The Caucasus or bust

 

Oh no, he’s at it again!

 

My quest for “new countries” continues. I’m currently sat at 60, and let’s be honest, a few of them could be considered dubious (Kazakhstan, Guernsey, Yugoslavia etc). Even counting the dodgy ones I’m still 4 short of my target – i.e. as many as I am years old!

I’d really like to be at 65 by the end of this year, but that may prove to be a challenge, as I want to do a road trip across 3 Balkan countries without any direct plans except a flight in and a flight out. That involves getting to Sofia (Bulgaria) and coming home from Pristina (Kosovo) going via Skopje (North Macedonia). As yet, I’ve not got clearance for this, or anyone stupid enough to do it with me. Work in progress!

However, onto more immediate matters, I’m off to Azerbaijan and Georgia imminently. As with last year’s ill-fated Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan jaunt, I’m going on an organised tour using Intrepid Travel. Before you ask, yes, I’m a bit anxious that things could go belly up again – it’s not like I’m getting any younger, sadly! Although Cate had seemed interested in joining me, she ultimately chose not to. A combination of just not wanting to go badly enough, combined with an anxiety about being so close to lovely cuddly Russia.



No dodgy places or areas nearby! (Don't look too closely)

Once again, I imagine you’ll be thinking “why on earth has the idiot chosen to go there?”. Simple. Just like our trip to the Stan’s a couple of years ago, this was inspired by the first series of Race Around The World. In particular, Georgia’s capital, Tblisi struck me as somewhere I’d like to visit. Further investigations into Georgia led me to awesome photos of Gergeti Trinity Church near Stepantsminda – high up in the mountains, just 12 kilometres from the Russian border. That was pretty much it. I had to find a trip that goes there!


That should be enough to convince you why I want to go
Gergeti Trinity Church

Of course, in the wider context of visiting more countries, going all that way just to visit Georgia would be pure folly! The various companies offered a choice of an Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia combination or Georgia/Azerbaijan. The former offerings tended to be c3weeks, which was longer than I really wanted to be away. Furthermore the 3-country option meant I had to begin/end in either Armenia or Azerbaijan, with Georgia sandwiched in between them. I specifically wanted to end in Georgia, but that was not possible because the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia is closed – thanks to the conflict in the Nagorno Karabakh region. I'm very much viewing Azerbaijan as the support act, with Georgia coming on to blow me away later!


The route from Baku to Tblisi

So here I am feeling the usual mix of excitement and anxiety as the departure date approaches. Last year my anxiety was mainly about simply getting into Turkmenistan, but this time it’s really just regarding health! There’s nothing I can do now to change that, so what will be, will be! I couldn’t help but wonder if a serious lack of sleep across the first five nights of last year's trip caused my Bell’s Palsy. Consequently, I’m going out 24 hours early to try and acclimatise before the tour starts. Like last year, I’m doing overnight flights via Istanbul, so getting some sleep in once I arrive in Baku will be important. It’ll have to be carefully balanced as I’ve already identified a football match to attend on my first evening in the city – an opportunity too good to miss!


Modern Baku


Old Baku

I’m not sure if I’ll write a blog “real time” whilst I’m away. I do at least have the option, thanks to both countries allowing normal access to the internet/social media etc. However, it takes so much time to write, that it can distract from “living in the moment” whilst away. I might just make notes and write it sequentially upon my return. Wait and see!

Here's a couple of photos of places on the route.......


Q'obustan Mud Volcanoes - Azerbaijan

Lahij - Azerbaijan


Caravanserai - Sheki, Azerbaijan


Tblisi, Georgia


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