2006 Azerbaijan vision trip

9/14/06 London, England

Pizza Hut, of course. Where else would an American go to dinner on a 12-hour layover. I've eaten at Pizza Hut in more countries than I can keep track of. At least this time I have company with me, thus reducing the likelihood that I'll get robber as I did in Amsterdam last December.

I'm here with Mark D. on a scout trip to Baku, Azerbaijan, trying to put together a partnership w/ an M there that happens to be local to us. Odd that between us we've been to something approaching 40 countries and neither of us has ever been through London Heathrow, let alone visited London. but since we had 12 hours to kill, here we are at Pizza Hut on Piccadilly Circus.

We took the underground to Embankment, then walked all over from there; past Buckingham Palace, the Millenium Wheel, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park, Hard Rock Cafe, Piccadilly Circus, and finally, Pizza Hut. BTW, the [pizza] here tastes just like Pietro's back in Eugene. I wonder why that is?

Its been neat just walking around, through the streets and squares. Along Whitehall we were paced by a protest march. In Piccadilly we sat in front of a fountain and just relaxed. The steps we were sitting on were filled with passers-by. A street preacher talked over a microphone nearby, but we had trouble hearing him over the water of the fountain and the rush of the crowd. The snatches we did hear sounded... sound. He seemed like a normal, mature believer. He spoke of the hollowness of sin and the fullness of life in Christ. He didn't rant or rave or wave signs of aborted babies like others I've experienced. He was clean. Unfortunately, he was also ignored.

What else is there to say about London? Not a lot. The day was blessedly uneventful, as adventurous as it was. We're on the plane now, to Baku, and there is no one within 5 rows of Mark and I: we shall sleep well. Yet another blessing.

9/15/06 Baku, Azerbaijan


I'm sitting in a classroom @ Baku State University listening to the teacher go over the syllabus for the "Critical Thinking" course, which is part of the American Studies program. (Point of interest: BSU's American Studies program is partnered with Indiana University. Small World.)

Our purpose here is to gain a vision of how we might resource our contacts. So far, all I can see is my pillow. I'm tire... [At which point I really did drift off to sleep.]
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Peynirli Lahmacun - local flatbread w/ some type of meat, sauce and cheese, with fresh parsley and a lemon wedge squeezed over the top. Roll it, eat it, burp. Good food. Lunch.
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Lord, have I ever been this tired? Jet lag after 2 nights on an airplane and a 10 hour time change can be a real killer. All we did this afternoon was talk with a few of the students from Baku State University, discuss details of our partnership, and shop (unsuccessfully) for an Azerbaijan soccer jersey. In the process, I did manage to walk all over the city, grabbed a metro and ate another local meal @ a fast food joint called (loosely translated) The Miracle Stove.

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9/17/06 [Sunday] Baku, Azerbaijan
Why am I still up?! Its almost 1:30 in the morning here, which ought to be bad, but time has lost all meaning. Today I met for 5 hours w/Mark and the local team here [names omitted], then went for a walk around the city, saw the Caspian Sea up close, the Maiden Tower, and did a little shopping and had dinner @ a restaurant named Padisan. Overall I'm not impressed w/ the city; there's just not much to see here. I don't think the same is true of the nation as a whole though. Anyway, bottom line is that we saw what we came to see, did what we came to do. Now we're on gravy time; anything we accomplish from here on out is pure bonus.

So, why am I still up? Because Oregon is playing Oklahoma @ Autzen Stadium right now and we have the game on ESPN's Gamecast. GO DUCKS!
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Something else about Az, it really is a secular nation. Statistically its almost 100% Muslim; we've seen only one mosque anywhere in the city. Now, granted, its a Taliban supported mosque, but its the only one, and we were all over today. [In other Muslim cities I've visited, mosques were ubiquitous. Here, the Soviets apparently stamped out virtually all religion, which would make sense considering their atheist dogma.
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Slow day. Slept in, hung out, rejoiced over Oregon's victory over Oklahoma, and enjoyed fellowship with some of the local team.

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9/19/06 Joplin, MO, USA
Flu, I think. I feel like I got hit by a truck. It started yesterday about the time we got to London. Flying home was cool. We flew past the Caspian and Black Seas. I actually got to see Constanta, Romania again; first time since Mandi and I were there in 1995.

THe best part of the flight though was not seeing Constanta, or even enjoying an entire row to myself between Baku and London, but dropping into Heathrow. Our approach took us over the heart of the city, which meant that I had a close aerial view of the Eye, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the Thames, the Tower Bridge, etc. It was beautiful. It gave scope and scale to everything we saw from the ground earlier. Definitely the best view of a great city I've ever had. [Incidently, Paris from atop the Eiffel Tower is second.]

After that the trip went downhill. I got the worst case of diarhea I've had since Bolivia '93. On top of that, my nose started running like it was being chased by a machete-wielding Islamic fundamentalist. I was popping Imodium pills and chugging Pepto-Bismol like a junkie overdue for a fix and it didn't make a difference until late this morning. Now I have stomach cramps, but I think the worst is over.

BTW, security was insane through the airports. 3 X-ray screenings in Baku alone.

After that the trip went downhill. I got the worst case of diarhea I've had sine Bolivia in '93. On top of that, my nose started running like it was being chased by a machete-wielding Islamic fundamentalist. I was popping Imodium pills and chugging Pepto-Bismol like a junkie overdue for a fix and it didn't make a difference until late this morning. Now I have stomach cramps, but I think the worst is over. [In point of fact, it was three weeks until my digestion returned to normal. I blame the food on the flight out of Baku, although there's really no way to be certain.]

BTW, security was insane through the airports. 3 X-Ray screening in Baku alone.