 Anita and Khaled, driving to the airport. |
 The stretch limo in NYC! |
 Anita and Christopher, digging the limo. |
 Anita, Margie, Mark, Jan and Christopher in Grand Central Station, NYC. |
 Trump Tower, near the U.N., several blocks from the hotel in NYC. |
 Loading up to travel to JFK airport: Anita, Margie, Mark, Christa, Christopher, Jan. |
 Anita at the Baku airport. Feeling excited and blurry! |
 Karat Inn in Baku. Nifty big bed. |
 Karat Inn in Baku. Notice the lack of wall hangings. |
 Toilet in Karat Inn. The little door on the wall leads to pipes and shut-off valves. |
 First morning in Baku, looking left out my hotel window. This man rested there for a long time. |
 Straight out my hotel window in Baku. |
 Looking to the right out my hotel window in Baku, directly into some yards. |
 Heydar Aliyev square, near the hotel. It's paved with gleaming marble that is regularly polished. Very expensive. |
 Anita in Heydar Aliyev square. Looking tour-tastic in the hat! |
 More Hayder Aliyev square. Remarkably luxurious, especially in contrast to everywhere else. |
 Anita with Gulheiran Rahimova, director of the Baku State University Department of International Ed. & Research Programs. |
 Mark looking puzzled in front of the Institute of Radiation Problems. YOU figure it out. |
 Kerry, Christa et al in Baku. |
 Street in Baku. Not sure what I was aiming for. |
 Tourist stuff for sale in Baku. |
 Art for sale. I bought a small painting here on my last day, as did Mark. Awesome stuff. |
 Temptations in Baku. |
 The boulevard in Baku. Not too populated during the heat of the afternoon. |
 A U.S.-style restaurant with mirrored windows. We drank tea while watching passers-by groom themselves, oblivious to us. |
 "Old City" wall in Baku. |
 Interesting, if poorly photographed, art on the side of a military building in the Old City. |
 Military presence in Baku. |
 The group wandering in the Old City. |
 Statue children leaning out to see us in Baku. |
 Old City wandering in Baku |
 Mark gets goofy on a giant art-phone. It was in a cool art gallery called "Gallery of Minatures," but nothing was miniature. |
 Mark gets serious on the art-phone. The phone actually worked! |
 More "Gallery of Miniatures." Note the lack of anything small. |
 Interestingly weathered floor in the Gallery of Miniatures. |
 Across from the Maiden Tower. Ancient stuff brought up from the sea floor, which includes Arabic writing. |
 Random image across from the Maiden Tower. |
 A cool thing with interesting carving/ writing near the Maiden Tower. |
 Maiden Tower and a tree. |
 Denied! Maiden Tower is seriously closed and locked up tightly! |
 Christopher befriends a lazing feline. |
 Kitty-love with Christopher, among the antiques. |
 Say, "pi-SHEEK." Now you can say cat in Azeri. (Looks like our Maxie, only more kitteny.) |
 Stranger-child in huge sandals. Love the slight smile! |
 The geometry of a gate. Baku. |
 Ceiling of Shirvan Shah's Palace. Love the isosceles triangles. |
 Earnest and learned tour guide, with mannequin sidekick, in Shirvan Shah's Palace. Baku. |
 Mark enjoys the Shirvan Shah's Palace, oblivious to the spectral glow. |
 Shirvan Shah's Palace Ceiling detail. Reminds me of Alhambra. Awesome. |
 More cool details of Shirvan Shah's Palace in Baku. |
 Depths of Shirvan Shah's Palace, Baku. |
 Towering at Shirvan Shah's Palace, Baku. |
 Passage at Shirvan Shah's Palace, Baku. |
 Shirvan Shah's Palace, Baku. |
 More Shirvan Shah's Palace, Baku. |
 Children in the alleys of the Old City in Baku. I love the tiny cars all lined up. |
 Mark and Vusal smiling in Caravan Saray restaurant in Baku. We're so glad to see Vusal! |
 A vegetarian's ambrosia at Caravan Saray. Peach juice rocks! |
 Vegetable glory in Baku. So delicious! Have some bread... |
