"Azerbaijan" a Saki Travel Page by sebiskveradze

The morning of our trip to Azerbaijan, we slept in in typical Georgian style. When we finally got out of bed, Mamuka's mother Manana insisted that we wait to have some khatchapuri for breakfast; when she came out of the kitchen bearing a plate of sizzling cheese bread, smothered in melted butter, we couldn't well refuse. So, after eating three huge pieces each, at the redoubtable Manana's orders, we set off for the border crossing in a cramped minibus we picked up outside town. (tp - in the Caucasus, minibuses/marshrutkas are a cheap and efficient way to travel. They are also a great way to meet locals. Just don't be prepared for comfort).

We arrived at Lagodekhi a few hours later, where Mamuka met a taxi driver who happened to be a friend of a friend of a friend, who promptly drove us to the border. We prepared for a bit of a wait, and were told to expect to pay about $60 US for a taxi to Sheki, our destination inside Azerbaijan. Mamuka and the taxi driver started talking to the border guards in Georgian, a language that is still incomprehensible to me, so I wandered off to play with a few Azeri kittens that had wandered over the border.

A few minutes later, Mamuka called me over and told me that we were getting to Sheki free of charge. The Georgian guards had offered to allow an Azeri driver over the border without the typical hour+ wait, if he would drive us to our destination. We hopped into the car - a Mercedes that our driver had bought in Germany and was driving back to Azerbaijan to sell.