Turkey Trip - Day 1: Getting to Ganja

For 7 manat ($10), I boarded a large un-air conditioned bus in Masalli to meet up with Elaine in Ganja for the start of our 2-week travel in Turkey. I was prepared for a 7-hour ride that included a one-hour stretch over the worst unpaved road in AZ. This particular bus was already 2/3 full of chairs for delivery somewhere enroute from a furniture factory. Midway thru the trip there's a pit-stop for tea and lunch and maybe purchase a phone card.

During the summer families are often traveling to visit relatives in other parts of Azerbaijan. Sometimes women approach me to ask where I'm from, are helpful in showing me the path to the toilet, or may want their daughter to meet me. I use my limited Azerbaijani language for basic conversation, might practice English with a school girl, and may even accept their invitation to sit with them and eat together.

As the bus approached Ganja, it veered off the road to a newly constructed wedding palace to unload the chairs. The driver enlisted the help of other male passengers before we continued to Ganja.

Another surprise as the bus approached this large city: the main bus station in Ganja was under-construction! So instead of stopping nearby, the driver just started announcing where he would stop. (As if everyone knows where they want to get off in a city of 250,000!) I got off at some intersection where others were getting off, and began texting Elaine furiously about my location. Since her Russian host family was picking me up, we had 3-way messaging going with her English-speaking host sister. While I'm standing at some busy corner, I heard my name called out and there was Sabrina and her parents in a car to pick me up. What a relief! Elaine's host mother has prepared a huge supper for us, and we made plans for the next morning's flight from Ganja International airport to Istanbul!