People

Eyes wide open. The amazing gift of experiencing life up front and personal. Seven years ago, when we sold the house, retired and hit the road, Ryan said to me, "Dad, you will see such amazing things, but, in the end, it is all about the people you will meet." Truer words were never spoken.

Our time in Azerbaijan is over and what a remarkable trip it was. Time to reflect and write about the lessons we learned. I am entirely overwhelmed with the whole experience. I am so in awe of Katie and Elnur, their love and their courage. I am so proud of Ryan and Kristen for taking the time from their busy lives to support them. Thank you, kids.

Elnur's family was as nervous about meeting us as we were about meeting them. But is only took moments to transcend the awkwardness. It was quickly replaced with respect, admiration and love for our new family.They were very interested in the family pictures we had brought with us, of our large and smiling families, of our parents and grand parents and of great gram and Eric, of our dogs. They quickly pulled out their photos, too.

We all spoke of this later. Elnur translated their words. "They are just like us." "I see now that they are simple, loving people." "I love Americans. They love to laugh." "They are hilarious!" Thanks to the curse of television, they expected Americans to be a mixture of Honey Boo Boo, Paris Hilton and Jerry Springer. Just as we Americans, due to the media, expected anything but the incredible, welcoming, hospitality and love we received.

They wanted to know what we thought of their country and what Americans knew about Azerbaijan. We told them that before we met Elnur, most of us did not even know the country existed, let alone what a remarkable people and country they are. Azerbaijan had been hidden from us behind the Soviet Iron Curtain. I guess it's up to each of us to open our minds, expel these false images around the world and not let ourselves be divided by fear. I promised them we would do our part to tell people what we had learned.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Here are pictures of people. It truly is about the people.

Ilqar's home and family, his 86 year old father, Seyfullah (formerly a journalist) in the front row, his sister, Nezaket, (second from left) a physician like Ilqar.

Elnur's moms family in the village of Balakan

Elnur's 83 year old grandmother (formerly a physicist) and aunt (a biology teacher).

Grandmother Mesed

family pics

Ilqar's Uncle Mayis, retired civil engineer, with his grandson.

Mayis wife and Omer, Ilqar's brother-in-law, a surgeon

Balakan family picture

Grandmother picture, on left

Family picture from Balakan, all college graduates.

A relative who served in the army for the Russian Czar

Tea time and a tour of some incredible gardens

Mayis' daughter-in-law and grandson

Elnur's youngest cousin, Shamil

Elnur's sweet nieces in Balakan

We were welcomed at every opportunity, here at his Uncle Vaqif and Aunt Feride's home.

Gunay and Shamil

Katie with Nuray

Elnur's childhood friend and neighbor in Balakan. She admonished us "You take good care of Elnur. He is the one."

Vaquid and Feride's son Abdul

Backyard laughter.

Elnur's Uncles, Mehmam (left) and Vaqif (right). Builders.

Cou Cou got her latte. Happy face.

Mayis and Rahib, a relative and our fearless driver

Ilqar, a humble, noble man

keeping Ryan in line

deep thoughts

overlooking Tbilisi Georgia

Baku, the old walled city. Amazing.

Flame towers through the trees

Connie cracking me up

On the roof top in the Old City for the full moon and a spectacular view of Baku

Our incredible trip planners and guides.

Sweet nap time.

On the windy pier on the Caspian

The former president, His Excellency, Heydar Aliyev

view from our balcony of the street below in Baku. Busy. Cosmopolitan. Called the Paris of the Caucasus.

Two of the memorials to those thousands killed in the struggle for freedom from Soviet.

Elnur's brother-in-law, Kadir, a Turk and principal of the highest rated school in Azerbaijan. An extraordinary man.

Sisters, Aisha, Elnur' youngest sister.

Mehbube's best friend, an attorney and HR Manager

17 year old Maga, Elnur's cousin

Reyhan, Hauva, Elnur and Maga

Meybube and her best friend

Reyhan and Mehbube

Jafarli family picture

the fathers

Efus, always

Ilqar with his new daughter

Elnur 1 and Elnur 2 with his expecting wife, Elnur's cousin Ulker

Aisha and her cousin, Birgul

Zamir at his home on the Caspian

Elnur and Ulker

Communicating with a camel

Wading in the Caspian

Sad that the trip is over

 

Foodie Heaven

This one's for you Anna! Deyilan saggvliga! (Cheers!)

Tea with Elnur's Aunt Fatima, on his dad's side. A special chocolate bundt cake made by Elnur's cousin, Asya



Dinner with Elnur's Uncles, Vaqif and Mehmam, on his Mom's side.

