Khorog and Pamir Lodge Next

30/8

I leave Pastkhuf early before the sun gets too hot. There will be no breakfast but blindly trust to find some roadside restaurant along the way. Unfortunately, I don’t do that until after 20 km and it’s a big hotel that is completely empty of guests. I order an ice–cold beer, bread and three fried eggs that I eat with a good appetite.
The rest of the way towards Khorog, the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan region, is just a simple transport.

I cycle into Khorog which is teeming with cars, pedestrians and I passing a large bazaars.

My hostel in Khorog, Pamir Lodge is located on the other side of the bridge that crosses where the Gunt and Panj rivers confluences.

Khorog is a busy town. 28 000 inhabitants  and only place along the Pamir highway between Dushanbe and Osh that offers some comforts of a city. You can find supermarkets, great bazars, several restaurants and bars, lots of hotels and homestays. Khorog has also two univeritys which can explain why many people can speak some english.

In the very middle of city a huge forested park with a large swimmingpool and it´s a very popular place, both for turists and locals.

In the afternoon, I cycled across the river and headed toward Pamir Lodge, lies about 2 km from the city center on a slope facing Khorog. The climb was quite steep and a bit tough. I searched for the Pamir Lodge sign but saw no one, until I heard voices calling behind me. Turning around, I spotted the two German cyclists I had camped with the night before; they waved, and behind them was the sign for Pamir Lodge.  

The staff were sitting outside at a low table, eating. I asked if there was space for me, and soon a friendly young girl showed me around the large, leafy grounds. Below the reception stood a two-story house with a ground floor.

Single rooms cost $35 with a private toilet and shower, doubles cost $24. Outside, six or seven spots marked with colorful carpets offered space to pitch a tent or lay out a mattress for $5.  On the first and second floors, multi-bed rooms , dormitorys for $7. Breakfast extra at $3.

Pamir Lodge also offers services like bicycle repair, laundry, trip planning and free WiFi, but it works only few hours in fornoon, afternoon and evening.The speed is  The staff speaks good English. The WiFi is anything but fast.

I chose a six-bed room on the first floor. As I unpacked my bike, I began feeling unwell—tired and with diarrhea. I settled in before heading to the toilet and shower located below the short side of the building.

After resting for a few hours, I joined the German man I’d met the night before, whose name is Manfred, for a trip down to the Bazaar. We took one of the small white shuttle buses back after enjoying meat soup and beer.

The final uphill stretch to my room was exhausting, and I felt certain I had a fever. After another trip to the toilet, I crawled into bed with my headphones and audiobook, pulled down my blindfold, and tried to rest.

See yah later
P-G
// The Global Cyclist