Trip to Baku – Day 3

Hello fabulous folks eagerly counting down to day 3 of our Baku escapades! I rolled out of my delightful cloud of a bed, took a shower that could rival a spa day, and somehow managed to get ready without losing a sock. Today’s grand adventure? Shahdang!

We sauntered off for breakfast, where I definitely did not overindulge—promise! After that, it was back to our room for a frantic gather-up of essentials: gloves, camera, and of course, snacks! Finally, we met our partners in crime at the reception and piled into the van, ready to conquer whatever hilarity awaited us!

It was a marathon of a trip to Shahdang, and my friend and I blissfully commandeered the back seat like two royalty on a quest for snacks, dozing off like we were in hibernation mode. In the midst of my berry-induced dreams, I jolted awake to the magical sight of a person peddling strawberries—clearly, the universe wanted us to embrace our inner adventurers with a bucket of berries! We annihilated that entire bucket like it was the last dessert on Earth, despite me being half in dreamland. As we trudged towards the mountains, the view was so breathtakingly beautiful that even my sleepy self considered waking up for it!

Eventually, we ascended into the mountains, where the weather decided to play a practical joke and shower us with snow—much to the dismay of our tour guide who confidently proclaimed there would be no snow! We geared up for the icy assault, precisely as we stumbled out of the van, looking like human icicles ready to take on the polar vortex!

After a much-needed bathroom break, we discovered we had selected the wrong gloves—cue the slapstick music! Our hands were so soaked from snow that they might as well have been dipped in a swimming pool. So, off we trundled to a nearby store, because who doesn’t love an unplanned shopping spree for the right gloves?

With our new snug hand-huggers, we approached the cable car like pros. But first, an epic snowball fight erupted; snowflakes flew as we became snow-covered warriors! Finally, we boarded the cable car, and lo and behold, the snow decided to double-down on its density. But no worries—the view was so stunning it could make a snowman weep with joy!

When we finally conquered the peak, the real fun began—imagine a bunch of people trying to run on snow, only to discover that gravity doesn’t care about your plans! After a flurry of pictures, the snow decided to take a turn for the dense, so we plotted our escape. As we descended, I pleaded with my dad to open the window so we could get the full “snow experience,” you know, other than just freezing in place.

When we finally reached the bottom, I took one glance at my dad, and I swear he looked like a polar bear who’d lost a bet—he was practically wearing a winter coat of snow! With the cold biting at our noses, we dashed to the shop where we snagged those shiny new gloves, all for the sake of basking in the glory of a heater!

After that brain freeze from the thought of a snowstorm, we decided to brave the roller coaster – because who doesn’t love a good adrenaline rush paired with frostbite? I embarked on this wild ride with my dad, taking turns while the first three brave souls went screaming into the abyss.

Meanwhile, the rest of our crew chose the cozy safety of a coffee shop, probably plotting to take over the world while keeping an eye on our pint-sized two-year-old human tornado. While we waited, we caffeine-fueled ourselves into oblivion; I treated myself to a latte – because nothing says “I’m about to hop on a dizzying ride” like a fancy coffee. We even snagged some french fries, because if you’re going to ride a roller coaster, you might as well do it on a diet of carbs and chaos!

After those other groups had their fun, it was finally our turn to brave the wild. First things first, we made a pit stop at the restroom—because nobody wants to add “wet seat” to their resume while soaring through the sky! Then off we went, and let me tell you, it was a rollercoaster of emotions: boring, scary, and downright amazing all at once! We climbed to the top of the mountains, waved hello to the clouds, and swapped seats again (because nothing says teamwork like a good old-fashioned shuffle!). The descent was nothing short of epic—think action movie without the stunt double! And after all that thrill, we cashed in on photos, only to realize we turned into a collection of blurry blobs. Who needs to see faces when you can have mystery?

That roller coaster was the crown jewel of today’s escapade! After that thrilling ride, we swaggered over to the coffee shop to rendezvous with our group, only to discover one of the little kids munching on snow like it was cotton candy at a fair. We were all set to zipline into the wild blue yonder, but alas, that dream was dashed—it was closed, probably for ‘safety’ or some other boring reason. So, we grabbed some snapshots to immortalize our day and hopped into our trusty van. Inside, we cranked up the heat and feasted on a lunch/snack combo that would make any gourmet chef green with envy!

By the time we rolled into Baku city, night had already thrown its party hat on. We decided to summon some food online like modern-day wizards, and after what felt like an eternity (or maybe just a few minutes), we finally checked into our hotel. We arrived just in time for our culinary magic to unfold, as our food materialized shortly after—talk about timing!

For dinner, we feasted on parota, paneer butter masala, butter chicken, and cumin rice—the ultimate showdown between our taste buds! After stuffing ourselves, we slumped in front of the TV, bid our friend a sleepy goodnight, and drifted off, dreaming of the epic adventures awaiting us the next day—or at least hoping there would be no food comas involved!

And now, brace yourselves for photo time! I hope you’re ready to be dazzled by my so-called “professional” photography skills—just don’t forget to adjust your expectations!

I’ll catch you tomorrow for an adventure! Hopefully, it involves fewer awkward encounters and more snacks!

