“And I think to myself…. what a wonderful world.”

• Louis Armstrong

This trip was another excellent opportunity to maximize our travel experience from the UAE – barely enough time to watch an in-flight movie.  We chose this destination based on feedback from some of our travelling friends.  These countries would be unlikely as stand-alone destinations from the USA but work out well from the UAE.  Initially, we considered trying to pick up all three neighbors here – Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia – but some hostilities in the area don’t make it that simple so we settled on two of the three.  For US passport holders, Georgia is simple, requiring no visa.  Azerbaijan requires an inexpensive single-entry visa ($24) that we picked up online at www.evisa.gov.az. We found out later that we could have gotten this on arrival due to our UAE resident visa status, but better to have visa in hand anyway.  The Azerbaijan visa questionnaire asks if you have been to the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region, so if you plan to travel to both Armenia and Azerbaijan, make sure you go to Azerbaijan first.  We always obtain travel insurance as a free credit card benefit (but you still have to apply for it), fortunately, we have never had to use it.

Georgia and Azerbaijan have similarities, but many significant differences.  Some of the highlights:

• Georgia as a country first unified in 1088. Azerbaijan wasn’t founded until 1918.  Both were part of the USSR from 1920/1921 until 1991.
• Both are comparatively small in size and population.  Azerbaijan is the 111^th largest country at 33,400 square miles; Georgia is 119^th at 26,900 square miles.  Azerbaijan is 91^st in population with about 10 million people; Georgia is 130^th with 3.7 million people.
• Azerbaijan is primarily a dry semi-arid steppe, bordered on the east by the Caspian Sea.  Georgia has a more Mediterranean climate as you approach the western border on the Black Sea.  They share a common east-west border, with the Caucasus Mountains on their northern borders.
• Azerbaijan boasts a much higher GDP than Georgia due to oil wealth.  Georgia has virtually no oil or natural gas, relying on hydro power for electricity.  Key industries for Georgia include agriculture, mining, and wine making.
• Azerbaijan is ~97% Muslim; Georgia is ~83% Orthodox Christian.  Both countries live in religious harmony for the most part.  Alcohol is readily available in both.
• Despite a heavily Muslim population, Azerbaijan has no official state religion and has excellent trade relations with Israel. Israel is Azerbaijan’s fifth largest trading partner, and Israel imports 40% of its oil from Azerbaijan.
• At the time of this trip, the Azerbaijani Manat was worth 59₵, the Georgian Lari was 34₵.

We arrived in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, on a warm clear afternoon to a new modern airport. Navigating in English has generally not been too much of a challenge in our travels, but we had a few problems on this trip.  It took a few minutes to figure out the ATM machine, then negotiations with a cabbie resulted in us getting in the wrong cab, not the one our hotel had arranged.  Both were minor problems and soon we were checked into our hotel for the next three nights – the Winter Park Hotel ($138/night including municipality fee).  This price is a little higher than we normally pay but was within walking distance to everything we wanted to see in the central city.  The hotel was in a part of town previously known as Sovetski, a low rent district during the Soviet era known for drugs and high crime. The government bought out the landlords, tore down the run-down housing, and built a walking park surrounded by new hotels less than a half mile from the waterfront on the Caspian Sea.

We settled into our room, then headed out into the warm afternoon sunshine to explore our surroundings.  “Lonely Planet” is our preferred travel guidebook for travelling. It described Baku as “the architectural love child of Dubai and Paris”, a colorful description I probably would not have come up with, but I can understand the thought.  The city is a blend of historic buildings, including the old walled city and new modern buildings highlighted by “The Flame Towers”, a trio of 600-foot towers that have a spectacular light show at night.  We headed to the bayfront through tree-lined streets, passing through Fountain Square with several fountains, restaurants, shops, and beautiful stands of trees.  I noted how clean everything was.  I read virtually every adult male smokes, yet still saw very few butts on the ground, and the central square area was completely free of trash.

