LAHIC, AZERBAIJAN

We wanted to see something outside of Baku, and my niece, who has spent some time in Azerbaijan for work, suggested that we drive into the Caucasus mountains to visit an artists' colony named Lahic. It is a distance of about 115 miles, but it takes three hours to drive because of the narrow mountain roads. 

We made several stops along the way. The first was at this roadside stand, one of many selling a conglomeration of fruits, vegetables, honey, and pickled and bottled items.

We were especially intrigued by this transparent disks of dried fruit that hung in rows like stained glass wind chimes. Our guide Yalchin told us what all the flavors were, and we bought a couple to try.

I'll just say that they were much more beautiful than they were tasty.

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN: SITES AROUND TOWN

Warning. Long post, but LOTS of pictures, not so much text.

1. THE WORLD'S FIRST INDUSTRIALLY DRILLED OIL WELL

. . . is in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Who knew??

This well hit oil at only 21 meters deep. By 1901, Baku was producing 11 million tons (212,000 barrels) of oil per day, more than 50% of what was being produced worldwide. During the first year of the World War, Azerbaijan produced a record 25.4 million tons of oil. Hitler aimed to capture Baku so as to control this vast resource, but the Nazi defeat at Stalingrad in 1942 forced a retreat from the area, and Hitler never realized his goal. 

Production declined after the war, but oil production is back up now, and crude oil is pumped to Europe in the second-longest oil pipeline in the world, which has the capacity to transport 1 million barrels/day.  These days they are producing about 875,000 barrels of oil/day. That doesn't touch the 10 million barrels/day produced by the US in 2107, but remember, it's a country the size of South Carolina. 

Considering all the natural gas leaking out of cracks in the rocks in the area, it shouldn't be a surprise that there is plenty of petroleum down there as well.

Marco Polo wrote: "Near the Georgian border [somewhere in Azerbaijan] there is a spring from which gushes a stream of oil, in such abundance that a hundred ships may load there at once. This oil is not good to eat; but it is good for burning and as a salve for men and camels affected with itch or scab. Men come from a long distance to fetch this oil . . . ."

KHUJAND, TAJIKISTAN: A MARKET (THE 99%) AND A PALACE (THE 1%)

Our final two stops in Khujand were a contrast in economics. 

The first stop was a good representation of the Tajik masses, the 99%. We were dropped off in front of this huge city square:

Like lace on the hem of a dress, these delicate mosques edged the broad expanse. Unfortunately, we did not have time to explore them:

There were lots of children in tow, and we noticed something here we had seen in Kazakhstan: child-sized motorized cars for rent, like a carnival ride but without any tracks or fencing. It looked like a young kid's dream:


This square serves as the entrance to Panjshanbe Market, Khujand's main shopping area:

Just about everything you can imagine, and just about everything a local resident needs, is found at this market, from cumin seed to lingerie. The (mostly) tantalizing smells, the cacophonous bustling, the flavorful dishes, and the crowded stalls created a bit of sensory overload.

MOROCCO: IMLIL BERBER MARKET IN ATLAS MOUNTAINS

We used Marrakech as a starting point for a trip to Imlil, a small village of about 5,000 people high in the Atlas Mountains. It was the closest we could get to 13,671-foot-tall Jebel Toubkal, the tallest mountain not just in Morocco, but in all of North Africa. Bob has a thing about high points.

We were back with our driver Aziz, who had driven us from Fes to the Sahara, and from the Sahara to Marrakech. 

We stopped several times for photos. It doesn't look very mountainous, does it?

The area around Marrakech is similar to the high desert of Southern California:

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA: FARMERS' MARKET AND HMONGTOWN MARKETPLACE

In the days of log cabins, horse-drawn wagons, and steamboats, forward-thinking citizens of St. Paul decided they needed a market where farmers could sell their harvest locally. St. Paul's first public market was built in 1853 and has operated continuously since then, although it has moved around to several different locations. Only fresh, locally grown or produced products are allowed to be sold there. 

We enjoyed strolling through the market in early October: