As they speed across the picturesque scenery of forest and the endless mountain range to the north, they pass the town of Ismailiya. The Traveler spots a sign that says "hotel" and figures they'd better act fast. There don't seem to be many hotels in these parts. So they hop off the minibus... yep... it's a cheap hotel that has definitely seen better days.

The wooded hills look more interesting than the town, so they head up north to see what there is to see . Up a dirt road, across a stream... they find a trail that it seems leads to a village in the hills. Turns out to be a cluster of vacation homes next to the forest, where the better off city folk can come enjoy a peaceful vacation. It seems this is private property, and people are wondering why they're here. The Traveler tries to gesture that they're just here to enjoy the natural beauty--and that seems to be a suitable explanation. They join the locals at a little teashop they have and attempt to carry on a gesture-conversation. Then the two wanderers ask permission to continue on up the hill.

It's a bit of a tough climb, with a lot of thornbushes blocking the way... but they make it to the top of the first hilltop where they enjoy a pleasant view. Not really spectacular... but after all those days of trudging through urban areas, and boring plains, it's very refreshing to enjoy forest and mountains up close.

Walking through town, The Traveler gets the most vivid image of the inconsistency in Azerbaijan's development. There's a new castle-style wall built along the boulevard. On one side of the wall you have a nice facade, well kept lawn and garden, and a couple of upscale clubs. This is the Azerbaijan that the government wants people to see.

Immediately on the other side of the wall is an ugly, unfinished facade, mud streets that probably become impassable when it rains--a neighborhood with hardly a penny of government money spent on it.

I guess the government hopes no outsider will peer through the doorway of the wall to see what real Azerbaijan is like.