...and Yerevan makes 15

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) was a dominating landmass for the majority of the 20th century. However, the late '80s and early '90s brought a huge change to world maps. The U.S.S.R. broke up into 15 independent nations. History lesson over! I've been travelling now for quite a while, and I've frankly stopped counting. This is kind of a let down when you want to celebrate milestones, like number 100 or 10 in 10 years or something. But a recent conversation with a friend pointed out, that by entering Armenia and visiting Yerevan, I've now seen all 15 former U.S.S.R. countries and capitals. Yeah me!!

I found a mini-bus from Tblisi's Ortochelo Bus station. Pretty simple. I was even shocked at how easily the border crossing was. The weather was fine and my I-pod had plenty of battery. Life was good, but that's when he bad luck started. I had set up a meeting with couchsurfer to stay the night at his place. But when I tried calling, there was no answer. I tried several more times, but alas our poor hero (that would be me) was left all alone in the now darkening streets of Yerevan ;( Cold and tired, I cursed the CouchSurfing gods for their wrath. Luckily, i was able to meet up with another CSer, who put me up. And the next morning, it was off to see the sights of Yerevan.

Yerevan isn't exactly what you would call a sight-seers dream. There aren't any major landmarks. The city isn't even that old, meaning no "old city" or ancient architecture. However, what it lacks in sights, it makes up for in overall breeziness. The new streets are lined with cafes. Far outnumbering the supposed tea culture in Baku. Most building were from the soviet era, but kind of had a Soviet-chic thing going on. The centre is fairly condensed. starting from the south at Republic Square. This large traffic circle is engulfed by massive structures that the soviets seemed rather keen on. Namely the National Art Gallery. From there, the streets, all line with cafes, seem to all lead to the landmark Opera house. Yerevan-ites are all trendy, loving their coffee in posh cafes in their latest designer (or designer knock-off) clothes. Sitting in parks eating each others faces seems to be a national past-time. Although it's a new, only partially accepted trend. Just behind the Opera house is the massive Cascade. A huge staircase carved into the hillside. The park is well-manicured. The statues are certainly unique. And the views from the top are great. On a clear day, you can get the perfect picture of Yerevan framed by the, almost holy, Mt Ararat. But as part of my crappy luck in Armenia, it was never clear enough for me.

There are a few other semi-interesting buildings, museums and such to check out in the centre. For example the newly built Surp Grigor Lusavorich Cathedral is popular with locals, but it's completely bare inside. I liked the old neighbourhood next to the church, it's WAY more atmospheric. There are distillery tours and an old mosque and an over-rated market, which gets 2 pictures in the current Lonely Planet. Clearly even the researchers struggled to find interesting places in the city. If there on a weekend the Vernissage Market is totally worth checking out. While it's mostly touristy stuff (largely hand made) it's the first part of the market that rocks. Locals sell everything. Half the fun is trying to figure out what the hell "that thingy-ma-bob" is actually used for.
But the sobering "highlight" of the city is the Tsitsernakaberd (Armenian Genocide Memorial & Museum). From 1915-1922, Armenian say that over 1,000,000 Armenian were killed by the hand of the Ottoman Empire (although Turkey strongly denies this claim). This is the hot button topic in Armenia. The mere mention of it is certain to start a heated and clearly hateful response from any local. It remains a political problem too. Being part of the reason the border between the 2 countries is closed (although the Karabagh conflict is the main reason). Dramatic music plays at the eternal flame, delicately ringed be flowers. The museum is mostly in Armenian, but the pictures speak for themselves.

Other than that, there isn't much else to do in Yerevan. But day trips to Etchmiadzin, Lake Sevan and other monasteries should fill up a few days. While I was pleasantly surprised by Yerevan, it's hardly a must see sort of place.

Holy day-trip!

