April 5-7
I was pretty intent on getting out of Baku and up to the
Caucasus mountains in the north of Azerbaijan, but everyone had warned me of
the lingering cold weather, lack of public transportation, and complete dearth
of English (i.e. a challenge for a lone female traveler). Thankfully, Namiq’s
friend, the checkers champion I beat last night, also has a side job as a taxi
driver and offered to take me up north to Quba (pronounced ‘Gooba’). The
checkers champ also happens to have family there who put us up for a couple
nights as we side-tripped to the incredibly scenic surrounding mountains. There
were a few tiny villages nestled in the valleys, smoke curling out of their
chimneys and all, that I marveled at, wondering how pleasantly simple and
fulfilling life must be for them; before I ran off to become a shepherd, my
thoughts were interrupted by Namiq’s point that most of them probably want my
lifestyle in North America. (Are we ever really happy with what we have??)
Quba is famous for its apples, and they still had crates
upon crates of them from the previous season, though they were a bit on the
mushy side of the spectrum. We also enjoyed a shashlik feast with the family
and made the obligatory visits to a half dozen other family members and friends
residing nearby. Thankfully I’m used to drinking a lot of tea by now and have
learned to pace myself with the tempting trays of nuts and fruit preserves at
every house, otherwise I would have been holding my belly like a pregnant
woman!
Upon return to Baku on the 7th, I bought my overnight
train ticket to Tbilisi and bid Azerbaijan adieu...
