Touring Tajikistan

We survived the Annual Bilateral Consultations and our VIP guests have safely departed back to Washington. Overall the visit was much easier than the planning and I even got to go on a hike as part of the deal. The weather in the eastern part of Tajikistan wasn't good enough for the delegation to make a planned trip to Khorog, but it was fine here in the Dushanbe area. So a group went on a hike with the Assistant Secretary and his entourage. It was a beautiful day for it and I got some great pictures.

In the U.S., fall is without question my favorite time of year, but in Dushanbe spring takes the cake. The hills are green and the mountains are still snowy.

With those events out of the way, I've been free to get back to a sense of normalcy, sort of. The Public Diplomacy section asked if I would repeat my tour of giving presentations on Earth Day, so of course I agreed. This year I'll be travelling even farther and wider than last year. I started today with a trip to Qurgon Teppa, not far from Dushanbe. Since I have to get an early start tomorrow morning, I won't be able to get the pictures up, but I'll provide updates on my adventures as I have time.