Christianity has it's Vatican City. Islam has Mecca and Medina. And the Armenian Apostolic Church has Etchmiadzin. "Where?" you might say. Well, I hadn't heard of it either. So, of course, I had to check it out. Plus several other holy side trips to take from Yerevan.

Located a mere 20kms from the Armenian capital of Yerevan, Etchmiadzin has it's own long and distinguished history. Originally founded in 2nd or 3rd century B.C. , Etchmiadzin was the capital of ancient Armenia until the 4 century A.D. But it's age it not what makes it noteworthy. Sometime in the early 3rd Century the Etchmiadzin Cathedral was built and Armenia became the only country in the world the state religion of which was Christianity. Today, the city of 50,000+ was a bit of a surprise to me. With wide tree-lined streets, a few designer shops and reasonably well-manicured parks, it was not the typical secondary city you might see in the region. Quite likely due to it's importance to the people and their religion.

The sizable Etchmiadzin Complex has a number of buildings to check out. The first of which is the Etchmiadzin Cathedral itself. The building, while it's reasonably ornate, it makes up for its lack of dazzle by just being old. And UNESCO seems to agree by awarding it a heritage listing. Religiously devout, as well as camera wielding tourist flood the church with lights from a seemingly endless supply of prayer candles. Literally busloads of people come to visit. For wedding photos or a guest in town or just to get out of Yerevan. Oh yeah, there's the whole praying thing, too. While not exactly peaceful, it is still a lovely place to sit and reflect. The site houses many important religious artifacts as well. They've even got something called Surp Geghard (Holy Lance). Supposedly, it was used to pierce the side of Christ on the way to Calvary. There's an image of the Crucifixion rumoured to have been carved by St. John. All of these factors make the site important enough to warrant a visit from Pope John Paul himself in 2001 (although being the most travelled Pope in history, it was only a matter of time before he got to Etchmiazdin).

But the pilgrimage doesn't stop there. The town of Etchmiadzin is quite literally littered with ancient churches. Just behind the Holy See of Etchmiadzin is the Surp Gayane. Dating back some 1,400 years, a chapel was built for a prioress, and later transformed into the present day church in 1630. Near the beginning of town, as the bus drives in from Yerevan, is Surp Shogahat. A little more understated than some of the others. But i quite liked Surp Hripime (picture left). Contained within its own "city walls", the church tells a torrid tale of Hripime being killed for not marrying the king and then rising from the dead and taking over the world by eating the brains of the living. Or something like that anyway, my Russian isn't as good as it used to be. I found it to be the most tranquil of the churches as i was the only one there. Except for a few older women stealing flowers from the well maintained garden.Is it a sin to steal flowers from a church?

But the pious fun doesn't stop there. Only 4kms from the centre of Etchmiazdin are the ruins of ,what locals claim, was once the greatest church in all of Christendom. Zvartnots Cathedral was built in the mid 600's (even though that dates it over 100 years after the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul). Alas, little remains of it today. Less than 300 years after construction was completed, an earthquake caused it to collapse. There are, however, several finely carved pillars which would have once held up the mighty structure. I honestly don't understand why it shares its UNESCO listing with the rest of Etchmiazdin. And the 1,000 Dram entrance fee is uncalled for. Supposedly, on a clear day the ruins are magnificently framed by the iconic Mt. Ararat. Unfortunately, the weather was quite sub-par my whole time in Armenia, and I never got that postcard photo. Quite honestly, this one is worth a miss. Getting to Etchmiazdin and Zvartnots is simple. Buses leave from Yerevan (200 Dram) from Sarian Poghots, behind the museum of modern art, quite close to the Blue Mosque.
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But ohhhh noooo, we're not done yet. Perched right on the Turkish/Armenian border 30 kms south-east of Yerevan is another iconic monastery. on a hillock overlooking river pastures, stork nests and guard outposts is Khor Virap Monastery. It was here that Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned in a deep well for 14 years (you can go down into the well). This place is THE photo opportunity in Armenia. So close to Mt. Ararat you can almost smell the doner. But yet again, poor visibility means I didn't get the photo. I'll pause while you wipe the tears away... Getting here is easy enough. From behind the train station in Yerevan, buses and mini-buses leave on some sort of sporadic schedule meaning there's something about every 2 hours or so.

