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Khojand Tajikistan: A Lazy Visitor’s Guide

Khojand Tajikistan:
A Lazy Visitor’s Guide

Contrary to what everyone I know in America seems to think, long-term independent travel is not just some big happy vacation. Crossing from Uzbekistan to Tajikistan was one of the most-hassle filled two days of my life, and by the time I got to Khojand I was feeling downright lazy.

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Syr-Darya river in Khojand.

I spent about an hour, total, doing something properly touristy. Even then, I gave up about halfway to my ‘destination’ and just kind of walked along the river for a while instead.

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Riverfront statuary. This is as far as I made it on the tourist front.

After that, it was back into town for some shopping.

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I’m a big fan of the Soviet stuff, no matter what part of Central Asia I find it in.

Which, honestly, was the best thing I could have chosen.

Standard Market Vendor Shot
Friendly vendor at the Khojand bazaar.

I met some wonderful people. Even got invited to a wedding (that I ended up not making).

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Khojand bazaar’s central hall.

Wandered around for a bit surrounded by chaos.

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Helloooooooooo.

Had a really interesting conversation about Khojand’s role in the civil war and the state of private enterprise since then.

Textures of the Khojand Bazaar
Textures of the Istaravshan Bazaar.

And, of course, stocked up on delicious snacks.

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To my regret now, I did not buy one of these.

Some days, really, are just about walking around and observing the world for a bit.

Spice Market in the Istaravshan Bazaar
Spice Market in the Khojand Bazaar.

They can’t all be Everest, after all.

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Marketfront shopping.

Mostly, though, I spent a couple of days in Khojand eating delicious food and reading my then-still-functional Kindle. And you know what? It was perfect, almost like a travel vacation.

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