Caucasus Archives - Wandering North

Asia Azerbaijan Azerbaijan trip 2019

Back to Baku

While I took the train from Baku to Sheki and loved it, I didn’t want to do the same on the return journey. I could have taken a minibus, but I really wanted to take a private car so I could have a more comfortable drive and also stop and see some things on the way. Fortunately, Misha, one of my Air bnb hosts, was driving back to Baku and agreed to take me. This turned out to be a great option. He was excited to show me some sights of his country and I had no particular agenda and was just happy to go along with whatever he chose.

But first, the family I was staying with made breakfast and wanted a final picture.

The first stop was in Kiş (Kish), which is just next door to Sheki. It is notable for a church, the Albanian Church, built in the 10th century and may also be the site of much older churches. It is very pretty, set in a rose garden, and gives a view of the hills in the background. I said that it looked like an Armenian church, which, as is turns out, was not the right thing to say. I had forgotten that there had been fairly recent war and hostility between the country.

From there we stopped at a waterfall picnic site popular with locals. There were a couple of small lakes filled with yellow fish, a waterfall, restaurant, and shisha smoking area. Oddly, there were also fiberglass creatures placed around the lake like deer and alligators.

We went for a quick and very expensive coffee in a town with an impressive gondola going up the mountains for views and hiking.

We stopped at a roadside stand and bought a freshly made, buttery flatbread rolled up with 7 fresh green herbs inside.

We stopped at another spot – a roadside cluster of camps for refugees from the war with Armenia – and bought delicious, hot bread fresh from the outdoor clay (?) oven.

We stopped at a lake area where locals picnicked, went out on paddle boats, rode horses, and smoked shisha in little tea houses.

Everywhere we drove we went past roadside stands selling fruit, honey, nuts, and jam.

We stopped for a traditional tea in the forest with all the accompaniments: lemon, sugar, rosewater, cherry jam, and candies. The idea, I discovered, was not to stir the jam into the coffee but to take a spoonful of it as you drink your tea.

*The assortment of jams for tea available at a restaurant in Baku*

The ride was great. I learned a bit about history and culture and saw things I would not have sought out in my own, but I enjoyed seeing.

We arrived back in Baku where I snapped pictures of more random Azerbaijan architecture from the car window.

The next day was my final day in Baku and I really didn’t have anything I was excited to do, so I decided to just go for a meandering walk on the way to the bazaar. As it turned out there are a cluster of cafes with book themes or bookstores with cafes just above Fountain Square (on and around Tolstoy and Gogol streets). I decided to visit as many of them as I could find. I think I had about 5 coffees in about two hours. It was great. I liked the neighbourhood and the cafes, which ranged from cute to divey.

I especially liked the Old School Cafe, which is not book themed, but has a delightful and eclectic atmosphere. And of course, you can smoke inside all of these cafes, which made the even better.

I had a great time wandering the streets.

I make my way up to the bazaar, which I enjoyed, but I felt a bit rushed because people could tell I was a tourist as soon as I took out my camera to take pictures of food, at which point everyone tried to sell me caviar. I had heard this was the place to buy inexpensive caviar, but I wasn’t having any.

The rest of the day was pleasant, but a bit aimless. I walked, I smoked shisha, I ate at a Georgian restaurant, but eventually I was just killing time until my very late flight.

A lot of people who had never been to Azerbaijan said my trip sounded too short, and I had wondered that myself ahead of time. As it turned out, it was just right. A few days in Baku, a day and a night in Sheki, an overnight train trip, and a day driving was exactly the right amount of time. I saw everything I wanted to and left satisfied – and ready for a final night in London.

Asia Azerbaijan Azerbaijan trip 2019

Sheki, Azerbaijan

I arrived in Sheki (aka Shaki, but really Şəki) by train and took a taxi to the town centre. I intended to take a taxi to a cafe called Gafgaz and the driver dropped me off on a corner saying the cafe was “right there.” It wasn’t. It was 7:30 in the morning and everything was closed. There were a few people out and about, but I wasn’t at the asking for help stage. So I walked around the town square and then down the streets off it. No cafe. I finally gave in and asked and it turns out the cafe was a bit of a walk, but I found it.

The reason I was looking for the cafe is because I had booked an Air bnb and it was allegedly just across from the cafe. I had the address, but that turned out to be of no assistance. Across from the cafe I did see a woman leaning on a fence, looking at the street. I thought for sure that was the person I was to meet. I walked up to her with a smile and a Zdravstvuyte, but got only scowls. Ok….so i walked up to a man skinning a goat hanging under a tree. I showed him the address and he pointed to a house. I walked up to the house and a man who did not speak English woke up someone who did. It turned out this was not where I was staying. Thankfully the sleepy English speaker called the cell phone of the Air bnb host, who was not in Sheki, but he then called his mother, who was, and the English speaking man walked me to the street and waited with me until the mother walked out to meet me. She was probably in her late 60s, had dyed red hair, and was wearing a patterned house dress, socks and sandals. She showed me a piece of paper that said in English “I do not speak English. Follow me.” And I did.

