We traveled by bus to cross the border into Tajikistan. It was a lengthy process. We had to cross on foot and be greeted by another bus in Tajikistan. From there we visited Panjakent, a former pre-Islamic Sogdiana civilization. There were ruins of Zoroastrian temples, a necropolis and residential area.

Following our visit to the ruins and a museum, we visited a local home/restaurant for lunch. I have no idea what these gentlemen were singing about, but the music was surprisingly good.

The border crossing back was just as long (and did I mention the temperatures were around 100 degrees?). We unfortunately lost one person in our group on the way back as her visa paperwork was not completed properly. She did manage to catch back up 24 hours later, phew!