 Music at Caravan Saray. Dig the guy in the back on the right! He would crane out and grin each time we took photos! |
 Christopher enjoys the belly-dancing entertainment. |
 Body in motion... |
 More motion- -without flash. |
 Flash dancing belly dancer. She was awesome! |
 The roof Karat Inn. Christa, Jan, and Margie before breakfast. Already hot! |
 Me, trying not to sweat, on the roof of Karat Inn. |
 View from the roof of Karat Inn, Baku. |
 Random street in Baku. |
 Out the bus window in Baku. |
 Entrance to Ateshgah-- a fire temple in Azerbaijan. |
 Christopher, Ghengis (pronounced chin-GEESE), and the bus outside of Ateshgah. |
 Ateshgah, a Zoroastrian fire temple. |
 Interior of Ateshgah complex. |
 Inside the walls of Ateshgah. |
 Ateshgah |
 More Ateshgah |
 Vusal at Ateshgah |
 Our tour guide at Ateshgah. Vusal translated for her. |
 Tour guide with a mannequin of a dead guy. True fire worshippers wanted to die at Ateshgah to ensure their passage into heaven. |
 Noticing the hole in the floor-- I've forgotten the significance. Anyone? |
 More trippy mannequins at Ateshgah. |
 Mannequin of Zoroastrian ascetic at Ateshgah. |
 From within a chamber at Ateshgah. |
 Looking into the courtyard of Ateshgah. |
 More courtyard of Ateshgah. |
 This girl lingered at our periphery for the entire tour. |
 Jan and Mark enjoy the cool shade of a chamber at Ateshgah. |
 Door-y goodness at Ateshgah. |
 A fire temple's gotta have fire... |
 More Zoroastrian fire at Ateshgah |
 Fire and sky at Ateshgah |
 Got oil? A child rolls on his wheeled board in the vast, smooth parking lot of Ateshgah. |
 View from the roof of Ateshgah. |
 More view from the roof of Ateshgah. |
 Christa, Jan, Margie, Mark, Anita, Christopher on the roof of Ateshgah. |
 Vusal juggles cameras at Ateshgah. Thanks, Vusal! |
 Margie enjoys the all-Azeri storytelling at Ateshgah |
 Margie and the tour guide at Ateshgah exchange ideas. |
 The ever-present lurker-girl at Ateshgah. Candid photo--can you tell? |
 A carpet depicting Zoroaster (Zarathustra) at Ateshgah. |
 The Ateshgah tour guide. |
 Doing paperwork-- Only the young woman's eyes are good enough to read and write fine print. |
 See previous photo-- |
 Ateshgah |
 Children outside of Ateshgah. |
 Christopher engaged these boys and got them wound up. |
 Posing for Christopher's camera while I snapped this. |
 Nifty tattoos on the cool children. |
 A fabulous rolling entertainment system in the parking lot of Ateshgah. |
 Parking lot ornamentation at Ateshgah. |
 Christopher riding a camel in Azerbaijan. |
 Me worshipping fire in the parking lot of Ateshgah. The parking lot was deserted, except for the children. |
 From the bus window. |
 Looking out the bus window. |
 A small "zoo" at a beachy resort where we ate lunch. |
 A depressed peacock. |
 Another depressed peacock. |
 Caspian Sea |
 A totally decroded sandal on the beach. It's covered with barnacles. |
 A Caspian beach. It was madly windy, and the beach was all muddy. Lots of cigarette butts on this day. |
 Me at the Caspian Sea. |
 Looking north. |
 Looking south. |
 Mark flies his towel like a cape. |
 Vusal and Mark enjoy the wind with the towel. |
 The guy with the inner tube had been carefully observing us from a distance. Then this guy showed up and started digging. |
 Vusal deals with the clothing and stuff we were trying to keep dry. |
 Mark, fresh from a swim in the choppy surf, and me. |
 Man with his sand pit. |
 Young man buries slightly older man in sand. Buried man stays in ground approximately 45 seconds. |
 Caspian beach through unused tourist trappings. |
 The exit from this portion of the beach. |
 Kitty that looks like Maxie resting outside my hotel room window. |
 Ethereal-looking Rafael playing his incredible music. |
 Rafael again, with dinner. |
 This is actually a little movie of Rafael. I hope to get it active and viewable soon! |
