hit me. It comes out like water. Now all four of us have had it. At breakfast, I take some tea and dry bread. I feel terrible. Outside, it is already warm. We want to take a walk around the city. Next to the hotel are the Twin Towers. On the 19th floor, there is a restaurant. When we want to have coffee there, the doorman downstairs has to call first. We are allowed up. We follow the doorman to the elevator. Once upstairs, I understand why the call was necessary. Staff members are still sleeping everywhere. The restaurant isn’t open yet. On the outdoor terrace, a table is set up especially for us.

Tajikistan - The statue of Amir Ismail Samani in Dushanbe

From the top of the building, I have a view over all of Dushanbe and the mountain ranges beyond. Although it is a beautiful sight, I feel too weak to really enjoy it. I return to my hotel room. I decide to go into the city in the afternoon when it is cooler. I quickly fall asleep. When I go outside around five o’clock, Hans and Anja’s camper is parked in front of the hotel, right behind Brutus. On the terrace from yesterday, I find everyone again. Hans and Anja are also there. Although it’s tempting to join them, I first decide to take a walk through the city center. The statue of Amir Ismail Samani is the most famous monument in Dushanbe. He was the founder of the first Persian Islamic empire 1,100 years ago. Even now, police officers try to persuade me to take photos for money. I decline. The consequence is that I am not allowed to take photos myself. Through the park behind it, I walk to the Independence Monument, a tall pillar. Through the presidential palace, I reach the park with a flagpole of no less than 165 meters. This pole was erected five years ago to commemorate 20 years of independence. At the time, it was the tallest flagpole in the world. Today, there is a pole in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, five meters taller. All the parks look tidy. The streets are not very busy, but there is more life than in Ashgabat. Back at the café, I join my fellow travelers and Hans and Anja on the terrace. I cautiously eat some soup. Since this afternoon, I’ve felt much better. Still, I go to bed early. Tomorrow, we head into the Pamir Mountains. I want to be ready for that.