We passed a gigantic chessboard with pieces a meter tall as we neared the bayfront.  The players were very focused, and dozens of spectators enjoyed the game as well.  Some of the observers tracked the strategy of the players on their smartphones. I learned chess is a popular and serious pastime in the Caucuses.  Gary Kasparov of Azerbaijan is considered one of the greatest chess players of all time.

The bayfront is a wide stone brick promenade several kilometers long on the Caspian Sea. Parks line the promenade with lots of vendors selling coffee, ice cream, and a personal favorite of mine – the popcorn man. We meandered down the bayfront to the old walled city, sightseeing through the cobbled streets. We stopped for a green beer (he said it popular in the region but we never saw it again) and enjoyed background music of Elvis Presley, Chubby Checker, and Roy Orbison.  US cultural influence is widespread – not dominant – we often see US sports team/player jerseys and ballcaps, Levi’s, Hollywood, various National Parks, and a surprising amount of NASA shirts.  And of course, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola.  We had a pleasant outdoor dinner and called it a day.

The next morning, we were up early for our Gobustan and Absheron tour ($118 for both of us through Baku City Tours). This full day tour took us to several of the local highlights – the Bibi-Heybat Mosque, mud volcanoes, petroglyphs at Gobustan National Park, Ateshgah Fire Temple, and Yanar Dag Fire Mountain.  We were picked up at our hotel, then drove around town for a bit to pick up our other guests. This small but interesting group included a dentist from Saudi Arabia, a city planner from Holland, and a young man from Singapore as well as our two young local guides. I find no pleasure in discussing US politics these days, but we had a good time chatting about all manner of issues with this group as we drove between the sites. Our Saudi friend expressed the opinion that his country should move forward and make peace with Israel.

We stopped by a local market to grab snacks. I noticed what looked like gallon glass jars of yogurt brought in by local farmers, as well as stacks of pomegranates.  Mahabat, one of our young guides, told me over 30 varieties of pomegranates are grown in the region. He was an interesting young man. He worked very hard in his spare time on this tour group while taking classes full time and hopes to work in America when he graduates. Young men of his caliber should be welcome in any country.

Our first stop, the Bibi-Heybat Mosque, was only built in the 1990s, but it is a recreation of the mosque with the same name built in the 13th century. That mosque was completely destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1936. A seventh-generation descended granddaughter of the prophet Muhammad is buried here.  I observed visibly shaken and teary eyed abaya clad women stand in the presence of the tomb. There are a lot of interesting things to observe in this world.  I try to be as objective as possible when I watch such things and try to imagine what I am seeing through their eyes.

From there we headed on to the mud volcanoes. The term ‘volcano’ is a bit strong for these geological formations.  They are only a few meters high, with a warm clay/mud mixture gurgling, burping, and oozing at their ‘summit’. Mud volcanoes are associated with oil fields. Azerbaijan has more of these than any other country, with about 350 of the some 800 identified worldwide.  Gasses from deep in the earth can sometimes ignite immediately when emitted.  These were interesting to see, but the most exciting part of this part of the tour was the local cars we reached the site in. About 10-15 km from the volcanoes, we reached the end of the paved road.  The remaining road was too rough to make the remaining transit in.  Rather than continue in some sort of rugged 4WD vehicle, we moved over to small 30-year-old Russian ‘Lada’ cars in various states of disrepair. Our local drivers raced through the rough terrain the rest of the way.  We admired the lack of shock absorbers and the screw drivers jammed in the windows to keep the glass up as we bounced from rut to rut.  Sometimes it is hard to predict what form adventure will take.

Next on the agenda were the petroglyphs of Gobustan National Park.  The petroglyphs here, estimated to be some 10,000 years old, depict a warm climate with large animals. Over 4000 petroglyphs have been found in the region, carved over a period of a few thousand years. One interesting natural formation is a large curved stone called the Gaval Dash. This stone can be touched lightly with another rock and emits a unique musical sound. We spent about an hour surveying the grounds of the park and the flat plane looking toward the Caspian Sea to the east.

