Travel Insurance Tajikstan

Business Practices

Suit and tie should be worn for business meetings with senior officials. Business cards are normally exchanged. Some business people speak English, however Russian speakers are more common. Office hours are 0900-1800 Monday to Friday.

Crime

There have been occasional muggings and petty crime against foreigners but Dushanbe is a relatively safe city for travelers. Throughout the country there is little evidence of criminality directed against foreigners. In rural areas, however, single women should avoid going out alone at night, and may suffer harassment even during the day. Of those crimes committed against foreigners, most are crimes of opportunity, but travelers should be cautious, since they are perceived as affluent. Do not travel alone on foot or by car at night. It is also unsafe to be visibly intoxicated or display wealth (cash, expensive watches, jewelry, etc.). Some offices of international organizations have been targets of thefts and some of their employees have been injured. Often the local police will fire warning shots over the heads of people who fail to stop at highway checkpoints in Dushanbe. Travel after dark should be confined to major traffic corridors, in the company of friends, and within a vehicle. Always park near your destination and do not enter unlit doorways or stairways alone.

Hotels

Tajikistan is not well supplied with hotels outside the capital. Although there are no restrictions on where visitors may stay, hotels other than the main Intourist hotels, the Hotel Tajikistan and the Hotel Independence are not used to accommodating foreigners and all but the most insistent visitors may find it difficult to obtain a room in them. The main hotels are clean and friendly, although it is difficult to get a room in the Oktyabrskaya, which houses both the US and Russian embassies. At the time of writing, guests in the Hotel Tajikistan have to order dinner at least five hours in advance as the restaurant does not formally operate in the evening. Meals can be obtained in the Hotel Oktyabrskaya, but the restaurant stops serving at 1900. Outside the capital, accommodation can be hard to find. The Hotel Leninabad in Khojand is clean and relatively used to foreigners. Chikalovsk, a short drive south of Khojand, boasts the modern Hotel Khojand, but Chikalovsk is a closed town and anyone wishing to stay in the hotel must get permission from the local military authorities. It is possible to stay in the government dachas in Khorog, but do not expect Western standards of comfort, amenities or cleanliness.

Communications

Telephone IDD is available but services are unreliable. The country code is 07 (followed by 3772 for Dushanbe). International telephone calls can be made from telephone offices which will usually be found attached to a post office (in Dushanbe in Maidoni Dusti, formerly Ploshchad Lenina). International calls can also be ordered from some hotels such as the Hotel Tajikistan and the Hotel Independence. International calls have to go through the operator. Direct-dial calls within the CIS are obtained by dialing 8 and waiting for another dial tone and then dialing the city code. Calls within the city limits are free of charge. Fax services are available from major hotels for residents only. Post office hours: 0800-1800 Monday to Friday.

Electricity

is 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Round 2-pin continental plugs are standard. Electricity 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Round, two-pin continental plugs are standard.

Plug Types

C,F

Food And Dining

Traditional Tajik meals start with sweet dishes such as halwa and tea and then progress to soups and meat before finishing with plov.
National specialties:
? Plov is made up of scraps of mutton, shredded yellow turnip and rice, fried in a large wok, and is a staple dish in all the Central Asian republics.
? Shashlyk (skewered chunks of mutton grilled over charcoal, served with raw sliced onions) and lipioshka (round unleavened bread) are often sold on street corners and served in restaurants: the Vastoychny bar restaurant in Dushanbe (on Prospekt Rudaki near the Hotel Tajikistan) serves particularly good shashlyk.
? Manty (large noodle sacks of meat), samsa (samosas) and chiburekki (deep-fried dough cakes) are all popular as snacks.
? Shorpur is a meat and vegetable soup; laghman is similar to shorpur, but comes with noodles.
? In the summer, Tajikistan is awash with fruit: its grapes and melons were famous throughout the former Soviet Union. The bazaars also sell pomegranates, apricots, plums, figs and persimmons.
? Strogan is the local equivalent of beef Stroganoff.
? Pirmeni, originating in Ukraine, are small boiled noodle sacks of meat and vegetables similar to ravioli, sometimes in a vegetable soup, sometimes not. National drinks:
? Tea or chai is the most widespread drink on offer and can be obtained almost anywhere.
? Beer, wine, vodka, brandy and sparkling wine (shampanski) are intermittently available in many restaurants. If the restaurant is unable to supply it, it is acceptable to bring your own.
? Kefir, a thick drinking yogurt, is often served with breakfast.

Nightlife
There are no restaurants operating in the evenings except for the one in the Hotel Oktyabrskaya which shuts at 2200. There is a dollar bar in the basement of the Hotel Tajikistan which is open some evenings. The Ayni opera and ballet theater on Prospekt Rudaki is still operating, albeit with a reduced program of matinees. The streets of Dushanbe are usually deserted by 2000.