Göy Göl

Sorry that this is so long in coming! In July I FINALLY got to see one of the most revered sites in Azerbaijan. The legendary “Göy Göl.” Talk to any Azeri for any length of time and eventually he or she will mention Goy Gul and inquire as to whether you’ve visited it or not. After hearing about it for more than a year the anticipation was building up to a frenzy but I had no opportunity to travel there. Reaching the nearby towns requires your own vehicle and political or ‘financial’ clout with the local military posts in order to pass through. It is also not recommended for foreigners to go because of its proximity to the Armenian occupied territory and the possibility of landmines and/or sniper fire. However, before you freak out, Mom, - between Göy Göl and the border are some VERY tall mountains which I doubt any Armenians are clamoring over to plant landmines or shoot at the few people around the densely forested Lake.
Anyway- back to how I got to go there…So a student and friend of mine, Xaliq, (pronounced Khalig- who is now studying at Troy University in Alabama for a year)
has a professor at his university here in Azerbaijan who is doing research on Göy Göl. As a going away party/present for Xaliq he wanted to take us to Göy Göl for a little excursion. Göy Göl is also one of Xaliq’s greatest passions and he has written many reports and given numerous presentations about it, all without ever having actually been there. So this was a very special day for both of us!
We left Ganja around 11:00 and proceeded to make our way toward Hajikend- the town closest to Göy Göl and where we would first have a Barbeque. Its interesting to me how every single trip to Hajikend I’ve been on has been almost exactly the same. First we had to stop to get some supplies- I’m not sure what, exactly. Then a few kilometers later he needed charcoal then further down the road at a different store we purchased lighter fluid. A while after that we stopped at the roadside slaughter house for the meat then at the village for fresh baked bread (see ‘Azeri Barbeque’) and then we stopped at a spring for ‘fresh, clean’ water. Never mind the trash and sheep excrement upstream from it! Finally, once we reached Hajikend a good hour and a half to two hours later (its only about 20 miles away!) we then had to search for the perfect grilling location. This was a little difficult since we’d arrived a bit late in the day and most of the prime spots were taken. After driving back and forth for another 15-20 minutes we found a suitable place to eat.
We proceeded to unpack all of our barbeque equipment. (Keep in mind that there were only 3 of us!) We had a table, 4 chairs, grill, wood burning water boiler- tea maker, a complete set of dishes, plus all the food. This time there were no carpets or sound systems but our grilling neighbors provided some atmospheric music from their car stereo. Then began the food preparation, which again did not vary one iota from the previous barbeques I’d taken part in! First we built the fire and began to grill eggplants, peppers and tomatoes on large skewers (called Shish in Azeri! which is where the term shish kabob comes from! Amazing.) In the meantime Xaliq’s professor, Mr. Elshad, prepared the different kebabs, while Xaliq and I tried but failed miserably in keeping the fire going in the wood burning hot water heater so we could all drink tea.
The vegetables, once grilled to a nice mushy pulp, were mashed together with some onions and spices to create a salad. This is the exact same salad that I have eaten at EVERY Azeri barbeque. Don’t get me wrong the salad is great but its no longer a surprise! Then we tossed lamb kebabs on the grill but not before dousing them in salt. A while later we munched on those- and then worked again at trying to produce some boiling water.
We finally managed to boil the water and drink our tea. By now the day was almost over and Xaliq and I were getting worried as to our chances of making it to the lake.
He talked to Mr. Elshad and he didn’t seem real positive about the prospect. After packing all of our things back into the car we drove to the military check point. Normally it costs 100 manat (120 dollars) to bribe the soldiers to let you in. We didn’t want to pay this so we tried another approach. Apparently there was a man who was a guide and could take us to the lake through the woods on foot.
We drove to a small village and found this guy who commissioned his son to do the trek with us. Mr. Elshad, who had seen the lake numerous times, opted out. Led by a young boy we hiked up over a steep ridge. Both Xaliq and I were quite thankful that we were so late because althhough it was still warm out, it was not unbearably hot and the hike was pretty strenuous-especially for those of us who have done no real physical activity for over a year! Once over the ridge we passed through some fields with sour plums, horses and a sign telling us to be quiet, where we finally saw our first glimpse of the lake. It really was spectacular and well worth the difficult climb. We then clamored down the other side to the shore. Beautifully reflected on the surface was Mt Kapaz and the neighboring hills. As it was evening the light cast magnificent shadows on the mountains. It was really beautiful-the most beautiful place I’ve been to in Azerbaijan.. It is the most peaceful, clean place I’ve seen in this country. There was little to no trash, no other people, no cell phones, no car horns and the lake was clean and clear and there were trees! Lots and lots of trees. But more importantly it was special because of the meaning it held for Xaliq. It has been his dream since childhood to visit Göy Göl and I was there to share the moment when that dream came true. Although there are places in the world that are more beautiful than Göy Göl, much of its beauty comes from the personal significance it holds for people from Azerbaijan. Similar to how I feel about Acadia National Park in Maine. It is the natural beauty entwined with all the childhood memories I have of hikes and bikes and skis, through the park, that place it on the top of my ‘most beautiful places’ list.
After taking many pictures and enjoying the serenity, we made our way back to the village, where we met Mr. Elshad and headed back to Ganja. On the way we caught a magnificent moonrise over Mt. Kapaz and at around 10 arrived home. Göy Göl was well worth the wait!