Our third site out of the city proved to be less than ideal. 1. We were tired. 2. We're were fed up with paying for a crummy taxi. 3. The attraction was probably set-up to lure the 27 tourist that come every year. Lame Azerbaijan, laaaaame.
But, still, fire shooting out of the side of clay hill is pretty great.
After about twn minutes of muddy clay and fire, we hopped back in our cab, and then we were toured about a nasty salt lake.
And that's where that adventure ended, us cranky, and no midgets or cool rocks. Maybe next time?
Our guide book told us that this was a must-see of Azerbaijan, the list isn't very long, so we made it a priority. Our cabbie gallantly retraced our tracks back to the main road, and we set off to find the petroglyphs. However, the guy didn't know where he was going.
However he did take us to see some pretty cool rocks...but the not-famous rocks. Still, super pretty.
While exploring the landscape, the midget popped up again, and gave us directions to the real historic site. We pile in the car again, and we're off! Ten minutes down the road we see a sign! A real sign telling us that there is a tourist area. Woo, what's up Baku?!
We pay the entrance fee, and the fee to take pictures, and the fee for the tour. It was about 20 manat for the three of us, our cabbie got to join in for free.
Our tour guide at the site was hilarious. Probably the highlight of the excursion, mostly because I couldn't stop laughing when he would ask us ridiculous questions about facts that he has memorized and retold to people for the last ten years. "What animal is there?" Molly: Erg, a goat? "No! There are no goats here, this a horse!" He was disappointed in our lack of learning, take your best guess at this one:
The stones themselves were pretty cool because they were super old. In particular there was the tamborin stone, which was not carved with people or boats, rather, you could just bang on it. And really, who doesn't like to hit stuff with rocks??
Our tour guide gave us our 10 manat worth of tour, and then some. After an hour of tsking and a laundry list of facts about the age and content of each pictograph, we're were spent. We hopped back in the car and called Evan to praise his glorious skills, no other tour guide was as excellent as he.
PART I
In most places I've traveled, municipalities are pretty good at building up its hotspots to get the most out of its tourists' bucks. Well, considering that Azerbaijan issued a whopping 27 tourist visas in the entire year of 2007, I wasn't really surprised when investigating ways to get out into the countryside of Baku, no one really knew how to get there or what was even there. Uncertainly aside, Jill, Molly and I left our friend Evan to Fulbright his day away while we took off to discover the mud volcanoes and petroglyphs of the country.
We hired an unofficial cabbie at a decent rate to take us about 100 kilometers north to the region of Gobastan. I think we were saved from getting ripped off on the price not because he wasn't a licensed driver, but because he was the friend of the nephew of the guy who sold me some postcards from USSR... Of course, we're were so pleased!!
So for 80 manat, we packed into the back of a BMW sedan from about 1980.
This car was a champ and its driver decided that I in fact did speak German after I responded "Nien!" to the question if I knew the language. In fact, the extent of my Duetch is exclusive to only vital vocabulary. For example, ente, beugal party, bier and the ever helpful phrase: "Ich bin Berliner" (thanks to Rex and JFK for that very practical language knowledge on ducks, gang bangs, beer, and I am a donut). Even if our languages weren't common, we got along just fine over paved highways passing defunct oil fields, miles of pipeline, and some scrubby landscape.
As we began to edge out of the city into the doggie outskirts, our cabbie pulled over at a dank shop, exchange some words, and stuffed his pocket full with a wad of cash. Then, just twenty minutes down the highway, we pull off again, he has some words, stuffs a hand in his pocket, and off we go. Twice more ten minutes down the road, but now it's exclusively gas stations. Hmm, mafia? Oil change? Not quite sure, but when we pulled over to talk to the midget sitting in his heap of a car, we decided between the three of us that this guy had no idea where he was going. Our hypothesis was confirmed once we cruised four-wheel style into the countryside: no roads! just sheep and peasants!
After a good twenty minutes of hard core driving suited only for off-road vehicles and some advice from the locals, we spot a plateau that seems like there might be something there. (I know many of you are asking, "Why didn't you just follow the signs to the mud volcanos?? The answer is simple, there aren't any signs. Please...) Although the elevation and angle would have been a challenge for a Jeep, Azeri cranked the wagon down to third gear and huffed and puffed our way up the dirt path. What a good German auto, we made it, despite all the backwards slipping and sliding.
And so the tremendous sight greeted us!
If anything can be said about the less than magnificent but ridiculous mud volcanoes, it is delightful. There's nothing quite like standing around watching the earth ooze out some bubbly grey fart. Check out this action.
Then it dries up, and gets all cracked and flaky.
We played in the mud, and after caking our shoes (and Molly's face) with mud,
we were ready for part two of the days agenda: old rocks.
Baku has it's charms, I've said it and I mean it. For example, the major tourist highlight is the Maidien Tower. There are several conjunctures about the true purpose of the castle-esque structure, amongst these, it might have been a strategic watch tower to spy incoming enemy ships on the Caspian. Then again, it might have been a stubby astrological study. Oooor, it could have been a father's gift to his daughter, which is the best story. Ready?!