 Another little movie... |
 Principal of the school at the IDP camp. These people are refugees from Shusha, forced to leave home when Armenia invaded. |
 Vusal translates for us at the IDP camp. (IDP = internally displaced people) |
 Christopher explains how in the U.S., we were taught that the USSR was generally "bad." |
 People pose outdoors for photos after our meeting. |
 Big group photo at the IDP camp. Many are teachers. |
 Another group photo. |
 Children playing in the IDP camp. |
 Two dignified gentlemen at the IDP camp. |
 Children milling around the excitement at the IDP camp. |
 Mark chats with a gentleman in front of the school. |
 Child at IDP camp. |
 Christa and Christopher at Cafe Ekspress, which ironically had the slowest service in all of Azerbaijan!! |
 Mark enjoys the menu in Cafe Ekspress. |
 Projection tv inside Cafe Ekspress that shows Turkish music videos. |
 Jan's looking splendid in her borrowed pearl earrings. |
 A mosque in Baku. |
 The same mosque. |
 Us with an important educational administrator for Az. Our meeting was recorded by the media and aired on tv. |
 Another group photo of same, minus Vusal. |
 Kerry and Jan in the government building. |
 Margie and Christa in the government building. |
 Carpet on marble. Government building. |
 Self-portrait in a shiny elevator door. |
 Carpet intersections, and Jan's arm. |
 On the front steps of the government office building. Caspian blueness beckons. |
 Christa,Vusal and Kerry on the front steps. |
 Mark enjoys the shade. |
 Baba and me pose after the meeting. |
 Sun-baked mosque in Baku. |
 I lag behind as the group presses ahead. |
 Graves of martyrs. |
 More graves in the Alley of Heroes. |
 Monumental structure. Baku. |
 Eight-pointed frame. |
 Diamond-ed Caspian. |
 Security. He quietly trailed our group during our hour-long stroll through the site. |
 Perspective. |
 Leading lines |
 Geometry against sky. |
 Vusal takes aim. |
 Maritime thickets. |
 Azeri space needle? |
 Caspian quietude. |
 That's the building where we had the meeting. |
 Mosque signage. |
 Vusal chats with Christopher. Christopher had just emerged from inside the mosque. |
 Funicular, to take us down the steep hill. |
 Two gents enjoying a game in the shade. |
 Inside the Funicular. Excitement!! |
 Me and Margie thrill at the idea of the Funicular!! |
 Vusal gives up his seat, and stands for the ride in the Funicular! |
 Christopher plays Vanna with Funikulyor sign. |
 Aaaand-- it's the Funikulyor. |
 The sweetest kitten in all of Azerbaijan. It nuzzled, it purred, it made me cry... |
 Me with kitten about 15 seconds before I put him back on the sidewalk,several feet from the busy roundabout where I found him. |
 We went into a high-end furniture store and checked out the comfort level. Very comfortable. |
 Our group in front of an important building in Baku. Must look up the name of this. |
 Photo opportunity with a faux Tele-Tubby. It was scary. |
 Me with Caspian. |
 Exhausted little pup, resting on the grass. Mark pointed it out. I thought it was a plastic bag. |
 Jan wanders over to see what I'm up to. |
 Kerry and Christa discuss life over a bountiful Azeri meal. |
 This was one of two tiny kittens that lingered around our dinner table at the restaurant. |
 Our group in front of the ______ (must look this up). |
 A little display inside the Maiden Tower. These paper mache things were common in museums. |
 Me and Vusal atop the Maiden Tower in Baku. |
 Hellooooo! It's Christa and Jan on the ground outside the Maiden Tower. |
 View from the top of the Maiden Tower. |
 View from atop the Maiden Tower of a wonderful restaurant where we ate. |
 Caspian goodness from the top of the Maiden Tower. |
 Self portrait on top of Maiden Tower. It's hot out! |