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There's also Garni Temple and Gehard Monastery and blah-blah church which is totally different from the other churches as this church was built by a left-handed carpenter on a Thursday. Come on! I'm sure they are all important. And I mean no offence to anyone. But if you've seen on, you've seen them all. But still, one or even all of these location makes for great day trips out of Yerevan.

Sittin' on the dock of Sevan

Sun, sand and surf (without the sand or surf or, in my case sun) is up for offer at Lake Sevan. Jet skis whizz past gentle windsurfers as young couples cuddle while half-assedly paddling in their rented paddle boats. Lakeside cafes overflow with holiday makers as the tea (or beer) flow freely late into the evening. It is a super popular summer escape for the Yerevan elite and "little people" alike. Fresh air, comfortable climate (in the summer) and more fun than you can stand. 10 wonderful weeks in summer, a perfect getaway from the everyday. So what the hell was i doing there at the beginning of November???
Well, I knew what I was getting myself into. The plan was to head up to the lake for some peace and quiet. I had a bit of an unlucky streak with noisy hotels elsewhere in the country, so I headed somewhere I knew NOBODY would be. Boy was I right, maybe too right. The coolest thing about lake Sevan is the accommodation. While there are "luxury" hotels, I was interested in something they call "domniks" (little houses). Basically they are converted shipping containers, giving the whole lake-side a trailer park feel. And being VERY off-season, it was hard to even find any of these open. Finally, a babushka at a little cafe hooked me up with my very own little metal coffin. A dream come true.

Oh yeah, did I mention there's a church?! I know! I was in total shock!! It's not like there freakin' everywhere in the country. But seeing as it was in the backyard of my paradise mansion, I figured "OK, one more, but that's it!" Sevanavank (the name of the monastery) is old and it was built by some guy who did something important, blah blah blah. Sorry but after the 1,000,000th church you sort of lose interest. However, one interesting fact about this church is it was built on Sevan Island. That island no longer exists, it's now a peninsula. A Stalin era water redistribution plan caused the water level of Sevan to drop by 20 metres!! Recent efforts by conservationist have seen it raise 2 metres since 2002. Quite a feat I must admit.

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The city of Sevan is about 6km from the lake. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any public transport, so you either have to walk it or get a taxi for 1,000 Lari. From Yerevan, buses and mini-buses leave when full from behind the Yerevan Drama Theatre. There's also a train that makes the trip, but only in the summer. As far as lakes go, Sevan is... well... a lake. But for little landlocked Armenia, it's the closest they'll get to seaside debauchery.

Disappointed with Dilijan

Have you even got one of those boxes of assorted chocolates? You know, the one with the map of which shape is which flavour. I don't know about you, but I plan my consumption attack based of preferences. I try the ones I'm not so sure about, like the coconut infused with banana peel or whatever. One by one working my way up to the one that I KNOW I'm going to love. Some have pleased, others not so much but finally the last one, the one sure to please. But then, against all expectations, it sucks. Sucks badly. Well, that last chocolate was like Dilijan for me. I had high hopes for the village after a rather disappointing trip through Armenia. But alas, the trip wasn't to end off with a bang :(

