Quick look around Qax
I had been afraid that I wouldn’t be able to fill today, my extra day in Sheki. I couldn’t have been more wrong as my simple trip to the next town of Qax (or Qakh), an hour away, turned into a whole day affair.
After breakfast, I started my walk downhill around 0900 to the bus station using an alternate path. It probably saved 10 mins and got me to the station about 0930. Lucky me, there was a bus to Qax at 1000. I used the spare time to ask around about transport for tomorrow for Ismaili.
The ride to Qax in the van took about 50 mins finishing at the station at the near end of town (coming from Sheki).
It was a 30 min gentle uphill walk along the main road or boulevard to get to the old town, with one wrong turn. There were a few traditional houses in good repair along my walk, with wooden fronts and balconies on the upper floor.
The actual old town was just one street of largely residential homes and few souvenir shops, closed being Sunday. They look very newly restored. There was also a nice open-air theatre.
Trying to get back
I made my way back to the bus station, getting there by 1230. It turned out to be a 2h30 wait, until 1500, for the next bus back. I couldn’t really be too far away, or resort to a taxi, because I kept thinking it won’t be long. But I was very wrong. I tried being productive doing a few things on my phone in the cool cloudy weather.
On the ride back, I spotted a well-restored Caucasian Albanian church on the hill by the road. This was in addition to a somewhat tired-looking one in Qax itself that I saw from afar.
Back in Sheki around 1600, I grabbed a simple doner sandwich (AZN2) before walking back up to the hotel.
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- Traditional homes in good repair.
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- Highly-restored homes in the old town.
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- “Layers” of mountains in the distance, seen on the drive back.
Was it worth it? Is anything ever worth it?
It’s ridiculous that such a simple outing could have taken nearly 8h. Was it worth it? Probably not for the 10 mins of actual sightseeing. It got me out of the hotel room and gave me some exercise. I got to see another town.
If one were to over-analyse things, no travel is probably worth it. Eg. the 6h ride to get to Sheki isn’t worth it for the Khan’s Palace. The flight to Baku and accommodation isn’t worth it for seeing the sights of the city. But as a total package, it is what I live for.
I finished the day in my room with home admin and bills over slow internet. I hope for better luck tomorrow with my van travel to Lahich, which will require a possibly infrequent connection in Ismaili.