 Vusal, Mark and Margie discuss life atop the Maiden Tower. |
 The carpet saga begins. "Last price, $250." |
 Tofiq, the carpet guy. "Call me!!" Accompanying story to follow... |
 In the lair of the carpet sellers... |
 Photo taken by Tofiq from the roof of the carpet store, adjacent to the maiden tower. |
 Uber-deluxe carpets made of silk. Very expensive and luxurious. |
 Margie pretends to enjoy the hookah. |
 Vusal and Christopher sit in backless chairs while the rest of us get to lean. Thanks, guys! |
 Aysell (someone help me with spelling!) and her husband, Kerry, the Project Harmony country director. |
 Maiden Tower at dusk. |
 Jamil, Natavan's nephew, in his apartment in Baku. He is 6, and was totally curious about me and very silly and sweet. |
 Jamil's mother insisted he wear a shirt for his photo. Still cute and wiggly! |
 Me with Natavan in her brother's apartment in Baku. I felt sick but tried to hide it. |
 Delicious fresh hazlenuts, still slightly green. So good! |
 Out the car window, driving to Quba. The air smelled like nail polish remover. |
 Out the window, driving to Quba. |
 The ceiling of my bedroom in Natavan's home. This decorative thing is about 6-8 feet long. |
 My SO comfortable bed in Quba. I slept remarkably well here every night. |
 It's a big room, which also had an upright piano. |
 Looking out my bedroom door, through the living room. |
 Natavan's friend, who was her "witness" at the wedding. She also works at the ICC (internet comp.center) in the school. |
 Looking down into the back yard of Natavan's house. |
 Me at Natavan's school with some shriveling student work. |
 Natavan in her Gap dress at her school. "Many repairs are now." |
 The director/ principal of the school readies himself for his portrait. |
 Candid photo of the director. On his desk is a large, hand-written schedule for the whole school. |
 Looking out through a window of the school. |
 Natavan in the hallway of her school. |
 A bird's nest outside a window. The birds were awesome! They could hover! |
 Natavan and friend in a nicely appointed classroom. |
 Me in the same classroom. |
 "Many repairs this time." |
 Some educational materials displayed just below the ceiling, too high for me to really see. Can the students see this display? |
 One of five big piles of raw wool on the front porch of the school. This is the dowry for the director's daughter. |
 The school, a former jam factory. |
 Not sure what this thing is supposed to be, but it's with me and Natavan in front of the school. That's the Azeri flag. |
 Lush landscapes around Quba. Sunflowers everywhere. |
 The car was surrounded by a giant herd of sheep!! |
 Sheeeeeep! The driver was angry and frustrated, and kept honking and muttering, trying to shove sheep with the car. |
 Trying to be obedient, but it's tough when the sheep in front of you won't move... |
 "I can't go until THEY go!" |
 Rustam and Natavan at a beautiful (but litter-filled) brook. |
 More brook. |
 A little footbridge and pulley-chair to cross the brook. |
 View from the brook back up to the cars. |
 Rustam and Natavan pick their way across the brook. Natavan squealed repeatedly while Rustam steadied her. |
 Dude on a horse, apparently offering rides? Not entirely sure what his deal was, but he was interesting. |
 Horse guys. The horses seemed small and really unhappy. |
 Natavan's brother, Nariman, became my unofficial guardian while Natavan frolicked with Rustam. |
 Rustam and guy with horses by the brook. |
 Hiking to Tanga Alta. Super hot but beautiful. |
 The Afurja waterfall at Tanga Alti. |
 Ayten (Natavan's sister,) Natavan and me at Tanga Alta. |
 A stranger enjoys the view of Tanga Alta. |
 Stranger crouching at the waterfall. |
 More of the stranger crouching at Tanga Alta. |
 Natavan's brother in law, father in law (Mahmoud) and nephew (Alishka). |
