Beyond Baku

Today was a perfect spring day here in Azerbaijan. As the weather gets warmer we are trying to explore more of this country and today we made our first trip to Besh Barmack (which translates into English as "Five Fingers"). This amazing rock formation is about a 90 minute drive from Baku.

As you head north from Baku you drive through the heart of the former Soviet Union's industrial center, Sumgait. This was the first time I've seen what is described as "industrial horror" in the day light. And it is one of the most depressing stretches of land I've ever seen. Old factories that once pumped out a melange of toxic fumes and gases sit empty, windows broken out, towers fallen over. According to the Mark Elliott guidebook, Sumgait once held the sad distinction for having the highest infant mortality in the world.

Yet once you get beyond the miles of dead factories, the landscape becomes stunning. The Caspian sea stretches out to your right while a small mountain range begins to rise on your left. We soon found ourselves on a dirt road climbing up this very green spring mountain side.

Once we made it to the base, we hiked up what had to be 500 stairs (I'm becoming an expert on estimating stairs.) The first several hundred from the parking lot to the base of the rock formation were steep, but totally feasible. Once you got into the rock formation, steel stairs were welded into the side of the mountain. I would have been scared were it not for the 80 year old women and 10 year old kids who were also making the trek.

The views from the top were really quite lovely. The mountains behind and the sea ahead. We spent a good half hour hanging out at the top of the mountain taking in the views and chatting with some folks from Baku.

After making our way back down and off the rock, we sat up on the hill and enjoyed a picnic lunch while we watched other tourists, a few shepards and a boat load of sheep.

On the way home we decided to swing through Sumgait and into the town of Novhani. A string of beach side "resorts" line the road and we stopped by one for some tea. Every restaurant has some outdoor seating that kind of reminds me of the Soviet version of pool-side cabanas in Vegas. Except instead of bikini clad women, groups of men sit and drink tea while they chat or play backgammon. So they are pretty much nothing alike. We sat in the sun and listened as the sea lapped at the beach. Here's a picture of the Novhani beach with Sumgait in the background:

And Liam hanging out in front of our own little "cabana" by the sea:

Although we had just stopped for tea, the weather was so nice we prolonged our stay by ordering some lamb kebabs and gutab.

On the way home we drove through a string of Baku suburbs, like the one pictured below. Some of these are located among what seem to be marshes (but may actually be reservoirs - I need to check a map to find out). I've never before lived in an oil town and I am still continually surprised by the fact that anywhere there is oil you'll find an oil pump. I didn't get any pictures but in almost every neighborhood we drove through there were working oil wells.

We stopped as the sun was setting and I caught this shot of the sun and its reflection in the marsh/reservoir.

So all in all today was a fantastic day playing tourist in Azerbaijan. It has made me really excited for spring and the opportunity to finally get out in the country and do some more exploring beyond Baku.