Last time I mentioned how I finally made it to the only Tourist Information Centre in Sheki, thanks to the help of a mysterious old man.
When it opened, there was a beautiful young lady with big eyes, a tall nose, striking features, and a slender figure. As soon as she opened the door, she spoke to me in fluent English:
“Welcome! I think you must be Garcia! Nice to meet you! I am Gunay!”
Her voice was exactly the same as on the phone earlier — now I was sure I was really at the right place.
Just a few simple pleasantries, and I quickly realized this Azerbaijani beauty was super warm and cheerful.
“Gunay in Azerbaijan means Sun and Moon, so many of friend just called me Sun Moon~”
Like the moon, yet also like the sun — she told me the direction — what a poetic name.
“I heard your situation, this place is not easy to find right?~ Don’t worry! I will help you~”
That smile was truly like a tornado passing by — how could I resist such attraction?
“Ah~ Do you want some sweet? Azerbaijan candy?”
Your face is already so sweet — no need for sugar, you’re already dripping with sweetness — you’re my sugar baby.
“haha I just engaged~ Traditionally Bride-to-be need to share some candies to others for blessing~”
………………………………………………………..
As expected, how could something so good happen to me... Romantic encounters like this have never been my thing...
But no romantic encounter doesn’t mean no friends.
In life, you always meet certain people where within the first five minutes of knowing them, you just know you’re totally on the same wavelength.
Gunay and I couldn’t stop talking from the moment we stepped in the door. At first, we were just chatting about the strange people and incidents that had just happened to me, but then we moved on to talking about Azerbaijani culture, Hong Kong culture, wedding customs, and then branched into personal preferences, life anecdotes, love stories... Hey, I originally came here for a map, okay?! How did it turn into this?!
Interestingly, we felt like a pair of long-lost best friends, chatting and not wanting to leave.
“It’s raining outside, you know.” “Yeah, but in this city it’ll clear up in no time.” “Well, let’s keep chatting then.” “Sure!”
We ended up talking at the center for quite a while. If her future husband hadn’t needed to get back to work, we might’ve never stopped.
But we did exchange WhatsApp info and even signed up for tomorrow’s Horse Riding tour — see you tomorrow then.
(Even now we still chat occasionally. Her wedding is scheduled for spring 2019. Gunay said she wanted me to come, but I probably won’t have the chance. I can only send her my distant blessings.)
(Gunay’s story also appears in 《#Tales of a Wanderer 10》 https://goo.gl/7ispHZ, consider the above as an add-on.)
It’s past 4 pm now, and I’ve only just officially started exploring Sheki.
The first destination, of course, is the Sheki Palace Khans where I currently am.
This palace was the summer residence of the khans back in the day, with a history of about 200 years. It’s the most iconic building in Sheki, especially the Consultation Room, which is the real showstopper.
But I’ve started to realize another issue after my church fatigue — the “Mosques and Persian Architecture Apathy Syndrome.” Simply put, after visiting Iran, all similar structures just elicit an “oh” from me with zero reaction.
Wow, man...Imam Mosque、Mirror Palace Mausoleum、Pink Mosque……These are really way too much, wow...
After seeing Godzilla, you immediately feel lions and tigers aren’t scary at all, huh?
There’s another museum that charges an entrance fee. I asked a passerby tourist and they said there wasn’t much to see, so I saved another 2 manats~
This palace left a deeper impression on me. It seems to be the shop that makes Persian-style stained glass windows.
As I was just passing by, the shop owner, who was about to close up and leave, warmly invited me in and patiently explained how these rarely seen windows in Hong Kong are made.
At first, I thought he was trying to sell me something, but he never once even hinted at asking me to buy anything in the end, wow~
Maybe I was just enjoying myself too much, constantly assembling and disassembling the puzzle of that window—putting it together, taking it apart, again and again, never showing him the final result~
But it really was interesting and beautiful. For a moment, I even thought about buying it to take home, but then I thought about my tiny tofu-box of a home and my small backpack…
Goodbye, uncle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It didn’t even take an hour to walk through the palace. Walking down the winding ancient stone path, I arrived at another historical site, Karvansaray.
It’s said that Sheki was an important stop along the ancient Silk Road, and this place was one of the caravanserai lodging spots back then.
I heard that the place has largely retained its appearance from those days, and I felt this spot was actually more interesting than the newly renovated Sheki Palace Khans.
Karvansaray has now been converted into a hotel open to the public, and it also houses a teahouse and restaurant. The vibe is pretty nice~
Just as I was thinking about going in for a cup of tea and a piece of bread, I heard something I never expected to hear—
Cantonese?????