 Self-portrait after descending from the waterfall zone. |
 An English-speaking man who runs a shop in Quba. He gave me a free bottle of perfume. |
 Ayten and Natavan pose with a stuffed suitcase. Natavan is moving to Kiev. |
 My view from the backseat. The vehicle a Soviet-made Lada. |
 Rustam and Natavan-- the happy newlyweds-- pose at the forest edge. |
 Interesting plant life on the forest floor. |
 "Picnic" time-- Rustam, Natavan, me, Ayten, and bountiful food. |
 Ayten's husband, Natavan's father, Baktiar (Rustam's brother), Mahmoud (Rustam's father). |
 Rustam and Natavan. |
 Me with Natavan. I'm so tall! |
 Our car, with the picnic ground name. Piva means beer. |
 Alishka and Mahmoud. Alishka is Natavan's nephew; Mahmoud is her new father in law. |
 View from our picnic table. |
 Natavan's sister and her husband. |
 Me and Natavan's father, taken by 6 year old Alishka. |
 Also taken by Alishka. |
 Ayten, her husb., Rustam, Natavan, me, Alishka, Mahmoud, Natavan's father |
 Natavan's new mother in law, me, and Natavan's grandmother. |
 Natavan and Rustam with his mother and her grandmother. |
 Waiting in the car, this boy came clacking by in his mother's shoes. |
 Joyful and spirited, he broke into a gallop. |
 He circled back past the car. !! |
 We visited the Quba "sport complex." It was about 450 degrees out. It was deserted. |
 At the sport complex. I am soaked with sweat from walking in the heat. |
 Aishen, Natavan's 8 year old cousin. She was intrigued with me and stared at me continuously. Those are Natavan's feet. |
 After I showed her the last photo,she smiled for this one. |
 Me with Natavan, trying to stay cool. |
 Waiting for an engagement ceremony to begin. It's blazingly hot. |
 The newly engaged. Story to follow. She speaks only Azeri, he only Russian. Fun times. |
 She is a refugee from Shusha. He lives in Germany. |
 She's 26 years old. He's 43 and divorced with 3 kids. |
 Me with the "happy couple." |
 View while waiting in the car. |
 Me, Natavan and Rustam enjoy nature. It's very hot and there is litter everywhere, but the air smells good. |
 Natavan in her favorite U.S. dress "enjoys nature." |
 Outdoor pool-- Natavan's first time! |
 The long steps in Quba, built by POWs during WWII. (Must check this detail.) |
 The long steps, with various statues of heroes. |
 Azeri-style photo op. Me, Natavan and Rustam. |
 Ascending. |
 Cemetery of the "mountain Jews." |
 Looking out over the city, adjacent to Quba, that is entirely Jewish. Pop. about 8000. |
 The "Quba Museum." What is that thing? No one knows... |
 We pose for the museum staff. |
 Anita and Natavan thrill at the wonders of the Quba museum. |
 More life-size paper mache figures, modeling Azeri dress. |
 The "main road" near Natavan's home. Wide, rutted and pitted, dusty, but manageable. |
 Bahar with a niece and bountiful food! |
 Natavan's relatives like Barbie. |
 More tea and feasting. This garden was beautiful. |
 Natavan's grandfather and mother enjoy the repast. |
 Natavan's grandfather. What's he thinking? |
 Natavan's young cousin/ relative. She burst out laughing after she saw her own image in the camera! |
 Exchanging ideas over glorious food. |
 Rustam inspects the rash on Bahar's arm. Advice? Rub vodka on it. Seriously. |
 Hijinks at tea time! |
 Gather round, now! |
 Water source. |
 Musical interlude during tea. She's 12 years old. |
 She had to stop to tune the violin. |
 Little cousin is amused by the voice of the violin. |
 "Let me try!!" |
 More family arrives, with a 20 day old baby girl. |
 This baby had an "evil eye" charm pinned to her blanket. |
 Malik, father of the baby, and the big brother of the baby. This kid was absolutey wild. |
 Family boxing. |
 Kid-style fun. Let's get on the roof of the chicken house! |
 Up they go. |
