Originally Posted by
mad_atta
This is great, thanks hauteboy.
Looking at the route you followed, I understand that you did a daytrip to Istaravshan from Khujand, hence the dogsleg in your route. Do you happen to know if there is a more direct border crossing from Istaravshan if you're heading to Samarkand, or do you have to go the same long way around that you did?
I'm trying to figure out whether we drive from Samarkand to Dushanbe via the northern border crossing (ie somewhere around where you crossed), or if we loop around to the south of those mountain ranges and enter Tajikistan near Tursunzoda. Curse the Panjakent border crossing closure!
There are only western border crossings are the one we took at Oybek and the other one between Denau/Dushanbe... the Penjikent border closing is unfortunate as that is the one we were planning on using originally.
Keep an eye on
http://www.caravanistan.com/border-crossings/ for up to date info.