After lunch at a local diner we moved on to our next highlight, the Ateshgah Fire Temple.  ‘Atash’ is the Persian word for fire.  This castle-like temple was a Hindu, Sikh, and Zoroastrian place of worship for centuries.  A natural gas vent burned for many years until a century of oil and gas exploration finally extinguished the source.  A fire still burns today, courtesy of a gas line from the city nearby. Our last stop was Yanar Dag Mountain. A roaring fire burns here from a natural gas vent that has burned for over 50 years. The flame on this day withstood a ferocious wind that was nearly enough to blow us over as we walked.

We returned to our hotel, then headed back towards the bay walk in search of a restaurant.  Despite being on the sea, there are numerous restaurants with street side entrances to large underground dining areas. We enjoyed local cuisine at Dolma Restaurant. In what seemed odd to me, this large modern city was very reluctant to accept credit cards even at large establishments. Typical of our travels in other European and Asian countries, telling the waiter you are done eating is different from asking them for the bill. It is assumed you are there to relax for some time after eating unless you specifically ask for the bill. After dinner we walked took a walk down the promenade and watch the light show at Flame Towers. Over 10,000 LED lights sequence through a computer-controlled animation that lights up the 30 story towers through a sequence of flames, tumbling waters, and the national flag.

The next day was a leisurely day with no real schedule.  We looked up the nearest market and found the Baku Bazaar was nearby.  These are always my favorite. A unique feature at this one was the amount of large glass jars of canned goods – grape leaves, pickles, olives, mushrooms and many more I couldn’t identify.  These made for colorful displays, along with goat heads that seem to be an item in demand in this part of the world.  Sturgeon a meter long or more were on ice, with tins of caviar for sell. Pomegranate vendors squeezed fresh juice for us, and we bought some fresh peaches and pears to take back to the room.

We headed back to the old town. After a sidewalk cappuccino, we walked through the old city and looked at the shops. The Guinness World Record for largest collection of miniature books (2913 books, generally about 3 inches tall) was one such shop. A tour of the Maiden’s Tower was our last site to visit. This uniquely shaped tower dates back to the 12^th century.  Most of its history is subject to speculation, but it is a well-known tower and appears on the national currency. We paid $17.60 for two tickets to climb to the top, learn about its history with exhibits on each level, and view the surrounding city and waterfront from the top.  After a leisurely walk, we had dinner and enjoyed the fountains after dark.

Our arrival in Baku from Abu Dhabi had been effortless but navigating the airport for our short flight from Baku to Tbilisi was one of our slowest to date. No particular issue, just every step was slow, and the $420 round trip air fare for the two of us was comparatively expensive for the 70-minute flight. That’s just part of travelling though, and we arrived in Tbilisi on a pleasantly cool afternoon with a beautiful clear blue sky. A hotel driver was waiting on us and drove us to our boutique hotel just a few blocks from Freedom Square in the center of town, the Shota @ Rustaveli where we stayed the next three nights ($156/night).  Downtown hotels are definitely more expensive, but, depending on our itinerary, they sure make sightseeing much more convenient.  We had a reference from friends for this hotel and we certainly enjoyed the spacious layout with hardwood floors, tub bath, and excellent restaurant downstairs.

We settled in, then explored the area for a while, working our way into the old city. The streets were lined with trees just beginning to take on fall colors. The cobblestone streets of the old city were packed with cabbies offering transportation to any of the sites in Georgia you may care to see.  Occasional people with all sorts of handicaps sat serenely on the sidewalk with a cup held out for alms.  I wonder sometimes what their story is, and make a contribution as the spirit moves me.  Food vendors sold colorful strands of churchkhela. Originally developed as a durable food source for soldiers, these are nuts or fruit on a string that has been repeatedly dipped like candles in a mixture of concentrated grape juice, sugar, and flour to build up a thick waxy layer. Every store seemed to sell the famous Georgian wines.  We stopped at a sidewalk café and had a tasty snack of khinkali, a small inexpensive dumpling popular in the region. Ours were stuffed with mushrooms but many fillings are available.