The place is billed as the home of artists. Filmmakers, writers, composers all call this forested and reclusive city home. Mostly I was exited about Sharambeyan street, which is near the city's bus stop, having been preserved and maintained as an "old town," complete with craftsman's workshops, a gallery and a museum. I loved the drive in from Lake Sevan. Seeing as information on public transport was hard to come by, I just decided to hitch, with little problem. One cute little thing of note were numerous boys/men standing on the side of the road with outstretched arms, as if looking for a hug. Turns out, they're describing the size of the fish the have for sale (it's always an exaggerated size). And was almost bizarre how the landscape turned from high alpine plains to thickly forested hills just by going through a tunnel. The scenery was nice, almost beautiful, but it wasn't enough to make up for the town. it wasn't a bad place. Actually it bordered on pleasant. But i guess i had my expectations set too high. The "Old Town" was clearly a tourist trap of what was essentially a stone clad shopping mall. It's the same sort of thing the Chinese build and call "ancient cultural experience". Unfortunately for me, being the off-season, none of the artists were even there. But i got bored after 10 minutes of walking around. I had planned to stay the night at a B&B, but changed my mind and hitched to the next town. Don't get me wrong, the town is in a beautiful setting. And it might be neat to see the artists at work. But it's more like a zoo than an Old Town. Stay if you're looking for peace and quiet. Or some fresh air. But other than that, it's only worth an hour of your time.

Goin' ga-ga for Goris

The road south twists and turns over mountains passes and through the depths of valleys. Eventually, a major junction comes into view. Here the road from Yerevan splits south to Iran and further east to Karabagh. But instead of hopping on yet another mini-bus, I decided to stay to check out the town.

The town of Goris might seem like nothing more than a transportation hub, but it has a few things of its own to offer. Wedged deep into a valley, the pace of life here is obviously slow. There is nothing touristy about the town. No tacky statues. Few cafes. But there is a growing B&B trend making it easy to find a place to stay in town. A couchsurfer I knew hooked me up with a nice B&B at a discounted rate (score!!) . I met up with him that night to partake in local fruit vodka (tuti oghi). Needless to say i don't remember most of the evenings conversation which I'm sure was intellectually stimulating. A short stumble back to my B&B, well into the evening, and it was time for bed.

But the simple town is not only notable for it's B&Bs, local vodka and drunken Peace Corps Volunteers. Springing from the valley walls are dozens of strange spires. The rocky outcroppings are more than just ornamental or a natural oddity. They once housed the ancient population of Goris. And by ancient I mean as long ago as 20 years. The story goes that caves in the sides of the spires acted as houses, storerooms and stables. But once the Soviets moved in and installed gas, power and water into what is now New Goris, the settlers left their old caves and moved house for the modern conveniences. Brick by brick, table by table, the Old Cave city became abandoned. With the last know resident finally moving out in the '80s. There are still signs of life as grazing cattle in the hills still use the caves as rain shelter. Watch your step!! Look carefully and you might even find some carved shelves still in the walls of the former homes. But other than that, the actual city of Goris is just a place to chill out and try to expel the city air out of the lungs. Unfortunately, the expectant peace and quiet didn't work out for me as my B&B turned out to be rather noisy. Part of a string of unluckily noisy hotels i stayed at in Armenia :(

Having exhausted what little the town of Goris had to offer, I opted for a day trip to a "nearby" monastery. Yes, that's right, another church. Man, Armenia's full of them. While I am honestly not bothered to see so many, the problem is they tend to build them in the most scenic of areas. Tatev Monastery being a prime example. The hour+ drive in is absolutely spectacular. Good thing too. It distracts you form the fact that the driver is forced to swerve and weave around monstrous craters they refer to as "potholes". That in itself isn't too bad until you realize that there are no barrier preventing the Lada from plunging off the road and permanently becoming part of the scenery. There are a few worthy picturesque stops along the way. But it's the village of Tatev that is the destination. Dating back some 1,200 years, Tatev Monastery is centred around the main St. Peter & Paul church. There are plenty of little rooms to explore and there are no boundaries. You can even climb on the walls, delve into partially hidden caverns and, of course, enter the church itself. All free of charge. Free, that is, except for the cost of getting here. The public transport is inconvenient leaving Goris at around 3pm. Then leaving Tatev around 8 the next morning. Great if you plan to stay overnight, but in October, there wouldn't be much light to see the church. So i was forced to take a taxi, at a reasonable price of 8,000 Dram there, back, waiting and stopping at various sights. Of the half dozen churches and such i saw in Armenia, Tatev was hands down the best. Both in location and ornate-ness.