The house, I learned later, was about 100 years old and built by the family. It was taken by the government during Societ times, during which the family continued to live there, but other families were moved in. After the Soviet Union fell, they eventually got title to the house back and are now working to restore it. Many of the rooms have hand-painted patterns on the walls. My room was brightly coloured.

The mother set me up with tea, fruit, biscuits, and candies. I soon met her son, daughters, and grand daughters, two of whom spoke English. They were very hospitable.

I picked Sheki as it was supposed to be one the prettiest villages in Azerbaijan with a few sites of note. It is pretty set in a basket of green hills and colorful flowers, with distinctive brick patterned houses with tiled roofs. The centre of the town is compact with a nice leafy square and not at all touristy.

After getting settled in my room, I walked to see the sites. I walked up a long hill populated with food merchants, but increasing many many baklava shops. Sheki is famous for a kind of baklava (confusingly called halva). I tried it and didn’t like it nearly as much as non-Sheki halva.

There were various tourist-focussed shops and a few coffee shops. And there were more tourists in that area.

I visited the caravanserai, built in the 18th-19th century.

Form there I was excited to visit the Summer Palace of the Shaki Khans, built in the late 1700s for the royal family. It, along with the centre of Sheki, was added to the list of UNESCO sites just last month. I reached the palace complex, but when I arrived at the palace, the sites was closed, with no explanation. So I took a picture looking over the wall. I found out later that the day before a wind had blown a tree on one part of the palace and someone died.

I walked round the grounds of the palace, which were interesting as a whole, if not so much the individual pieces.

Fortunately, I was able to visit the smaller Winter Palace, which was less lovely from the outside, but beautifully ornate inside. Finding it was a bit of a challenge, but there were some signs in Azeri leading through residential neighbourhoods.

Those were basically the sites. After that I walked around, looking for the bazaar, but found instead a supermarket, which was interesting in it’s own right. And I just wandered around.

In the evening I had dinner on the square and a cigar before returning to my room, where the family invited me to tea and cake on the balcony.

Restaurant in Sheki square where I had dinner

One day in Sheki seemed short, but was enough and I was glad I went.

Asia Azerbaijan Azerbaijan trip 2019

Arrival in Baku

I don’t think I even knew what or where Azerbaijan was until I went to Georgia and checked out the region in my plans. It sounded interesting and I was drawn to the pictures of historic mosques and the walled old city of Baku with super modern architecture rising in the background. It has not disappointed.

A bit of trivia: Azerbaijan is located here:

It is officially the Republic of Azerbaijan and is located in the Caucasus region at the furthest edge of western Asia between Russia, Armenia, Georgia, and Iran. The Caspian Sea lies to the east. It has at various times been a part of different regional empires, often going back and forth from Iranian and Russian control. It was briefly independent in 1918 before it was absorbed into the Soviet Union, where it stayed until the fall. There are portions in the south that are still disputed territories, but we won’t talk about those.

The approximately 10million people here speak Russian and Azeri. The currency is the Manat. Baku is the capital. They have oil.

I arrived from Moscow in the afternoon. I had gotten my visa online ahead of time. (The evisa system https://evisa.gov.az/en/ is very easy to use if you follow the instructions.) Security and immigration were simple and I exited the super modern airport.

There are shuttle buses and taxis (official and not) from the airport. There are also cars you can prebook online to pick you up. They have uber as well. I decided to hire an official taxi from the rank, as I didn’t feel like haggling. They gave me a general price but said the ride would be based on the meter, plus a small fee for going into the old city. The official taxis here are black British style and the drivers wear suits and ties. Smoking is allowed in the front seat but not in the back. My driver never was able to find my hotel, but I was certain that we were close and that I could find it on foot (which I did in a couple minutes). He told me the price was exactly 50 manat, which was about 15-20 manat past ridiculous, but my Russian does not include the words for con artist, so i paid the money. If I were doing it again, I would have taken an unofficial taxi and haggled for a flat fee.

I am staying at “Floors The Housing Space” which is in the old, walled city. The location is awesome. Easy to find (except for con artist taxi drivers), just 30 seconds away from a metro station and walking distance to most sites. It is pretty cheap and has a nice rooftop area. The staff are friendly (though, with my limited language skills, who can say). It is a bit weird though. The decor is quite stylish, which makes sense when you realize that the main business is not as a hostel, but as a bar / shisha lounge. On the second floor they have a small dorm room and two private rooms, but all other areas, including one area on the second floor are used for the bar / shisha lounge. So at night loads of people are coming and going – loudly. At midnight when I walked from my room to the bathroom in my pjs to wash up, there were people hanging out, smoking and drinking. Loud music carried on long after I fell asleep. I think I am the only guest staying there. Weird, but fine.

