Thoughts on Tajikistan

#1 No men riding horses (well the odd one or two but certainly nothing like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia)

#2 The Pamir Highway and the Wakhan Valley are beautiful. I recommend Autumn for travelling through them

#3 Lots of pomegranates

#4 School uniforms are terribly smart

#5 Like the rest of Central Asia and Mongolia the people are terribly friendly and hospitable

#6 In Dushanbe there are a lot of men wearing slim trousered blue suits. Very dapper looking

#7 On that note the men in Dushanbe are the sort of boys your mother would have loved you bringing home – good-looking, well groomed and polite young men

#8 Tajikistan has been noticeably more expensive than any of the other countries we’ve visited

#9 As with the rest of Central Asia there are a lot of tall mature trees in the cities and towns

#10 If a shop doesn’t have the exact change that you need they sometimes give you gum or a sweet instead

#11 There are a lot of stunning high mountains throughout the country

#12 There are a lot of 2000-era Vauxhall Astra and Vectra cars

#13 The children always wave and say hello at us as we drive through villages

#14 Again as with the rest of Central Asia driving in cities is utterly manic

#15 In the cities women wear a lot of makeup

#16 Lots of big fat shiny new black LandCruisers in the cities

#17 There are lots of huge banners and posters of the President adorning many buildings

#18 Wherever we go you can guarantee you’ll see at least one broken down lorry

#19 People carry a huge amount on their roof racks

#20 Big metal or wooden daybeds are a popular place to sit, chat and drink tea on. They are often covered in colourful traditional patterned rugs, bolsters and cushions.