Azerbaijan Stories


Ever showered in a sauna?

After a quick night and a much needed shower in Baku, I was off again to the mountains. This time I went to a village called Lahic which is also in the Causasus mountains but on the southern side. I had heard it was unique in its Persian-based dialect and for its traditional coppersmiths. But if any place can be called touristy in Azerbaijan, Lahic is p...


The highest village in Europe (and possibly my longest post!)

So far all I had seen in Azerbaijan was barren, brown desert.  There may have been a few hills but still very drab.  Having seen photos and read about the small mountain village of Xinaliq, I couldn't wait to go.  The military has for some reason restricted a lot of the hiking in the area but it still seemed worth a look.  A Peace Corps volunteer sugges...


Dodging falling mud

Having explored a good portion of Baku, I decided to brave the metro and bus systems and head to a temple where people used to worship fire that seemed to spontaneously erupt straight out of rocks.  We now know that these "magical" fires - several of which exist in the area - are the result of the accidental ignition of gases escaping from cracks in the...


Thank God for air conditioning!

I thought Tbilisi was hot.  And it was... but I wasn't expecting the overnight train ride from Georgia to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to be an oven on rails.  If you've been following me, you know I'm not new to train travel in hot countries... China, India, to name two places where I endured long hours on hot trains.  However, none of those experi...