Dushanbe

I awoke feeling very lethargic. I initially thought it was due to the long & hard previous day however as the morning progressed I realised that all was not well with my stomach. Fortunately it was pretty much all downhill to Dushanbe

As I got closer to the city I passed quite a lot of plush looking holiday homes. There were plenty of late model Mercedes on the road too. The road got better the closer as I moved towards the city.

I had intended to camp just outside the city & give myself time to find a cheap homestay however I realised too late that I had arrived at the suburbs of the city where there were no camping options & didn't want to turn back. I tried to get in touch with my Dushanbe contact but I'd left it too late, by chance Germany was playing Ecuador in the football World Cup (my contact is German). My only option was a hotel that was cheap when Lonely Planet investigated for their current edition but is cheap no more. With my stomach & digestive systems misbehaving a private bathroom was appreciated though I'll certainly get something cheaper for any coming nights. Interesting the room rate was different if paid for in Somoni (local currency) or US Dollars, despite there being no currency black market.

I cycled 82 km in 5 hours & 14 minutes
Total so far 7092 km in 103 days