We had to cover large distances 4-5hours driving to see various interesting areas. One being Quba region and the hill villages to the far north east of Azerbaijan. Again we went out of the city and through the desert to hills with some green and then into the mountains with lush forests. There were many areas in which to picnic and have food cooked and all over Azerbaijan were small stalls, cafes and restaurants even in the desert areas to service the locals and the many Russian tourists all over the country. We only heard a couple of German accents as we visited tourist areas otherwise they seemed to be Azeris or Russians.
We stopped at a local restaurant with small huts perched precariously over the fast flowing river below so we opted for the one next to the kitchen which was on firmer ground.
The following day the three of us set out for Kungut (pronounced Kunjut) Village near the city of Sheki in the
far north of the country towards the Caucasus mountains. Vugar stopped and bought us local bread and cheese.
The locals eat bread and many varieties of cheese for breakfast and nearly every meals starts with a basket of bread, a selection of cheeses and plates of tomatoes, fresh herbs and cucumber.
We went up to the mountain village of Lahic on the way with it’s lovely old architecture and where they
sold every kind of herb and spice, most of which I couldn’t identify and a lot of sheepskin products.
I didn’t know when I booked our accommodation above Kungut village that the last 10minutes was on a rocky road
which lead up into the mountainside. It was however a beautiful location and we were given a suite which overlooked the countryside below. In the early mornings we could hear the jackals answering the Iman’s prayers
which created a bit of a din for a while.
We ventured into Sheki the next day and Vugar stopped at a clinic to be checked over – he wasn’t feeling well
so we agreed we would just wait and see how long he would be. They gave him a script for some injections and he
asked me if I could give him the injections every day! Like in Italy it seems anyone can give you an injection.
I politely said no. The pharmacy manager spoke to us and also wanted to practise his English.
He wanted to know what it was like in Prague where he was going to move. He only earned about $200 a month in Sheki and could make $2000 a month in Prague. His wife was a nurse at the clinic and he introduced her to us.
They had two children but he was going to go on his own for a start and his wife was going to learn English in the meantime. He kindly said if we needed anything to let him know.
There were large areas of apple orchards everywhere and some apples that we tried were very tasty.
Towards evening there were many cows walking along the road or in the middle of the road towards their homes. We felt like we were in India again! There was also a lot of local honey produced and for sale along the
roads as well as sides of lamb and corn to be roasted.