The drive out of the lake provided hours of stunning mountain scenery. Grass covered slopes, snow topped peaks, mountains of deep red soil, the contrasts were spectacular. We also taversed one of the longest tunnels i have ever encountered. I would estimate about 5kms, 2 narrow lanes, zero lighting and drivers who were more than happy to overtake slower vehicles. All in all an interesting experience!! We arrived in Istravashan on market day. Chaos is the only description. But interesting and fun at the same time. A row of blacksmith shops were churning out everything from donkey shoes to very impressive knives. And used mobile phones seemed to be all the rage judging from the amount of shops dealing in them. At lunch we met a young Australian woman who had been in Tajikistan for 3 years teaching English. She hadn't spoken to a native English speaker for over a year, let alone a fellow Aussie. She seemed pretty happy about the small amount of time she had with us. She also told us about a massive statue of Lenin that we really should visit. After applying a bit of pressure to our Tajik guide, and agreeing to give up some other sites he had in mind, we made our way to this huge concrete monument placed 365 steps up on a ridge with a beautiful lake as the backdrop. A few more hours of driving had us in Khujand, our stop for the night. The hotel was an eye opener. John and i had a suite. Full kitchen, lounge room, entry hall and 2 balconys. The smallest room was the bedroom!