Shahdağ

5am. Sunday. My alarm goes off, to my dismay. It was time to get up and get going.

The gas in my apartment was out so my apartment was frozen, so I rolled out of bed and quickly wore the warmest cloths I could find. I packed some vegetables I had left, and skiddadled to meet my friends at the appointed meeting spot.

About 12 of us rendezvoused and hopped on a small bus in the cold, dark morning ready to set off on a 3-hour drive to Shahdağ. Shahdağ is Azeri for “king mountain”, and is a skiing resort in the northern part of Azerbaijan.

For clarification, I do not ski. I tried once, about a decade ago, failed miserably and decided it was not for me. Why did I go, then? Baku, like any big city, can be tiring. Getting away to a place with fresh air is an opportunity to relax, see something new, and have some fun with friends.

Having decided to wash my hair and blow dry it until 1am the night before, I spent most of the ride up to Shahdağ sleeping. Once we got there, I settled down at the cafe, ordered some hot coco, and spent the day with the other non-skiiers in my group of friends. Of course we did not spent the whole entire day sitting inside; we also went up on the lift to the top of the mountain. The view was spectacular, and playing around in the snow was fun. It was reminiscent of home, as Boston is often covered in snow during the winter months.

 

All in all, I had a great day and I cannot wait for the next adventure!