Fresh tomatoes and cucumbers with dill with every meal, fresh baked bread from their own clay oven in the back yard scattered on the table wherever there was an empty space, cherries, home made wine, qutab, an herb filled crepe, yogurt, meat stuffed grape leaves (dolma) and dumplings with cherry sauce all spiced so deliciously like nothing you have ever tasted.

And the food just kept on coming... I'm sure we have all gained 10 pounds! So worth it!

Hotel Gubec (spelled Qubek)

Y'all asked for more pictures... enjoy. We are.

Clear skies and magnificent views from the roof top, especially looking Northward toward the mountains. The statue is of the former president, Heydar Aliyev who died in 2003. He was a much beloved leader and his picture is displayed on billboards around the country. His son, his excellency Ilham Aliyev, was elected president to succeed him.



Our route. Like the old Jerry Rafferty song " Georgia to the left. Dagestan to the right, Here I am... stuck in the middle with you."

A "taxsi" driver in a Russian Lada speaks with a group of men about to cut some fields with scythes.

The Azerbaijan flag is blue for Turkic, red for modernism and progressiveness, and green for Islam. The crescent and star are the historic symbols of the Turkish peoples.

We enjoyed a moonlight swim in the pool all to ourselves one evening. Magical.



Comfortable, well appointed rooms with balconies

The Heydar Park was next door with a ferris wheel and play grounds for the kids, beautifully manicured gardens and lawns. These folks are all about expressing their hospitality and opening their arms to tourism in any way they can.

 

Sunrise over the Caucasus Mountains. 

Do You Know the Way to Balakan...

We loaded up at noon for our trip into the interior of Azerbaijan to visit the village where both of Elnur's parents were born and where many of his family live. Our driver was Elnur's mother's brother's wife's mother's daughter's husband (so it goes in AZ... accurate family descriptions are important).

 

He drove the nine passenger diesel Mercedes van very skillfully during the 7 hour trip along desert scrub lands, over mountain passes, through lush pastured valleys and dense woodlands. When traffic was heavy we muscled our way through the congestion. Traffic does not yield to pedestrian, ambulances, other vehicles... even in rotaries. It does, however, yield to livestock. It is entirely a matter of who occupies the space first.

 

Horns are used to communicate loudly and frequently. "Look Out, I'm coming through." "Heads up, I'm already here." Move it, I want to pass you." "Hey buddy, how are you doing." " Get out of the way sheep or I'll run you down." Rahib was exceptionally skillful working with scant inches, judging passing lanes and oncoming cars within feet, judging which way a cow in the middle of the road was going to weave and slaloming 3 or 4 at a time.

 





We stopped for chai (tea) after a couple hours, served piping hot in glasses with lemon. There was also chick peas to snack on and, when visiting family, usually a fine assortment of jams, candied walnuts, pistachios, and smoked string cheese. It is common to see groups of men sitting under a shady tree around a table, drinking tea and talking. Sometimes they are playing nard (backgammon), the national game. The action is fast paced, moves being made and dice rerolled scarcely before they have stopped rolling from the previous throw.

The scenery was magnificent and the road snaked between hills and up mountainsides. It was pretty rough in spots, potholes and road patches.

 After around 4 hours, we approached the Caucasus Mountains that form the border with Russia, actually Dagestan. They were snow capped and huge, some over 15,000 feet.

 

 

 

Some of the sheep and cattle herders were on horseback. Most were walking carrying staffs.

Clay ovens for baking bread were ubiquitous. And the bread is out of this world.



 

We stopped for a stretch in a wooded area and Aisha and Kristen found a swing. Sweet kids...

 



The ride began to grow tiring and we amused ourselves by acting foolish. It's important to make good first impressions. Kate and Aisha love being sisters as do Katie and Kristen.

We stopped one last time in the town of Shakie (not the correct spelling. I don't know how to access the Azeri alphabet on the computer... something like s with a tail, upside down and backwards e , k, i... pronounced Shakie, accent on the second sylable). The site has been habitated for over 2500 years making it one of the oldest settlements in the South Caucasus.. In the 1700s Khan Haci Kalabi  built a fortress and defended the area from numerous roaming invaders. The round domed building, now a museum, was built around 500 AD.

An old man carrying a stuffed wolf down the hill uncovered it for photos and then loudly demanded compensation. Can't remember when the last time that happened to me. Wait, maybe... never?

Flocks of sheep were everywhere, taking over the roads. They were accompanied by their shepherds and packs of hard working sheep dogs. Problemo Yox (No problem). All in a days work.

The sun was beginning to set as we pulled into the Qubec Hotel (pronounced Gubec), a brand new 4 star, five story facility complete with pools, sauna, hot tubs, billiard tables and kitchen (pics later). It was time to get off the road as the expression on the girls faces suggested.