It's fabled that back in the day, the ruler of Baku fell madly in love with his pubescent daughter and asked for her hand in marriage. Being an obedient daughter and a little creeped out, she didn't refuse nor accept. The clever gal requested that daddy build her a tower high enough so that she could look out on all the land in his possession. So pop hopped to it, and constructed a cut stone tower, some 800 feet tall, and thick thick thick (that's what she said! Sorry mom, couldn't resist). After years of construction, the daughter climbed the spiral steps up to the observatory deck and promptly threw herself off to her death. I'm sure solid parenting would have prevented that, but at least the king got a monument in his city if he didn't get the bride of his loins.
Intrigued by the story, Molly, Jilly, and I took a five minute walk from 1000 Camels Not-a-Hostel Anymore, and paid our 70 cents (student discount for all!) and explored the city's architectural masterpiece. We mostly just flicked our cameras at each other though...
The tower afforded great views of the city.
We could have stayed up there for the rest of the sunset, but we headed out when it got cold. Shoo, we're desert people now, we can't take the chilly wind!!
I think my favorite day kicked off with a great morning spent in the market. There was a ton of useless stuff there. Like gas masks and cow stomaches.
Both items could be technically placed in a "used" bin, Jill is none too pleased.
The market stashed some pretty bits too, like pomegranates, spices, and birds.
Hidden in the trouves of the market, Ivan knew a great place for brunch. For about 10 manat, we feasted on a typical breakfast of scrambled eggs with tomato sauce fresh bread, crunchy cucumber, black tea, and haloomi cheese.
Mmmm, delicious. It was my favorite meal of the trip. Maybe next time we can get take away and end up with this:
That's at least two apples.
Jill gets all the photo cred (maybe a couple are mine, I dunno, it's been awhile...)
While in Baku, we three travelaters set our minds on having a good time. And we weren't let down, nevermind the hiccup in my travel writing, there is a lot of Baku to savor.
Despite the lack of stuff to see and do in Baku, our tourist agenda was amplified with our personal travel guide's rolling dialogue about the city, its history, and current politics. In short, Baku is a confused mess of a place. Its rise as a oil city was a quick let down after the turn of the century, but it still shows off a lot of that era in its dingy water ways and the cesspools that swirl around in the Caspian Sea which frames its land on the east of the city.
During the grand days of the Soviet Era, Baku was a gem the republic, and was pumped for its last drops of oil. I don't know why they tried, the place was dry before they constructed some ridiculous miles of pipeline. Consequently, while large and in charge, the USSR left an exhausting number of Soviet remnants lurking and poking out of the guts of the city, like a prison.
This used to be a marbled Soviet dancehall, but now it's just the spot where Salin's face is smashed in.
It's also a pretty sweet spot to take some band-esque photos. I'd say ignore the pot leaf and swastika, but I think the smilie face balances out the qualities of the picture.
On another day in Bakue, rain splashed us for the first time in months. Accordingly, Evan led us to the outskirts of town to check out the Hydradom (eh, bike track).
It was a totally bizarre place, the concrete sides of the bike track zoomed up to an angle of impossibity. I guess the Soviet era days make a real sportsman stronger.
There were some sweet treats along the way.
Plants to cushion your butt.
Chicken feet for a snack.
Those sights definitely count as a successful tourist day in Azerbaijan. Let's celebrate our success!
That would be Baku! I know it's pretty great not to be able to find my current residence on the map, so I thought I would continue to make tracking me a challenge. Here's is my holiday hot spot on the map:
Jill, Molly and I decided that wherever we'd go for our 10 day break, it would be cheap. Well, after driving, airfare, hostel, eating, touring, enjoying not-being-in-Abu Dhabi, our grand total for the trip came out to less than a plane ticket to our top destination choices, like Petra, Egypt, or Thailand. So budget wise, the trip was a great success. In fact, in all respects, our trip was pretty awesome. Check out our cheap-o tix at the Dubai airport!
Our flight was totally booked. If you've never seen people excited to be traveling, just peep our plane just before departure. Just kidding, actually the three of us accounted for three-fourths of the ladies on board, and about a tenth of the total passengers. But we were excited for it!
That is the way to travelate! It's traveling with style.
So we flew out of Dubai and into Baku. It was about a three hour trip, easy peesy. As soon as we exited security, the taxi drivers were ready to rip us off! But with much persistant and some sketchy bargaining, we got the orginial fare, 50 mandat, reduced to 20. Which we knew was the non-tourist price too pay. Score one for our team!
Our 25 minute taxi ride to the Old City of Baku was refreshing. TREES!! OMG! Green stuff that doesn't need watering every day. It was pretty excited.
Following our hostel directions, we turned down the back alley and found the pink wall where our hostel should have been. Well, we were not greeted with the usual smiles of other backpackers, rather a very tall Pakistani dude comes to the door and assures us that this is not a hostel, "Hostel? No! It's finished!" Oh, crap... Where are we staying tonight??