The End

Trip to Baku – Day 2

Hello to all you fabulous people eagerly sitting on the edge of your seats waiting to hear about my thrilling day 2 in Baku! So, we crashed at this place called Diamond Hotel—because who doesn’t want to rest their head where the only thing shiny is the name? It’s a 3-star hotel, but trust me, it vibes like it’s sitting on a cloud made of a million stars, just minus the actual celestial bodies. The room was nice, the bed cradled me like a baby in a hammock, and honestly, everything about the hotel was so perfect that I half expected a royal trumpet to sound every time I opened the door!

For breakfast, I devoured a boiled egg that looked like it had a serious identity crisis, a sunny side up egg that was practically winking at me, sausage links that were clearly born for a talent show, pancakes stacked high enough to challenge gravity, delicate crepes just waiting to be unrolled for a runway show, and cupcakes that were so pretty I felt guilty eating them. And there was a mysterious spread that resembled custard cream on bread—clearly, avant-garde cuisine at its finest!

Since we were playing a dangerous game of “when will we eat lunch?”, my mom and a few stealthy adults pulled off a heist, sneaking snacks like we were on a secret mission, just in case we were stranded in the van forever. After our feast fit for royalty, we hopped into the van and headed to Gobustan museum, where the first thing that caught my eye was a bunch of Stone Age folks chilling in their trendy straw huts—definitely the original hipsters!

We wandered into the museum, which seemed to be a time capsule dedicated to the Stone Age, Paleolithic Age, and Neolithic Age—talk about a prehistoric overload! It felt like my grade 3 SST lessons were crashing back like a bad pop quiz. As I gazed at the ancient artworks, I half expected Picasso to pop out from behind a rock and yell, “Whoa, what an amazing masterpiece!”

After a while, some of my friends announced they needed a bathroom break, probably after being overwhelmed by the ancient vibes. So, I took the opportunity to snap some selfies with my trusty camera—who wouldn’t want a photo with friends in front of art older than their great-grandparents? Oh, and I even caught a close-up of a ladybird; I’m pretty sure that counts as another ‘masterpiece’!

Then we decided to ascend the Gobustan mountain, and let me tell you, the view was so spectacular I half-expected a dragon to swoop down and ask for directions! We stumbled upon ancient drawings and historic spots that practically screamed, “Look! People used to party here!” In a nearby shop, we encountered this delightful old lady who was crafting Azerbaijani food known as Qutabi. It was scrumptious—imagine a thin bread stuffed with cheese or greens that could probably convince you to abandon all dietary restrictions! Later, we discovered a trio of antique cars that looked like they were straight out of a museum exhibit titled “Things That Should Absolutely Not Be Driven.”

We hopped in one, which was an adventure in itself, and zoomed off to the mud volcano. The ride felt like a wild amusement park attraction, thanks to our driver who I swear was a grandfather straight out of a sitcom! He navigated roads so thrilling I thought I was on a rollercoaster – without the safety bar, mind you! My ride was a champ, but my buddy’s car needed two people to slam the door shut from the outside—talk about a two-man job!

After we rolled up to the land of volcanoes, I was simply flabbergasted to see grey mud shooting out of the ground like it was competing in an art show! They say this mud is great for skin, but of course, we forgot to bring a bottle—so much for my spa plans! And guess what?

I spotted a volcano that looked like it was just waiting for its lava debut! Meanwhile, my dad and some other adults were getting cozy with the fire as if it were a campfire marshmallow roast. We snapped some unforgettable photos and then hopped back to our van, taking the scenic route in what felt like a rollercoaster ride with our car.

Then we stumbled into a restaurant and decided to try something fancy called Pilaf, which is basically briyani but with a side of dry fruits—because who needs spice, right? We also went wild with spaghetti and fries, because why not mix cultures? And let’s not forget about Qutabi, which sounds exotic but is mostly just delicious. Right next to the restaurant was a fire temple, because obviously, after stuffing ourselves, we needed to learn how this country came to be.

After that, we traipsed over to this mountain whose name escapes me—probably because I was too busy trying to remember where I left my sanity. There was a fire there too, which made me wonder if we’d accidentally wandered onto a camping trip gone wrong. While my friends were risking life and limb on the bridge, I opted for the safer route of browsing the souvenir shop with my mom.

It was cold enough to make penguins look like they were sunbathing, so I snagged a pomegranate fridge magnet—because clearly, my kitchen needed more fruit that doesn’t spoil! To my surprise, I also spotted an exact painting of my two feathered troublemakers; perhaps they were moonlighting as art models. Once my brave friends returned from the mountain’s treacherous side, we headed back to our van, ready to embark on our last adventure of the day—hopefully one without any unnecessary rock climbing!

Our last destination was the Heydar Aliyev Centrum, which was technically closed – because who needs art when you have a great excuse to take selfies? We snapped some pics near the “I Love Baku” sign, and I treated myself to a latte while the others munched on who-knows-what! After our photo op, we squeezed back into our van like a can of overstuffed sausages and headed to the hotel. As for dinner, I was too stuffed from lunch to eat—seriously, I could’ve rolled away! Meanwhile, my friends devoured shawarma, chapati, and dal like they were training for a food Olympics!

I swapped my day clothes for my jammies, looking like a fashion disaster, and sank into bed pondering my epic plans for Azerbaijan—should I climb a mountain or just try not to trip over my own feet while sampling too much baklava?

Now here are some dazzling snapshots I snapped today — brace yourselves for a visual rollercoaster! Enjoy the ride!

Tomorrow, I’ll waltz in with a shiny new adventure that’s more exciting than a cat in a room full of laser pointers!

The End