Stopped at the border

So I had planned to cross to Tajikistan to do the Pamir Highway. Except no one seems to have told the border guards. I turned up at he border with my passport and my evisa and was refused entry in Tajikistan. Why? Well there's a tale. And I may not have it entirely right due to the chief border guard having no english and therefore grabbing a random guy (simply a traveller) crossing the border who spoke a little english and getting him to act as an impromptu translator.

As far as I can tell the problem was this: on my passport my name appears as follows:
Last name
First name

On the evisa form it appears thus:
First name
Last name

Both are correct, the order is simply different. However, what I think happened was due to this reversal of the order, someone at the border had put my names in the wrong field in their database and this led to a refusal. The chief, while apologetic, was adamant (crossing his arms across his chest to indicate that I couldn't go in). I did wonder if he was looking for a bribe but didn't want to risk it. I did ask if there was anything we could no but answer came there - "no."

The question now was, would I be allowed back into Uzbekistan or would I be doomed to wander evermore in the no mans land between the two which only had one cafe and one toilet?

Well again, to absolutely ruin the suspense they did let me back in and I shared a taxi back to Samarkand with a nice Italian couple.

What to do? Had I lost my last chance to do the Pamir? I asked on the Pamir WhatsApp group and strangely there was a guy I already knew from the UK who had been an instructor on a motorcycle course in Wales. He had got into Tajikistan on a fake evisa. He had got a pdf of the real thing and amended it to his name and put some random numbers in the place where random numbers appear on forms and had got in. Apparently he was bricking it when going in and also I guess going out but it worked as they don't seem to check them on a computer except when going in (or at least that was the case for me). So after some umming and aahing. I did something similar. ie I amended the pdf on my evisa from this

First name:
Last name:

To this:

Last name:
First name:

which accorded with my passport. Would this work? I would I end up rotting in a Tajik jail charged with forging a document that was already valid? Who knows.

Well two days later back at the border and I recognise the frown on the border guard as he realises there is something wrong. But it's not with me rearranging the form - it's the same problem as before. This time however, after thinking about it, he allows me in. This one speaks a little more english - he says the evisa is fine but that some computer problem is showing up. Anyway, after a delay he stamps my passport, stamps my visa form and I am in. Will I be able to get out? Tune in later to find out...Baca lagi