Welcome Inn opened in 2018 by Zhandiya in her hometown of Khorog. Two dorm rooms host a combined eight people with a small living room and kitchen. Outside there is a covered sofa and a bathroom. The amenities are simple but fit backpacking needs – WIFI, filtered coffee, self-service beer fridge, and warm shower. However, Zhandiya provides what many backpackers want; local knowledge and guide expertise. Since 2002, she has been taking expeditions deep into the Tajik Pamirs and Afghan Little Pamirs: mountain ranges located in the Badakhshan Autonomous region of Tajikistan, Northeastern Afghanistan, and Southern Kyrgyzstan. For backpackers looking to conquer the area more-or-less alone she is able to help with expedition planning, public transportation schedules, and a heads up on popular scams. All this information is very welcome as travel blogs cannot keep up with this rapidly changing region and other guesthouses are quick to suggest self-serving guides that give kickbacks. Beware of lines like “It is too difficult for you”, “No transportation exists” or “tourists cannot enter alone”. Zhandiya hopes to open a bigger hostel soon with adjoining cycle shop to assist the DIY traveler more (both cyclists and motor bikers transverse the highways here). This dream is closer to reality as her trekking costumers now include middle eastern royalty whom would like to finance this lucrative opportunity. Her English is good as well and has stories about her families transition from aristocratic-comforts to communist-laborers to Tajik-civil-war-survivors. Adding to this eclectic mix is her side hustle as a professor at the local Aga Khan University (which sometimes leaves her with spare invitations to cultural events; a great rest day activity). The Aga Khan is a developmental group founded by the Ismaili that moved into the region during the civil war to combat the ensuing poverty that struck. Because of this group the region is quite educated as personified in Zhandiya. If you find yourself making a trek to Central Asia swing by the Welcome Inn.
PS: She’s also got Tiger.
Culture Capital 