Best (and Worst) of Tajikistan

This is our choices for the best and worst moments of our 22 days in Tajikistan. We've also put together a gallery of our favourite photos which you can visit here here.

Our FAVOURITE Cities/Towns
According to Yann:
1- Dushanbe
2- Ishkashim
3- Khojand
According to Emilie:
1- Dushanbe
2- Khojand
3- Ishkashim

Our FAVOURITE Sights
According to Yann:
1- Amazing nothingness at Alichur, Pamir Highway
2- Yamchun Fort, Wakhan Valley
3- Behzod Museum, Dushanbe
According to Emilie:
1- Yamchun Fort and Bibi Fatima Hot Springs
2- Yassyk Kul Lake
3- Views of the Hindu Kush Mountains from the Pamir Highway

The WORST Sights
According to Yann and Emilie:
1- Scummy, lukewarm hotspring water at the sanatorium in Jelandy, Pamirs
2- Istaravshan, some charm but largely overrated old town

Most DELICIOUS Foods
According to Yann and Emilie:
1- Honey melon
2- Palov (rice pilaf cooked with lots carrots, mutton and lots of lard)
3- Compote (homemade concentrated fruit juice)
4- Homemade sourcream/cheese

WORST Food
According to Yann and Emilie:
1- Stale nan bread
2- Potatoes fried in copious amounts of USAid cooking oil
3- Mutton fat, in all its forms (excepted melted in palov)

BEST Aspects of Tajik Tourism
According to Yann and Emilie:
1- Almost no other tourists
2- Tajik hospitality
3- Unibrows and gold teeth

WORST Aspects of Tajik Tourism
According to Yann and Emilie:
1- Roads, and having to travel on them
2- Officialdom: permits, registrations, police checkpoints...
3- Expensive hotels with stinky bathrooms
4- Tajik Air

Tajik Trademarks
According to Yann and Emilie:
- Mouthful of gold teeth
- Unibrows
- Taxi drivers proclaiming that their extortionate rates are due to "Benzene! Benzene!"
- Shoulder padded, flower patterned, full length moomoos
- Museum displays dedicated to President Rahmon
- Handshakes with one hand placed on the heart
- Four cornered, black and white embroidered hats
- Militsia on every corner (especially Dushanbe)
- Terrible roads

For those interested in our expenses, we have updated our homepage with our financial information for Tajikistan, it is available here