From the time I started reading about this trip the most exciting aspect was the long overland drive from Khujand to Dushanbe in Tajikistan.  This drive starts in the Ferghana Valley which is divided between Tajikistan, Uzbekistan an Kyrgyzstan. It is among the most fertile areas in the region. It narrows and eventually gives way to serious mountain passes with the road climbing to 9,000 feet and passing through two major tunnels and uncounted snow sheds before it descends to the southern valley with Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan at its foot. The notes in the itinerary are relatively brief calling for stops in Istaravshan to visit a couple of master craftsmen and the luncheon with the block print artist was cancelled because of Ramadan.

We visited a wooden comb maker and watched him make a comb from a block of wood:

Cutting the wood to dry for two years

Shaping the blank for the comb

Cutting the teeth

Even the decorations were added while we watched

 We bought a couple of combs for display, mine is a mustache comb!

The knife maker forging his blank from a leaf spring

Finished product I was not thrilled with the source of his metal stock.

 We did have a lovely lunch at the home of a tour leader who was not working at the moment.

 There were various stops along the road, these dried fruit and nut sellers had set up shop in a wide spot where the road did a 180 degree hairpin turn

 It was startling to come up on this herd as were were hurtling along the highway around a bed at 35 mph.

Just a picture stop. That snow is not usually present on June 5, but they had a lot last winter.

We got into Dushanbe in time to check in to our hotel, a marvel of modern, comfortable conveniences. The wifi here even gets the New York Times. Cannot understand why it wasn’t available in Khujand, the second largest city in Tajikistan and it is available in the capital.