I admired the Metekhi church high on a bluff overlooking the Mtkvari River on the opposite side of the street (I am always uncertain how to pronounce four consonants in a row). This is a picturesque Georgian Orthodox church dating back at least eight centuries. I asked a policeman where the nearest crosswalk was, he proceeded to block six lanes of traffic to escort me across the street to take a picture!

We headed back to the hotel, looking for a place to buy a bottle of wine,  Our hotel concierge directed us just a few hundred meters hotel to a combination wine store/wine bar where they had several dozen types of wine by the glass, either small, medium, or large. We had a small sample, then bought a bottle of a red wine made in the Georgian trademark tradition of fermenting in a Qvevri, egg shaped earthenware vessels buried in the ground for fermenting the wine. This process is uniquely Georgian and has been in use for 8000 years.  We took this back to our hotel room and were not disappointed.

We were up early for an outstanding breakfast at our hotel.  Besides excellent Eggs Benedict, we enjoyed several features we don’t often see for breakfast – hard boiled quail eggs, chicken liver pate, churchkhela, homemade cottage cheese, baked pumpkin, nadughi (a cheese product made by souring milk into small curds), and fresh squeezed pomegranate juice.

Visiting the hot sulfur baths was first on our agenda for the day.  We walked to the old town enjoying the cool morning air.  Several private bath houses are in the old town, easily recognized by their tile roofs and roof vents.  We selected the Chreli Abano Sulfur Bath and Spa.  Several rooms of different sizes were available for 2 to 10 people. Our choice included the sulfur bath, a cold-water shower, a changing bench and toilet for 52 lari/hour (~$18). The water had a strong but not overpowering sulfur smell, and it didn’t linger.  It was advertised as 42°C in the baths but felt hotter – submersion was possible but not for long. It wasn’t long before I could feel the pulse in my face and had to step out every few minutes for a quick cold shower. We enjoyed this treat, but an hour was enough. We showered and headed back out into the cool early morning.

Old Town Tbilisi is in the shadows of Narikala Fortress on Sololaki Ridge. After a leisurely cappuccino, we climbed the hill to the fortress to look out over the city.  This castle dates back to the 8^th century, occupied at various times by Persians, Turks, Arabs, and Russians. The walk was just enough to be stimulating without tiring. We headed back down the hill looking for a lunch spot. Another box to check on this trip was having a khatchapuri, a calorie-laden national signature dish made of bread and cheese with an egg on top.  There are several varieties, ours was baked in a round clay dish.  We selected a pitcher of fresh squeezed lemonade for our beverage, served tart with a separate bottle of sugar water.  After lunch we walked along the river, checking out the shops, and took a stroll across the Peace Bridge.  Dinner was tarragon trout and ricotta ravioli with bacon.

Our trip the next morning was the “Wine Tasting Tour in Kakheti” through Evatour ($102 for both of us, including hotel pickup and expenses for the day – except dinner – more on that later).  The Kakheti region is the largest and most productive of the five wine making regions in Georgia, producing 70% of the nation’s grapes. Georgia boasts over 500 native varieties including some found nowhere else. Our tour guide for the day was a portly fellow named Alex. He was a native of Ukraine (USSR when he lived there) but has spent most of his life in Georgia. He was at no loss for words throughout the day.  We picked up our other group members for the day – one each from the UK, America, and Singapore and drove east from Tbilisi through the beautiful clear sky morning to our first stop, the Giuaani Winery near the small town of Sagregjo.