 Dancing on the roof, throwing sticks and other trash down and at each other. |
 Roof disco. |
 Eating nuts, and throwing the shells on the ground. |
 Cracking nuts with his teeth. He's 4 or 5 years old. |
 Always in motion. |
 Bahar has picked roses. I kept mine for the duration of the trip. |
 Poised. |
 About to jump. |
 Sweet "garden cat." |
 Natavan just washed all these dishes. There are 86, for one day's meals for 4 people. |
 The stove and kitchen sink in Natavan's family home. |
 The kitchen cabinets and clean, drying dishes. |
 The fridge and a little toaster oven. |
 Looking out of the kitchen, into the hallway. |
 Rustam and Natavan negotiate what to take to Kiev. Rustam packed each article for Natavan. |
 Looking out the window on the way to Nabran. |
 On the way to Nabran, the beach just south of Russia. |
 From the back seat... |
 Rustam and me at Nabran. The beach wasn't sandy here-- it was big, round rocks, painful to the bare feet. |
 Looking south. |
 Looking towards Russia, which is about 10 kilometers away. |
 Natavan, Rustam and Mahmoud at the beach. |
 Natavan's father lingers up on the road, waiting for us. No pressure. |
 These two spoke rudimentary English. The skirted one had four teeth, total, and incredible halitosis. Said she was a naturopath |
 Self-portrait at Nabran, with choppy Caspian in the background. |
 Cruising, back-seat style. Me, Natavan and Rustam. |
 Cows at the beach! I couldn't get a good shot out the window. They were eating weeds and garbage. |
 Photo taken at the behest of Rustam. To clarify, this is sand, as this toilet is near the sandy part of the beach. |
 This little kitty looks just like my kitty, Tycho. She lived in a restaurant by the beach. |
 This sibling to the previous kitten looks like Maxie, my other kitty. |
 Abundant watermelons for sale. |
 Bahar has just packaged sticks of a plant that wards off the evil eye. I have some in my purse now. |
 Bahar buys a gift for the new baby. |
 The view from inside a shop. |
 Natavan holds the baby. No one supports her head. |
 A small party at the home of the new baby. |
 The bundled baby, just three weeks old. She was hot and sweaty. |
 The baby sleeping under her mosquito net in the dining room. |
 We had a cake with a candle that this kid blew out. Not sure what the cake was for, nor the candle... |
 This kid was 100% manic. |
 He did this about 40 times in the space of 10 minutes. |
 This child was doing something elaborate with a cone of sun flower seeds. |
 I think she was trying to re-fold it somehow. |
 Very busy with her work. |
 Geese! |
 A neighborhood kid and Natavan's two nephews/ cousins discuss kid facts. |
 Alishka looks on as his cousin bullies a neighborhood kid. I made the kid quit headlocking the other one. |
 The washing machine and shower at Natavan's home. Drain in middle of floor. |
 Toilet and sink at Natavan's family home. |
 More bathroom. |
 The remains of breakfast in the living/ dining room of Natavan's family. |
 Natavan's stuff, heaped and ready to go to Kiev. |
 The kitchen of Natavan's family. |
 Natavan gathering her things before we leave her home. |
 Natavan's family home. |
 Bahar (Natavan's mother) in the lower level of their home. |
 Looking down the alley at Natavan's and Quba. |
 Looking up the alley at Natavan's in Quba. |
 Natavan's mother, Bahar, snaps us before we depart. Their house in the background. |
 Quba, festooned with flags. Ilham Aliyev was set to visit in a few days. |
 Leaving Quba. |
 Besh Barmaq. The driver shut off the radio as we passed this. |
 Besh Barmaq, a sacred place. Pilgrims hike to the top to kiss a certain stone. |
 Refueling on the way to Baku. |
 Rug making. Each knot ismade and cut so quickly, it's like music. Twang, thung, twang, thung... |
 Weaving carpets of/ for a Turkish diplomat. They were so skilled and fast! |