That first afternoon I explored the old city and took a walk to the sea. The old city is very enjoyable for strolling. Lots of restaurants and crafts shops, ice cream vendors, roving fruit sellers, shisha bars. Also residential areas. The structures are old, some about 1000 years old or so, including fortresses, a palace, mosques, and baths.

Old city Baku with Flame Towers in the background

It does all feel quite cleaned up. It is not as crumbly as old Tbilisi or as labyrinthine as a medina. I like it, but I might like it better if it was a bit rougher.

Poet head sculpture right next to my hostel

I visited the palace, which is now a small museum, but otherwise just poked around.

Around the old city is the regular city, which, in the centre anyway, feels very European.

There are lots of park areas with fountains and benches, carousels, and snack sellers.

It is super hot here. About 35 degrees on the first day. And humid. I see other women walking around, faces powder dry, makeup impeccable. Me? My face poured sweat, my hair stuck to me, i looked like a mess. Arriving after ~30 hours of travel didn’t help.

The lack of sleep and jet lag caught up to me. I walked to the sea, where there is a wide promenade. I sat down, back against a post, looking across the sea, trying to make out Turkmenistan in the distance, and fell asleep.

I don’t think I was out for too long, but on awaking, I knew it was time to rest, so I walked more in search of a cigar lounge I had seen online. Eventually I found it. C. Gars. I got a Partagas P2 and settled in for some quiet, indoor smoking.

After that, the sun was going down and I returned to my hotel for a small rest before going out again at 9ish for diner and a hookah. They don’t have a lot of vegetarian food here, but what I have had has been excellent. That first night I had lentil soup, fresh bread, and a baked dish of eggplant, tomato, potato, and plums.

After, i had a hookah at an outdoor cafe. It was late and I was tired, but the weather was so perfect, that it sustained me.

In that first day, which was really an afternoon, I felt like I had seen much of what I wanted to see and I was not sure what I would do the next day, but I am definitely glad I had more time.

Asia Georgia (the country) Georgia Trip 2014

Tbilisi Loves You: First impressions

My flight from Warsaw landed in Tbilisi at 4:00am, a time i am well acquainted with but after almost two days of plane travel i was bleary eyed. The sign that greets you at customs says, “Tbilisi: the city that loves you.” And i felt the love, or at least, i felt welcomed. It was too dark and early to do anything, so i settled into a comfortable cafe in the airport terminal and drank coffee and smoked (inside the cafe) until the sky lightened. I haggled briefly and successfully with a man who said “i have car. I drive you,” and we drove to the city. (The price: 25 lari) i wasn’t able to gain access to my hostel until 9:00 so i spent 3 hours walking around the old city part of Tbilisi and around the river.

Wow. This place is awesome. Seriously, from the sleepy early morning until now, the lively evening, it is beautiful and and so incredibly interesting. My pulse quickened as i walked down the winding streets with their beautiful, dilapidated buildings, medieval-looking churches, pocket sized squares, cafes, and shops, all nestled beneath mountains dotted with more churches and imposing fortresses, along a rushing river. There are also a handful of crazy super modern architecture structures, which add to the old world charm by way of their juxtaposition.

I know what you are thinking:”your pulse quickened? Cut the hyperbole already.” But it did. On first glance the whole place was just that exciting. It is that unique: not quite European, a bit middle eastern, a bit Central Asian…but wholly enchanting. And none of it feels precious or artificial. It’s just…great.

First impressions aside, i was exhausted and must have looked it, bedraggled as i was, with my pack on my back, that as i stood looking up at a synagogue, a man, the caretaker, invited me in to sit. I hung out there for about an hour, chatting with the man, drinking his coffee.

After that relaxing interlude, i went to my hostel to drop off my bag. I am staying at the Old Town Hostel. I have a private room with a kitchen on the 4th floor. Shared bathroom, shared, living room area, on one of the particularly ramshackle side streets, which is, as far as i can tell, walking distance to everything.

Dropped off my bag and set off again. The day was beautiful – sunny and warm. I walked all around, stopping to have breakfast and a cigar in one of the squares. Happily the rumours are true: everyone here smokes and there are no restrictions on where they do it.

