Cliff(y) Goes Travelling

GYD-IST (3h 5m) Airbus 320 ETD: 8.50am (GMT + 4) ETA: 10.55am (GMT + 3) It was time to depart from Baku, Azerbaijan for Istanbul, Turkey. Before we jump into it, I need to let all of you know that I've unfortunately lost all photos from that point onwards, and am borrowing from my BFF to feature in the next few posts. Anyway, be honest: how many of us actually pay attention to the safety information card like Pikachu before we fly?

Airport Road, Baku, Azerbaijan Opened to the public in 1933, Heydar Aliyev International Airport is one of the six international airports, and the biggest one, serving the country. Formerly called Bina International Airport prior to 2004, the airport is located approximately 20 km northeast of the capital city. It's the hub for Azerbaijan Airlines, the flag carrier, and Buta Airways, the low-cost subsidiary.

Quba District, Azerbaijan Welcome to Part 2 of my Quba and Khinaliq Tour. As a quick recap, in Part 1 , I covered the journey from Baku to Quba with two brief stops at a convenience store along the highway to see Beshbarmag Dag, and at Qachrash Forest respectively. The day tour saw me getting pretty close to Russia, the closest I've ever been to that largest country in the world, in fact.

Quba District, Azerbaijan After enjoying the half-day group tour to Qobustan by TES Tour, my BFF and I embarked on a full-day group tour to Quba and Khinaliq by the same tour operator on our second last day in the country. On our way to Khinaliq, which is known to be the highest and most remote village in Azerbaijan, we passed by the city of Quba.

Qobustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve, Qobustan, Azerbaijan Azerbaijan is known to be the country with the most mud volcanoes, having more than half of the world's 700 spready broadly across the country. The locals call them bozdag (lit. grey mountain). Still on the half-day group tour to Qobustan by TES Tour, we shall now move on to see those small mud-ejecting craters not too far from  Qobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape . 

Qobustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve, Qobustan, Azerbaijan Daily: 9.00am - 5.00pm Qobustan is a small municipality that's approximately 65 km from Baku, a perfect destination for a day trip. Located to the west of the settlement is a historical and cultural reserve, part of which features archaeological monuments with captivating rock carvings that have been preserved from the Upper Paleolithic era to the Middle Ages.

Baku, Azerbaijan Baku is the capital city of Azerbaijan that's situated at 28 m below sea level, making it the largest city in the world below sea level. It's also the largest city in the Caucasus region, covering an area of approximately 2,140 square kilometres. About 25% of the country's population live in the metropolis.

Zamkovskaya Side-Street, Icherisheher, Baku, Azerbaijan Daily: 10.00am - 6.00pm Maiden Tower is a 12th century tower that houses a museum showcasing the story of the historic evolution of Baku. Along with  Palace of the Shirvanshahs , the tower has been in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list since 2001. Till date, nobody has come to a foolproof conclusion of the design and purpose of the tower.

Zamkovskaya Side-Street, Icherisheher, Baku, Azerbaijan Daily: 10.00am - 6.00pm Erected in the 15th century within  Icherisheher , Palace of the Shirvanshahs is described by UNESCO as "one of the pearls of Azerbaijan's architecture". Shirvan is a historical region in eastern Caucasus, covering a sizeable area from the western shores of the Caspian Sea in the east to the Kura River in the west. The rulers of Shirvan were given the title Shirvanshahs.

Along Neftchilar Avenue, Baku, Azerbaijan Icherisheher (lit. Inner City) is the historical core of the capital city of Azerbaijan that's surrounded by fortress walls. Along with Palace of the Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower that can be found within the complex, Icherisheher became the first location in the country to be classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

Southern end of Mehdi Huseyn Street, Baku, Azerbaijan Located on the highest point in the capital city, Highland Park is a terrace that offers the most fabulous panorama of Baku and the world's largest inland body of water, the Caspian Sea. It's also home to Martyrs' Lane, a memorial and cemetery dedicated to national heroes and civilians who perished during turbulent times in Azerbaijan.