Sea of apricot flowers draws tourists to Pamir Plateau (2)

Local Tajik women wearing traditional embroidered cotton-padded hats covered with white scarves enjoy a leisurely moment as they sit on the ridges of the field. [Photo/Xinhua]

The flowering season is a busy one for the Tajik farmers. Not only is it time to prepare their fields, they also are welcoming tourists smitten with the apricot blooms.

"The flowering season of apricots is the busy farming season for us Tajiks," said farmer Waibag Ahbag, 58, who is planning to grow highland barley and wheat in the spring and corn in the fall. In this way, he can harvest enough food for his family and feed for his cattle.

After apricot trees bloom, farmers get out in the fields. Because they often have only small plots dotted with apricot trees, they follow the traditional way of turning the earth, using two oxen pulling a plow.

More than 400 Tajik families are scattered across the township's valleys. Most of them are farmers. Because the blooming apricot flowers have become a tourist attraction over the past few years, several families have begun providing homestays for tourists. For a price of 50 yuan ($7.74) to 80 yuan, a visitor can stay overnight and receive three meals.