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