On Tuesday evening we watched the moon rise over Dulles, its orange crescent form more slender than even the wings that would carry us to Frankfurt and beyond.  In many calendars, including the variety of Islamic calendars, the new moon is the start of a new month, but for us it was also the start of a new journey.  The next time we see the new moon, it will signal the halfway point on our journey here in Tajikistan, and will also signal the beginning of the month of Ramadan, which many plan to observe.

The ground fell from beneath the plane as we debated what exactly was the best strategy to mitigate the 9-12 hours of jet lag we anticipated (and are still bracing for).  Should we stay up the whole first flight, then sleep the next two?  Should we just sleep the whole time?  Not sleep at all?  My body answered the question for me after about two hours of watching a film and eating the “food” they served.

And then there was Frankfurt, which brought bratwurst and real German beer before we hopped on a plane to Istanbul, quickly moving through the airport to our next gate.  And as we watched yet another crescent moon rise over Turkey, we held our breaths for the view of Tajikistan.

Flights to Central Asia often leave European airports in the evenings and arrive between 23h and 4h.  Despite having traveled for 20 hours, we smiled as we descended the airstairs onto the tarmac, a few modern jets of the Tajik airlines and more than a few old Soviet Yak-40’s sitting in the darkness.

The flight was full of foreigners, with a lot of Americans, Germans, and a handful of French and Russians.  The customs officers were quite bright-eyed for 4h, and one by one we had our visas checked, our passports stamped, and our migration cards returned.  And as we opened the door to the outdoor arrivals area, light streamed past the jagged peaks all around as the Thursday sun rose over us and our adventure.