 Fashion photography beside the Maiden Tower in Baku. |
 Models getting makeup for a photoshoot in Baku. |
 Beauty. |
 Self portrait with still life. |
 Nature's glory. |
 Amazing landscapes. |
 Jeyhun and Vugar pose with the incredible view. |
 Scenic central Azerbaijan, on the way to Sheki. |
 Christa, in repose, at a scenic overlook. |
 These boys are selling cooked corn out of buckets at a scenic overlook. |
 Jeyhun and our apt bus driver relax before lunch at a roadside restaurant. |
 Our chefs at the roadside restaurant. The food was fabulous. |
 Pastoral view at the open-air, roadside restaurant. |
 Abacus at the roadside restaurant. |
 A common sight-- cows wandering in the road. This one might have been deaf, as she didn't respond to the horn. |
 The bus pushed through this huge flock of sheep. |
 A halwa shop in Sheki. |
 Billboard in Sheki. BARF is a type of laundry detergent. |
 Caravan Saray employee in "traditional attire." In English, his name means "lightning." |
 Five tardy but mountain-climbing gents: Jeyhun, Vugar, Mark, Vusal and Christopher. Shoes, be damned! |
 Before a spectacular view, Vusal shares thoughts about the Armenian invasion and occupation of Azerbaijan. |
 A wandering minstrel ofsorts, this gentleman approached and sang songs about some of us, welcoming us to the area. |
 Two elders share ideas in the heat of Kish. |
 Light fixture in the Albanian church in Kish. |
 This elder invited us to her home for tea. Albanian church in the background. Kish. |
 This gracious elder gave each woman in our group two roses. She let us visit her home, which is a B&B. |
 Near the Albanian church in Kish. |
 Two boys in Kish. They are eating cookies that our driver gave them. |
 One of many large billboards featuring Heydar and Ilham Iliyev. |
 This vehicle was right beside the Heyder Aliyev billboard, across the street from our hotel in Sheki. |
 A balcony at the Khan's Palace in Sheki. |
 Details of the Khan's Palace in Sheki. |
 More details of the exterior of the Khan's Palace in Sheki. |
 Khan's palace exterior. I didn't want to spend $2 for permission to take photos inside. |
 Sheki. For a small price, you can shoot this weapon at the target and win a prize. |
 These girls repeatedly giggled and smiled at Margie and I as we walked in Sheki. |
 Friendly shoe-repair in Sheki. This is a small trailer, maybe 6 feet by 8 feet. |
 Me in the door of Caravan Saray. |
 I bought this wall hanging, made by the man holding it. That's Mohamed on the right, an English-speaking 15 year in Sheki. |
 The view from the upper gallery at Caravan Saray, Sheki. That's our group sitting in the courtyard. |
 Vusal looks on as Jeyhun and Vugar share a chair in Mark's room at Caravan Saray, Sheki. |
 Jan, Christa, me, Margie, Ruhinguez and Gular curl up for tea and sweets in Sheki. |
 Christopher, Jeyhun, Vugar and Mark enjoy samovar tea in Caravan Saray in Sheki. |
 Gent's table in the awesome Sheki tea room |
 This boy was selling cooked corn for .40 an ear from his bucket. He was disappointed that none of us bought from him. |
 Fire control at a gas station. This contains sand. |
 On the tour bus, I shared my mp3 player with Jeyhun, one earbud apiece. He had never heard the Beatles. |
 Gentlemen, all: Vusal, Christopher, Mark, Vugar, Jeyhun. They are about to start doing chorus-line kicks. |
 Women, unite! Jan, me, Gular, Christa, Margie, Ruhinguez at the top of the Meridien hotel. |
 Vugar, Christa, Me, Jan, Ruhenguiz, Vusal, Christopher, Jeyhun, Gular, Margie, Mark. |
 This guy sells tourist stuff on the main tourist boulevard in Baku. I bought some keychains from his stand. |
 Mark bought the painting on the left, and I bought the one on the right. This is the artist's nephew. This artist is amazing. |
 In the Baku airport. |