Car crash before Chorugh
After the high we felt when we arrived at our last stop, we had one of the worst days of the entire journey on the next stretch to the capital of the Pamirs, Chorugh. The road conditions were absolutely awful, and we could only make very slow progress as we navigated the huge potholes, which covered most of the road. During one evasive manoeuvre on a particularly bad stretch, I veered onto the left side of the road, which dropped off about 30 metres into the Panj River — of course, there were no crash barriers. Assuming that nobody would overtake me on the right on this road, I pulled back into the right-hand lane — and then, suddenly, an idiot tourist in a rented Toyota Land Cruiser crashed into the right-hand side of our van. Fortunately, we were both travelling slowly enough to stop quickly. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, although we were really shocked when we saw how badly damaged our van was, and realised how easily the crash could have resulted in both cars falling into the river many metres below.
From here on, we have a few very bad days. We are both still shocked, but also relieved that we got away with just a black eye. However, we could see that the camper (which we later named ‘Beuli’) was seriously damaged. Our rough estimate of the cost of repairs is higher than what we initially paid for the van. The right door has taken the biggest hit, though. It still opens and closes, though, and is mostly just badly dented. The window doesn’t open fully, but the sill hasn’t been hit. For now, we decide to just replace the door and live with the deep scratches further back.
On to Murgab
Without any further accidents, we arrived safely in Chorugh, where we stocked up on supplies and spent a quiet night at a hostel. We were able to park there and use the shower, which we were now extremely grateful for. The next morning, we decide not to refuel, as the petrol station doesn’t look good. This was not a wise decision, however, as it causes us a lot of headaches over the next few days, during which time we see our fuel indicator going down faster than expected. We’re extremely thankful that we were smart enough to get an additional 20-litre tank in Dushanbe.
After all the stress of recent days, and following a discussion with other travellers, we decide against taking a detour into the Wakhan Valley. It’s supposed to be very beautiful, but the terrain is also supposed to be very difficult, and we feel like we’ve had enough adventure for now.
So we took the direct road to Murgab, which led us over a pass roughly 4,200 metres high. This will definitely be the first test for both our van and our driving skills, as it’s not only high, but also quite steep with atrocious road conditions in places. On top of that, one morning, the engine warning light comes on just before we take the pass. We also noticed that the engine power had dropped over the last two days. However, we’re not sure whether this is just an effect of the high altitude or something is really off with the engine.
Our struggles with the van contrast with the grandeur of the surrounding landscape. At Chorugh, we left the road and followed the Panj River, heading straight east through the rugged, desolate Pamir Mountains. The landscape is arid and empty. After the small village of Alichur, the terrain becomes flatter again and the Pamir Highway crosses a wide basin at an altitude of around 3,900 metres.
Rugged mountains rise again as we turn north and slowly approach Murgab. This small town is the second biggest settlement after Chorugh, and here we can finally refuel. We’ve made it without using up all our 20 litres! We also enjoy a nice lunch in a local cantine, before heading out of the city to a nice camping spot near a river.