09
Alichur
1 day
Today we go to the Eastern Pamirs and leave the Wakhan behind. We will finally join the official Pamir Highway. Our host in Zong tells us that two other tourists are going to Alichur that day and that he might have a shared taxi for us. That's just how things work here. Everyone knows everyone.
After pushing the price down to 1,000 somoni, we leave. Another Pamiri accompanies us and he is happy to explain what we are seeing. The driver pilots us to above the tree line, along canyons with Afghanistan in the distance. We stop at every house and every person. Fortunately, we can count them on one hand. There is great enthusiasm in the car when we spot a marmot. "Delicious" says our Pamiri fellow traveller next to me. Moments later, we see two marmots fighting and the car stops. We tourists naturally think the driver is stopping so we can get a better view of the cute rodents. Before I know it, my neighbour rushes out of the car and smashes one of the fighters' heads with a stone. Our initial "Oooh" lowers several octaves to a shocked "Oooh".
In Alichur we find a guesthouse at the edge of the village. Yaks are grazing among the small mud brick houses. Some ethnic Kyrgyz boys near the school come over to us for a chat. They speak excellent English. "We learn it at home via YouTube". The school is preparing for the sports competition against the neighbouring village. The children play volleyball and do long jump. The boys want to work in Canada when they are older. The harsh Canadian winters will be nothing to them.