Overall, I give a trip to Goris 2 thumbs up, especially if you make the trip to Tatev Monastery. Mini-buses leave Yerevan from behind the Russian Cinema (Kino Rossiya) and cost 2,500 Dram for the 5 hour (or so) trip.

Gettin' banned from Azerbaijan

I was deported from Mexico as a teenager. I was rejected for an Iranian visa 3 times. I was yelled at at the Ukrainian embassy for lying on my visa application. I can now add, I am banned from Azerbaijan! The thing is, if the Azerbaijani authorities can prove you have been to Nagoro-Karabakh, they will not allow you into Azerbaijan (they consider the Armenian-NK border illegal) So now that i have a big ol' NK visa in my passport, I can NOT enter Azerbaijan.

An independent country, acknowledged by no one, internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory but occupied (and administered) by Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh is a bit of quagmire. A bloody war was fought over the region by Azerbaijan and Armenia in the early '90s, just after the Soviet collapse. The enclave declared independence, but apparently, nobody was listening. To this day, it remains a "cold" war zone. But in it's capital, Stepanakert, you would never know it. Although not exactly a major holiday destination, the city has most things you'd expect to find for a place of 50,000+. But, as part of my bad Armenian luck, the weather was crap when I arrived. The fog was so thick, i couldn't see 20m ahead of me.

And I don't know what it is about these kind of "i want to be independent but no body will listen to me" places, but the visas are always a pain in the butt. So the "border patrol" told me I had to visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to register and get a visa. It was actually quite easy, hand over some cash and, BINGO, visa. The people at the consulate were absolutely NO help finding a place to stay, so i headed into town. Hotels were surprisingly expensive, so i opted for the Lonely Planet's pick. Big mistake. Described as a quite, friendly place, it was neither. The owner wanted nothing more than a business transaction, and turns out that he now caters mostly to school groups. I had a Judo team of some 40 teenage kids running up and down the halls until late. No supervision as their chaperons smoked and drank in their rooms. So needless to say, I didn't get much sleep. The next day I explored the town a little. And there is very little exploring to do. There are a couple of small museums to check all. All free. The Artsakh (old name for Karabakh) museum even has free English guides. Although I found her to be quite defensive, bordering on rude. Of course I was asking about Azerbaijan at the time, so it's understandable. A couple of war museums, located right next to each other, are worth checking out. If you speak Russian the curator of the Museum of Missing Soldiers is more than happy to explain EVERYTHING in the museum. Feeling hungry, i looked for somewhere to eat, but even that was a challenge. There were a couple of overpriced restaurants, and cafes. The cafes had nothing available from their menus except ham sandwiches and hot dogs. Not the best time there.

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Hoping for something more, i did a simple day trip to the town of Shushi. Once the cultural capital of the Azeris in the region (before the war of course), it is quite different from Stepanakert. The main difference is it is much easier to see signs of the recent conflict here. This was sort of the last stand of the Azeri forces. Once the Armenians took control of the city, the war was pretty much over. Many buildings still lie in ruins and there are numerous bullet holes sprayed along the walls. There are a couple of old mosques here, destroyed of course. And while some effort is made to rebuild, or at least tidy up, some areas, the mosques are left to rot. NGO's and diaspora have been very busy in other part of the city. The heavily restored Ghazanchetots Cathedral has been spared no expense. The roads are largely rebuilt, all from money from Armenians abroad. The signpost all proudly display the charity work from each group. But this free money has bred a lot of street kids and beggars. The kids aren't old enough to remember the war, just the foreigners who come and give them money. I've visited many truly impoverished areas of the world, but not until i refused to give money to the kids had i been kicked and flipped off. Yeah, some bright future the NGO's are developing here.

