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Comment by pm90 | Hacker News Reader

Honestly... it doesn't seem that pretty :). Sure its a wild, dangerous road. But there are certainly prettier places to drive.

I do still like the historical attributes of the path, as the ancient silk road etc.

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I disagree, but it would look better on pictures if haze was not so strong which admittedly it often is.

I've been to many places around the world, but east Tajikistan was one of the most breath-taking.

Some pictures from that trip (not taken by me): https://www.flickr.com/photos/29022619@N03/albums/7215766398...

Thank you for sharing this album -- the photos are gorgeous!

Agreed. I concede that ... my opinion was incorrect. These photos are awesome.

Stunning scenery captured very nicely. What was the highest elevation reached?

Thanks, will pass your compliment to my wife.

Somewhere around 4500m.

These photos are astounding! What time of the year was your visit?

We were in Tajikistan in July and August, but the hiking trip happened in July.

Fabulous photographs. Please pass on my appreciation.

To me, a huge aspect of beauty is in its remoteness and lack of human impact. I would find this area hundreds of times more beautiful than Yosemite Valley, for example. How someone can be surrounded by thousands of other people yelling, throwing their trash around, and taking selfies, and think, "wow, this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen" is honestly beyond my comprehension.

That's up to you, I guess. I thought Yosemite Valley was gorgeous, even with toddlers around. You just gotta pay attention to the things you care about, and not get upset about the stuff you don't.

True, although it seems like this place has gotten much more popular in recent years. Apparently there are more tourists on bikes than cars on the road nowadays. I have no idea what that practically means though, or how easy it is to pop off into an un-touristed area.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

This. It's a seemingly easy concept, but so hard for us as humans to wrap our heads around the fact that others don't find beauty in the same things we do. Like my friends who cannot believe I don't share their taste in music, for example. There are lots of people who don't see beauty in nature at all, and prefer the beauty of cities, skyscrapers and crowds.

If one tries hard enough, one can find beauty in anything.

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