Hissar and Spring Parties

Wow, it's hard to believe a full week went by since my last post! It was another crazy one, but I guess that's becoming par for the course. At least I can say that as hard as we work, we make up for it on our time off. On Friday night we went to a happy hour at the marine house after work. The weather was beautiful and we had a good time before heading home.

On Saturday, we had a really full day - and a lot of fun. In the morning, we headed out, with some other folks from the embassy, to see the ancient fort of Hissar.

This fort marked the seat of power for hundreds of years and was the location of the last stand of the locals against the Bolsheviks. Interestingly, the local powers almost defeated the Russians, but at the last minute, Russian reinforcements arrived with heavy artillery and destroyed the fort walls.

Today the ruins are a great place to hike and enjoy the beautiful weather and great views.

We even got to have a picnic on the hillside overlooking the fort, where the citadel used to be. Our guide told us that laborers actually had to transport the dirt to build the hill, a huge effort.

After lunch, we toured the museum, located in what used to be a madressa tied to the fort.

An old oil press.

There is still a town near Hissar, but the soviets moved the capitol to Dushanbe shortly after their conquest.

After the fort, we went home, I got a haircut and we freshened up for an afternoon/evening out. Our first stop was a bar-b-que for an incoming officer who is currently here on a language immersion. From there, we went over to another cook-out at a friend's house, where we had some of the best steak I've eaten since we arrived. Finally, we stopped by a birthday party for another friend at a local restaurant, before finally heading home, stuffed, and a little buzzed. All in all, a great Saturday.

On Sunday, I cashed in my birthday gift card from Stephanie, for a massage at the Hyatt. As part of the deal, I got to use the gym there, the sauna and steam room, and the pool. I spent a good couple of hours checking everything out before laying down for a very relaxing massage.

In the afternoon, Stephanie and I kicked back with a movie and some fried chicken from the only fast food chain in town before calling it a day.

Today, (Monday), has been just as frantic as ever, but we're winding down. Two more days until our big Italian vacation! I doubt I'll be able to do much in the way of blogging on our trip, but be sure to check back towards the end of May for pictures and highlights! Arrivaderci!