I saw a friend post his trip to Azer last year and it was a picture of him brushing his teeth up in some mountainous range and I was intrigued. So I told Steve that we should go to Azer... and it actually happened.
Pretty much a whirlwind trip, it was really a beautiful gem.
Far flung, lesser known to the world, Azer is a mix of both the old and new, and surprisingly, very oil-rich. What amazed me the most was the people - the Azerbaijanese people. I really didn't expect such warmth, hospitality and friendliness and it was from our tour guide, the hotel staff, the random person on the streets, and also the shopkeepers.
I wanted to buy a bottle of water and took out a bill. And the shopkeeper just told me - take the bottle. No need to pay. Just take it. :)
Another on the street wanted to invite us into his restaurant, and when I said - we've already eaten, he went - oh, no problem. Do you like Azer? How do you find the people? He was not just one of those who asked how we liked Azer and her people. I really felt that they genuinely wanted to know.
Because they are not fuelled by tourism yet, it was really a good glimpse into the local way of life. We saw people playing chess on the streets, families and oh so many of them - hanging out along the promenade. My guide said that their way of chilling is not to have a beer or drink, but to have families out on stroll, spending time out together. Also, while they are a 95% Muslim country, they are secular and people are open to different beliefs. It is really an amazing place to me. :) and I've been telling my UAE friends that they really should go check this place out, just a 3-hr flight away, and before capitalism or modernisation.
Oh, and this place is super affordable. Websites indicate that the cost of living is 50% cheaper than in Abu Dhabi, and it is true. We had 4 pints of beer at 10 MANAT (SGD = $8; AED = 21 Dir). It was just... unbelievable.
So, some key highlights.
Azer, Baku, surprised us with its ultra-modern and clean airport; and its beautiful night skyline of an eclectic mix of old and new - The modern flaming towers (comprising 3 beautiful towers of residence, office and retail I think) and the old mosque. And as I've mentioned, families strolling along the promenade. So beautiful.
Khinalug (Xinalig)
And then, I so so so enjoyed the hike up to Khinalug (Xinaliq) - the tallest and most remote village of Azer, and among the oldest inhabited places in the world. And it is a rare minority ethnic village with its own language. We hiked up the plains, and I think we went up about 2,300m? Majority by driving, and some bouts of steep hiking. :-D (I woke up to very sore calves the next day...)
We saw how they lived as a cattle rearing community, had lunch with the locals in their home, etc. What a very refreshing and breathtaking change from the modern and busy way of living. We were told that they basically live very simply, and sometimes, there's just nothing much to do except to sit through the day. I suppose when it is time to herd, then they certainly get busy.
It was breathtaking... and nature, and the cattle. God's beautiful creation - I wonder how long they can exist as they are? I hope it stays like that for a long time to come.
Lunch with a local Khinalug family - so simple and delicious. Steve, not a tomato or eggplant man, has now, strangely, taken to the purple squash. :-D And then, some football with a very very excited and happy little boy. :-D
An unusual divisive hike
On another afternoon, it was just incred as well. We hiked along a very unusual part of Baku, walking along the divide between the rich and the poor. Our guide told us that in Azer, there is no concept of the middle class - it is either rich or poor, and you can see the poorer folks living at the foot of the hill, and the rich (also the shadow economy) at the top of the mountain. It was a pretty scary and careful walk, because we had to be sure not to lose our footing. You could see the pictures. One wrong move could send us tumbling downwards. I think that day, we hit a record - we clocked 30,000 steps each.
And we walked through both the rich and poor neighbourhoods, we learnt that the mansions of the rich have no addresses, and you could see security cars in these areas, as well as the nodding donkeys pumping oil behind their backyards.
As for the poorer neighbourhoods, while we walked through the dense living community, we were welcomed by sights of children playing soccer, shopkeepers selling cherries (1kg at 1 manat. :-0), and the whole area was very clean.
Gobustan
We also travelled out to Gobustan for the rocks, petroglyphs and mud volcanoes.
Because many parts of Azer are ancient, we visited the rock and petroglyph museums and learnt how the ancient civilizations carved images and lived. I couldn't really imagine how eons BC, human beings lived in a way totally different from modern civilization. So while looking at these ancient carvings and the artifacts found and preserved, I tried to imagine. I tried to imagine too how the work of an archaeologist would be like, and I also had a discussion with Steve on God and His creation - how was humanity then to respond to Him?
And of mud and volcanoes - I saw some dab the mud on their faces.... the mud was very cooling, and the volcanoes emit methane as well. I would have dabbed the mud on Steve's face. :-D
Chess in Azer
Chess is also a hugely popular sport in Azer, with its many acclaimed grandmasters. I am not a chess player and when I asked the guide why chess was so popular, he mentioned that the people love the game and had preserved this love since USSR days. It's pretty impressive; even the hotel provides chess sets for the tourists. They are also into wrestling and football. And that was great - cos we could watch several world cup games during the trip too.
@Gani - Thank you
And our Guide, Gani, was a superstar. He holds a Masters degree from Estonia, and really poured his heart out into our various trips. What started out as an exploratory walking tour became a good 4 days with him. :) I would highly highly highly recommend him if you want to visit Azer. See: https://azerbaijantraveller.com/
See: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293934-d10418485-Reviews-Azerbaijan_Traveller-Baku_Absheron_Region.html
Sour Gani - "Sour", is "thank you" pronounced in English way, in Azerbaijani language.
As we travel, I had my own chill and lone time too. I think I am an ambivert. While I like to socialise, I very very much enjoy lone moments too. While we ate, explored and drank wine together, I am grateful for some moments of respite to myself too. I told myself I would do another module of FinTech (which I unfortunately never succeeded in completing). Instead, I found myself reading more about Baku and Azer, and World Cup, and journalling. We sat outside our hotel restaurant for I think 4 hours. I really felt very thankful for this short trip. :)
There's still so so so much to write about Azer. It is really one of the best trips for me, and I believe it's the same for Steve too. :) I think I am beginning to like countries that are lesser-known, not so popular with tourists yet, and so I told him we could go to all the "stans" next, like Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, etc. I also thought of going to places like Tunisia, Cuba, etc.
For now, I will rave about Azer as much as I can. I love that it is still such an undiscovered gem, and I hope it stays the same. :)
💗
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