I went to so many churches today. All simple, medievally looking ones, beautifully painted on the inside and decorated with candles, urns, and gilded pictures of saints. Unfortunately, i haven’t any pictures from inside the churches, as they were filled, crammed, and overflowing with worshippers. This is a religious culture. People cross themselves, just when walking past a church. Women cover their heads to enter, and everyone seemed to be going. They lit candles and incense, prayed, took communion from dramatically dressed and dramatically bearded orthodox priests, and they kissed everything: pictures of saints, the floor, the interior and exterior walls, crosses, each other… And the singing was some of the loveliest i have heard in church. Each stop was wonderful, although in some cases the best i could do was stand outside and listen, as the church was so full, that worshipers stood outside doors and windows to participate.

I also wandered around the area where the public baths are: underground, sulphur baths, both public and private where you can enjoy hot and cold pools, brutal massages and exfoliation at the hands of strong and serious men and women on stone slabs, and all the public nudity you can handle. They are fairly ancient and renowned, but i know i won’t be partaking, not being comfortable with either public nudity or massages.

I have just finished a walk around many of the same areas, but now in the evening. The bars and restaurants are busy. There are a few narrow, pedestrian streets lined with cafes, bars, and lounges, all busy and at least half of them hookah lounges filed with men smoking and playing backgammon.

I’m still a bit tired, so i have opted for a quieter bar/restaurant where i am enjoying a glass of Georgian wine and a cigar, just a few steps away from the louder, busier places, where they are playing a loud mix of middle eastern music, techno, and hits of the 1990s.

There is still so much so see and explore. This is only day one. I am already so happy i came here. Tbilisi says it loves me. Is it premature to say i love it back?

Asia Georgia (the country) Georgia Trip 2014

Georgia (the country)

In one week I’m off to Georgia – the country, not the American state. I know. Georgia. Random. This will be a short trip, 10 days in total, so it seems somewhat ludicrous that I am flying to the other side of the globe, but I think I’ll be able to pack a lot in to my time there and I love flying so the long flight is kind of a bonus (all that forced relaxation and guilt free napping…heaven).

It’s not like I discovered Georgia of course, but I really hadn’t given it a thought until about a year or so ago when I was looking at my atlas one lazy day over a cigar (as you do) and I saw it and thought, “What’s the deal with Georgia?” So I started reading about it and became very intrigued. First of all, it looks beautiful in terms of landscape and architecture: snow-capped mountains, bucolically verdant valleys, medieval churches, and glittering modern design. Second, people don’t really go there – not like they do to Italy or Argentina anyway. This appeals to me. The off-the-beaten-track places are always the best. Fewer crowds and a sense (albeit somewhat false) that you are discovering something new makes any place better. Third, Georgia is small enough that I can see enough of it in my time allowed such that I shouldn’t feel deprived. Fourth, I feel an obligation to select travel destinations that will help to improve the geographical knowledge of my friends and family. You’re welcome.

You can read about Georgia on your own if you are so inclined, but here are some basic facts to get you started. Georgia is technically in Western Asia, on the ‘balcony of Europe’. It is nestled between Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, and Turkey, with its West coast on the Black Sea – the Caucasus region. Population: about 4.5 million. It was in the news most prominently in recent memory in 2008 when it fought a war with Russia. It has this awesome looking language – Georgian – which is a Kartvelian language. Seriously, Kartvelian. It’s fun to say aloud. It is a family of about 4 languages which are only spoken in that region, so it is entirely dissimilar to neighboring languages like Russian and Turkish. The written language looks like this: ულოცავენ. სად არის უახლოესი სიგარების მაღაზია? (Which means, “Greetings. Where is the nearest cigar store?” I think.)

The flag is this cool looking medieval design that would not look out of place being held high by a knight on horseback.

Apparently, Georgia is the oldest confirmed wine-producing country on the planet, with evidence of wine making vessels discovered from about 6000 bce. From what I can tell the food looks good, with lots of dumplings, bread, eggplant, walnuts, and tomatoes.

The capital city is called Tbilisi (or T’bilisi), which will be my base for the time that I am there. It looks like a beautiful city with charming crumbly bits and beautifully re-built areas, set along a river lots to explore.

From what I’ve read, the Georgian people are renowned for their hospitality, much of which may be booze inspired, but nevertheless, the stories of friendly and welcoming locals was appealing.

But here’s what sealed the deal for me: you can still smoke everywhere in Georgia: in restaurants and bars, in the backs of buses, etc. The thought of being able to smoke cigars with my meals or beverages – inside – is so appealing, that this alone makes it a winning destination. I plan to smoke constantly and joyfully. I have read in two different books however that in Georgia, although it has very high rates of smoking, that when it comes to women, only prostitutes smoke outside on the streets. This is a theory I will obviously be testing on a daily basis.

One added bonus is that my flying itinerary affords me two lengthy layovers in Warsaw, so I’ll be able to do some exploring there are well.

So that’s what I have planned. I’m sure it will be terrific and I hope to have lots of interesting adventures to share.

Now, let’s see how many cigars I can cram into my backpack…

Tag: Caucasus