This is a guest post from Liz and Catherine at One Little Wheel.
Reason #1
Borsht! A superb hearty veggie meaty stew thing. And it is cheap. After a hard days cycle a borsht will more than set you up for the next day.
Reason #2
It scores highly on the completion satisfaction scales. The northern Balakan to Baku road runs a clear week long satisfying traverse which takes in some breathtaking mountain scenery as the Caucuses run a parallel line to the north.
Reason # 3
Staying a night in an old silk road caravansary in Saki. Not too cheap but a super little treat after a long 120km run from the border!
Reason #4
Opportunity for adventure – the route offers road surface options to suit all palettes – we made a wonderful mistake that found us on the ‘old’ rather than ‘new’ road between Zaqatala and Saki. The road is rough and bridges nonexistent; we even had to carry our bikes and kit across at least 2 fast flowing rivers. It’s these types of experiences that really make a trip memorable.
Reason #5
Tea. I want to say the people but think this goes without saying. Tea, then, is the clear social driver in Azerbaijan, each day we received countless invitations for tea. And what feather-light refreshing tea it is! Nothing makes cycling touring in Azerbaijan more wonderful than the wealth of opportunities to simply get off the bike, in the middle of some random little village and sip away the afternoon with the local people. Who cares if we don’t speak the same language!
About One Little Wheel:
Catherine Howett and Liz Darley are cycling from ther UK to Thailand to raise money for charity, increase knowledge about HIV and have the adventure of a lifetime. They are currently biking Laos.
If you’d like to contribute to the A-Z of Bicycle Touring Project, please get in touch at worldbiking@gmail.com
Great idea! I love this first guest post even though I know I’l never go bicycle touring in Central Asia ( France is my dream destination).
Still, gives me an idea about that part of the world.
Thanks!