I have been back home in Dallas for a few weeks now from my travels through Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Along with resting from my travels, I have been enjoying the company of family and friends while also working and planning future travels.
So before I get too settled and too comfortable, I am off again onto my next adventure. And, today is the day.
I am heading to Baku, Azerbaijan, for an Intrepid Travel’s 15-day Premium tour of Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia. A part of the tour’s description reads: “Explore a land where the walls speak of centuries of rich history and where ancient traditions intersect with a modern way of life.” This area of the world is called the Caucasus region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. This region also includes parts of Southern Russia, but I won’t be going anywhere near there.
The Russian-dominated Soviet Union or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) of which there were 16. Three of the countries, then called republics, are the ones I will be visiting, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia. The remaining 13 republics, one of which includes Russia and three more include countries I just got back from visiting and they are three of the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The remaining republics, at the time, included Ukraine, Belorussian, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. But in 1991, the Soviet Union was dissolved following the collapse of its communist government.
I continue to try to explore those countries and places I have not been to before. And, I’ve definitely not been to any of these three countries. The 14-hour flight will first take me to Doha, Qatar, and from there it’s a little less than three hours to Baku.
Come and explore more of this fabulous world with me. Check out the Intrepid map. See you in Baku to begin our adventure.
