Our journey through Azerbaijan is drawing to a close. A few days ago, we crossed the easternmost reaches of the Caucasus Mountains and passed the colorful Candy Cane Mountains to reach the north. The drive was fantastic, but it took us into a rainy region that would engulf almost all of Azerbaijan.

Only Baku seemed unaffected and warm, according to the weather map. We are currently in Quba and are beginning our return journey. On the way, we will stop at the fortress ruins of Çıraqqala and Mount Beşbarmaq, known as the “Five Fingers Mountain“.

The drive starts off pleasant, and we see some beautiful scenery. Then the rain intensifies. We reach the small town of Galaalti and realize that reaching the Çıraqqala castle ruins won’t be easy. The track leading there, as we experienced the day before near Afurca, has turned into a muddy track that we can now slowly traverse with our four-wheel-drive vehicle.

But even then, we have to expect that we won’t be able to see anything because of the clouds.

We continue south without having accomplished anything, hoping at least to catch a glimpse of the imposing mountain of Beşbarmaq, the “Five Finger Mountain”.

How do we know we’re approaching Baku? Right, the oil derricks are becoming omnipresent again. These small, colorful derricks, however, look like something out of a Fisher-Price children’s building set.

The arms rise and fall in a monotonous rhythm. I’m amazed that oil can be extracted here on the mountain.

We finally reach the Five Finger Mountain. As expected, the mighty rock simply disappears into the clouds, revealing none of its splendor.

The journey alone is an adventure, as we have absolutely no visibility at times on the slippery gravel road.

According to the guidebook, you have to beware of all the fortune tellers and shamans up here trying to sell you enchanted items and prophecies. We don’t have any small change on us—and we don’t need it. No magician would climb up here in this cold. It’s empty up here. We’re alone with the spirits.

Nevertheless, we find a man here who speaks to us in Russian and provides us with hot tea, fresh dates, and crispy baklava in his cozy lounge. An older lady from Russia is there and is delighted by a few words of Russian I speak. She even speaks some German, and we can converse with it.

We finally begin our journey home, battling our way back to Baku in heavy traffic. The circle is complete. We meet Elvi again, who is happy to show us more of her hometown.

We spend a few more pleasant days in Baku, bringing our trip through Azerbaijan to a relaxing close.