Between the mixture of stupid bureaucracy, bad weather, bad food, bad hotels and frankly bad experiences with people I came out of the region with an overly negative opinion. It is unfortunate that anyone has to live through war. While buildings can be restored, it's terrible when they allow it to destroy their character.

*many of my photos of Karabakh were accidentally deleted, so some of the photos on this blog entry are not mine*

Ağdam

Ağdam. That's it. No corny blog titles. No tantalizing lead-ins. None of the, admittedly blunt, literary tools I may have in my limited arsenal. There's no need. The stark reality of the place more than speaks for itself.

I have spent the majority of the last 2 decades living overseas, largely in developing countries. I have travelled to numerous war affected areas. Recently I visited both Afghanistan and Iraq. I've been to Chechnya, Kosovo, Kashmir and Lebanon. I have seen the aftermath of war. I have never seen anything like Ağdam.

Years of full blown war ravaged the tiny Nagorno-Karabagh enclave. Although internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory, Armenia also stakes claim to it. In the early 90's, Armenian forces were successful in driving out not only the Azeri military but essentially the entire Azerbaijani population. The region is littered with deserted ghost towns once inhabited by the Azeri settlers. None even remotely compare to the scale of the city of Ağdam. Once a major city of 100,000 people, it now lies completely empty. But more than simply being abandoned, like a fresh kill on the Serengeti the city has been picked cleaned by opportunity seeking vultures. The homes, businesses and schools now lie as skeletal remains strewn upon landscape.

Other than the scrap collectors rifling through the remains, there are a few farmers using the land for their cows. The only building even remotely intact is a large mosque in the city. It's minarets still lead the faithfuls eyes to, what must surely be, a Godless Ağdam sky. But in some cruel punishment (either intentional or not) the mosque, holy building of the banished Muslims, is now a stable for the cattle of the Christian Armenians. Climbing the minaret of the mosque is the best way to try to fully grasp the enormity of the situation. I can only compare the site to that of a mixture between post-Hiroshima bombing and the Trenoble nuclear disaster. For miles, the underbrush has grown to engulf the once vibrant town.

I get it. War sucks. I'm not laying blame or taking sides. I am not a politician. I have no idea what the best course of action to attain a solution to the conflict is. But apparently, after almost 20 years, neither do the parties involved. I am well aware that a number of the friends I made while living in Azerbaijan will be disappointed, if not angry, on my decision to visit Karabagh. But by seeing and experiencing the situation first-hand, I will be able to better inform others about it. Information breeds interest. Interest breeds determination. Determination breeds solution. In a world grown complacent about war, hearing for the up-teenth time that XXX number of Iraqis were killed in yet another bombing. Or some tiny mountain village, they can't pronounce, was attacked in Afghanistan. It is the personal stories of individual experience that are the only way to convey a message. It is through dialogue that we can achieve peace.

In terms of the logistics, any traveller should seriously consider whether a trip to Ağdam is worth it. Upon arrival in the "capital" Stepanakert, all foriegners must register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They will ask your intenary for Karabagh and give a permit for those regions. They will not, under normal circumstances, give permission to enter Ağdam. That means a visit there is a visa violation and could result in jail time. On top of which, Ağdam lies on, what is essential, the front lines of the war. There are still reports of cross border shooting making the area very dangerous. And if that wasn't enough, the area is a highly sensitve military zone, so taking picutes is tantamount to spying. There's no public transport and no way to hitchhike. I had to bargain with taxis to take me the 30km. Private taxis wouldn't do it. It had to be the metered ones. Making the trip around 6,000 Dram.

*some of my photos of Karabagh were deleted, so not of picutures on this blog post are mine*

Bye bye, Baku

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a nomad as "a member of a people who have no fixed residence but move from place to place usually season and within a well-defined territory." Personally i find the term overused these days, heck even commercialized. But it's much easier than calling myself a trans-continental commuter. So like the consummate nomad, the time has come to leave Baku in search for greener pastures.

