HFF from an incongruity

In the top LH corner of this picture is a fence, in front of which is this impressive collection of aging Vespas with Spanish number plates. But this is at Murghab on the Pamir Highway at 4300meters altitude in Tajikistan. It is 2-300 km in either direction to any other town , and the brutal winters up here (to-70°c) close the road for months. I was mystified to see these so far from home in such incongruous setting., I later found they live there, still with Spanish plates and are used by locals. How? Why?
The next day in the middle of nowhere along this road we saw one like this braving the treacherous high altitude road, cheerfully carrying a local with a large fur hat and rifle. It was the only traffic we saw for an hour!
Fabulous Friday to you, and a weekend filled with what brings you joy and happiness.

Eva Lewitus, Doug Shepherd, Schussentäler, Bergfex and 27 other people have particularly liked this photo

28 comments - The latest ones

Günter Klaus ^club

Da erzählst du auch gleich eine sehr schöne Geschichte zu deiner Aufnahme liebe Diana,pass gut auf dich auf :))

Wünsche noch einen schönen Nachmittag,liebe Grüße Güni :))

3 months ago.

Malik Raoulda ^club

Un remarquable et excellent partage..C'est toujours avec grand plaisir qu'on rencontre des touristes visitant de lointains pays en Vespas ou en motos.
Bonne et agréable journée paisible.

3 months ago.

Nouchetdu38 ^club

Vespas that have made a very long journey!!!!! Surprising and unusual!!!!
HFF and kind regards****

3 months ago.

Keith Burton ^club

These old Vespa scooters look a bit battered but that is to be expected given how far from home they are. I notice one has an Australian flag on it. and judging by the number of stickers, they've all been around a bit!

A delightful capture Diana..!!

3 months ago.

Nicole Merdrignac ^club

Photo très originale et surprenante . Bonne soirée. HFF. Nicole .

3 months ago.

William Sutherland ^club

Superb shot!

Admired in: www.ipernity.com/group/tolerance

3 months ago.

J. Gafarot ^club

Wonderful story for everybody !
Thank you Diana; I feel a bit ashamed, in my villge my Lambretta was something...
Anyway we only live twice He said, James, yes Bond...

3 months ago.

Dimas Sequeira ^club

Stunning find! I suppose they were on a long trip around the world, and the riders were stranded there for some reason (climate? pandemic?), having to return to Spain in a faster way. Have they sold their Vespas to locals or just offered them to pay for hospitality? Who knows? The closest plate is from the early 2000's - a global national kind of plate. All the others are older provincial plates, mostly of the 20th century: M from Madrid, B from Barcelona and SE from Seville.
There are always bold adventurers for this kind of expeditions. At this moment a Portuguese cyclist is making a world tour, having been recently in Iran and Pakistan, bound to eastern Asia!
HFF, Diana!

3 months ago.

Diana Australis ^club has replied to Dimas Sequeira ^club

Thanks for your sharp eyed observations Dimas. Their back story is indeed a mystery, but yes, people do adventure in many ways. On this Pamir Highway, which is one of the last high adventure travels in Asia, and which is a ‘ highway ‘ in name only, we saw quite a number of cyclist adventurers. It climbs to 4500 m and winds through isolated wilderness on the Roof of the World. For hundreds of km. With only 3 settlements along the way. Cyclists camp in the freezing cold. It is much more challenging than Pakistan/China’s high altitude Karakoram Highway, where there are also quite a number of foreign cyclists.
The Vespa were a really incongruous sight!
Have a lovely weekend…and keep well and safe!

2 months ago.

Annemarie ^club

what a story behind this Diana
Thanks for sharing!!!!!!

3 months ago.

Gabi Lombardo ^club

a very strange find indeed!!!

2 months ago.

Christa1004 ^club

This sight of the Spanish Vespas lined up on the side of a road in Tajikistan is truly incredible, but what strikes me most is the -70°C you mentioned for the winters! HFF Diana.

2 months ago.

David Slater (Spodde… ^club

Certainly a long way from home Diana. HFF and happy weekend.

2 months ago.

Jaap van 't Veen ^club

Nicely captured.
hFF

2 months ago.

Xata ^club

Maybe some Spanish ended their trip there and left the Vespas to the locals, who knows!
An amazing find and love the story you tell us so well.
Big hugs from Algarve, receiving some rain now.
HFF Diana

2 months ago.

* ઇઉ * ^club

It is really amazing to see them there and they are a wonderful eye-catcher!
Warm greetings and my best wishes for a joyful and peaceful weekend for you, Diana! ox

2 months ago.

Percy Schramm ^club

Really an impression collection. Fine capture, Diana. HFF, wish you a nice weekend !

2 months ago.

Ria V. ^club

Hier endete eine reise? Gut gesehen...dir ein schönes und angenehmes Wochenende! HFF!

2 months ago.

Anton Cruz Carro ^club

There is no doubt that they belong to adventurous hikers. I remember a car trip through the Russian lands with university friends and at the police checkpoints they were lightening our luggage, food, cameras and I thought we would walk back. I hope the donation of the vespas was voluntary. Have a nice weekend my friend.

2 months ago.

Diana Australis ^club has replied to Anton Cruz Carro ^club

I think they maybe have bought somehow a consignment of old and very superseded Spanish Vespas( there were a lot more also) very cheaply . It is a very, very poor country. But also very honest and kind, the people, including officials. But how they got to this very remote place is still a mystery to me.. have a super weekend Anton.

2 months ago.

trester88 ^club

Vor Jahren auf einer Reise durch Marokko fielen mir unzählige alte Mercedes mit deutschen Kennzeichen auf. Am Steuer saßen Marrokaner. Die alten Fahrzeuge hatten in Deutschland ausgedient. Junge Deutsche finanzierten ihre Marrokoreise, indem sie diese Fahrzeuge nach Marokko überführten und dort verkauften. Die Marokkaner behielten die deutschen Kennzeichen. So zahlten sie in Marokko keine Kfz-Steuer. Einen Win-Win-Situation.
HFF und ein schönes Wochenende, Diana!

2 months ago. Edited 2 months ago.

Diana Australis ^club has replied to trester88 ^club

I am sure it is something similar here, though how, I do not know. So far from anywhere!
I hope you have a great weekend, Wilhelm

2 months ago. Edited 2 months ago.

Loose_Grip/Pete ^club

Clearly a bunch of aging mods were heading for a rumble in Brighton and took a wrong turning...
Belated HFF Diana. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

2 months ago.

Patrick Brandy ^club

Belle idée de photo merci pour l'info agréable week-end.

2 months ago.

José Manuel Polo ^club

Parece que en la fotografía se mostraron las matrículas a propósito y según las he visto, antes de leer nada, me han llamado la atención que las 4 fueran españolas. Quizá lo que dice Dimas, Isabel o Antón; pero, por no repetirme, yo aventuro otra posibilidad, que fueran robadas y transportadas hasta allí. Si ocurre con los coches supongo que también sucederá con las motos. En todas partes hay ladrones y hasta mafias organizadas.
Por lo demás, la fotografía es magnífica, Diana.

2 months ago.

HelenaPF ^club

Incroyable!!!!*************************************

2 months ago.

Eva Lewitus ^club

Astonishing and stunning.

6 weeks ago.

Léopold ^club

Gurp !!!! I hardly see myself driving those cute scooter at to-70°c up in the mountains !!

I love reading your exhaustive informations bellow your great pictures Diana.

6 weeks ago.

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