A young lady named Nini showed us the grounds, including a trip through the vineyard to sample the ripe grapes, a walk through the fermentation area, and the chemistry lab where the process is monitored throughout. The fermentation area is divided into two sections – one where wine is fermented in the more modern western style of above ground fermentation vats, and the other using the more ancient, uniquely Georgian style using underground earthenware qvevris. By far most of their wine sales come from the more modern process – the old way only makes up about 5% of the total. Still, the qvevri process remains very popular and maintains a loyal following. We observed the area where they have about 20 qvevris buried that contain about 2000 liters each.  The wine is fermented in these vessels along with the skins, seeds, and stems giving a golden or amber hue to the white varieties of wine. The qvevri is filled with the juice/skin/seed/stem mixture after pressing, then sealed with a clay lid made airtight with a sand layer.  The fermentation gases are vented daily for about two months, then the final fermentation takes another five or six months.  When the wine is removed for bottling, the remaining residue in the vessel is removed and further distilled to make a beverage similar to grappa known as chacha. This potent brandy ranges from 40-65% alcohol and is an important part of many celebrations and after dinner toasts. The last step in the process is cleaning the qvevri for another batch. This is a two-man operation where one enters the tank and sings while removing leftover residue and sealing the vessel walls with beeswax. If he stops singing, the individual outside the tank know there is trouble and pulls him out.

After observing the various areas, we returned to the visitor center where we sampled several different wine varieties and a couple of chachas, along with some cheese and local bread.  This was an educational morning for us.

We left the winery and continued east towards the small village of Badtauri, stopping at a small nondescript roadside building.  Turns out this was our lunch spot. A woman inside was baking fresh bread in a deep circular clay oven called a tone (‘ton-AY’).  The coals of a wood fire heat this open oven where a long, pointed bread called shotis puri is made.  This popular Georgian bread is served with virtually every meal. We were given the opportunity to roll out our own loaves from dough and stick them on the inside wall of the oven.  They cook in just a few minutes then are pulled from the wall with a special tool.  Our lack of talent was obvious from the appearance of our loaves, and we had the chance to burn the hair off our arms at the same time while trying to stick the shaped dough on the wall of the oven.  Still, this was a fun experience with traditional Georgian food. We overindulged on a lunch of hot fresh bread loaves peeled open and stuffed with fresh tomatoes and cheese before getting back on the road.

Our next stop was the beautiful Bodbe Monastery of St. Nino. This is the resting place of St. Nino. The daughter of a Roman general, she brought Christianity to Georgia in the third century, and is held on par with the Apostles by many. The grounds are well manicured with many flowers and vineyards, overlooking the broad Alazani Valley with the Caucasus Mountains in the distance.

After a brief stop in the picturesque Tuscany-like town Sighnaghi, we came down off the mountains to our last stop, dinner at the home of a local family ($33 for both of us, including tip). We had already had a long day, and my expectations were low. We pulled up in front of a house that looked more like a garage than a diner, but that all changed the moment we stepped inside. A barrel for making grape juice was the first item we saw, and we had the chance to squeeze our own.  Closer examination revealed dozens of kiwi vines loaded with fruit hanging from overhead, with flowers, pumpkins, and peppers growing on the grounds. The adjacent room was said to be about 300 years old with several qvevri buried in one half, and a simple table with chairs in the other half.  Two simple overhead light bulbs hanging down lit the room full of various antiques and wine-making tools.

Our hostess filled the table to overflowing with authentic Georgian fare – khatchapuri, khinkali, beets, carrots, tomatoes, grilled pork, fresh bread and cheese, peppers, cucumbers, and of course, carafes of red and wine that were constantly refilled. Two young locals sang Georgian folk songs and played what looked like a fiddle for us.  We took turns making toasts from a horn, the idea being that you must drink the entire contents since you can’t set the horn down with wine still in it.  This was a truly special evening.

We returned to Azerbaijan the next morning and had one last pleasant afternoon before our return to Abu Dhabi.  As our driver took us to the airport, we watched the landscape of this new land go by while listening to Louis Armstrong play “What a wonderful world” on the radio. This event filled week was a bargain compared to other places we have visited at $2854 for both of us for flights, hotel rooms including Abu Dhabi before and after the trip, all meals, tours, and souvenirs.