Two ladies looked at me with equally surprised expressions, and our mutual reaction was, “There’s actually a Hong Konger in this remote place in such an out-of-the-way country???”
Turns out they were part of a private Hong Kong tour group, led by an experienced elderly man who had brought a group of friends here from the five Stans. They had just finished exploring the city and were returning to their hotel for a meal and rest~
As the saying goes, “You’re fellow compatriots!” Well, sometimes sharing the same language and accent just clicks~ So we chatted away again. How many times today have I ended up chatting nonstop with interesting strangers?????
Anyhow, the two ladies, Carmen and Momo, were super friendly. Not only did they let me see what their room was like, they even treated me to some food. I hadn’t eaten anything all day except for that piece of candy from Gunay!! I’d have died without their generous help~
By the way, as a hotel, the interior is actually quite interesting, filled with exotic flair and even giving off a cave-like vibe. If I had known about this place earlier, I might’ve chosen to stay here.
That thought lasted until I saw the bathroom.
The quality of a public toilet that cost over seven Hong Kong dollars, plus it was full of mosquitoes. I gave up.
I kept chatting until almost 7 pm before finally leaving~
I continued walking back down toward the city center along Mirza Fatali Akhundzada Street. Finally, I could stroll around this city a bit~
To be honest, there wasn’t much that was interesting, but I did like one shop that sold unique lamps. Later I found out this style is actually quite common in the Islamic world, but hey, it was pretty~ The shop owner didn’t even stop me from taking pictures and had a great time~
Even though I’d talked a lot today, I don’t know why my feet just kept moving. As the sun set, I found myself sitting by the roadside enjoying the afterglow~
There wasn’t anything particularly scenic or architecturally unique, but the sunset on this old city street was enough to stay etched in my memory~
It’s gotten dark—it’s time to eat~
I went to the restaurant recommended by Gunay in the city center, ??l?bi Xan, which she said was a must-visit for tourists and delicious.
Judging by the storefront, it definitely didn’t look bad, but the moment I sat down, I felt it was all looks.
The outdoor seating had lots of bugs and ants, the portions were small, the prices weren’t cheap, the taste was average, and I left feeling very unsatisfied and disappointed. Tomorrow I’ll definitely try a better place……..
As for what I ate, I’ll tell you in a couple of days#Global Food Rant Zone I’ll talk more about it later !
I finished eating after 10 PM, there’s nothing much to do on the street, so I might as well go home and sleep
Thinking back on today, there were really so many bizarre people and incidents, you’ll know what I mean if you see what I did in one day split into three posts !
Tomorrow I’m going on a horseback riding and mountain hiking tour, so excited ! Hope nothing weird happens again ~
At that time, I was thinking …………….
The truth is, I was just too naive ………….
More to come next time !
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“On journeys, you always meet many passersby. Your time together may last but a moment or a few seconds, never to meet again in this life, yet leaving an eternal mark on your heart.”
#Tales of Passersby By mefacebook pageA series dedicated to short stories about friends met briefly during travels, usually just over a hundred words or a few lines. This time, because these passersby are so closely tied to my journey, they get their own post.
This story is too long and too closely related to my trip, so I’ve included it here~
If you’re interested, you can check out the link belowlinkTo see other #Tales of Passersby Old storiesga~
Of courselikeIncluding minepageWould be the best!
https://goo.gl/bjBrm3
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Related Articles :
“Backpacking in Georgia - Ultimate Pre-Trip Info Guide”
“Backpacking in Georgia Day 1 - Night Stroll in Tbilisi”
“Backpacking in Georgia Day 2.1 - Wandering Around Tbilisi”
“Backpacking in Georgia Day 2.2 - Strange Encounters at the Public Bathhouse”
“Backpacking in Georgia Day 2.3 - Half-Mountain City + First Taste of Georgian Cuisine”
“Backpacking in Georgia Day 3.1 - A Fairytale Homestay Under the Snowy Mountains”
“Backpacking in Georgia Day 3.2 - Solo Glacier Hike @ Mestia”
“Backpacking in Georgia Day 4 - Ushguli, The Remote Village Within a Remote Village”
"Georgia Backpacking Day 5.1 - Check out Kutaisi"
"Georgia Backpacking Day 5.2 - Rooftop BBQ at a Solo Hostel"
"Azerbaijan Backpacking Day 6.1 - The Clueless Driver (#Tales of a Wanderer 13)"
"Azerbaijan Backpacking Day 6.2 - The Eccentric Kindly Old Man (#Tales of a Wanderer 14)"
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