Sensational Seven Lakes

PANJAKENT- Driving in the remote Seven Lakes region of Tajikistan in Central Asia, takes tremendous skill. The roads are in poor condition, and single lanes are used for two-way traffic. I found myself suspended on a cliff 20 meters high, driving around the first three lakes, wondering if another driver was coming around the corner. As I looked down at the water, I began to understand why Davish, my driver and guide, never buckled his seatbelt. His carefree attitude gave me some reassurance, but I was relieved when we arrived at the guesthouse at the fourth lake.

 The overpriced journey started with a ride to the border from my tour salesman. After moving through the slowest border in Central Asia that I had visited on my trip so far, I hooked up with Davish who would be my companion and guide for the next 36 hours. I jumped into his Toyota SUV, and when I tried to buckle my seatbelt, I realized there was a plastic plug that was blocking the buckle. I later realized he had the same plug on his buckle so the “seatbelt alarm” would not buzz. Not a big deal, but on the roads ahead, it would display an impressive confidence in his ability behind the wheel.

 Panjakent was my first entry point intro to Tajikistan, and our first stop was the Sarazm Archaeologic Site which was awarded UNESCO Heritage status. The Lady of Sarazm was the most significant find, a fourth century BCE female skeleton found with all her jewelry. Next, we went to the archaeological site and museum of Ancient Panjakent, otherwise known as the Pompeii of Tajikistan, as it displays an excavated city from the fifth to eighth century. The museum includes some beautiful frescos from the site.

 Davish then drove us to the tea house built by his father, Sayekhat, for a traditional lunch. The interior was filled with antique wood and traditional Tajikistan furnishings with bright colors. He recounted that “his father worked in the tourism industry for 40 years and built the place so that tourists could try the traditional dishes of the region.” I had a chance to meet his family, and everyone seemed busy preparing the local cuisine.

 We started with a generous cucumber, tomato, and onion salad with light dressing. The main dish was the best plov I had in my life. Plov is a rice dish of lamb or beef, carrots, onions garlic and the spices cumin and coriander. The taste was outstanding - each ingredient tasted richer than my previous plov in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The meal finished with tea and fresh fruit.

 We arrived at the Jumaboy Guesthouse in the early afternoon. The house was basic but set in a beautiful garden next to a small stream about a kilometer uphill from the fourth lake. They invited me to sit in one of the six outdoor pavilions set on the small stream for a welcome pot of tea, the custom in the region.

 After the tea, I headed out for a hike around the lake. I asked the father of the house (who was not great with English) where I could fill up my water bottle, and he suggested the hose. The landscape around the lake was barren and rocky, but the small villages, donkeys and cows gave the place more life. You really get a sense of how far away you are from civilization in a place this remote.

 On the way back, I noticed a young western couple gaining on me, but suddenly, they were cut off by an unstable donkey. As I went back to try to convince the donkey to let them pass, they got by. This is where I met Luo and Hugo, a pair of Parisian lawyers that were staying at the same guest house. They were as grateful to speak with someone in English as was I after a week of traveling alone.

 We were welcomed by the son/manager of the property on the way back to the guest house, and we ordered dinner together in the same pavilion. I asked the son where I could refill the water again, and his face fell a little bit. He said visitors who drink the mountain water usually get sick, and he would get me some bottled water.

 At that moment, my stomach dropped as I heard the phrase, “visitors get sick,” repeatedly in my head. I was soon bent over. Lou came to my rescue with two types of stomach medicine, and in 60 minutes, I was miraculously ready for dinner. The dinner started off with soup followed by local lamb and grilled vegetables which I enjoyed with my new well-traveled companions.

 I had a lot to learn from them. They had reached out to the guest house directly from Uzbekistan. The guesthouse had arranged transport from the border to their property and offered multiple tours at a fraction of the cost that I had paid. Lou told me, “it was a refreshing break from the bustling Uzbekistan” where they traveled from. They “loved being surrounded by nature and hiking around the seven lakes.”

 A morning run at 1,800 meters gave me a better perspective and appreciation of where we were. After a solid breakfast in the outdoor pavilion and some much-appreciated coffee, we were on our way to lake five, six and seven. Each lake was slightly different with different shades of blue depending on the surrounding mountains.

 Lake seven stood out, and Davey suggested that I go for a solo hike for some good photos. He was right! The mirror-blue water reflected the mountains, and I was being followed by a villager and a working donkey which created the perfect image of the place.

 We headed back to Panjakent for an appetizing lunch with bone-in chicken skewer kebabs with fresh onions and thyme along with Uzbek bread. After another long border crossing back into Uzbekistan, I found myself staring out the window at the sunset on a high-speed train back to Tashkent the Uzbek capital for an early morning flight.