Hopefully, we ship out of Baku tomorrow (Friday, 20 July) and float uneventfully across the Caspian Sea to arrive in Turkmenbashi the following morning for a 10-day peek at Turkmenistan. Given the nature of things there, access to internet is unlikely.

In case we are lucky enough to successfully connect during our stay, we promise to publish something. Continue Reading »

In Georgia, the food is quite appropriately an expression of the culture. Warm, gooey comfort food like khajapuri (cheese-stuffed bread) finds balance with matsoni (sour yogurt). Herbs like tarragon, flat parsley, dill and coriander combine with walnuts and garlic for rich fillings and sauces. Continue Reading »

We introduced Adrianne and Rick earlier on this blog. Having told their story to several people recently and feeling renewed inspiration, we wanted to share more about them and their work.

We feel that Adrianne and Rick can tell their story better than we can. Below are excerpts from an email interview conducted after they returned to Canada from their latest work in Cambodia (December 2006-March 2007).
Continue Reading »

Thanks to the tourist bus from Iran, we made it back to Baku in time for a feast with Yahya and his family. That evening, we relayed the following story from our days in Tbilisi, Georgia…

As we shared an early evening beer on Tabori mountain in Tbilisi with our pal (who shall remain nameless for security reasons), he thrust his bottle in the direction of the skyline, and proudly toasted “to vulva!” Continue Reading »

So there we were, parched on the pavement in Gobustan, Azerbaijan. Fresh from gurgling volcanic mud holes and ancient cave scratchings, we looked forward to catching a mashrutka (minibus) that was due any minute back to the big city, Baku. Fifteen minutes, no mashrutka. Thirty minutes, no mashrutka. Heat exhaustion setting in. Drink some water. Continue Reading »

If you’ve attempted to enter our photo gallery from here: http://www.uncorneredmarket.com/photos in the last few days and have noticed a gaping hole, rest assured that you aren’t going crazy. All of our photo sets were showing up on that page one day…and the next day they weren’t. We’re having some problems with the Flickr API.

We’re about to catch a bus to northern Azerbaijan tomorrow, meaning that we won’t have time nor internet access to fix this problem for a few days. In the meantime, if you are looking for photo sets (including the latest from our travels in Georgia), check out these links: Continue Reading »

We were enjoying a late evening stroll in the Kakhetian countryside with Lali, our guide and host, when we were beckoned by a group of young men having a picnic at the church. Lali and Audrey sacrificed Dan to Shota and Misha, the leaders of the group, and waited out the encounter at a distance.

Homemade bacon (think glistening white chunks of pork fat) was offered up on a plate while a five liter gasoline jug full of murky white wine was dragged out and glasses filled to the rim. Continue Reading »

Before arriving in the Georgian wine region of Kakheti, we’d imagined rolling hills and old vines. Throw in some looming mountain ranges, medieval churches, bad roads, small villages full of crumbling houses, beautiful rose gardens, donkeys, old Russian cars and large gasoline jugs filled with murky wine and you’ve got Kakheti. And while the region is full of mysterious churches and historical sites, our best experiences always seemed to happen along the way. Continue Reading »