evidence: Isfara also produces a lot of apricot wood, popular for musical instruments, walking sticks, combs, tea house roofs and mosque doors. [...] Many towns in the Uzbek part of the Ferghana Valley have kept their Soviet heritage in good repair. Isfara on the Tajik side is one of the best we have seen. The concrete is bright here. Some parts really look like 1975 never went. [...] Despite a railway station and an airport, there are no trains or flights to Isfara. Make your way to the bazaar and negotiate your way out of town, either to Khujand (2 hr, 13 somoni), or to Batken and Osh (border crossing details).