Ishkashim, Tajikistan - hiking

Went for a hike with Lisa from the guest house to the nearby mountains after breakfast. Breakfast consisted of basic fare: a plain omelette plus bread.

As we were walking along the main street and about to turn off into the road leading to the mountains, a street dog who had been playing with another dog appeared beside us. And he stayed for the four hours of our hike through the mountains. We headed north ascending and then descending on steep rocky terrain eventually emerging onto greener land where farms with a single tethered cow and the odd rooster seemed to be the order of the day.

The dog (I shall call him Fred) became our friend, comfort and guide throughout the walk and his presence got me thinking about the nature of friendship, companionship and how those emotions can arise so easily in a wordless relationship. I think when it comes to feelings the moment we try to articulate them we lose rather than gain something. I thought that it was so easy to feel affection for this languageless dog in a way that would be impossible for a human.

Occasionally he would run off and I would wonder if we would ever see him again. And that made me think about loss. And then I would feel a wet nose nuzzling in the crook of my knee and he was back. This happened a number of times throughout our walk.

When we had descended the mountain we crossed the road and found ourselves walking towards what turned out to be an airfield. We wanted to reach the river. I wasn’t sure that we should have been on the airfield although it seemed completely deserted. Anyway Fred running ahead of us reached the river and jumped in. I was worried that we would be swept away but he was fine. When he finally got out, he had one of those crazy five minutes that dogs and cats both sometimes have running around like a mad thing.

Still he accompanied us as we walked back to the guest house but then on the left he ran into a garden and we were separated by a wall. At the end he seemed to find a dead bird which he seemed delighted with and I thought that was it - that we should leave him there as we would have to say goodbye at some point - but as we were approaching the gate of the guest house he reappeared and accompanied us into the garden. The owner asked me if the dog was mine - obviously not. So she (and her son) shooed him out. As of course was their right it being their property. But I found it almost unbearable that the last time he would see us was being shooed away after a lovely day together.

After the evening meal I went for a walk into the village and found him sleeping in the middle of the road. I was of course worried about him but also suspected he knew what he was doing. In any case I managed to move him to the side of the road and we said goodbye properly. This time as I left he stayed behind curled up asleep.

Other news, I got a voice message from Oles, who I met at the Rahmon in Samarkand that he too was in Ishkashim, so in the afternoon popped over to see him. He was travelling with two Austrians he met in Dushanbe in a camper van. I had hoped to meet him there too, but because of my border problems by the tie I turned up he had left. But we did meet again on the road and hopefully will again. Lovely guy.Baca lagi