I am 11 months and 3 weeks into a one year contract which I won't be renewing. So everyday is now full of "this is the last time" moments. I'm used to it. I've been doing this sort of thing longer than i can remember. As usual, I don't expect to be able to fully digest my time here until I'm removed from the situation. But, at the moment, i look back at my time here as neutral. Neither overly positive, but far from negative. There were neither highs nor lows, ebbs nor flows. I guess when standing high on a mountain top, a valley seems so low. But standing in a field, doesn't excite or disappoint. That's how i feel about Baku.

I have made no secret of the fact that my intentions for coming here were purely financial. Seeing as I have stashed away a decent little nest-egg (for a nomad anyway) I guess i can say mission accomplished. But, in the end, Baku exceeded my expectations. To be fair i didn't really have any. A large percentage of ex-pats here constantly complain about how bad it is. But having come from "worse" places myself, Baku was a step up!

There are several things to see and do in the city. Although mostly for tourists, if you spread them out it could entertain you for a while. The Old City is cool, with Maiden's Tower and the overrated Shirvanshahs Palace. Up the hill is the sobering, but scenic Martyr's lane. Not to mention seemingly countless theatres with a wide range of shows. And of course there are more bars and pubs than you can shake a stick at. Parks and the Boulevard make for nice walking. And there's even a little ferry out into the Caspian.

All generalizations are bad (in and of itself a generalization). But when summarizing a situation, generalizations seem unavoidable. So here goes. Sure there are lots of problems in Baku. Beyond the corruption which is stifling the growth of the country (Azerbaijan in ranked in the top 10)... beyond growing totalitarianism... beyond the lack of health and sanitation... beyond the chocking traffic problem... Baku's not a bad place. Although i might be a little jaded as I live and work in the centre. Life, at least in the centre, is easy. It is one of the safest cities i have every lived in. Well-dressed locals lick away at their ice-creams while strolling aimlessly. Although frustrating when you're trying to get somewhere quickly, things take time to happen here.

"Frustrating" is a word that you'll hear a lot here. The water and power frequently shut off, sometimes with notice and sometimes without. Problem is even if there is notice, it's on the news, in Azeri not much use to foreigners. It can take ages to get a beer at a cafe (although i found the BEST waitress in Baku, in the Araz Cafe). But I wonder if it's the locals fault for being slow or foreigners fault for always being in a hurry. The area has long been famous for it's hospitality, i found that Baku-ites are losing sight of this. But like many places with new found money (and desire for even more) this is bound to happen. There is a elitism of true Baku-ite vs. people from the regions. And many locals blame the urbanization for the majority of problems. But it's starting to border on racism.

I found it difficult to make friends here. Local girls, although they dress rather provocatively, are really very conservative by Western standards. Many of them are not allowed to "hang-out" with boys. And curfews, imposed by protective fathers, are the norm. It was a challenge to relate to the men here. While there is a growing number of well-travelled people, many people have never let Azerbaijan, or even gone to the regions. Boys talk about cars and girls and soccer which is OK for a while, but it rarely goes beyond that. The people are nice and genuine, but i personally found it hard to connect. Especially if future plans came up. The first 6 questions I'd get in any taxi were "Where are you from?" How old are you?" "Are you married?" Why not?" Do you have children?" "What's the problem?" Clearly there has to be some physical ailment preventing me from having children. It couldn't possibly be a personal choice. It's even worse if you're a women, because if your 30+ and NOT married, your only viable option is to shrivel up and die. This view is shared by nearly ALL locals i had contact with (although this is certainly not exclusive to Azerbaijan)

It's just time to go. I have every confidence that I'll look back at my time in Baku with a degree of fondness. That being said, I am equally as confident that I won't be returning. Never say never, I guess. I wouldn't mind seeing the place once all the construction is done. So i guess I'll just say, Bye bye Baku (for now).