Azerbaijan Trips

A Baku Kind of Day | Sep 24 09'

"In Azerbaijan, as in so many parts of the world, the 15th century can feel only minutes old, while the recent past often has the inevitable feel of primeval destiny."

After a 10-hour flight to London, a 6-hour layover, and a 5-hour flight across Europe, I landed in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan. By midnight I was i... Continue reading »

A Half-Step Up From Hell | Oct 06 09'

"Apartment blocks that looked bombed-out were occupied by desperate-looking men, women, and children. The old-looking people were actually in their 30s and 40s, badly aged from being homeless for half their lives. Families lived 3, 4, and 5 to a room, with several unrelated families living in a single dilapidated apartment. Some “apartments” actually had no roof; many had windows open to the elements. Water pipes and gas pipes crisscrossed the scrubby earth between buildings, sometimes dangerously hidden by trash and weeds, sometimes dangerously exposed to careless or diseased feet."

I never told you about the refugee slums I visited last week in Sumgayit, an hour north of Baku.Sumgayit was built as an industrial center by the S... Continue reading »

A Visit to the Middle Ages | Sep 30 09'

"Today I went to Krasnaya Sloboda, a small town in the foothills near Russia that is experiencing a religious revival. In fact, it now has the only actual Jewish culture in Azerbaijan."

Today I visited medieval times twice, from two entirely different--yet oddly related--directions.Today I went to Krasnaya Sloboda, a small town in... Continue reading »

Arrival in the oil capital | Sep 17 06'

We arrived at 4 am, the sprawl of lights below giving a hint of just how big the city was. Interestingly, the lights are scattered like clusters of... Continue reading »

At the Caspian Sea | Sep 06 01'

Hello everyone from the Caspian SeaFirst of all I want to apologize for sending out the same entry six times in a row last week. We were in an inte... Continue reading »

Conflict 101 | Sep 26 09'

"Tonight I almost got my lights punched out."

Tonight I almost got my lights punched out.I say this not to brag or to celebrate, but because it’s a perfect Azerbaijan story. Not that it c... Continue reading »

In Contrast To Yesterday | Oct 02 09'

"There’s a steady breeze, the mountains and valleys are spectacular, the people ignore me in a casual way—and suddenly, I have all the time in the world. It’s taken a week-and-a-half of being in a land most humans have never heard of, but I’m finally relaxed."

In contrast to yesterday, today was a day I could totally enjoy without judgment or political feelings.This morning we drove way up into the mounta... Continue reading »

My First Work Day In Baku | Sep 25 09'

"It’s exciting to bring my idiosyncratic concepts about sexuality and sex therapy to psychologists who have never been trained in the area."

    The day started with a taxi ride careening through rush hour traffic, delivering me to the U.S. embassy. Talk about real life--t... Continue reading »

Random Thoughts | Oct 05 09'

"I took the subway just for fun. It was clean, fast, crowded, and very, very deep, like Moscow’s. People were complaining that the fare had just been raised 500%--to 25 cents."

Here are some not-so-random thoughts about this odd country:* The so-called President Ilham Aliev is everywhere. You cannot walk or drive anywhere... Continue reading »

Stumbling Over History | Oct 03 09'

"Azerbaijan today is a weird mix of ancient Silk Road tradition, Ottoman-era customs, Soviet repression, and 21st-century material obsessions."

As civilizations go, the U.S. is pretty new. One rarely stumbles over history in America, except for our own—generally only a few decades old... Continue reading »