Looking around the building complex we see signs for a different hostel. Although it wasn't 1000 Camels like we had been confirmed with our online booking, Caspien Hostel agreed to give us bunks and a couch at 11:30 in the evening. Shoo, I'll take it.
But, as it ends up, we didn't have to room with a bunch of French backpackers stankin' up the place. A kind American emerged from the now-defunt 1000 Camels, and after a nice chat with Molly, offered up the spots chez lui. Thus began our trip. As it proved, our host Evan was the highlight of Baku and showed us the best of the town. As a Fulbright scholar, he knew a slew about the history and current situation in Azerbaijan. The dude not only showed us around, but also introduced us to his fun gang of friends in the city. After our few days there, it's nice to count Evan as a new friend. Such are the joys of travel!
We Americans have the Fourth of July. Well, the Emiraties have the 2nd of December, oh, AND the 3rd! I'm not sure why there is call for two days of official celebrating, I'm suspicious that second day is just tagged on so that there is another day off work. Shoo, we'll take it.
Emiraties go beyond decorating shortcakes with Cool Whip, strawberries, and blueberries, these guys deck out their cars,
their buildings,
and put on the largest fireworks display in the history of the world.
Not bad, eh?
In addition to the fab pyrotechnics, people like to blast each other with snow foam,
and snow foam.
Apparently bringing out your exotic pet is trendy too.
Check out the scene on Abu Dhabi's Corniche. This is traffic/party central!
Be sure to note the careful attention that parents give their young children hanging out the windows and sitting on the roofs of cars. These are the children we teach and can't control, no wonder.
I know many of you have started your holiday shopping early so you'd have enough time to mail me love-in-a-box, however you've been disappointed that you don't have a address to pair with your international stamps. Well, just for you, I've resolved the issue, and now you do!
Frances McNally
c/o Jill Cox
PO Box 107195
Abu Dhabi
UAE
No, there's not a zip code or a street address, that's all you get, and it'll get to me. Promise.
And hey, it might look like this for Christmas, but I'm sure something from you will make it feel like home.
Even if I'm late to say it, I get credit for celebrating the best of American celebrations.
Photo by Jill
I drove up from Madinat Zayed to Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, played ultimate Frisbee (sorry, no futbul), went grocery shopping (only once, not fifty-seven times) to get all I needed for the big day. I was really happy that I was able to find puff pastry and cranberries at Spinney's, our Western grocery store here in Abu Dhabi; the closest thing that Bida Zayed had was dried prunes, which is not same same.
My menu...
App: Baked Camebart with raspberry jam and toasted walnuts
Photo by Jill
Entree: Roasted Chicken with Tangy Orange Sauce and Sauteed Onions (a turkey wouldn't fit in our oven...)
Essentials: Homemade Biscuits and Sweet Cranberry Sauce
Our table also featured these culinary delights...
Blair: Pumpkin Squash Soup (otherwise known as our Biscuit Topper cuz the combo was so good) and Cranberry Cider (and Chocolate Pecan Pie that is not featured below).
Photo by Jill
Jill: Wild Rice Stuffing, Pomengrante Salad
Molly: Super Colorful Veggie Platter, and Garlicy Greenbeans
Trish: Mashed Taters with Sour Cream
I'd say we had enough food for ten people, but we did a good job taking that grub down with only five.
Photo by Jill
In honor of our current digs, Jill decided that we would have a shaila Thanksgiving. We all donned head gear and turned up the AC.
Photo by Jill
(as seated left to right, in case you couldn't recognize us with our Emiratie attire: Frances, Trish, Molly, Jill, and Blair)
If you've ever wondered how to put on a headscarf, I've got the solution for you...check it out ya'll, and Happy Thanksgiving all the way from the UAE!
Jill, Molly and I decided that wherever we'd go for our 10 day break, it would be cheap. Well, after driving, airfare, hostel, eating, touring, enjoying not-being-in-Abu Dhabi, our grand total for the trip came out to less than a plane ticket to our top destination choices, like Petra, Egypt, or Thailand. So budget wise, the trip was a great success. In fact, in all respects, our trip was pretty awesome.
Our flight was totally booked. If you've never seen people excited to be traveling, just peep our plane just before departure. Just kidding, actually the three of us accounted for three-fourths of the ladies on board, and about a tenth of the total passengers. But we were excited for it!
But, as it ends up, we didn't have to room with a bunch of French backpackers stankin' up the place. A kind American emerged from the now-defunt 1000 Camels, and after a nice chat with Molly, offered up the spots chez lui. Thus began our trip. As it proved, our host Evan was the highlight of Baku and showed us the best of the town. As a Fulbright scholar, he knew a slew about the history and current situation in Azerbaijan. The dude not only showed us around, but also introduced us to his fun gang of friends in the city. After our few days there, it's nice to count Evan as a new friend. Such are the joys of travel!
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